Children in Need Seminar

Buna ziua! (Good day!) I am half way through the second week of a seminar on Children in Need. The seminar is being held at the YWAM base here in Sighisoara, which is an incredibly beautiful city in the middle of Romania. I'll put pictures on here soon! I am so thankful for these two weeks as I have learned so much about myself and how much God desires to heal us so that we won't pass on our own brokenness to the children we work with. This is really an answer to my prayer as God had already begun to speak to me about healing before I left for Romania. Its awesome to see his sovereign plan working out. I have so much to grow in!

I also feel much more prepared now for the work in Constanta. My first month working there was so overwhelming and I think it was due to my perspective. I have been reminded that these are God's kids! He loves them SOOO much more than I ever could and it is only His power that can change their lives. I am only called to be obedient to God and to love these little ones. I've also gotten all kinds of great ideas for learning activities to do at the Day Center, and have been reminded about the specific areas of need children have at their different stages of development. All very important things to know!

Besides this I have gotten to know some wonderful people here from the YWAM base and a girl from South Africa who has been such an encouragement to me. She will be joining us in Constanta with the street kids as well. Thank you Lord! Well I will wrap this up with some praises and prayer requests. Thank you for your support!!!!!

Praise:
*My bank card came safely in the mail! And I was provided for while I was without money all last week and until today!
*The seminar has been wonderful!
*God faithfulness in working in my life

Prayer:
*A safe trip back to Constanta
*A good transition back into ministry in Constanta :)
*To put all I have learned into practice and to keep trusting God for EVERYTHING
SOOOO many blessings to you!!!

Mate knows Jesus!

Thank you for praying for the funeral for Ionel. It was a tough thing but in the end of course we got to see the goodness of God working through a terrible thing. Only two street kids came to the funeral but many of the other people who work with street kids in Constanta came.

But the greatest things happened after the service. Therese a norwegian girl from my team was talking with Mate one of the two street kids and he decided then and there to ask Jesus to be his Savior. So awesome! He was so interested to know more about being a Christian and now we are trying to meet up with him for discipleship and encouragement. Thsi boy went from such discouragment to so much hope. So cool! I pray that this change in him will give him the strength to leave the street and find a new life, not only spiritually but for this life as well. Please pray for Mate!

This past year three kids have prayed to recieve Jesus and now our desire is to start a bible study for them and eventually a sort of street church. We want them to really know Jesus and grow in Him and they need a community to do so. So, can you pray for this too? :) Thank you! So...despite the trials there is much to be thankful for.

Enough for now! Ciao!

Babies!

I just got back from the hospital where two people from my street team and I visited some abandoned babies and a little girl. Good times. Spending time in the hospital with these babies who would otherwise never receive touch, attention, or love is a new part of our project here. We first went to the hospital to visit the baby of one of the girls on the street, but now we go to see all the babies- there are about six at a time. Its really tough to see them in this condition but we pray that our being there might make some kind of difference. This is one of the things I was really hoping to get into here in Constanta, and look, God has already brought it about!

*Pray for favor with the nurses and doctors at the hospital
*Pray for more freedom to spend time with the babies and to be able to hold them!
*Pray for contacts to be made for the babies to possibly be placed in Christian babies homes before they are too old and unable to form attachments.
*Pray for the babies! Marian, Christina and the others ( they don't even have names!)


Thank you for praying!

More Rain

So much rain! There is flooding again in Bucharest, and lots of water here, but no flooding. Two weeks ago, however, a village about 30 minutes away was destroyed. Tomorrow we will be putting on a memorial service for Ionel, a young man from the streets that our team has been working with. Please pray for God's spirit and comfort to be there with us. This is the second death this year and is so hard to deal with, but we see God working through these trial.

There are many needs on the street so i am just going to list them and ask that you would take a moment to pray for one or a few. There is such a battle going on in the streets but God is daily answering prayer:

*Angelica, a16 year old girl is in the hospital after being beat up on the street

*Anca, a 15 year old girl, is waiting to be moved to a hospice type house, as she is dying of Hepatitus B. We are so happy she is choosing to come off the streets during this time.

*Anca's boyfriend Costel is waiting to come off the street but struggling as he misses Anca so much. He is also sick, but praying all the time and seems to be willing to support Anca in her decision.

*We are making contacts to spend time in the hospital loving on the abandoned babies there. One is the son of a girl from the street and we really hope to make an impact in his life by giving him and the other babies some of the stimulation and love they are not getting in te hospital.

Personally I am learning a lot and even learning more Romanian than ever! I will be attending a two week seminar in a week about working with Children in need. I can't wait! Besides that I am getting to know people at my base and enjoying my new life here though the challenges often overwhelm me. BUt God is giving me grace for every day and I am so happy to be a part of seeing God's great plans for Romania come about! This is such a special country!