Buna Ziua Everyone!

    Thank you again for coming to my little corner of the internet. I am currently writing this blog from our home for the next two weeks: a beautiful hostel/hotel in a small Albanian beach town. I sat down at our table to type this out with my Italian brand Cup Of Noodles and all I could do was stare at my empty screen. The thought of recapping an entire month on a metaphorical roller coaster is quite the Herculean task...It seems unbelievably impossible. So after some prayer and meditation, I have decided to break up my Romanian recap into 3 blog posts, this one being the first. Please don’t mistake the small number of blogs to reflect the impact my time in Romania had on me; it’s difficult to compress 30+ days in any form or fashion. I DO encourage those of you reading to feel free to ask questions...I will be more than happy to engage in an ongoing discussion about my time in Craiova. 

     With that, I would like to bring you along while I reminisce about my afternoon in a Roma Community. This was my first/only time “on the streets” in Romania. I was honored with the responsibility of assisting the Personal Assistant to our ministry host for our time in Romania. This meant, while others were out on the streets meeting locals, building relationships, handing out copies of the New Testament, I stayed back to help organize, clean, and assist in anyway possible. This meant a lot of being given a task and being left alone...GLORIOUS! I spent that time in private worship, prayer, and reflecting and I felt the Holy Spirit move in such sweet ways. I also got the honor of spending one-on-one time with Raul (ministry host and INCREDIBLE man of God) and Cristina (personal assistant and FIERCE woman of God). Reflecting back on the opportunities God presented to us on the day-to-day basis, I can’t help but see His presence in our assignments for the month; He is all-knowing, all-loving, and so, SO GOOD! ANYWAY, one afternoon I asked Boss Lady Cristina, “Whatcha need me to do?” and her response shocked me. “I need you to go with the group to the Roma community and take pictures.” My eyes widened. “Me? I’m going?!?” “Yeah! Do you have a phone?” she replied. I’m not sure if she could tell by my tone, but I was surprised/excited/nervous/pumped. I had spent my days in reflective, peaceful solitude and now I was getting the opportunity to go out...WOW-WE-WOW!!!

    To give a little background information, our ministry partner, Hope Church had received a VERY generous donation the day before. A semi truck full of donations of clothing and toys had made its way from Germany. GERMANY!!! Below are objectively some of the best shots I got from that incredible afternoon. Hopefully I accurately depicted what I saw/felt...equal parts joy and sadness. I learned that while we are different in so many ways we hold so many similarities. The children in this community love high fives and sticking their tongues out. The mother’s concern for their babies is obvious on their faces. The teenage girls are always aware of the teenage boys around. The older generation, who have seen this church van come in and out of their community many times before, show unending gratitude for the gifts provided for them. 

 All pictures below were taken by the expressed permission of the people in the photo. 

     On the van ride back, I asked Raul “Where were the fathers?” He told me that single mothers are the norm in these Roma communities because the fathers will leave the country to go find work or not. As I looked out of the window of the church van, my heart broke for the women of that community. For the older women who had survived it, the young women who lived it, and for the girls who can only see that as their future. While there is apparent happiness in this community there is also undeniable sadness that rolls down these dirt roads. Please join me in praying for this community:

Precious Lord, 

     Thank you for your vast and varied creation. Thank you for teaching us who You are through it. God, I pray that every time this van rides through a community, a glimmer of Your hope shines in the hearts of these people, your children. Holy Spirit, please insert curiosity in their minds when they are handed a copy of the New Testament. Please encourage them to open it and not just let it collect dust on their shelves. Please continue to place people like this in my path, because each time I meet someone new, I see more of You and that excites me. God, continue to use me as a beacon to point people to You and continue to bless everyone that is currently reading this prayer. You are amazing, You are loving, and You are kind. Thank You. 

In Your holy name we pray, Amin.