I want to begin today's update with a big thank you to all of you who have had any part in my coming here. Thank you for your prayers, support, encouragement, and practical assistance. I couldn't be here without all the people who have taken a part in this mission with me.
Coming to Romania again has been a big blessing for me, although I also felt the pain of saying goodbye before I came here. I have also missed being near to some of the people with whom I've recenlty built good relationships at Waukesha City Church where I attend, and at Chinese Christian Church of Milwaukee where I've been going to a Bible study each week. I enjoy thoroughly being with the people here, speaking the Romanian language and eating Romanian fare all the time.
Towards the end of March I was able to take part in the Pro-Life March here in Calarasi and also in Oltenita, a town about an hour away. The actual events were just a few hours on two separate days, but I spent the week prior making posters and banners for the event. I couldn't have done it without the help of some local girls who came and helped me paint through the week. Actually, these girls are local high school girls and most of them are not really involved in the ministry here and don't really speak English. So I was realizing how big a blessing it is to have prior experience here, to know of people I can ask out of the blue to help me with a project, and do it all in another language.
There were probably about 200 people present at the march in Calarasi and possibly closer to 500 at the one in Oltenita. Many of those present in Oltenita were Orthodox priests, so it's encouraging to see people coming together to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.
A challenge for me has actually been the language because often I search for the words to express a thought and can't find the Romanian vocabulary to do so. If I have to talk about an object that and don't know what it's called, or if I want to express some deeper thoughts that go beyond typical conversation it becomes doubly difficult to speak easily. I also have times where I don't understand people because of slang or speaking really fast. Sermons are long and are littered with new vocabulary, so even if I understand the idea of the message, I will lose a lot of information due to the language gap. This is just evidence that I need to challenge myself with Romanian, continue asking how to say things, ask what some word means, continue studying in my free time, and putting myself in situations where I am forced to use the language.
I had my brother with me for the last week and a half. He visited me after finishing staffing the Bible School of the Nations through YWAM in Tanzania for the last eight months. It was a pleasure to have him here, to spend time with him, etc. This also gave me the experience of translating between Romanian and English. I'm not a good translator, but this way there was some understanding rather than none. Officially, translating is hard work and I now have a deeper respect for those who do it regularly for meetings, church services, visiting teams, etc.
There were many benefits to having my brother here with me. I learned a few Swahili words from him, heard about the things God is doing in Tanzania and Zanzibar, received a few gifts that he bought me, and most importantly I got to see some of the ways his relationship with Christ has grown. My friendship with my baby brother is such a blessing. He also got to experience the team that was visiting from Norway consisting mostly of Philipino students from a Bible school in Oslo. One of the girls on that team told us that when she found out that we're brother and sister she cried because she doesn't have a good relationship with her brother and he's been in and out of jail. So we prayed with her that God will bring her brother to himself and restore the relationship between this brother and sister.
In two weeks Outstretched Hands will be holding a Pro-Life conference, so be praying that it goes well, that awareness of this issue will grow, that the peoples' mindset toward this issue will change, and that people will begin to value the lives of the unborn.
I am finding opportunities to be involved in the lives of young girls in the area who need one on one relationships with someone who can challenge them and who has a good relationship with Christ. They need the encouragement to make their faith their own, to make their walk with God personal and not let it consist soley in more and more church meetings, etc. So please also be praying for that, that I will have wisdom and be able to speak into their lives in spite of not always having the words I want to speak to them on the tip of my tongue.
Pray also for me that I will understand God's direction on my life in the following months. Often the decisions we make today become formative for our lives in the long run, so pray that I will understand clearly where and with whom he would have me be.
