Pro Life Conference Update

The last few days brought a challenge: What will l do with the issue of pro life? I can pray for the end of abortion, but what more can I do? The Pro Life conference showed me that it is necessary to be a voice for the unborn and to help people who are considering abortion, to show them we are here for them  and they aren't alone, and with God's help and provision they can raise their child.

I've been praying a lot about the conference; for a change of hearts and a powerful affect on people. I didn't really realize I was praying about myself.

I can do much more than I've done before. As much as I hate to admit it, the abortion issue becomes old hat, and dull to my ears because I've heard it my whole life. Knowing someone who is considering an abortion brings it closer to home.

Yesterday a friend told me his sister is pregnant. I know her, I think she's 19 or 20, probably unmarried, and I know multiple people in her family from church. My friend said many people think of an unborn baby in the early stage as nothing more than a piece of meat (somehow this struck me stronger than "piece of tissue") and how he told his sister the things he heard at the conference; that very early the baby already has arms, legs, nose, gender, eye color, a heartbeat, etc. Hearing these things, she said she doesn't want an abortion.

Personally this challenged me because I could be either judgmental and accusative, or I can look for a way to help her keep her child. She can experience a lot of shame if she keeps her child and I don't want to be the one making her feel ashamed. She will feel much more ashamed inwardly if she aborts. If she has done wrong, there is a mercy seat in heaven and she can approach it in repentance and receive forgiveness. I want to be someone willing and available to encourage her, help her, and support her in a decision to keep her baby.

One thing that makes me want to do more in Pro Life ministry is my name. It took my parents quite some time to choose my name and I went a month or so without a first name. Finally the name they chose was Rachel Esther. In Matthew, the book of Jeremiah is quoted at the time that Herod commands all boys two years and younger to be slaughtered. It says "A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted because they are no more." Esther was a woman who became queen over 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia by marriage and discovered a plot to kill all the Jews in the kingdom. She opened her mouth for them and their lives were saved.

Please continue praying for these things, that I would know what God wants me to do with this and that I would continue to be challenged, not stagnant or complacent. Pray for the saving of unborn lives, that God would make himself present through our efforts and that he would be the one helping people and making things right in this land where 3 out of every 4 people are aborted.

Bittersweet Farewell

How much do you love your church family, your work, friends, school and everything around which your life revolves?  What if suddenly one day you picked up and left it all to begin something new on the other side of the world?  That's where I am right now.

I have been immensely privileged to have a wonderful job over the last few months taking care of a little girl whom I like to call fetitsah. I know many wonderful people at my church who have nurtured me, children there I have nurtured, and people with whom I've grown and lived for many years.  I have such lovely friends and family and the house in which I live is very beautiful.  I have been blessed to live with some other young-adult women of God all of whom I love and respect very much and consider them all my sisters, although two of them were born that way.  When leaving it all to go to another place, all these things take on a different meaningfulness.  I love the people among whom I live.

Nevertheless, I am not too sad about leaving because I know I leave on good terms, not because of altercations or bad things happening, but because I go on to something else which God has put on my heart.  I can't say that I love my native home or Romania more, but I have a great love for both places.

I said I'm not very sad about leaving. It's true, but I will still miss the people here.

To what am I going?  Well one might say I have family in Romania as well as here.  No, I didn't grow up with them, they're not the same race or bloodline as I am, my involvement with them and theirs with mine is all relatively recent, but I know such wonderful people there.  I like the way my friend Amber says it, we have the same Father.

Caramidari

Street Scene, Calarasi

Kids in Roseti

Ten Levels high rise apartments, Calarasi

Support Letter

Hello Friends,

I am writing about what God is doing in my life towards missions and Outstretched Hands of Romania, (OH). I have been studying the Romanian language over the last year and a half, and have been to Romania twice, a month in
2012 and six weeks in 2013.

Because I feel called to long term missions in Romania, I am looking for people who will commit to prayer and financial support from the home front. Prayer support is essential; pray that I will be led by God, that I will recognize His will, for the OH team that we would work in unity and out of love for God, and for the Romanians who receive this ministry. Financially, I need $700 per month; if 50 people commit to give $14 a month I will be at full support.

I have also applied for an online course in Biblical Studies through Moody Bible Institute. This would cost about $4,275 per semester if I study full time. I can earn a certificate in one year or an associates degree in two. I plan to apply for grants and scholarships. Please pray that God will provide for this as well.

I will be leaving for Romania the 5th of May and returning to the States on July 1st for my sister's wedding. After this I plan to return to Romania to stay there until God would put me elsewhere.

Financial gifts can be sent to Church of Acts 900 S. Grand Ave Waukesha, WI 53186. Checks should be made out to Acts Missions and make sure to MARK CLEARLY that it is for me.

Please contact me if you'd like to know more. Thank you in advance for your partnership with me in God's work.

God bless,
Rachel Richardson

Fishers of Men

    Last Summer in Chiselet there was a baptism. Everyone met at the church earlier than usual and we went down to a little lake on the outskirts of the village. As we went down the road, we sang the Romanian version of "No Turning Back," the same song that I remember singing at my own baptism. Some of us were riding in carutsas, a cart-like, horse-drawn wagon. The driver was shouting to people along the way things like "Come to the baptism!" and "Praise the Lord!"
    As I was photographing the baptism, I turned and saw someone fishing in the lake. It reminded me of when Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James and John. He said, "Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men."
    I was privileged to watch these six people declare that they have decided to follow Jesus and will never turn back.

Caramidari

Caramidari in acrylic

Sezer (I think)

The painting above is from a photo I took last Fall from the Hope Center in a Calarasi neighborhood called Caramidari.

Random Trivia: Caramidari is a word which means brick.

Caramidari is the poorest neighborhood in the city of Calarasi and there are a lot of problems there both physical and spiritual. The Hope Center is a building that was built by Outstretched Hands of Romania and it's used as a ministry base for humanitarian aid, bringing the good news of Jesus to the people, and teaching academics to the children there who tend not to stay in school.

The photos I've included are a few of the kids who come to the Hope Center for activities in the Summer or school work in the Fall, Winter and Spring. I've labeled the one's whose names I remember.

Most of the people in this neighborhood are Roma or Turkish and they are usually referred to by everyone, including themselves, as Gypsies.

 We've heard the phrase "poverty mindset" and it is quite prominent in this area. The poverty mindset is a term we use to refer to the "giving up" that many poor people seem to do. They give up trying to better themselves, keeping themselves and their belongings clean and in order and it just wastes away because they don't feel that they have hope to get out of their predicament.

I know many kids from this area and one of my last posts was about Iasar, Sunita and Nusa, three kids from Caramidari who were baptized. There is also a teen named Elvis who is from Caramidari and has been saved.

God is working in Caramidari and will continue to do so. You can pray for the people there and God will work through your prayers. They're very beautiful and life in Caramidari is very rough and difficult.

Roza

Romanian Christmas Carols

Last week I found two very lovely things in my Facebook news feed, two new music videos from my favorite Romanian band, Umar La Umar. The videos are of the band singing Christmas carols. You can watch them if you click on the links below.

An Dupa An (Year After Year)
Daruri Scumpe (Precious Gifts)

Daruri Scumpe is my personal favorite. If you want to see their video from last year, check out Seara De Craciun (The Evening of Christmas).

Random thread of info for you, in Romania, people like to slaughter a pig for Christmas. They will slaughter it wherever they are, and Romanians aren't as squeamish as Americans, so you may see a pool of blood on the sidewalk in plain sight.

I hope you enjoy this music, and don't forget to listen to your favorite carols this Christmas season! Merry Christmas, everyone!

Hope Center, Caramidari Baptism

Yesterday I received in my email a link to the newest Outstretched Hands update. It's from about the Hope Center Baptism which happened about two months ago, but it's still very good news.

These kids are very sweet, very lively and Iasar and I have a joke. He calls me "sora mica" which means little sister and I call him "frate mare" which means big brother. He was one of my best buddies. If I have my information right, Sunita and Iasar are brother and sister. By the way, Nusa is said Noosha and Iasar is said Yashar.