Your Word Does Not Return Void...

Three years ago, I met a young man named Bogdan at one of the camps for the Romanian ministry at which I am now serving (Joshua Project World Ministries.) Like the other youth at this camp, Bogdan was infected with HIV as a young child at either a hospital or clinic and had experienced ridicule, abandonment, and rejection due to contracting the disease. As a result, Bogdan was understandably sad, hard-hearted, and mostly...angry. I remember looking at him and thinking that it was an impossible situation. However, I was quickly reminded that we serve a God that makes the impossible, possible. Throughout the week, the truth about God's love and Christ's sacrifice was shared, however, it seemed that nothing penetrated Bogdan's heart. So hard was his heart, that I cried out for him one morning during our team prayer session. I weeped as I pleaded with God to soften and change what seemed to be a stone instead of a heart.

This is picture of the Bogdan I met three years ago. In this picture I see the tough, angry young man I met. What I mainly see are eyes that lack joy, hope, and most of all, love.

Regardless of what it looked like on the outside, the team and I could not see what God was doing on the inside. Over the course of the next two years, God continued to grow the seed that was placed in Bogdan from that camp in 2007, slowly breaking down walls and softening the exterior. Six months ago, Bogdan made a decision to give God control of his life, and three weeks ago, Bogdan was baptized.




This is the Bogdan I know today. This picture was taken last week at our first camp of the summer. In this young man, I see the peace, hope, and love that was missing three years ago. In this young man, I see my fellow brother in Christ. A radiant Bogdan attended camp last week. My heart was overjoyed as I watched him laugh with and hug others, but also cry as he prayed for the other young men and women at camp, asking God to change their lives as well.

Bogdan is making incredible strides in his new life with Christ. Not only is he faithful in attending the church plant that has started in our center, but he has cut off all ties with his former life and is surrounding himself with others that are choosing to live for God as well. He has even published a website at which others can learn about God. It's written in Romanian, but I would like to invite you to check out the incredible work of this young man: http://invatadespredumnezeu.com

I asked Bogdan if I could share his story for two reasons. Primarily, I want you to know the importance and value in sharing the Gospel, as well as the summer camps we conduct at Joshua Project World Ministries. Just because you may not see fruit from your labor, God is clear in Isaiah 55:10-11 that His word will not return void. It says,
"As the rain and snow come down from heaven and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

Secondly, I want you to pray for our brother, Bogdan. He is a brave, young man who is choosing to live opposite to the world around him. The world says that he is worthless because he has HIV and that it is hopeless to believe in a God that you cannot see. Even if he wasn't infected, the outlook of Romanians in general is dim. Recently, the government has increased taxes (for the umpteeth time,) even taxing bank accounts. They've sliced the wages of non-governmental works 30% this last month, and there are rumors of taking away the pensions of disabled children, like those infected with HIV. Without this pension, many of them will have no source of income at all.

So I beseech you to pray. Pray for Bogdan. Pray that he would be strengthened and encouraged by others around him. Pray that God would raise up other Christian men to walk along side of him. Pray that he would grow in boldness and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Most of all, pray for his protection. His, and our adversary, the devil wants to destroy his life. He may not be able to have Bogdan's soul anymore, but he wants nothing more to make him ineffective for the Kingdom of God to the point of robbing Bogdan of everything he has...even life. So we must pray.

I hope this testimony of God's work encourages you and increases your own faith in the things you've been praying for. Know that God is always at work and that your prayers DO have an impact. If you are a follower of Christ, you have the ability through Jesus, to stand in the throne room of God when you pray. James 5:16 says, "...The prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective."

So let's do it, let's be effective!

Like A Bull In A China Shop....

Ever had that "awkward" feeling where everything you do is out of sync? Yeah, that's been me for the last two weeks. The first few days were the most ridiculous. So I'm gonna call myself out, on the "internets." (That's for you KK ;-)

First I want you to take a look at my apartment. Oh yeah, it's green...pistachio to be exact. You know you're jealous.



Now, as you can tell from these first few pics, there's lots to be done to make this apartment feel like a home. The green color was so overpowering I hung my dish towels up on existing nails just so I would have SOMETHING to break up the color. The pic of the "living area" on the right shows some of the purchases I made during my first few weeks here. Don't worry, I bought paint....

Now, to get back to that "bull in a china shop feeling...." The first shopping trip turned out to be total disastrous in feeling like I had any control over my awkwardness at all. First, Tresha and I go to Plus where we loaded up our shopping cart with many much needed supplies. Everyone is staring because people don't normally buy very much stuff at stores, because they don't have the money to and here we are with a basket completely full of supplies. So, we've loaded all the items onto the belt and the checker starts his procedure.... Tresha reminds me I need bags (you pay for your bags and bag your own items here.) Duh! So I grab about 4 bags and start chunking items into the bags as fast as I can before the checker, who is basically shooting my items across the bar-code scanner, is finished. I'm basically a wreck. Not only is everyone staring at me, but I have to be finished with the bagging before the scanning is done...or else everyone will still be staring at the American who doesn't know how to check-out while she's fumbling around for her wallet....

Wallet? Wait a second, where's my wallet? That's right, I forgot my wallet. Praise God Tresha had enough cash to cover my purchases. After that, we went back to my apartment to salvage what was left of my pride and find my wallet. It was just where I left it by the way....

The next store was just as ridiculous. We had just as full a basket as the first store, however this time, we held up the line because the pot I chose didn't have a sticker on it. Tresha went back to find the pot on the shelf, during which a man elbowed her and she dropped the pot and broke the lid. Clean-up on Aisle 5!!!! She returned, with both the broken and properly "stickered" pot only for me to realize there are about twice as many eyes on me as before. I have never felt like such an outsider before.

That was the first few days. Now that it's been about two weeks, I'm settling in to my new apt and am slowly but surely making it feel more "home-y." As for the "awkward" feeling, well...let's just say that I'm now smiling at all the staring eyes. There are some things, you just can't fix...

Here are some more pictures of my "studio" apartment.




Re-vamped kitchen. Next, some green plants,
colorful pieces, and much needed painting!

The unfinished bedroom

And to the right, my friends, is the gypsy house across the street from my apartment. I am convinced the owner of my apartment borrowed their left over paint. I mean, it's the exact same color as my kitchen/living area. It's ridiculous!

Kind of reminds me of the wild color of houses I saw on the west side of San Antonio everyday as I drove to work ;-)



Finally, the view from my bedroom window. These mountains are some of the smaller ones in this area. Last Sunday, the McKnight's and I went to a lake up in the mountains. I was saddened when I realized I forgot my camera. However, I'm sure we will be back there again as it is only 30 minutes from where we live. God is good to provide such an oasis in the middle of a devastated country where so many have so little.

Stay tuned for pictures of the "kids" of the Joshua Project who I hope to capture on video and in pictures soon!

The Time Has Come...

It's here...Saturday's the day. It's hard to believe that I'm about to do this. Most of me is excited, but I would be lying if I said there wasn't a part of me that thinks I'm absolutely crazy for changing everything in my life by moving halfway across the world. However, it's gotta be better than this state of limbo I've been living in for the last 6 months.

It's an incredible thing though...to feel the grace of God covering you as you take a chance and follow him, to know that he has you in the palm of his hand, that no weapon formed against you shall prosper, and that he is greater than anything you may encounter. Those are just some of the promises that I'm walking in today. When I begin to feel anxious thinking of the problems I may encounter, I remember that God knew the end from the beginning for he is the author of both.

Not only do I feel a supernatural empowerment from the Lord, but I also feel the prayers of my friends and family who are standing by me in this. To put it simply, without prayer we do not stand. There is no greater weapon/tool that God has given us than prayer. I recently listened to cd's from a prayer tools class my brother attended at his church. They completely rocked my world regarding prayer...well, maybe more like revolutionized the way I view prayer. I look forward to what God is going to do in my prayer life while overseas and here's to hoping I come back a completely different woman!

While I am in Romania, I would love hearing about what is going on with my friends and family back in the U.S. I know it's easy to think that I'm too busy or there's too much going on, but what helps the most with the loneliness I'm likely to encounter is staying connected with people. So, please send me your prayer requests, updates, or latest tidbits from your life. It will be great to hear from you!

Change Is A Comin'...

I'm in the final countdown people! Last Thursday, I purchased my plane tickets for the flight over the pond. The best part....it only cost me 700 bones. Yes, I know, doesn't exactly sound like a deal. However, when you consider that most flights on other websites were around $850-$1000...that is a STEAL!

So, it's 33 days and counting. I'm excited to start the next phase, but at the same time...EXTREMELY INTIMIDATED! I mean, what am I thinking? At 31 I'm completely changing everything about my life, leaving the only country I've ever lived in (not to mention, the only state I've ever lived in) and leaving everyone I know behind. All I have to say is (in the words of my friend Larissa)...HECK YES!

I'm itchy with excitement about the change. There's much to be done, including a trip to Vancouver this week to help my team members with some speaking engagements. I'll blog more about that later.

Woo to the hoo!

The Engines Are Warming Up...

(The following is the email update letter for April 2010. To receive these updates via email, please contact me or post a comment with your email address included ;-)

Prayer/Update Letter for April 2o1o

"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'" Romans 10:14-15

Can you hear it? The jet engines are warming up. That's right, it is almost time for me to leave the U.S. and start another portion of the journey God has for me.
The fund-raising efforts of the last few months have been incredibly fruitful, bringing in 90% of my monthly need! Thank you to those that have committed to serving with me in Romania, for that is how I look at it and that is what I believe is evidenced in the scripture quoted in the title. We all play a part in reaching the nations. How can the children of Romania hear of him unless someone tells them? How can someone tell them unless they are sent? So it is neither the "giver" or the "goer" who is more important in this scenario, we are all equal partners in god's passion for people.
As I mentioned previously, I am 90% monthly funded. This means that I only need $300 more a month to be pledged in order to go. This could be three individuals/families giving $100 a month for 18-months, six giving $50 a month for 18-months, etc. Please contact me if you are interested in being a piece of the pie.
Once I am 100% funded (which means, once International messengers sees that I'm receiving 100% of the monthly funds needed,) I will be authorized to get on that jet-plane!
Want to support me in other ways? See below.

Other Ways To Help

Many have asked how they can help with some of my other needs (i.e. personal, apartment, or other items.) These are some of the things I need to buy in the U.S. due to inadequate or a lack of resources in Romania. I will also need to purchase furniture and appliances for my apartment once I'm in Romania.
To donate for any of the items on the list or those needing to be purchased in-country, please contact me.

Bed/Bath
sheets
bath towels
mattress pad/cover
washcloths

Kitchen
kitchen towels
cutting board
utensil set
brownie mixes
cookie trays
baking pans
packaged tuna
nuts (no peanuts)
chocolate chips
marshmallows
almond butter

Personal
slippers
robe
deodorant
**many more personal items not included

I've Been Everywhere, Man...

In the past few months, I've been a number of places and in various states. In most recent weeks, I've been to Dallas, my hometown of Mabank, TX (shout-out), Owensboro, KY, St. Louis, MO, across the ridiculously cold state of Iowa (Woot!), and down through Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma on my way back to Texas. I decided that while driving through Arkansas on my way to Kentucky was no fun at all, Missouri was a pleasant surprise. The "Show Me" state sure did show itself.

Here are some fun pics from the trip to St. Louis and the Arch

I was such a wonderful thing to see the country in which I live. However, it is quite a feat to pack and re-pack every time I go somewhere. When I left San Antonio last August, I gave up my apartment, sold or gave away most of my furniture, and put my clothes and the rest of my things in storage. While it may sound like I've gotten rid of much of my stuff, it has left me with the burden of carrying all these extra items in my car. So basically, I've been living out of my car for the last month....at least.

This fact makes it much sweeter when I have a "temporary," permanent place to live. I know, oxymoron. But really, when someone invites me to stay for a week or so, I kinda feel like I have the opportunity to spread out...to not carry everything I own in the back of my car. It's quite nice. Of course, these past few months have just given me time to get rid of more of my things, to look through the tubs of clothes I have stored away and decide if I'm really ever going to wear that wrap skirt that I've been saving since 1995. Kidding on the skirt. What I'm not kidding about is how much "stuff" I feel like I still have. When I was packing up all my clothes I looked at how much I couldn't fit in my THREE suitcases and thought to myself, "I feel like a greedy American." While the amount I have may not be as much as some, I look at it all and know that I'm about to move overseas to work with people that don't have even a quarter of what I have.

So...decisions to decisions. What to take and what to leave. I guess there will be harder things I'll have to do.

To God Be The Glory...

Imagine it. It's a cold, wintry day (I wasn't in San Antonio at the time,) and I opened my email to find out that I'm 90% monthly funded. Yep, that's right folks. In the last month, God has done an amazing thing. As I've been steadily sharing with people about my soon departure to Romania, he's been putting the whole thing together. Working on the hearts of people, providing not only financial, but also prayer support for me as well. Did I tell you he also located an apartment for me? Of course, you can look at it and say that there were people involved. Yes, there were. It takes people to give, it takes people to locate an apartment half a world away, and it takes me sharing with people what God has laid on my heart to do. However, don't think for a minute that you and I really have a lot to do with the outcome.

Proverbs 16:9 says, "The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD plans his steps."

This perfectly illustrates what has happened over the last month. I made all the plans in the world to share with people, lifegroups, whoever wanted to listen about Romania. I even carried out these plans. Each time I visited a lifegroup, I heard the same thing: "We don't have a lot of people coming tonight" or "I don't know if this is going to be a good night for you to share." Seriously, I can only think of one group that I didn't hear this. At first, I didn't see any fruit from my efforts. Fruit in the form of money that is. However, I knew that God would take care of it.

So, I'm writing this blog entry to say that he has. Just a few weeks ago I needed $1000 more pledged per month to go to Romania. Tonight, I only need $300 more per month. God is good. He was good before this, and he's good at the times that I am in great need. But needless to say, I really like it when he shows up in this way.

It's unbelievable. I'm almost gone. If I listen carefully, I think I can hear the jet engines warming up...