Lynn W - Romanian Christian Mentoring Mission

Not Pie or Cake but still Good.

2012-02-06T04:23:00.003-05:00

I'm sort of doing a reading plan for the Bible this year. It is actually the first time trying something of that sort. In general, my personality tends toward the "variety is the spice of life" theory and have typically done my Bible reading in various ways throughout the years... study guides, online series, topically, randomly...etc. Anyway, I am pretty well behind schedule already for reading the Bible in a year (and New Testament twice) but I like the format of the plan and want to keep to it the best I can anyway. I'll "finish" whenever I "finish".

I guess the plan even caters to my affinity for variety because it runs through two chapters in the Old Testament and two in the New for every day.
"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4:12
This is just so true and an amazing witness to the truth of the Scriptures, and consequently, the truth of Jesus Christ (Who is the Word - John 1:1)

As I've been reading, I find myself really present and entering into the "stories" of the Bible in a way I don't think I have in the past (generally). And while I'm reading four different passages of scripture written over different centuries, I'm finding the Holy Spirit is often speaking a common message to me throughout them. Neat O, eh!?

Anyway, what I wanted to share here is that ministry has never been easy. Over and over I found myself wondering during my reading, what made me think it would all go smooth as pie? There is NOTHING in the Word of God to indicate that a life dedicated to God and His work will mean a cake walk. I just noticed all the dessert references... I'm hungry. BUT it fits! Sometimes it isn't sweet, but bitter to the taste, and this doesn't mean that God isn't in it, that He isn't working, or that the end result won't be victory. In my human condition, I crave for all to go "right" in my eyes, for things to be easy and just "work out" how I expect. But it isn't always that way. Still He is with us, He guides us...every once in a while He does something miraculous. Enemies are defeated, resistance breaks down, a heart is changed... a life reborn. It is worth it all.

Blessings to you today my friends... keep on keepin' on because His plans are always good.

Another Visit to the Valley

2012-01-16T07:17:00.003-05:00

I returned a few hours ago from another visit to Prilipet and the Almaj Valley area. Before I left, I was told to prepare for a group of 20 people at the mentor training on Saturday, with about half of those people being interested in learning more about team leadership roles. I suspected ahead that we wouldn't quite reach that number (we are familiar with cancellations and no shows in the States too), but I was really pleased with the fact that 12 people (plus helper/friend Teresa) did show up for the training and 8 of those people stayed to discuss team responsibilities. Praise the Lord.

Here is another part of the amazing praise report... I did the training in Romanian. There was a translator to help when I really felt I needed to speak English or if there was a comment I couldn't understand, but it was about 90% Romanian... and it is a 4 hour training. I was surprised by the fact that I could do it and really believe it is the fruit of prayer. Thank you!

Most of those who attended expressed interest in continuing on with the process toward being a mentor for one of the children at Casa Dorca. And I'm expecting and praying that the meeting that followed afterward with potential mentoring team leaders will be more fruitful than it felt :) It isn't surprising that there would be hesitation to committing to the leader positions needed to implement the mentoring ministry. It is a BRAND NEW concept for them and truly carries a weight of responsibility. I did my best to assure them they wouldn't be alone in the venture but it is up the God to call them and convince them to take the risk. Another issue was that most of the people in attendance are already leaders of the churches and have full plates. I'm praying that they will be able to identify others in their churches who will fit the profiles for each position. We shall see! Then Sunday we did three more church presentations.

The current plan is for me to return the beginning of February, hopefully to start the training of team leaders and do another training for potential mentors. (Lord willing, with a local Romanian at my side beginning their training process on how to train others!)

There were so many blessings in the details of this weekend, including getting to know better some of the kids at the orphanage. Also... understanding more of the valley culture.

Up top is a picture from our first church visit and a close-up here. There was an orchestra like I've never experienced before, comprised mostly of children playing mandolins, supported by few violins,a flute, guitar, bass, trumpet... yeah! Really neat. And it is interesting taking part of their more traditional services, with women on the right and men on the left, wearing a skirt and leaving the earrings at home.

Something precious I have found in all the churches here in Romania is the willingness of the people to pray during the service. And in the villages, there is an expectation that the "congregation" will participate in the service in other ways as well, adding some comments to the teaching, singing a song or reading a poem. It is a beautiful expression of the Body working together (1 Corinthians 12:27).

Things are happening here in the realm of mentoring in Timisoara too! I have a training coming up this Saturday and a house church presentation on Sunday. :)

Appreciate your prayers and support so much... please keep 'em comin'!

Prilipet Adventure

2011-12-01T03:11:00.006-05:00

I thought I would post a some pictures of the Prilipet adventure here, and give a few more details outside of newsletters and emails so far for those who are interested!

For example, my friend Teresa and I SANG in front of the churches I presented at! It is customary for guests to bring a salutation and perhaps share a song. So... we decided to give it a go keeping with tradition. We are not professionals so it was kind of funny that it came out different nearly every time, but we survived! We sang "Be Thou My Vision"... my choice... one of my favorites :)

Up top you see me giving the presentation with my translator, Arty. He was a great help, not only in translating but in offering some insight into Casa Dorca (orphanage) and the community. I always wrestle with if I should use a translator, but it comes down to the fact it is still easier for me to express my heart and to be flexible when I speak in English and those are important things when doing a presentation.

We also got to help celebrate a little boy's birthday! On Sunday, in between the presentation marathon, we paused to celebrate with little Levi, the son of my contact person in Prilipet. You can see the whole family.

The area is called the Almaj valley. As a small community, the churches work together - some pastors even lead more than one church. They are already involved in supporting the work of the orphanage in some ways, but the Pastors are urging them to make a deeper investment through mentoring. It will be a beautiful thing - praying that the Lord will bring it to fruition. There are challenges in seeing it happen, but nothing too great for our God to handle. We shall see what He does!

There is also a bit of a tourist attraction in this quiet area of Romania. It is a reservation of water mills in the valley. One was actually open and operating when we visited, something unusual according to our "guide" :). I'll look forward to visiting it again in warmer weather when there is more green to see, but the ice was also beautiful and made being there in the literally freezing cold worth it. Here is a link for the area.

http://valea-almajului.ro/content/parcul-mulinologic-rudaria

Back in the Swing...

2011-11-02T08:19:00.007-04:00

So yesterday was the first "normal" feeling day here in Romania, and today makes 2 weeks since I've arrived back in Timisoara already! There are still some things to take care of in the apartment but I'm comfortable here again and as a friend prayed for me, I feel at "peace" again here.

I was able to host the DeClar team yesterday and will have an active roll in the next conversation club coming up in a few weeks. After that I met a friend at the mall to get some things for the apartment and share a meal together... It was actually the "Day of the Dead" here too. She asked me to go with her to her grandmother's grave to place a wreath in observance. It was my first time in a Romanian cemetery. The Orthodox bring lit candles to the grave sites of their loved ones passed, so it was actually quite beautiful. But in our travels there, my friend and I discussed how her grandma was currently having a joyous party in the presence of her Lord and King... good stuff.

Because of the "celebration", the traffic was awful. I was already running late for a skype meeting with a friend, so I took a taxi. I have found that some drivers become stone silent after they hear my accent, but others use it as a means of starting a conversation: "Where are you from?" This guy thought I was Romanian but had lived in a different country for a long time and returned... not bad for 4 1/2 months away, but he soon figured out my Romanian wasn't as good as he first thought!

Anyway... it was good enough, Praise God, to have a discussion about spiritual things. God just opened the doors. We talked about Jesus being without sin, how that was possible and why that is important, about us being sinners and needing to repent, about reading the Bible to find out what the truth is, about what heaven will be like...to give some examples. It was pretty amazing. He expressed a very typical Romanian view. That it is wrong to "change your religion", and that basically protestant "religions" are sects and "not good". I tried to surpass that obstacle by telling him I don't think God cares what religion you are, but just that you believe what He says is true, and to find out what that is, you need to read the Bible... though I summed up the part about trusting in Jesus :) So grateful and praying that there were seeds planted that won't be easily plucked out.

Still making plans to catch up with people and trying to get formal ministry plans in place... but opportunities like that are also why I'm here (or anywhere :) ). Thank you for your prayers. Chapter two of the journey has begun!!!

Praises, Pumpkin Soup and Plaaah.

2011-10-23T15:54:00.006-04:00

Many people prayed for my travels, and I know at least two people asked that I might have an opportunity to share my faith with whoever the lucky bugger was who got to sit next to me for the almost 9 hour flight to Budapest.

Well...prayers are powerful. I was sharing my testimony before we even took off! And that was a good thing because we both slept most of the rest of the time. It was a young gentleman from Serbia actually, and I was amazed at how naturally the conversation flowed, and by how he seemed interested in what I was saying. Seeds were planted I believe.

The flight to Budapest was just fine... not even delayed. The decision to stay over in Budapest turned out to be a really good one. I definitely struggled with jet lag and could rest with no worries. Still got to spend some time in the city (which I love) and in prayer and planning for the next steps in Romania.

My last evening there before heading to Romania was just one of those, "I am crazy blessed right now," moments. I was at an outdoor cafe, sitting under a heat lamp, reading my book and enjoying delicious pumpkin soup... followed by an amazing roasted duck breast meal... I love getting duck in Budapest; it reminds me of my grandma. It was so perfect.

Which was nice, because arriving back at my apartment was not so "perfect". I was met with a few un-welcomed surprises, including "roommates" with too many legs... ick. Don't feel like hashing out details but, I've been staying with colleagues and cleaning out the apartment. A great friend with a servant's heart as big as Europe helped me with the initial difficult stages of getting it livable again. Many prayers were answered. It's coming together.

And it's afforded me the chance to spend extra time with my fellow GEMers, and will feel like a brand new apartment once I'm all done. A fresh new start.

So, that is the update so far! Looking forward to connecting with more of my friends here after the apartment issues are all settled. There might be a trip to Sibiu (in the middle of Romania) in my near future to meet with GEM member care and meet a new GEM colleague who arrived while I was away. Hopefully there will be more updates with ministry goodies soon!!!

Arms Up

2011-09-26T09:43:00.005-04:00

Been so blessed by these extra weeks in the States. His plans are good. The prayer meeting this past Wednesday was definitely counted among the blessings. Some have asked how it went so I thought I'd give you a glimpse here.

12 others came. I thought that was a neat number :) I believe the Lord answered my prayer for the prayer meeting, and He was really in charge. While I have been praying personally for support and the ministry and knew others have been praying for me, the sense of people being really "WITH" me as we prayed was quite emotional for me. I was also surprised by the things that came to my mind and heart to pray for during our time. More passion for what the Lord has called me to was re-kindled, I think along with more faith... which I realized had been waning in this regard.

So, who was it that held up Moses' arms during the battle to keep the army headed toward victory?
Exodus 17 -

8 Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

Yeah, that's what it felt like... we need each other for the victory sometimes... maybe always.

Thank you friends!!!

Summer Summary

2011-09-08T18:08:00.011-04:00

I have woefully neglected my blog... my activity on here had been waning but I haven't gone this long without a post since I started it 4 years ago! And the longer I have neglected it, the less inclined I have been to write, figuring any readers I did have, have surely given up on me! But, I'm going to give it another go and hopefully I'll gain readers again. For those of you who have been faithful... please forgive me!!!
:) I'm aiming not to let you down again.

So, to try and summarize the past three months now is no easy task. Not sure how to tackle that, but trying to think of what would be important to you as it relates to the ministry. Newsletter readers may have a few snooze moments here, being in the know already about some of this stuff, but I'll try to add other goodies to keep you going!

First of all, the Lord blessed my socks off with AWESOME weather here. Those prayers have absolutely been answered and I feel that I was able to take full advantage of my long awaited "Long Island Summer"! :) I went to the beach quite a few times, spent time at my favorite prayer spot at the bay as often as I could, and wore flip flops just about every day. I know I can do that anywhere, but that means it was hardly ever rainy and dreary (with exception of Irene and some recent rain but the sun has come out again today). I guess that isn't relevant to ministry but it SURE is to me personally! It's been such a gift.

I've also been able to see friends and family as hoped and enjoy sweet times of fellowship and fun. I did seven church presentations over these months, alternating two Sundays away at supporting churches with being at my home church in order to really reconnect there too. Helping with VBS in July was also good for that... as well as participating in a Tuesday morning Bible study and visiting home groups. In general, doing presentations was a real encouragement as I had opportunity to share what the Lord has been up to, and what the prayer is for the future. Many people offered their affirmations through words and some even through partnership, coming on board to support the work with prayer and/or finances.

However, I didn't meet my financial goal and am still here in the States. My new ticket is for the middle of October and hopefully the Lord's plan will be to get me on that plane. I'm praying and knocking to see if some new doors open, whether they be to new partnering churches or individuals who the Lord might call to join. We shall see! In any case, this delay, while a bit disappointing, also comes with blessings. Some of them are practical and I know about them already - for instance going to a friend's wedding, celebrating my Dad's last radiation treatment, meeting another friend's new wife and step-daughter, getting in a few more visits... and I'm guessing there will be some I don't expect. He is full of surprises. And it reminds me of the "rainbows" we discussed at the women's day in May... When we submit our tears of challenge and disappointment to the light of Him and His Truth, there is always a rainbow...

Do you know I saw a double rainbow this summer? I couldn't help but experience it as a personal encouragement from God Himself, along with a long list of other amazing blessings in that day. He is so good, so kind and so generous with us.

Some good news to add here is regarding the DeClar summer English camp that I had participated in for the past two years. The team was a little concerned about my not being there for the teens this year, but of course God had it covered. The two girls I have been spending time with (who I met at camp last year) invited friends this year and now their friends are interested in joining our Bible study time! I'm really praying this all comes together and that their interest will last until I get back there... :) It is so exciting! And I got word that MANY from the camp this year expressed a desire to participate in a Bible study. Wooo hoooo!

Hm. I think I'll stop there! I have SO many pictures it is hard to choose some for here - most are on Facebook... but I do have some that I don't think I've posted anywhere... my friend Jenn took them during a presentation of mine, so you get a pretty good idea of what that's like - funny faces and all :) God bless you and thank you for sticking with me and the Lord in this. Will be interesting to see what the Lord has planned for these next unexpected chapters of my journey in Romania.

USA Plans

2011-06-11T15:41:00.003-04:00

Hello friends and family.

Since I last wrote, I managed to finalize things in Romania and make my way over to the US of A. I've been here two weeks so far... the first week was great despite the usual jet-lag; seeing some family and friends and visiting the bay daily. Then the second week has been great despite a bad cold that has gone into my chest (again)... I was fully out of commission one day, but still managed to have some great one on one time with people and finalize my presentation during the rest of the week.

I'll be doing my first presentation for the summer tomorrow at my home church, Grace Gospel in Patchogue. I'm a little nervous as usual, but looking forward to giving a report on these past three years of ministry and a direction for the future.

So, prayerfully I'll be all well again soon and able to continue meeting up with special people and enjoying favorite Long Island locations and delicacies.

I'll try to continue giving updates on my progress with preparations for my return to Romania. And just "FYI"... I've been trying to keep up my Romanian by reading a Romanian devotional I have daily, going through a "learn Romanian" book and writing my Romanian friends :)

God bless you all...hope to see you soon!

Haunted and Confessing

2011-05-19T08:49:00.003-04:00

Have you ever been haunted by an image… something unexpected, uninvited that gains entry into your heart and mind, lingers and revisits at it’s own discretion?

I am being haunted by something I saw last night. So much so, I have to write about it, even with a “to do” list of about 100+ things.

After taking one of the two buses I usually take back from the mall, I decided to walk the rest of the way in attempt to counteract some effects of the yummy, yet naughty dinner I had at the food court.

It was a beautiful night to be walking and I wasn’t the only one who thought so. I was far from alone as I walked down the long main road that leads almost directly up to my street.

But one person stood out from the rest of us pedestrians. It wasn’t long into my journey that I saw a man up ahead walking in the margins of the street rather than on the broad and safe sidewalk. I was gaining on him quickly as I walked with my “New Yorker” pace and he, with his half conscious and probably intoxicated pace.

Drivers beeped and cars swerved to avoid hitting this poor swaggering soul. Worry and wonder filled me quickly: Why wouldn’t this man get on the sidewalk, even if he was high on something? I experienced a momentarily relief as he stopped at a cross walk while the “walk” sign was actually green. I thought to myself, “Oh good. He’ll cross safely over to the other sidewalk.” But he only paused and dazed blankly across the street as a small crowd passed by him to the other side.

He began walking forward again just as I was a few feet behind him. It was then I understood the severity of his state. The headlights of cars illuminated the soles of his bare dirty feet and his tattered, ill -fitting clothes. I don’t know that anything would have fit him; he was tall and appeared kin to a skeleton. It was obvious that there hadn’t been any sort of grooming for weeks… maybe months… with hair overwhelming nearly all of his features.

And suddenly, in my heart I said, “Jesus, is that you?”

“When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You? And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’” -Matthew 25:38-40

My heart broke, as I felt incapable of doing what I really wanted. I argued with… myself, or more likely God… that I couldn’t approach such a person by myself; that it wouldn’t be wise. I furthered my rationalization that if I were in a group or with a man, then I could do something. But immediately behind that thought came a gnawing other – wouldn’t there still be excuses for inaction, even then?

I prayed. I prayed for that man, but felt crushed that I couldn’t, or wouldn’t, do anything beyond that to pull him out of danger’s way or bring some sort of comfort and relief to this pitiful and needy man.

And throughout the rest of my night and throughout the day today, I see this man walking on the side of the road. I see his dirty naked feet. I am still praying for him, and I am praying for myself.

Oh, Lord, make me able to serve as You call me to serve. Give me all I need to do what You call me to do. Make me willing. Help me to call to the people I see teetering on the edge of danger in the darkness. Help me to reach out to them with the safety and comfort that You have given me so freely. Help me to love with Your love and see others come to be saved.

Maybe I saw him just for this purpose. I don’t know that the Lord intended me to be an answer to this man’s troubles last night. There is a truth in needing to be wise. But He did something in my heart I pray that I’ll never forget, because I KNOW that there are times where it truly is just excuses and rationalizations that keep me from reaching out. And the irony is that there is joy rather than burden, peace rather than worry and love rather than stone when I obey.

Thanks for allowing me to share my haunting and confession with you.

A Day of Rainbows

2011-05-14T07:34:00.016-04:00

The Lord absolutely blessed the special Ladies' Day for women in ministry. The sun was out, all the helpers did a great job, the schedule went smoothly and above all, we could sense the Lord's presence with us.

Our day was full of worship, the Word, prayer, fun, fellowship and great food. Let me give you a sampling from each aspect:
I invited three young ladies from my church to lead us in worship. They are super gifted and love the Lord. We had a time in the beginning and the end led by them.

Then we had a time of warming up (literally and figuratively) that was led by my English friend Teresa who I know from the DeClar team. She did a great job and the ladies had so much fun right from the start. What also made it special was Teresa tying in the theme... which I'll get to later.

We didn't have a real "speaker" this time. But last month, as I had prayed about a theme for the day, the Lord brought an analogy and message to mind...and when I shared that with my friend and teacher, Andreea, she was inspired and had many things come to her mind and heart on the theme. So, I asked her to join me in sharing these thoughts and scriptures with the ladies and she accepted! I didn't really want it to be so much a time of "teaching" as much as a time of reflection, meditation and prayer for the ladies. In other words, I wanted the Lord to be their teacher and for Andreea and I to merely be a catalyst for it and to provide the environment and atmosphere for it.

Our theme... rainbows. The initial thought the Lord brought to me was that when we offer our tears of sorrow/hurt/disappointment/struggle to Him so that His Light (or He Himself Who Is Light) can impact them, the result is a rainbow in the storm. We took time to examine our storms and tears, our reactions in those difficult times and the Lord's working... also, how to offer our challenges to Him and what the resulting "rainbows" look like. For example: joy, peace, hope, strength, humility... all characteristics of He Himself, which makes sense... a rainbow is just the different aspects of white light that can be seen because a drop of water refracts it into it's brilliant colors. Other awesome truths branched out of this main idea, as we looked at the very first rainbow and all it represented, about the truth of storms in our lives and how our "rainbows" can be such an unexpected beautiful thing, that people are drawn to it... and in essence to Him by it. COOL, right? That is the Lord for you!!! Praise God!!!

So the room was decorated in rainbow colors and "crystal" drops, they were given colorful gifts, and we basked in His beauty throughout the whole day.

There was also a free time for these ladies to enjoy how they chose... they could walk to a nearby lake, play a game, sit and chat or do a craft... which of course included colors of the rainbow! I ordered glass beads from the UK to offer them a special treat, with ideas for making sun-catchers or rings.

I could keep going in sharing tons of details and pictures, but this post is already getting long :) It was an exciting full day! But I'll end this entry with the most important part... testimonies from the women. At the end, before our last worship time and dinner, I asked for whoever was willing, to share how the Lord spoke to them in the day. One woman shared how through the many storms that she has been going through, she really just then realized how the Lord showed Himself faithful in those times and was very PRESENT in her times of need. Another shared the deeper understanding how storms are expected in this life, with or without faith... but for those of us with faith in Him, good can result. Another women shared how in her storms she realized that she draws so close to Him, that she has come to cherish that aspect about the deep difficulties she had to face. Those are just a few. Praise God again!

The thought I left the ladies with was from 2 Corinthian 4:8-9. Do you know it? It is an amazing promise that we have as believers for THIS life... and it brings to mind another cherished statement from Jesus while He was on this earth: "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

God bless you friends!

The Right Direction

2011-04-25T13:07:00.005-04:00

I have a confession - I watch the Biggest Loser, but mind you, not without some minor inner conflict about it. I wonder if there are other eating disorders or issues that could be created as people immerse themselves 100% in a competitive environment focused on losing tons of weight in short periods of time. But still it's easy to become enthralled with the victories and transformations. This season, one of the young ladies had come such a long way even before starting the show, but still had a huge amount of weight to lose to be healthy. She would always get on the scale, proclaiming with each pound lost that it was a step in the right direction, no matter how large or small that step (or number on the scale) would be. Kind of inspiring.

That is how I'm feeling. It seems to me everything is still taking way longer to move forward than I'd hope and even that the "steps" might not be as monumental a leap forward as I'd like... and Lord knows I still have a long way to go... but I'm moving in the right direction. I heard from my Pastor here that I'll be invited to join a pastoral committee for the church, and that will be the avenue for me to learn of needs within the Body (potential mentees) and also candidates to become mentors. I'm still waiting for the official invitation to attend this meeting, but trust it will come. Also still praying to make the first match before I go to the States for the summer... waiting there too on some things.

But once again, I'm enjoying the Lord graciously, and fairly swiftly, putting all the pieces in place for the event for women in ministry. As soon as I felt clear on planning for a day event rather than a weekend, everything starting moving forward. I have a team, a theme, the place...invites are out and some responses are in... and we'll be having the special day on May 7th from 9am - 7pm. Please pray that the Lord would meet with them all once again and bring great encouragement and refreshment for these women who so generously pour themselves out in service for God's glory. Thanks.

There is a lot to still do before that day, less than two weeks from now, and my head is swarming with what needs to be done on both sides of the ocean in preparation for my leaving the end of May. But praying to just keep my eyes steadily focused where they need to be (Hebrews 12:2) and take each step forward with trust and patience... without panic in any direction. :)

By the way, I hope you had an awesome Easter. Here is at least one picture - 2 girls with their projects from a craft time I had at the Girl's House the week before:

PR Follow-Up Part 1

2011-03-23T13:26:00.003-04:00

Thank you so much for your prayers!!! I have some things to report.

First, the strategic planning and prayer retreat for the GEM RO team went well. We spent a night and two days at a "pensiune" (like a hotel/B&B combo) just 30-40 minutes outside of Timisoara. It was good to hear the updates from everyone and also work through some issues affecting the team and challenges on the Romania field in general. I think we all walked away feeling it was "good", even with the tough stuff.

And Monday I had my long awaited meeting with the leadership of my church here. Boy was I nervous! I kept thinking it was a good thing I was wearing a sweater over a shirt 'cause I was SWEATIN'! That might be too much info. Anyway, the important thing for you to know is that it seems to me it went really well. I gave a general idea of the ministry and then answered questions. I informed them of where things are at currently and answered more questions. :) Now I am awaiting news on the next steps for moving forward. I hope that will mean meeting with the house church leaders soon, but that didn't happen this week like I was originally hoping. I will be sure to keep you posted. Thank you again - so much for your prayers!!!

Please keep praying about the Ladies Retreat. I started thinking I might do a one day event in May and then a full fledged retreat in October. There are a few reasons for that thinking, but really want the Lord's wisdom.

Regarding my upcoming summer in the States, I've booked most of my presentations and am still working on some travel plans. Many supporters are continuing on with me but some have needed to end their commitments... some are still praying about what the Lord would have them do. I know He is in control. We'll see how He does it this time!

Blessings and love to you my friends!

Prayer Requests

2011-03-15T16:10:00.003-04:00

Hi Everyone...

Just thought I would use the blog to request prayer for a few important things:

First, the GEM Romania team is having their strategic planning and prayer retreat over these next few days (Wed - Fri). We discuss goals as individuals and as a team and how it all works together in fulfilling GEM's mission (and basically Kingdom building). It is also a great time for fellowship with one another which doesn't happen all that often with some of us since we are scattered about the country in a few different cities.

Next, I have my meeting with the leaders of the Church here next Monday and hopefully soon to follow will be a meeting with the leaders of the small home groups within the church. The objectives are to really be sure we are all on the same page and see that this is a vital ministry of the church (not of Lynn Wohland). Hopefully some small group leaders will be interested in having me speak to their people about the mentoring ministry as a way of recruiting mentors. I really believe these are key meetings in seeing the ministry move the next step forward.

And, I'm seriously considering having the next Ladies Retreat this May but a lot has to come together in a short amount of time for that to happen. I've started brain-storming and researching and think I'll know within the next couple of weeks if we'll be going for it now or waiting until the Fall.

Lastly, preparation for my furlough/deputation trip to the States this summer is already underway. That includes booking presentations, making travel plans and finding out who can continue on in this adventure with me in terms of support.

So a lot is going on all at once again, but I'm grateful for your support in prayer. I'm not feeling overwhelmed at this time, though recently I thought I spotted the threshold in the not to distant distance :)

Praising God for the arrival of Spring... and greater peace of heart in general. praying all is well with you!

Visit Pics

2011-02-24T07:53:00.008-05:00

(visiting family)

(me meeting my friends' twins for the first time)

(Dad and his lady, Jo Ann)

Like Lightening

2011-02-24T07:13:00.007-05:00

Hello friends. So, I was in the US for a lightening fast two weeks. I celebrated my Dad's birthday, visited some family and a few friends, and also made my first movie! ;) ...Meaning a presentation for a couple of missions conferences coming up in March, using photos and a voice-over in iMovie. It was a lot of work since it was my first time, but I eventually enjoyed doing it. :) Having time to focus on getting that done was a blessing. Also, I was able to take care of some other State side business.

As productive as it was, it was hard to be there knowing there were so many people and places left unseen... I didn't even get to Taco Bell! BUT let me not give you the wrong impression - I certainly made up for all the sushi and NY pizza I missed in the last year! Point is, I'm looking forward to returning this summer and seeing people, visiting my supporting churches and even possibly taking a few road trips... OH, and seeing THE OCEAN.

Over these next three months, I'll be praying and working on some of those "obstacles" I've been writing about and seeing what the Lord does. I am praying that there will be resolutions before I return to the States so that I can present a clear picture of the direction things are headed to supporters, family and friends. I'll be continuing to help with the DeClar team, hopefully continuing the Bible study with my two young friends, and possibly work on a couple new projects... I'll leave you in suspense for a little while on those details!

Overall, just feeling like praising God for being my firm foundation. With all of the unexpected twists and turns in life, I'm so grateful that He never changes, He is always there and His graciousness... oh, His graciousness... the longer I know Him and myself, my amazement over His graciousness grows exponentially.

I tried posting pictures and blogger isn't cooperating. I'll try in a new post. Thank you friends.

Pebbles

2011-02-04T03:36:00.006-05:00

I had been praying for the obstacles which felt like that monstrous boulder in the road I posted last time... specifically that it would all end up "a good thing", whatever that would mean exactly. It seems that the Lord is answering that prayer.

And while I have been seeking to keep God's perspective on the challenges, today I realized there is something I have forgotten... once again: How Almighty and All Powerful and Able He is. Our God is big - really, really, REALLY BIG.

They are just pebbles to Him. This is His work and He'll continue to take care of the pebbles.

Thought for the Day

2011-01-19T06:42:00.011-05:00

Yesterday I posted this for my "status" on Facebook:

"Obstacles are just those things that test your faith, prove your character, demonstrate your determination and give Glory to God when they are overcome."

I guess it came as a culmination of different things I have been taking in and contemplating. Interestingly enough, it seemed to be a sort of prophecy. Without getting into details here, in the same day I found out there may be another set back to progress of the ministry.

I've noticed I often am looking to see, when and how it is "my fault" and try to discern if it is just the Lord's sovereignty and His choice of timing... or my failing flesh - fear, or lack of diligence, that causes the slow pace of progress.

This one seems truly out of my hands, but I still tend to wonder if it comes back to my lack in some way. Did I not communicate clear enough, is it because I don't know the language well enough, should I have done this before that?... etc. I could drive myself crazy probably.

But eventually I come to a conclusion that the reasons are explained in a combination of all those things... I fail, others fail, God is sovereign, He works all things together for good. And the point is I can't focus on the setback, the discouragement, the obstacles. I need to focus on HIM who is able to move mountains on my behalf if I believe. I have to walk forward in that faith, knowing He has called me to that and trust Him to sort out all the rest. I have to accept His forgiveness for my failings and forgive others for theirs. And for sure, absolutely, I need to give Him the Glory when the obstacle is moved, hurdled or blown up and things move one more step ahead... (and I am made more to look like Him as a result too).

In general, I can also tend to forget that it isn't just about succeeding in getting a "project" in place... it is about seeing Christians loving people who need to be loved intentionally and Jesus becoming known through the actions and words of those brave Christians...

This is a pep talk to me, but I pray the Lord may encourage you too. We all have challenges and obsticals we face, big and small...
God bless you!!!

Decisions, Decisions

2011-01-13T12:38:00.006-05:00

Feels like lately I am faced with a ton of decisions that are monumental. I'm not sure if they really are as enormous and significant as they seem. In any case, I need the Lord's wisdom.

Doing a Bible study with a friend, I recently spent some time meditating on James 1:5-7 once again:
"5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord..." (NJKV)

Desiring so earnestly to hear from Him, I've been inclined to really plunge into what "doubting" might look like, so as to not do it!

A little disclaimer - the following observations weren't taken from any commentary and I am certainly not a Biblical scholar, so please read on... but keep that in mind.

Waves are actually created by wind...and wind is an outside force that acts upon the water. So without the wind, you are left with calm waters, influenced only by the tide. Hmmmm... sounds good.

I began to wonder what those outside forces may be that would cause or demonstrate a lack of faith when I ask God for His wisdom... and I realized there are so MANY!!!! I've been challenged to consider if asking for outside counsel is showing doubt. We are encouraged to seek godly counsel in the Bible, but I am more convinced than ever that we need to bring that counsel to the Lord to verify if it is His wisdom, or just that of a well intentioned and wrong friend. If I constantly shift my opinion based on the input from everyone else, that looks very much like a wave being tossed to and fro... no, bro? Sorry.

Anxiety... that is another clear sign of doubt. If I really believe what this scripture says, how can I have any possibility of anxiety? He WILL answer... He WILL give His wisdom. Hm. Still waters.

Many have said to me, and I have said to others, to wait for peace before making a big decision. I based it mostly on Isaiah 55:12 (“For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace...") and maybe Philippians 4:6-7. And now, for me, there is a another facet of truth to that.

So, I'm praying. I have been seeking counsel too but not taking any of it as a final answer. I'm bringing it all before Him as it comes, trying to hold on to the faith and confidence that He WILL answer... I'm checking for still waters in my spirit, a sign of the ability to hear and receive His wisdom. Looking out for that peace when the answers comes. Thanks for your prayers as well.

How to Make a "Great Salad" in 2011

2010-12-31T03:50:00.004-05:00

The night before last, I had a dream that reflected my feelings on these past 2 1/2 years of plugging away at the Christian Mentoring Ministry that the Lord has put on my heart to start here in Romania. I shared it in my last newsletter.

Since then, more thoughts related to the dream have come that I thought I would post, but for those who stumble across this blog and don't get my newsletter, I'm sorry... this post will not make any sense!

For the rest of you... I realized that the dream reflects how I feel, but doesn't really reflect the truth. An email from a dear Pastor friend prompted the revelation. The Lord doesn't just order a salad and then leave you on your own to make it. In my dream, I felt on my own... lost and without help or direction. That isn't the truth!!! It hasn't really been the truth... though, at times, I have quite possibly taken the responsibility upon my own shoulders and hence caused my own frustration, delay and confusion.

BUT here is the truth... He doesn't just order the salad, but comes behind the counter and shows me how it's done. With that comes not only the assurance that it will get done, but that it will be done just how He likes it!

Matthew 11:28-30 (New King James Version)

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

AMEN. Thank you to so many of you for your encouragement. Once again, Happy New Year.
Romans 12:11

In-between Mentoring

2010-12-14T03:52:00.013-05:00

I thought I would post an entry about some of the other things outside of Mentoring that I have been involved with or working on lately.

I think I'll start with the Bible study with my two girly friends from Camp! Here is a picture of us after our last meeting:

We have only gotten to meet three times so far, but for me it has been a blessing every time. We are doing a foundational study on Christian faith but also started studying Genesis at the same time. I continue to pray it will be a time to really strengthen our walks with Jesus and faith in the Bible as the source of Truth.

I also helped out with a Girl's Night for international students. I was feeling a bit icky, but we still had a good time. I brought materials for them to make cards and while I think they were overwhelmed at first with the abundance of choices and lack of specific direction in what to do (my art therapy perspective coming out), they eventually settled in, got creative and I think overall really enjoyed themselves!
More pictures borrowed from a friend:

Missing a lot of friends who have left the country, I have also been trying to spend more time with national friends who the Lord has blessed me with over here.
Dana has been a huge help with the mentoring ministry and is becoming a great friend as well. We went to the mall where there was a random Tango show in front of the Christmas stage at the food court... interesting!

Another little thing I have been trying to help with is a pen-pal exchange. A teacher from one of the churches I am connected with wrote me asking if I might be able to connect her students with kids over here. It has been difficult getting it started but I am finally about to send her off 11 letters from the Potter's House children. I am waiting for a batch of letters from her that should have been here already, so I am a little concerned it may not work as we hope, but it is certainly worth a try!

That's it for this entry... more to come.

Apologies and Updates

2010-11-21T06:54:00.004-05:00

Will you forgive me for being so negligent with this blog? I don't know if I'll ever get readers to trust me again! Maybe you haven't given up on me... and I really want to thank you for that... whoever "you" are :) I will work on being more faithful again with my entries.

A lot has happened since my last update... there have been two more mentor trainings and one and a half interviews of potential mentors completed. Things still are moving somewhat slowly, but forward - and I believe the Lord is bringing it to pass... I will continue moving forward in it with Him. Romanians seem to be catching the vision and I'm praying to see the first match between a child and a mentor happen relatively soon. No ministry team together yet, but I believe that the Lord has a plan in mind for that too.

I have been spending a day a week at the Day Center for street kids, and still host the weekly DeClar team meetings. I'm also involved in their monthly English Club and have started the Bible study with two teen girls from this past summer's camp. We have only met twice so far and we only succeed to meet every other week... but those two times have been blessed and prayerfully we will continue and the Lord will work.

There have been many changes at my church here and with those changes came an end to the youth ministry as it was, so I am no longer involved with the church teens other than some individual meetings with a few of the girls now and then. It also seems that the woman I helped connect to Potter's House has not restarted in this new school year with doing a clay class. Therefore, I also am not spending any regular time there. But I see these changes as from the Lord's Hand because FINALLY, the Mentoring Ministry requires more of my time!

I am having language lessons again, just once a week. While I am functioning OK at what is probably an intermediate level, I know that with what I am called to, improving my language can only improve my effectiveness.

In the "personal" realm, some of you may know that things have been difficult. But, I'm striving to cling to Him, trusting for the good He promises to bring of all circumstances and counting on the healing that comes from His Spirit and time. I appreciate your love, support and prayers.

May God bless you, and again I am sorry for all the times you have checked in and found nothing new on here... until today!

Report on Another Big Day

2010-09-17T06:49:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the delay in sharing with you all how the first mentor training course went! It went really REALLY well!

It was such a blessing to me, to be in a different culture, and yet have many of the same discussions, observations and questions be raised by the participants. I decided that a mentor's heart is universal! And that makes sense because I believe it is a part of the calling of the Church and the church is also universal! Very cool.

So there were 4 attendees, me and Dana. I needed to teach the whole thing the first time, and so after the first two hours of this 4 hours course...speaking in Romanian... I was FRIED! But the people were so gracious and actually helped me along and to me, that is even better! I might always do that :) hee hee... but really, it was such a huge blessing to see the agreement, approval, understanding, of the intentions of this ministry.

And there were also some firsts for me... no doubt related to the unique experience of doing the same thing in a new culture. During our break, one of the participants initiated singing a praise song in response to one of the scriptures we just read! This same woman also brought me a gift of chocolate and coffee! And she also sang a word of blessing over my life after the course time had ended. It proved one of my points: So often (maybe even every time) when we set out to do a "good work" for Christ, we end up with unexpected precious blessings.

I have about 4 people tentatively signed up for the next training course on October 30th. I'm praying that some from the first training will agree to move forward and I can begin interviewing them before the next training begins - and I am praying that one of interested Romanians would also want to come along with me to see how to do the interviews... Dana maybe? We'll see!

Thank you for your faithful prayers... seeing the Lord fulfill a vision is an awesome thing. Whatever the results end up being, this has already been such and amazing encouraging experience. His plans are truly "GOOD"!

Sharing a Recent Privilege

2010-09-03T05:18:00.003-04:00

Hello my friends and family...
So, I have mentioned to you before about a ministry called ProVita (ProLife). They are very affective in their work for the Lord, intervening with women in the hospital who are considering an abortion and offering them an alternative, including much needed support.
One of the unexpected blessings I have had here in Romania, is a chance to help with voice-over translations for videos. They have just recently established a new website in English and they posted many moving testimonies. The majority of them are with my voice-overs. As I read the testimonies for recording, I felt the Lord's Spirit and afterward was overwhelmed with a sense of the Lord's goodness in these situations ... I pray you will experience the same thing as you hear them.

Here is the link:
www.provitamedica.com/english-display

Please pray for this amazing work of the Lord that literally saves many little lives and also saves families from the grief of making an irreparable mistake.

A Peek at Poland

2010-08-12T14:29:00.005-04:00

So it was my third Greater Europe Mission Annual Conference! I find that hard to believe. It has been getting better every year as there are more familiar faces, a greater ease about meeting new ones, and more personal experience to plug into the offered seminars and meetings.

We gathered in Wisla, Poland this year. It is a cute little town that apparently has the largest evangelical Christian population of the country. I don't have many pictures this year, but a few shots from my window to give you and idea of the restfulness of the location.

They had a special treat this year. They decided that they would take the majority of one day to do separate men and women conferences. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the ladies and the guest speaker who is also a published writer, Alicia Chole. Her emotive artistic, yet grounded in the Word approach really suited me... it was a time to really hear from the Lord on more personal matters. I appreciated so much being ministered to that way!

Of course there was also a lot of education and encouragement offered in the lines of ministry- I was very excited that there was an elective seminar offered on mentoring! :)

After the conference, a small group of the Romania team took a couple of days to visit Krakow. I saw the famous Salt Mine and also visited Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration/extermination camps. My camera's batteries died not long into the visit, but this sign, photographed from behind, ought to be familiar to you. While it was a difficult and sobering experience, I feel honored that I had the opportunity.

In the Valley Again

2010-07-29T03:16:00.007-04:00

But don't get me wrong...it is a lovely valley! This year DeClar had their English family camp in Valea Draganului again. It was another completely exhausting and intensely blessed week!
I worked with the older teens during the English reading time and then joined the pre-teens to help out with the English lessons... once again, I was involved with crafts, evening activities for all the families and even shared my story one night.
I'm still recovering a bit from all the activity, but it is so worth it! I am going to miss being a part of this great work, but am really excited that I am still a part of what follows, here in Timisoara. It looks like we'll be starting more Bible studies and I have some new friends to continue to get to know. I think this last year in Romania is going to be the "richest" yet!!!

This was on my birthday... I got LOTS of presents :)

Here are lots of fun pictures from the week. Hopefully you'll get a sense of the good times! Thank you for your love, support and prayers as always!

We walked to the river for our last English lesson and got caught in sudden HEAVY rain on the way back. One of the boys shouted, "this is the best thing about camp!"

Spending time in awe of the huge bon-fire one night.

Our English reading group on the last night, minus one who had to go home early.

Some Summer Fun and What's to Come

2010-07-12T10:18:00.015-04:00

So, taking a minute to share with you some pictures. Up top is me with a little baby born to a woman currently staying at the Day Center. Today was her birthday and she was wanting some pictures taken of her with her little girl and the cake.

Also the past two Thursdays, I spent some time with my friend Florina, helping her to do a clay project with the kids at the Potter's House. Here are a few pictures of her with the kids and one of the final projects.

In speaking with some of the children, I found out that it was the first time a few of them ever worked with clay. Most really enjoyed themselves and experienced the joy of creating something they were proud of.

Coming next week is the English Camp that I did last year. We'll be in the same location. This year there are few older teens, so I'll be able to do the English reading time from the Bible with them, and then help with the pre-teens during the English lesson. Like last year I'll also be helping with the evening crafts. Lots to do still in preparation! I appreciate your prayers and look forward to sharing camp stories with you soon.

Report on the Big Day

2010-06-21T11:14:00.004-04:00

Praise the Lord, all went well with the presentation... I'm including some pictures, though they don't tell you too much. Sunday services are live streamed and I have asked one of the tech guys if the presentation may have been recorded. If so, and I can get a copy, I'll post it on my blog in the near future.

I have about 10 people to follow up with regarding the mentoring ministry. Some are just wanting more information and others would like to come to a training course to check it out. I have told them that they are under no obligation for a future commitment by coming. Right now it is just about educating people and taking it a step at a time. Prayerfully a team will come together fairly quickly and I'll be helping to match mentors and mentees before we know it...but it is all in the Lord's Hands and from my perspective there is still so much to be done! We'll see... Just so glad to report that the Lord did touch some hearts and the presentation in general was received well.

Thank you for your prayers and I ask that you keep them coming as "mergem inainte" (we go forward).

A Big Day on the Way

2010-06-09T07:59:00.002-04:00

My friends... a very big day is on the way. On June 20th I will be presenting the concept of the Mentoring Ministry at my church here in Romania. I will be inviting people to come to me if they are interested so that we can discuss the ministry more and plan a time for them to do the mentor training. It will be presented as an opportunity to learn more of what it is about, without any strings of a commitment at this time.

In answer to prayer, one of my friends who has also been helping with the ministry foundation along the way, will be helping me up front with the presentation. Her name is Dana and she is also a single women around my age (maybe a little younger). Through her participation, it has been very clear that she has an understanding and heart for the ministry. We don't know how much she'll be able to participate in the future, but she has been a very key part and encourager up to this point.

I am so grateful for this encouragement from the Lord. I don't know if there will be any responses at all, but I do feel this is of the Lord. At times I doubted if I would even get this far.

So prayers are so important, so precious and appreciated.

I'll let this entry stand on it's own and write at another time with other news. Thank you again.

More ART Stuff!

2010-05-22T04:04:00.003-04:00

It has been interesting how much Art Therapy is coming up during my time here. I do feel like the Lord prepared me for that before I came, but it is still... interesting to me.

The National Art Therapy Conference that I participated in this past Thursday went fine. I had been sick and worried I would not have a voice for it, but it was there. They had left my presentation for last, so by the time I was "on", it was dinner time. There were no headphones for translation like they had expected, so I cut my presentation in half... maybe even less than half. It worked out fine really, and the act of preparation for it, while a bit stressful, was still rewarding. I learned a lot about working with blind children and all of this is sort of re-kindling my interest in art therapy in general.

I'm still not sure what my relationship with the art therapy organization here is going to look like, but I'm praying and we'll see what the Lord has planned. I still have not been invited to assist with a group like I've been hoping (besides the one time at the school), to meet children in the community.

This past Monday, I visited the Day Center serving street kids, and will continue to go on Mondays. I was already not feeling well and didn't stay long, but got to speak with some of the kids. I already see how it is going to be challenging and stretching... that always hurts a little, but in the long run is a good thing.

We have already been talking about the possibility of me doing an art therapy group at the Center. That will be a challenge indeed. Gratefully, those in charge are not in a rush for it, so I'll get to adjust a bit and get to know the kids first before we try it.

Last night, I had the girls art club at my place. I had four girls come over and we enjoyed our time just playing and creating. I drew something for the first time in a loooong time! The picture on top is some of the girls getting started... and here is what I drew...not finished and I'm a little rusty but it felt good!

Thanks for reading! Blessings to you all. Praying that the Lord is guiding and directing YOUR paths in how you can best serve Him and give Him glory... which really is our JOY!!! Amen.

The Latest Meeting

2010-04-22T09:09:00.006-04:00

Hi friends! I just wanted to write quick to thank you for prayers and let you know that the meeting for adapting the mentor training course went REALLY well!

There were a few changes from the last couple of meetings for this purpose. For one, this time I had it at my apartment. I also cooked dinner and it was just two other women besides myself. It was all good. All of these things served to give our time a more informal feel and seemed to me to free up our discussion.

We still aren't finished as I suspected would be the case, but I think we can get through to the end with one more meeting. We all aren't available at the same time again until May 19th. I'm trusting the Lord that it will be His perfect timing.

And there is no shortage of work to get done before that time, with all that has already been discussed and my other involvements.

Today I spent some time at one of the centers for children called, "For Help". Sorry that I didn't take any pictures of either of these occasions.

More to come. Thank you!!!

P.S. Please pray for my fellow GEMer Beverly who found out today she had to have surgery today here in Timisoara to remove a hematoma from her leg. Thank you again.

As of Late

2010-04-14T03:10:00.004-04:00

Hello blog followers... I am writing with the latest decisions and such, for those of you who know I was needing to make some of those (decisions).

I will be participating in the national art therapy conference at the end of May, doing a presentation on art therapy with visually impaired/blind children. There will be other modalities being presented and I'm not sure who else will be doing visual arts, but I'm aiming to find out, as to not be repetitive. So... yet another unexpected challenge in the realm of art therapy. Not sure what the Lord is doing with this, but I'll continue to roll with it!

Regarding Estera's retreat at the end of May, I have offered myself as an organizational and idea helper...also possibly connection to some craft materials. I'm praying that it will happen and be a blessing to those involved. There is still a lot that needs to come together.

I've also been asked to "MC" this month's English Worship service, aimed mostly toward the international students... I've blogged about this monthly event in the past. It will be an honor to do it, though I'll be really really really nervous!

And finally, a meeting for the mentoring ministry is planned for April 21st! This will be to continue adapting the mentor training course. I'm so grateful to finally have a date and responses from the ladies who have been faithful to help thus far!

Thank you for your prayers... praying all is well on your end of the world too!

Another Romanian Easter

2010-04-05T05:09:00.013-04:00

The Lord saw fit to bless us with great weather for the annual Easter picnic. It was a great time! I met some new people and enjoyed the company of others that are on the brink of being "old friends" soon :) Not sure exactly how long that takes, but I am approaching my 2nd year anniversary here in Romania in just a couple of months!

Here are some pictures of our time celebrating the victory of our Lord and the victory He has given us!

I also was able to speak to the woman who wants to coordinate a retreat for one of the local ministries. It is exciting to have this chance to give her some support in the endeavor. Please pray along with me that the Lord would provide all that is needed and it would come together well.

Art Therapy Adventures

2010-03-25T04:11:00.003-04:00

So, I visited the art therapy organization in Timisoara. It yielded results I had not anticipated. I thought that I would be asked to help out once a week with a group but instead I was asked to be one of the presenters at an upcoming national conference,meet with the staff to share experiences and join them the in a project for blind children.

I told them I needed to consider the conference because they are looking for presentations specifically on working with the blind which I had not done, though I've done research (similar to the conference I did in September for children with disabilities in general). There is also a possible date conflict.

But Tuesday afternoon I went with them to a school very near to where I live to participate in two groups for kids visually impaired and with other disabilities. The first group was divided into art and dance groups because there were about 20+ children. The second older group had 5. I enjoyed my time with them very much!

Here are a few pictures... but please pray with me to discern the Lord's will about the conference. Again, I am not really qualified in experience, only a bit knowledgeable in theory. Also hoping to clarify if there would be another obligation that same weekend or not. I appreciate your prayers!

P.S. and More

2010-03-15T05:12:00.013-04:00

Just wanted to make sure you knew we as a team also planned some more specific goals under the headings of Strategic Prayer and Disciple Making. Didn't want it to seem that we labored for days on coming up with those two!

Anyway, also wanted to share with you a few pictures from my first visit back to the Vox Domini youth group. It just happened to be a 50's Cafe event planned. They did such an impressive job! They really went all out as you'll see.

It was great to be with them again and spend a little time catching up on the past three months, besides enjoying all their hard work.

Planning Strategically

2010-03-11T07:51:00.005-05:00

We are nearing the end of the Romania GEM team strategic planning retreat. We have been having a great time of reflecting on all the Lord is doing across Romania through the different ministries and areas that our team is called to. It has been very encouraging to me to hear the testimonies of others.

Some of our team is missing, including our fearless field leader, who, while fearless... is not immune to illness and could not attend. However, our member care facilitator took over the reigns and did a great job of leading our time. We have been 14 in all with much to share.

As far as the main goals that we have set as a team, we have narrowed it down to the essentials of missions work: strategic prayer and the making of disciples. I am very excited about this. Within these two goals we see the main mission of Greater Europe Mission...and the Church for that matter (building of His Church... His Kingdom), being addressed. All is as it ought to be. Our conversation around these essential keys has also been quite inspiring and encouraging!

I thank you for all your prayers.

We are looking forward to some more time together this evening and tomorrow morning; right now we are all doing the "retreat" part of our weekend, hence my opportunity to write here.

My camera died (again) but I did get a few shots before that happened that I can share with you soon.

While Away - PLUS

2010-03-08T06:13:00.004-05:00

Three months isn’t a tremendously long time, but it isn’t a week either. While I was in the States, life in Romania continued (without me…can you imagine???) and so there was quite a bit to catch up on!

My Romanian teacher/friend is a radiating expecting mommy. It was so exciting to see her with her belly; inside, a little girl named Ioana. With a son who is 9 already, her and her husband have been greatly anticipating the coming addition.

Vox Domini, my home church here in Romania, has been continuing to grow and thrive. The leadership has determined that now is the time to multiply. I don’t know all of the details, but they are aiming to plant a church and also multiply several of the home groups that happen every other Sunday during the school year. I was thrilled when our house church leader also announced the intention to initiate greater efforts to reach out into the community. Guess what came to my mind… MENTORING!!! Perfect fit.

GEM Romania has welcomed a new worker named Amy who will be here for a year and this afternoon we are expecting Jeffrey to arrive (also with a one year term). On a sad note, my dear friends and colleagues Cal and Karen disappeared while I was away (although they had reappeared in the US and we talked while I was there). I miss them muchly.

That is what I have discovered so far… we’ll see what else gets revealed in the days ahead.

Just thought I’d also tell you what I did my first week back and what lies in the week ahead (possibly):

Last week: I unpacked, cleaned, re-stocked and napped; met with a friend I am praying for, the woman I hope will partner in mentoring ministry, my language teacher, and a missionary friend; had 4 friends over for dinner and saw a movie out with more friends; did lots of laundry, fought with a router (still fighting) and successfully completed and emailed my newsletter.

This week (Lord willing): I will… revamp my blog and add this entry; host DeClar team meeting Tuesday afternoon; host a fellow GEMer for two nights and attend our GEM Romania Strategic Planning Retreat right here in Timisoara from Tuesday evening to Friday morning (Please pray for us as we strategize…and plan.); get running again (literally); Friday night youth group - a 50’s night café; finish lining up appointments for next week to reconnect with the organizations which will be involved with the mentoring.

So... here we go! Thank you for continuing to pray and walk with me on this journey in Romania!!!

The Return

2010-03-01T14:06:00.006-05:00

Thank you so much for your prayers - healing has been going very well and I was all cleared for take off on February 27th as hoped. I have been busy about the business of conquering jet-lag and re-settling in to my apartment and Romanian living.

Since these blog entries have been so picture-less, I thought that I should post at least a few of some beautiful sights I got to see during my visit to the States.

Romania Mentoring News will be close at hand as I am praying to get "back in the saddle" quickly! No time to waste!!!

Post-Op

2010-02-09T09:44:00.003-05:00

Hey there. Just writing a little note to let you know that surgery went well yesterday and the Lord answered a lot of prayer: the cyst came out in one piece, it was less involved than they thought and took a shorter time than anticipated, there was no major nerve involvement, the incision was smaller than they thought it would need to be, and I went home the same day!

Today I go to the office to get the drain out and have some questions. There is a little numbness under my chin so I'll see if there is a chance that is temporary. I appreciate your continued prayer for speedy and smooth recovery... proper drainage, no infections and fully restored sensation!

Thank you for being out there friends, for your love and prayers. Please also pray for my family; this has been a challenge for them too.

Love Lynn

...And Another Month...

2010-01-22T11:51:00.003-05:00

The strange and unexpected continues. After a visit with the referred ENT, I discovered the cyst in my neck has to be surgically removed. It is a branchial cleft cyst which is prone to infection and abscessing so that is no good. The soonest possible date was February 8th so that is the current plan. I rescheduled my flight back to Romania for February 27th, hopefully affording enough time for healing, even if the recovery isn't completely "smooth".

I appreciate your prayers because I am a little nervous. It may not be technically "major" surgery but it isn't minor either. Because of it's sensitive location, right by my jugular and and carotid artery... with all kinds of happy nerves that are connected to my face and skull... it requires two surgeons. It should take about an hour to two and half hours. This will be my first ever surgery as well, so even the thought of anesthesia makes me a little unhappy.

So yet another opportunity to trust the Lord in a new way... to give over my health and wellbeing into His Hands, which is where it always really is anyway. Thank you for all your prayers for successful uneventful surgery and the peace that surpasses understanding. And to keep it in perspective, grateful still that this cyst is benign.

I have wonderful friends handling some logistics for me over in Romania; primarily paying bills while I'm away... I've been in touch with my friends there and we are all missing one another of course. I'm feeling a little antsy about the fact this delays the progress of the mentoring ministry even further, but how can I argue with the circumstances... This is the Lord's project and obviously this delay is no surprise to Him.

Thank you for "listening". Thank you for prayer. Praying you are well, and on the up side, maybe we can get together if we haven't yet :) With Love...

2 More Weeks

2010-01-10T08:43:00.003-05:00

Hello out there. Writing to let you know about a little change in plans. I have postponed my return to Romania two more weeks because of an unexpected medical issue. I'm praising the Lord because the situation is turning out to be literally benign, and I really only had to endure one scary day. Still I need to stay to confirm a squeaky clean bill of health so as to not have any questions remaining and can leave with peace, peace, peace!!!

This really is turning out to be an unexpected blessing, to finish up a few things here, get to spend time with some people I didn't get to see within the 7 weeks, spend more time with family and other friends... and enjoy a little bit slower pace than it's been.

I am going to work on a newsletter but have to figure out the best way to get it done with this new Mac of mine. I thought I had Publisher with my Microsoft office package... but I don't! Also have to re-set-up my email groupings... but praying to be able to get that to you relatively soon.

Praying that you have enjoyed all your holiday celebrations and that you are experiencing the Lord's blessings and hope for the coming year. Happy 2010! Wow. That's pretty crazy.

With love...

Checking in...

2009-12-11T23:02:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to write a quick note to say that time is absolutely FLYING and at times it is making me a bit nervous that I won't be able to see all who I want to see or get done all that I hope to get done before literally flying on January 9th...back to Romania.

I have been having a good time seeing friends and family and updating churches. Trying not to forget Romanian in the meantime and stay in touch with my friends "across the pond".

Lately working out has not been making the cut in my schedule; at times I'm up with allergies in the middle of the night, being back in a house full of furry animals I'm not used to... and wake up in the later morning.

Life in general just feels a bit surreal at times. Praying to be present where the Lord has me and to serve Him well ...love Him completely and love others too every day, giving Glory and Honor to His Name.

I'm adjusting to my new computer but have yet been able to get my Outlook files converted for Mac Mail. Gratefully I have a friend who is willing to help! I really need to send out newsletters and thank yous and Merry Christmas notices! :)

Sorry that I don't have any pictures! I guess I am too busy being with people to take pictures of them :) but that would probably be nice to have for later and to share with you all! I'm going to try to start taking some.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support. I'm blessed.

What up in the US

2009-12-01T09:40:00.005-05:00

Hi there. Just thought I would put out a little update on how my first week back in the US has been. At first it felt a little bit like a parallel universe, because everything was almost the same...but not quite! But now I'm feeling part of the same dimension and time zone pretty much.

Of course it has been great seeing family and friends and I have been busy trying to make more catch up plans to see all the people I can.

This past Sunday I updated my home church on life in Romania and am preparing for the upcoming church visits and few other opportunities to share that have coming up.

I admit I am procrastinating a bit on making those MD appointments and taking care of other business; had some unexpected distractions like another computer death. It seems I kill my computers after about 2 years. Well, I am taking the plunge into the Mac world and praying that I'll have a better...and longer relatioship with the new notebook computer I'll be picking up today. Praying that they were able to transfer my Outlook information into the Mac Mail program. We'll see! This means another newsletter delay.

If you are reading this, live in the US but I haven't seen you... and you wanna chat, leave a comment and I'll get you my current cell number here :)

Lot of blessings and love...

A Year and a Half

2009-11-19T03:11:00.006-05:00

It will be my first visit back home in the States since arriving in Romania a year and a half ago! It is hard to believe it has been that long. My flight takes off from Timisoara Saturday morning, and I arrive in Long Island Saturday afternoon...weird considering the many many hours I'll be traveling. Time zones are crazy.

The days following will be full of celebrating holidays with family, catching up with friends and supporting churches. I'll also be paying some visits to Long Island Youth Mentoring, to catch up with friends there but also to get myself updated on the current trends with Christian Youth Mentoring and freshen up a bit! Taking care of doctor appointments and some business stuff is also on the agenda but yucky...don't want to think about that right now.

I have 7 weeks for my US adventure and am praying that all will go well. Did you know that there is also reverse culture shock when people like me go back to their own home culture? It may not be long enough of a visit for it to really hit, but I do know for a fact I'll be facing a lot of changes since I left. I appreciate your prayers as always....

....and maybe I'll see YOU soon!!!
Blessings and Love, me

Good Fruit

2009-11-05T08:48:00.005-05:00

Sorry for the delay. I needed some time after the retreat was over to relax myself, but I am so grateful to say that it was an amazing time. Feeling very unable to portray to you in words the extent of gratitude that was expressed to me by the women who came. Below is a link to some pictures - trying Picasa web albums now rather than webshots so we'll see how that goes:

LadiesRetreat09

It seems that everything was appreciated and went well. The main speaker, Ronah Francolino, brought a powerful message from John 15 bringing us all into a deeper understanding of what it means to be a branch abiding in Christ in the vineyard, tended by our Father the Vintner. Other messages from my fellow GEMers on keeping the Sabbath Holy and encouragement were equally well received, supportive and challenging.

Beyond the messages we had powerful prayer times together, as well as time alone with the Lord... and times to have fun and be pampered.

The craft materials send to me by my home church on Long Island, Grace Gospel Church, were devoured!!! The women loved it so much and could hardly be dragged away... although some finally did give in to setting the materials aside to allow themselves to be pampered with my friend Amanda's homemade beauty treatments!

You'll see from the pictures that the place itself is just a gorgeous place to be. At the end of the weekend I set out a bag for people to put suggestions in case I might be able to organize this again next year. I got a few but mostly the bag was full of "thank you's". It was an incredible blessing and privilege for me to be able to provide these ladies with a time of rest, encouragement and refueling.

It would not have been impossible without the team of lovely ladies you see with me in this picture:

OR without you all - your prayers - the special treats from the States. The Lord brought it all together to bring a tremendous blessing to a group of very special women.

Thank you and Praise God!!!

About Men and Women

2009-10-07T05:15:00.002-04:00

:) First about the men... I need some!

Haa haaa... did that get your attention? There were 5 of us total going through the mentor training together last Friday. We only got a quarter of the way through instead of half way as I hoped, but that was because there were a lot of great suggestions for adapting or clarifying the course! Thing is, there was not a man among us! There had been a young man interested in the ministry but he realized he was involved in too much already (and just got married) so mentoring didn't make the cut on his schedule. Now I am praying not only about a solid Romanian partner in the mentoring ministry, but also, in addition, for a solid Romanian male partner for the ministry. Thanks for your prayers. In any case, I'm hoping we are going to continue working through the adaptation process on October 16th and November 13th.

And about the women... there are LOTS... coming to the retreat at the end of October! Praise God. It has been absolutely AMAZING to see the Lord bring this retreat together and answer SO MANY prayers!!! I have 20 women signed up and 1 maybe. The women who I had really had on my heart to come have signed up!!! There are 6 other helpers besides myself, three of them are speakers. The place is reserved and the schedule is coming along. Goodies are coming in from America to add some extra blessings, and I am convinced the Lord has a great plan for this weekend...stuff that I have no clue about yet!

Thank you so much for your support and prayers for these things. It feels good to be a small part of these works of God! Be blessed today...and thank you again for being a part of all of this too. With love...

Art Therapy and Freedom

2009-09-29T09:15:00.005-04:00

Well, I sure tortured myself a bit before the big day of the seminar. My fears of inadequacy were nearly unbearable at times leading up to it. It's true that the other women participating were truly "experts" when it came to working with disabled children, and it is so wonderful they were able to come and impart their wisdom and loving ways with the 75+ participants of the conference.

To cope with my fears I convinced myself that the Lord had a reason for me being there and would give me something of value to share with the people. He of course was Faithful as always. The therapeutic principles of art therapy seemed well received and the practical hands-on task was enjoyed by them as well.

As I reflected back on some of the comments of participants, I realized that there is a message of freedom integral in the practice of art as therapy and it is a message that is counter the communist ways they bared so long. As they reacted to the idea of making creative choices and using art work to develop a sense of identity, I realized that there is still a thick residue left behind from that era of oppression. The layers are being removed but the effects after all this time are still evident!

So thank you for your prayers. Some of the other ladies took pictures so I have some to share with you of my part in the conference.

You can see me up front with Andreea, my language teacher, friend and translator!

Here you only see the back of my head at the bottom of the picture as I re-explain the directions for the hands on task.

I set up four different stations; one with materials for construction,one for sculpting, another for drawing and the last of painting. They got to choose what medium to use. Overall, we had fun :)

I'm doing WHAT?

2009-09-21T14:22:00.003-04:00

Some of you may know that I am helping out with a conference here in Timisoara this week. I am just a very small part of something that has grown beyond (I think) the expectations of the organizers which include my fellow GEMer Dawn in association with the Child Protective Services here. They are expecting over 100 people to participate. It is geared toward the workers and families of children with disabilities.

This has become such a huge thing that it has spontaneously gotten news coverage!

There are 4 professionals from the States giving seminars in their different disciplines; physical, occupational, drama and speech therapies. There are also us GEMers...coworkers Cal and Karen will be presenting something to help workers improve communications with one another and families...and I am the art therapist. For me as a professional, it is a little different because I never specialized in physical disabilities.

So I have several prayer points for this week: That the workers and participants be blessed and gain knowledge and inspiration; that all would have the grace and strength they need; that this would leave a great impression on the community; that God would be glorified in it and His part in it would come through; that the children would reap the benefits...and lastly for me, that I would have something of value to contribute (and that I would have confidence this is true).

I feel a bit of an odd ball because of the reasons mentioned, and find myself feeling badly that I don't have more to offer, though it isn't "my fault"...but I need to trust that there IS a reason I am a part of this and that the Lord would say something through me to them...even despite me.

God Bless you friends - thanks again for being there... can't thank you enough, especially at times like this.
Love me

Free to Be ME

2009-09-07T12:56:00.002-04:00

Hey friends. Just wanted to put a quick note out there to let you know I am celebrating a new phase that I am calling the "free to be me" phase! I actually didn't realize how NOT me I was feeling this past year and three months until I suddenly felt me again. Want you also to know that I am SURE... while the simple factor of time may have something to do with it, I think that your prayers have a greater something to do with it!!!

I wish I could give a more concrete explanation of the difference, but just know I am feeling more optimistic than ever about the plans that the Lord has here in Romania... and feeling free to be me means feeling freer to live out those plans to His Glory!!!

Praying all is well with you!!!

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Eph 2:10

"Diving In" at Lake Buhui (Bu-hoo-e)

2009-08-25T10:55:00.008-04:00

My head is spinning from all that has gone on this summer, including my last “major event” which was the youth camp at Lake Buhui (in a town called Anina).

Thank you so much for all the prayers which the Lord heard and answered (and is answering). It was a little overwhelming at first to be in such an “immersed” state, but of course it ended up being such a blessing. To start, over the course of the week, I realized just how much the high expectations I have of myself end up ironically blocking me from moving forward regarding language. I experienced a much greater freedom in my communication with others during the camp, speaking in Romanian, English or my favorite “Romglish” combination, depending on the situation (not being so rigid with myself – MUST SPEAK ROMANIAN). I tried, I made mistakes, got it right a few times… but I was relating and that was the key. AND the icing is that I actually did make quite a bit of progress in just the one week with the language!

The camp itself was such an interesting and fun time. We had 4 teams and did “Olympic” games that included things like balloons, blindfolds, straws and Frisbees (yes…VERY creative). I got to see the inside of a cave during a 4 hour hike one day. Each team created a funny film that we watched the last night… well actually the last morning, staying up until 5 am because that is when we had the most electricity available!

But this was a camp for spiritual growth, so besides all the activities, we had personal devotion times, time in pairs, and group discussions based on themes about God: His omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience.

They did a great job putting the camp together and the most encouraging thing was seeing the few pre-Christian teens we had take a greater interest in the things of God as we went along.

I would call it a great success all around. What a blessing!

Here are some pics to give you an idea of the sort of place we enjoyed and the fun times we had.

Czech it OUT

2009-08-15T05:51:00.011-04:00

I couldn't resist it as a blog title, but I promise I DIDN'T buy the t-shirt! Of course the t-shirt read, "Czech ME out".

Anyway, I was privileged to see yet another amazing city of Europe. While the 12 hour van ride there was less than pleasant on the whole, it was well worth it. I made good use of our couple of days in Prague, starting off with a 4 hour walking tour. It is a place rich in beauty and history of course.

I think the highlight would have had to been St. Vitus. It had a monumental presence in the Palace court. The stained glass windows were breath-taking. Here is are pictures that don't do it any justice.

The conference took place in Liberec, just a couple of hours away from Prague. I had some inner celebrating going on as I saw many more people I know from orientation and training - they ARRIVED...they made it!!! Yippeeee! Plus, catching up was fun.

We had some sessions with a guest speaker that imparted some ideas that I could summarize in the famous saying, "keep it simple stupid." Not that he called us stupid...
We spent time in prayer together and worship was amazing...and we also celebrated 60 years of GEM's existence.
I wrote you all a note about how the time impacted me, calling me to a personal time of prayer and evaluation upon my return. In that way, it was an invaluable time for me.

Grateful for all of you being with me on this journey. I'm looking forward to walking out the things that the Lord spoke to my heart, with you all along side.

And next up is the youth camp with my church here. We leave Monday the 17th nice and early and will spend a week in the mountains together all for God's Glory.

Sooooo.....On to the Next Adventure....

2009-08-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

I'm leaving in about an hour to head up to Oradea, a city a few hours north of here. We are meeting with other GEMers to celebrate a birthday of one of our own, then head off together toward Prague on Sunday. We'll be 7 in the van I think, without AC, but not without lots of laughter and snacks. We'll spend a few days in Prague before heading to our conference site, about an hour or so further.

Please pray for however the Spirit leads regarding the conference.
Also please continue to pray for the people I met at the DeClar camp - kids and adults. There are a few single women I met that I would like to befriend, so pray that they are open to that.

When I get back I have a few days before the youth group camp. I'll be in a tent with a few other girls and am praying for the Lord to work powerfully in the hearts of the youth and among us leaders.

After the camp I feel I can finally get back to preparing and focusing on the mentoring ministry!

I appreciate you continued support and prayers for all these things more than I can say!

LASTLY... it is official; my visit home this winter is planned. I bought my tickets and will be home for several weeks :)
Love, me

Back from the Valley

2009-07-29T06:40:00.008-04:00

Hi friends! I think it is safe to "declare" that the DeClar English camp was a success. We were about 80+ people in all. I helped with the older kids which turned out to be from ages 10 to 12, and there were 12 of them.

The place was absolutely gorgeous.

A day for me in camp went something like this:
Up at 6:40 am
Devotions with the team at 7:30 am
Breakfast at 8:30 am
Final preparations and then Bible reading time at 9:30 am with the kids...together with them for games, snacks and then English class until about 12:45 pm.
Lunch at 1 pm then free time to help set up for crafts and to prepare for the next day.
5:30 pm we did crafts with all the kids together (adults had special seminars) until about 7 pm when we had dinner. Following that was evening program, evening tea and then story time at 10 pm when one of the team would share their God story.

It was exhausting but wonderful. I was out of the comfort zone leading the children's reading time and helping with the English class, but God again showed Himself powerful in my life as I trust Him!!! He is so amazing.

Here is a picture after our first reading lesson about John 10.

We also to one afternoon to go on a group hike up to a dam; again gorgeous. It was also a great time to talk with people and continue building some new friendships.

...and here is another picture of me with some of the girlies I spent time with all week.

At the end of the week there was a lot of positive feedback from the families and the kids, including expressed hopes that I would see them again next year!

So this week is catch up (on rest, work and everyday things) and preparation for the next trip...Annual Conference in the Czech Republic.
Thank you for your continued prayers. I have heard rumors that this maybe the last Europe wide annual conference for GEM for a while but don't know for sure. I just ask for your prayers that the Lord would use it to clarify and further the vision He has for GEM in Europe - corporately and individually. AMEN!

I hope and pray you are all having a FANTASTIC summer! With lots and lots of love...me.

Weeks of Wonders

2009-07-17T02:54:00.007-04:00

Hey everyone... time for a little catch up. First the camp at Potter's House. If you read my newsletter you know that all went well, with the exception of me being sick the last couple of days with some sort of virus. Gratefully I didn't need to worry because of all the great leaders the Lord provided. I was sad to miss those last days but it all worked out fine.
Our themes for the week were building each other up and the 7 Wonders of the World. We did presentations about the 7 current Wonders and did Bible lessons on how to encourage one another in different ways (based on the "love languages"). I got to teach on touch; it was neat to look at how Jesus encouraged others with His touch. From what I could find recorded in the Bible, it was usually preceded by compassion and followed by healing.
We had a great time. The kids were a little wild at first but settled in pretty nicely. Here are some of the beautiful faces!

Just a couple of days after the camp, my cousin Diane came to visit me here in Romania and then we had a vacation in Turkey!!! She had always wanted to go and asked if I would join her. It seemed like a great opportunity to see a different part of the world and spend some quality time with her... and I was right!
It was ironic to me that I got to see some sights that could easily be considered "wonders" and even saw a previous genuine Wonder of the World... though there is only a lonely column left. Here am I in front of the famous Blue Mosque.

My cousins has most of the pictures so you'll have to wait a bit longer on that but it was interesting to experience a different culture and see so many phenomenal places in Istanbul and then on to Ephesus! Again to be where Paul preached was pretty amazing. And on top of the ruins of St. John's Basilica in Selcuk, I had a great conversation with my cousin about the God the he served... and me too.

And this week has been about preparing for the next camp, which is an English camp. I'll be having an orientation Saturday and leaving Sunday for the mountains. My role will be to help with the older kids (12-14)and their program. I'm heading up the daily reading group time (from the Bible) and helping out with the English lessons. We'll also be doing tons of games, crafts and exploring the great outdoors together.

This is again like nothing I've ever done before, so I would appreciate your prayers!!

Also good news that the translation for the Mentoring Training is finished; I just have to include the video clips and get subtitles on them. Gratefully, there is someone who will be helping!

Camp update when I get back! With many blessing....

A While

2009-07-04T22:23:00.001-04:00

I'm writing to say I'm sorry it has been a while since I've written. I have yet to get you the more detailed update on the Potter's House summer program. Soon after my cousin from the States came to visit and now we are traveling together a bit.
So, I will post again! Sorry and thank you for checking in.
Love me

Resetted and Recharged

2009-06-22T12:49:00.004-04:00

...that was the goal of the conference I went to for First Termers this past week. It was so great to see friends from GEM orientation and from pre-field training. There is something really special about relating to people on a similar journey; we can understand the mixed blessings and challenges that come with serving the Lord overseas.

There were a lot of reminders for how to study the culture I am in and how to promote healthy adaptation. I can now see areas where I need to be more purposeful or make some changes in order to have a greater impact and be more immersed in the culture here.

I'm still "processing" and it was a bit of a challenge to start the day camp at Potter's House today after getting home late last night from the conference. But, I'm going to try to snag some rest and reflection time after camp every day.

Please pray for this week at the day camp... for those of us serving and for the children, that they would be able to really absorb the message of how we can encourage one another and how God can (and does) encourage us!

Up top is a picture of where I was blessed to have my conference this past week. I'll try to get some pictures this week of day camp to share with you soon.

Special Day Out Report

2009-05-26T06:01:00.002-04:00

DeClar's special day out event went really well last Saturday. It stormed overnight which ended up being huge blessing, bringing a sunny warm day minus the humidity. All who signed up came, about 50 people. We had enough food to feed 5 times that amount and every aspect of the day just went beautifully! Thank you for your prayers.

The summer will be packed for me, no surprise there...I thought I would lay out my agenda. Please pray for these events as the Lord puts it on your heart :)

(Prayerfully) Mentoring Training for interested leaders - June 12th
GEM First Termers Reset and Recharge (Switzerland) - June 13th- 20th
Potter's House Day Camp (VBS)- June 22-26th
Visiting with my cousin Diane (here and Turkey) - July 1st - 12th
DeClar English Camp - July 17th - 26th
GEM Annual Conference (Czech Republic) - August 2nd - 10th
Vox Youth Group Camp - August 17th - 22nd

Wow...it is going to be exciting and exhausting and exhilarating and ex.... I don't know :)...oh, I got it... prayerfully exalting to the Lord :)

Praying you are all well...newletter is coming soon!

UPdate

2009-05-21T14:54:00.003-04:00

Thank you for your prayers.

Today I met with Pastor Adi from my church here to discuss the mentoring ministry - I believe that was a result of our prayers, as I felt specifically led to make this appointment. It was good. P. Adi had some ideas about the scheduling issue and also provided a lot of cultural insights...which I believe will help me in practical ways with how to proceed, but also in a more general way with perspective. In short, I can expect it to take a really long time for this mentoring ministry to be set and functioning but it is definitely needed and a form of ministry that is culturally relevant.

Please still pray for the completion of the translation and that we would succeed in planning a date for the majority to have the course.

More requests: this Saturday DeClar is hosting a special event outside of Timisoara, with food, speakers and activities. It is multi-purposed but a large objective is to give people an idea of what the summer camp will be like and encourage registration. The topics will be shared from a Godly perspective and there will be a speaker sharing their testimony as well. We are always praying that people will see Jesus and invite Him into their lives. I'll be doing ice breakers in the beginning and helping where needed.

That is it for now, but there is more to say! Things are busy and I'll write again soon with more prayer needs.

Many blessings and thanks to you!

Prayer Request

2009-05-14T05:06:00.004-04:00

Just wanted to send out a quick request because things are a little stuck with the mentoring ministry at the moment.

The training translation isn't completed, but it is still possible for it to be ready by the end of May. However, only two out of the group responded to the invite and they both have different availabilities. I need to find out if the others are genuinely not interested or if there are other reasons they have not responded. The fact that I will still need translation to get the message across most effectively complicates the matter. I can't ask Andreea to commit two evenings and a Saturday of her time for two people.

I hope I am explaining the challenges adequately. Thank you for your prayers. I know that the Lord has and answer and it will all come together. The answer may be to wait but that is a hard one to accept because it would mean waiting until Fall; the summers are just too busy for people.

I'm grateful to have you standing with me and believing with me that the Lord has a way! Please pray that I will be willing and able to hear and heed Him.

Days of Prayer and Fasting

2009-05-08T02:32:00.016-04:00

The retreat last weekend was great. I got sick again the day after I returned, but it was worth it. Not only was it a time to really hear from the Lord, but it was a time to get closer to the teens, as I was hoping. At first, it was difficult. I felt "outside" of many things, but the Lord spoke to me even through that and then granted my heart's desire.

We would literally spend hours alone for prayer and reading scriptures which were assigned to us. In between we had free time and light snacks for those who needed and in the evenings after a vegetarian dinner, was a time of discussion and prayer. The teens impressed me with their dedication, maybe not always so much to the "fasting" aspect of things :) but to the discussion and prayer. I was blessed by them.

Here are some pictures; the last one depicts some girls protesting our weekend coming to an end :)

Recent Joys

2009-04-25T07:44:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, I finally ran a group at Potter's House. I did a sort of art therapy group with the kids and it was so great. I had almost forgotten what a joy it is for me to do that kind of work with kids. It is not that we did any deep analysis, but just having the opportunity to encourage them to create and reinforce that what they make (and who they are) has value was such a pleasure. I spoke mostly in Romanian and had some older girls in the group help clarify if I said something a little funny :) The opportunity is a blessing to me and pray it will be a blessing for the children too.

I was also asked to help develop a curriculum for the teen program at Potter's House, and to consider being a part of it. I expressed my concerns about committing time that might eventually need to be revoked or would detract from what I hope to need for the mentoring ministry but suggested once a month would be possible. Doubting the benefit of that offer, I was assured that it would be a help.

And last evening, I experienced another special blessing. The Lord is so good at giving encouragement at just the right time. The youth group took a spontaneous turn to confession and prayer last night. As the subject of lust was broached, we were challenged to be free that very night, to be bold and confess to someone the need for help. Strangely, it made me wonder, am I connected enough yet that one of these girls could trust me like that? I desired to be but have been feeling some frustration of still being "foreign" and unable to invest in their lives like I would want to. But after the "time" for prayer was over, and snacks and games had already started, a young lady (who I do really love), grabbed my hand and said, "I need to speak to you." She swept me away into a private room, and entrusted me with a profound struggle. I was humbled in a hundred different ways, and we prayed together and looked at scripture too. Wow. Praise the Lord!!! For so much....for EVERYTHING!!!

Thank you for your prayers, your love...for not forgetting about me. It is almost a year now. It is interesting to experience this adjustment and have my heart in two places at once. Blessings to you. I pray that you some recent joys too; feel free to share them with me :)

Easter Report

2009-04-22T04:49:00.007-04:00

Well, my Easter here in Romania was great. I really enjoyed the service and the picnic with my Romanian Church family. Here are a few pics to show you were we spent our time.

It was a great time of food and conversation; some played volleyball. I attempted frisbee for about two seconds. And I met some new friends which was great! It was 5 hours long but didn't feel long enough for me :)

Then on Monday which was "Easter Monday" here, I met with some friends in the Center. There were preachers from different denominations speaking in front of the Cathedral and then a parade to the Rose park where there is an outdoor theater! We didn't stay too long, but heard some more traditional Romanian church music. It was a lovely day.

A mentoring meeting for this month didn't work out, but the training dates are in process of being decided...in faith that it will be translated and ready by the end of May. Please pray that the best dates for everyone will be discovered and that the training will in fact be ready.

Also an update on the ladies weekend away idea. I spoke with woman at Vox in charge of women's ministries and got very positive feedback. She agrees with the need that I have seen and is looking forward to attending it herself if it actually comes together! Please keep this new project in prayer too.

Language is coming along well. Lately for me there is a noticeable improvement in my understanding and some in my talking too.

More to come... Blessings to you today and everyday!!!

Cristos A Înviat!...

2009-04-12T12:20:00.002-04:00

Adevărat a înviat!
That is the traditional Easter greeting and basically like ours at home... "He is Risen!..He is Risen Indeed!" I will be having my celebration next Sunday in accordance with the Orthodox calendar but am thinking of all my friends and family who are celebrating today. What an amazing day, where the Lord gave evidence of His power over death and the truth of His promise... eternal life with Him for those who believe. I'm looking forward to next Sunday :)

Here is just a brief update as well of what is new over here. The translation of the mentoring training has begun and I am hopeful that it will be ready by late May. Meantime, I am going to try and have another meeting regarding the mentoring ministry this month as well, to keep discussions going and interest up. We'll look at the different roles involved in the mentoring team in greater detail.

Potter's House has gone through a lot of changes but the new schedule has finally been established and I'll be doing an art therapy group with the children on Friday afternoons. I will need to decide for myself if I will also still go on Wednesday nights to work with the teens.

The Lord has put another burden on my heart. I have met with several Romanian women in ministry now and see how often they can give so much of themselves that they get worn out and weary. I am praying about different creative ways I can be an encouragement on a regular basis but also, a special idea came to mind; a weekend away. I don't when and if this might come together but I have spoken with a few other women missionaries and the responses have been positive. I won't say too much more till I know what is "for real" versus "dream" :) but appreciate your prayers.

Springtime is beautiful...the sunshine is welcomed. I'll try to get some pictures of around here so you can see what I see.

I pray you are all well and enjoying your celebrations with friends and family on this very special day.

Besides Mentoring

2009-03-30T03:22:00.003-04:00

So, I want to let you know about some other things that I have been getting involved in besides developing the Romanian Mentoring Ministry. It really isn't "besides mentoring" since mentoring is still a part of it in the overall scope... but I do need your prayers for wisdom. I realize that I have to be careful in what else I get involved in, to guard my time because if I don't...well...it is obvious I guess.

DeClar is the name of the organization that my Romanian teacher, Andreea is a part of. Actually, it is a small group of Romanians who have created it in order to work and do ministry at the same time.
Here is their website: http://www.declar.ro BUT it is all in Romanian!
They have partnered with a few other Christian groups doing similar work, and together they run classes teaching language, do the monthly English club I have mentioned before, and run English camps in the summer. I will start going to their team meetings and will help out with their English camp for families this summer (in addition to the monthly club). My focus there will be the teens. I am hoping to build a relationship with some of the girls who have been there before and made professions of faith but never have been discipled. From this might come a more regular Bible study at my place for these girls...at least that is my prayer!

Some more missionary friends here are leaving, and they are leaving behind some work to be continued. For the most part, others have been put in place to carry on what they have been doing, but I was specifically asked to consider one thing...and I said yes. That is to continue a one to one Bible study that my friend was having with a young lady. We will all get together next week to have a "transition" kind of meeting, but I am excited about this opportunity to encourage someone more personally in faith and love for Jesus.

Potter's House is still on my schedule but has been in flux since I have been trying to get established over there. With schedule changes and other factors, I have to now decide if I would commit to going there two times a week instead of just once, although not necessarily for long hours.

That is it for now. There are other little things here and there, like the English Service at Church for international students, Bible study with some missy ladies, and investing in new friendships!

So thank you for your prayers. I need them!!! Much to do...and it feels more and more like "so little time". Please pray that the Lord would lead me to the right commitments... and of course I am praying that too!

Besides Me

2009-03-24T15:02:00.002-04:00

Hey again friends. I thought I would use this entry to let you know about some other needs for prayer and help around here.

I'll start with some fellow GEMers: http://www.oratorium.ro/en/
That link takes you to a website for the Oratorium project that two of my colleagues are a part of through the Jubilate ministry. It is basically an event for musicians in Romania; a chance for them to receive some training from professionals from around the world who just happen to be Christian as well. The significance and vision for this is multifaceted and I don't think I can say it better than their welcome page so please check out the website. They just held a big fundraiser which was very successful, but please continue to pray for provision and for the pieces to continue to fall into place. It is the largest project they have ever undertaken and they have been absolutely moving forward by faith.

Next I'll present you with a Romanian ministry:
http://www.comparativereligion.com/provita.html
That website hasn't been updated in a while but I assure you that the work has been continuing. Dr. Valea with Pro Vita Medica is extremely devoted to assisting women in making informed decisions before an abortion and providing for them what they need should they choose to keep their baby. She had a helper but that woman (who had been a client) has since needed to take a different job. Now Dr. Valea is doing the work alone and is feeling the weight of it. Please pray the the Lord would provide a Romanian helper for her. There is also another tangible need that I became aware of. Dr. Valea gives prenatal vitamins to the women who come to her for their baby care but she is running low. She thinks that they should be available fairly cheaply in the States from Walmart and places like that. If you would be interested in helping, you could send them directly to her. *** Please do not send them to me because I would have difficulties at customs. *** Please don't put the name of her organization on them because then she has to go through tons of paperwork.
But if you just sent them to the following address, she can receive them with no problems as a doctor:

Dr. Cristina Valea
Str. Bucovinei, Nr. 11
Timisoara 300361
Romania

I have some summer plans coming together and am beginning to look through the Long Island Youth Mentoring Training for translation. There are a few different versions and I need to decide what would be best to use here. I'm realizing that I might need to actually compose something a little different first which I hadn't considered! I have a feeling you will be hearing me say that a lot ("I hadn't considered"), BUT I am just wanting the Lord's wisdom and will follow His lead! :)

I pray you are well... till the next time!!!

The Second First Meeting

2009-03-16T09:37:00.004-04:00

On March 11th I had the "second first meeting" for the mentoring ministry. This group was composed of leaders from local ministries who serve young people and women potentially needing mentors.

The meeting had a different feeling from the "first first"; in fact I had made a few changes to the agenda ahead of time. I was extremely blessed by the interaction and input from those who attended (including questions and some challenges). The people who came see the need for mentoring and seem very invested in helping to see that happen as they are able.

Clear direction of the next step forward surfaced as a result of our discussions, and it is not what I had originally been anticipating. I thought that I would be pulling together a leadership team from these first meetings and then from there begin adaptation and translation of the recruiting and training materials. Turns out I will be working to get the translation of the training done next because it came to light that it is needed to give a fuller understanding of what this Mentoring Biz is about. People from the first meetings will be welcomed to attend and asked to begin presenting ideas about adaptations, and I think it will in fact be a part of yet identifying the ministry leaders.

While I may personally have some hand in it, I will most likely just hire my language teacher, Andreea, to complete the translation. I think it is a time sensitive issue and should be available as soon as possible, while peoples' interest is still peaked. I'm so blessed that Andreea loves the potential of this ministry and has been gaining greater and greater understanding through our times together in class. She is the perfect person for the job! She has been there for both "first" meetings and has a few ideas of her own.

Thank you for your continued prayers. Looking forward to announcing the completion of the training's translation and its' reveal :)
Domnul cu tine (The Lord with you).
Love me

The Full Greece Report

2009-03-09T14:46:00.006-04:00

It is a bit overwhelming to consider typing a "full" report actually. I have experienced so much over this past week, but I will try!

I feel first to write about about the function this time had in fusing me together with the GEM Ro. team. Since we have quite a few missionaries, all who are spread throughout the country doing very varied ministries (and many already know each other for over a decade) I think that only a trip like this could more fully integrate me personally into the team. Together we brainstormed, strategized, prayed and worshiped, laughed and ate. Our like hearts for the Lord, the country and the people we love drew closer through these things from my perspective. I have a greater burden for the ministries of my teammates and the overall common mission we share. I am so grateful for this gift.

The places I had the opportunity to experience with these special people were breathtaking and mind-blowing as I considered their place in Biblical history. I stood where Paul stood on Mars Hill and on the pier he used to leave Greece. I stood in a "theater" he probably went to and walked the same streets of ancient Corinth.

A special personal blessing was the opportunity to spend much desired time by the water. One evening I was able to just sit and pray as I heard the familiar and longed for sound of wind and waves. I love that sound. I was extremely blessed.

And I must dedicate at least a little paragraph to the 4 days(2 going and 2 coming back)spent traveling in the van with 5 of my colleagues. I told someone about that and they said, "wow, that must have been tough." Maybe there were a few moments less than pleasant, but I wouldn't have traded it for anything. WE HAD SUCH FUN!!! Everyone shared their food, their humor and their talents. We sang, laughed, explored, ate, slept and enjoyed sights we wouldn't have been able to from way up in an airplane :) ... what an adventure.

Here are some of the pics from Athens. There are more to come but it gives you and idea.

Greece Athens

On top is a picture of most of our team.

Thanks for your prayers and encouragement and love as always. My prayer is to now do a better job of not only sharing my burden to reach the children of Romania through loving Christian mentors, but that for the country as a whole...to let you know how to pray for other needs. Thank you for your partnership!

Grecian Fun

2009-03-05T01:02:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone...just wanted to take the time to send you a quick note, letting you know that the time in Greece with the team has been extremely blessed so far and I am expecting nothing less of the next coming days.

I'll give details soon when there is a little more time, but just wanted to thank you for your prayers and let you know we have enjoyed great fellowship as a team, progress with strategic planning and exploring a bit of the beauty of Greece.

With love and thanks, Lynn

A Day of Presents

2009-02-23T14:11:00.005-05:00

Today was full of presents... I love presents, and even without them this day would have been truly blessed but how FUN to have presents!

My first stop was a meeting with the director for a Christian organization helping youth at risk through daily programs and counseling, very similar to the Potter's House. She is already aware of the great benefit mentors can have in the lives of these kids because they have been holding monthly events with volunteers acting as a "big brother or big sister". Since there is already something in place, I'm not exactly sure how we can best collaborate, but am trusting that the Lord will work out those details as we move ahead. I believe there will be away because we both clearly want to find one!

At the end of my time, she showed me some of the crafts the children have done and gave me a mug, pencil holder and some "marțișoare" (martsee-shuoare). "Marțișoare" are little tokens given to women on the special "womens' days" that they have here in Romania - March 1st and March 8th. As if that wasn't enough, one of the little girls was there and she drew me a picture!!! I walked away with a full knapsack of blessings and a joyful heart full of great expectation for the near future!

Then I saw Neli again (my friend from the train). This time I went to her boyfriend's house and again they fed me to overflowing... we rested, and told stories and watched TV and ate some more! They were in no rush to have me leave and I felt like they would have preferred if I stay through to night time! When I left they generously gave me some homemade cherry jam and some of our left over desserts.

All of these exchanges were in Romanian... I still am making tons of mistakes and not understanding every single word but these people were extremely patient and willing to help and correct and speak slowly for me :)

So in general I am struck with the Romanian warmth and hospitality which flows abundantly when you they know you and care for you.

Also in way of the mentoring update - Last week I met with the directors for the Estera Foundation (pro-life ministry) and they are also very interested in the possibility of finding ways to connect women and families who need extra support with mentors.

I am having my second "first" meeting about the mentoring ministry on March 11th, so another date to pray for!

I'll be away from March 1-8th on my GEM retreat with the Romania team ... IN GREECE. I am very excited about this as you can imagine. We are driving to keep expenses down so that might be a bit of a challenge, but well worth it.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers. It means so much to me that you are "with" me in this venture.

Prayer Counseling

2009-02-16T02:08:00.006-05:00

Hey Everyone...last week was a busy week and I am finally get a chance to update you. The seminar in inner healing through prayer was very interesting. Alf Davis is extremely passionate about getting the news of this type of work out to Christians around the world. Romania was NOT his first international trip!

There was a lot of information passed on to our group of 14 or so. I am still sorting through some of it in that I may not have "bought the whole package" but there was a lot of beautiful truth regarding how Jesus made the way for us to be free. A basic premise is that when the Bible tells you to "take your thoughts captive unto Christ", no thoughts are discriminated against; it includes our thoughts about the past, present and future. Jesus is more than happy to bring His truths to the lies we often believe - and the truth will indeed set you free, and the one who Jesus frees is free indeed!

The last day we did a practical exercise with each other and a few people reported some pretty dramatic encounters with the Lord as they presented their hurts and painful memories to Him in prayer. The results were joy. It was beautiful to see.

I failed to take pictures although I intended too! I know our hosts took some so I'll see if I can get some copies posted sometime soon.

I do have some pictures of Vox Domini - my church! They have a blog site and pictures posted AND I just happen to be in on if you look really close :) This gives you and idea of where I have been worshiping and just so you know, it is NOT typical Romanian style.

Can you find me? I'll let you try for a while and then I'll show you :)

The rest of the week was busy with party stuff... a couple who has been here for a few years is leaving back to the States and we had a gathering of GEMers including some from other countries, to celebrate their time here and pray them off to the future (and eat lots of yummy food together).

I have another busy week ahead of quite a variety of things on the list of "to do". I appreciate your continue prayers and will tell you more about what is up with mentoring next time. Love you and miss you!

Casa Olarului

2009-02-09T07:56:00.007-05:00

The title of this post is the Romanian for "The Potter's House". I went this past Friday and will be going now pretty much weekly on Wednesdays. Here are some pictures finally! I actually didn't take them, but Dr. Oana sent them to me as part of a thank you for coming to help and also helping to get some clothes to them which were donated from my church here.

Some of the kids went to a play center in the mall on Friday after I left. I couldn't come because it was a youth group night, but you can see that they really enjoyed themselves! This type of an activity is a HUGE treat for these kids. Dr. Oana is in the front right enjoying her pizza.

I look forward to getting to know the kids and staff better and hopefully someday in the not to distant future, seeing them connected with loving Christ filled mentors!

This week I have another new adventure on the agenda; a Prayer Counseling training with Alf Davis. This has been coordinated by another missionary here (and dear friend) with International Teams. It is Wednesday through Friday and should be very interesting! Will let you know!

God bless you loved ones! Miss you.

YIPEEE-ness

2009-02-04T08:28:00.002-05:00

The Bible says to rejoice with those who rejoice (and to mourn with those who mourn)... well say "yipeee" along with me because I got my 5 year Visa today!!! It is good until December 23, 2013. My commitment is only until 2011, but you never know how those extra years may come in handy :) God is so good. This is such a relief and feels like a bit of an accomplishment because it was sure less than easy to get.

Another "biggie" that is out of the way is my medical tests for the Potter's House. They took blood yesterday and the results already came back; all is well. I'm waiting for another analysis result (I'll spare you details) but will be going there on Friday to fill out my paperwork in anticipation that all is well there too. My day a week at Potter's House will finally be starting!

Lots of other things on the agenda still for the Mentoring Ministry... waiting to hear back from some folks but looking forward to some interesting meetings in the near future.

Still amazed that I am here sometimes, though it is feeling more and more like my home away from home. I bought some bus tickets today and realized how naturally it came out in Romanian...and I might have even sounded like one :) Don't get me wrong, I stumbled over more complicated sentences today too...but it was just neat.

I'm struck with God's continued faithfulness. He tells us all over the Bible that He is, and He shows us ALL the time that He is, but still...to experience it over and over is AMAZING. He is truly Good.

The First Meeting

2009-02-02T11:09:00.002-05:00

Well, it happened! The first meeting for youth mentoring...and there were 8 people. What makes that even more amazing to me (though it doesn't need to be "more" amazing) is that they were not all the people I was expecting. I had quite a few cancellations due to exams, illness or other things, but still there were 8.

I believe the meeting went well. It made me realize even more what a long way to go there still is, but it was good to start and I continue to look forward to seeing how things will move forward.

My impression is that those who came felt mentoring ministry could be an effective way to reach into the community if we partner with organizations already helping families in need. This would address the potential road blocks of families who may be too "proud" to admit their need for help or the fact that we are Christians. This was something that was already in mind, but for me it was confirmed through them.

A new couple that just arrived with GEM last week also attended. They were an unexpected blessing of help and encouragement. They gave me personally some very tangible feedback which was nice. I have asked my Pastors who also attended, to give me some feedback as well. Please pray that they would, understanding that I won't be "offended" and that it will make for more effective partnership in ministry.

Since there were quite a few who could not attend, I may be doing a "second First meeting". I would wait until mid February after college exams are over. I'll let you know!

Meanwhile, I'll be keeping in touch with attendees of the first first meeting and pursuing some other organization contacts. Language is down to twice a week, so please pray that I would continue to learn and grow in this and not get stalled.

Thanks again my friends!!! God Bless you today and every day.

Taken By Your Faithfulness

2009-01-29T02:10:00.006-05:00

As I hear more news of how the economic crisis is effecting "the world" and people I know, I am struck with gratitude for your continued care of me. You persist in sending your gifts of support though it may have become more of a sacrifice than at first. How do I say thank you?
But thank you.

GEM is experiencing similar challenges as other organizations and has needed to eliminate some positions and make other financial changes. I am not effected by this directly at this point.

I'm praying for wisdom, grace and provision for you all during this time. If anything changes on my end I'll let you know.

God Bless you greatly for your continued faithfulness and sacrifice to enable me to do His work here. The meeting is tomorrow!!! I'll be sure to post an update on how it goes.

The Latest

2009-01-26T08:43:00.002-05:00

Here are the results of our prayers so far:

On Friday, I visited my new friend from the train as planned and we had a lovely time. Her boyfriend was there which was a surprise to me. They fed me like I was a 25 year old man!! There were a few awkward moments... like when I realized she had probably expected me to bring a bottle of wine as is traditional, but I DID bring homemade cookies at least :) I didn't know that there would be any meal since I went in between usual meal times, but that is Romanian hospitality!! The food was very good - gratefully no ciorba de burta (stomach stew). We will meet again sometime soon.

Saturday I went to English Club to help where I could. It was a small crowd but a lot of fun, and they helped me with my Romanian as well switching the rules on me...i.e. "AND YOU have to say it in Romanian!" I learned a great fun language game and met some more nice Romanian ladies.

I gave my testimony last night at the English service and it was really blessed. I was nervous at first, of course, but got caught up in sharing the story of God's grace in my life and it went very well. I put it in the framework of being a sheep and Him my Good Shepherd. I was new sheep, wandering sheep, downcast sheep, rescued sheep and grateful sheep :) It is so true... based on John 10:27-30.

So now this week I am working to finish up preparation for the first mentoring meeting. I have about 6 people so far that should be coming. Still praying for at least 8.

I found out some details about Flore (language helper girl), sort of. I am hearing a couple of different stories, but this is what I can share with you: She has done this a few times before but this time she wrote a note and said that she would not be coming back. She is most likely with a boy and her whereabouts are not really certain, though she said where she was supposedly going. Last time she left, she ended up getting abused. Please pray that she would return quickly.

Also, my language teacher Andreea, who is now also a wonderful special friend, is having a very hard time. Don't think I can give details at this point, but please just pray for God's grace, wisdom, guidance, comfort... all that good stuff.

Thank you. Sorry that I don't have pictures as of late. I was going to take pictures at the English service but it just didn't happen. I'll find something to shoot (with my camera) for you soon. :)

Get on Your Gear...

2009-01-23T06:18:00.002-05:00

... My Prayer Warriors :) There is lots going on suddenly!!!

First, I'll be meeting with my new friend from the train TODAY! I'll be going over her house. I'm a little nervous; it is hard to explain the added stress of going to someone's home from another culture for a visit. It is the language but also just hoping that you'll pick up on the cues, not offend, etc. Anyway, please pray for our time together.

Tonight is the youth group and I might be running a game for the first time. We'll see because I haven't gotten any feedback on my game idea from the rest of my team yet. I am wondering if silence means, "that stinks". :) It is very possible.

Sunday night I am giving my testimony at the English Service for international students. It is only a short time, but I am praying the Lord will have a great impact.

Then this next week I am continuing to get ready for the first meeting. So far I have 4 confirmed people but am praying for at least 4 more. Really, I just want there who the Lord wants there, but 8 is a great number for a group discussion.

Nehemiah keeps coming to mind. There were enemies of his project, and some in disguise, but the Lord gave him wisdom and the wall was completed. So, of course I don't know about the exact application here, or even for sure that there is one, but praying sure can't hurt!!!

I thank you guys for being willing to "suit up" with me see the Lord do this thing!

An Early Spring

2009-01-20T11:44:00.002-05:00

As the sun shone brightly through the clouds... as I removed my scarf and unzipped my winter coat along the way, I marveled at how Spring seemed to have arrived early today. I'm sure this isn't the case, but it was so fitting to enjoy such a Spring-like day.

Last entry I wrote about how I was waiting to bloom and seemed to be headed that direction. Well things are happening - It is Spring for me in Romania, even if tomorrow the sheet of gray clouds and frigid cold return!!!

It is official...I will be having my first meeting for the mentoring ministry next Friday! All that is involved with preparation is flat out exhilarating for me. It is happening...something is going to happen! The passion is still there; I haven't forgotten and God has not forgotten ...what I am called to do here! I will be sure to report how the meeting goes but now ask you to PRAY PRAY PRAY!!! I'll let the Lord lead you on the details of how.

He is with me. There is no doubt. Yesterday I returned by train from visiting a friend in a town north from me. At the station before Timisoara, we were stopped for a long time, waiting for who knows what, and one lady struck up a conversation with me about the inconvenient delay. We started talking again just before leaving the train, and quickly realized that we lived on the same street!!! Traveling home together, we talked about many things, including faith. It was absolutely incredible and SHE thought so too. We will be getting together again soon. She is retired and has never married. All this was in Romanian!!! I still make mistakes; I still can't say everything I want...but THIS WAS POSSIBLE! I am so amazed.

My teacher is so great. I shared the story with her today. She was amazed by the divine appointment but said she wasn't at all surprised that it was possible. In Romanian she said, "Maybe now you will finally have faith in yourself! I know that you can but now you can know that you can." :)

I am plina de lauda (full of praise)!!!

And yet there is a grave prayer request. Flore, the young lady that was helping me with language from the girl's home, never came home from school last Friday. I don't have any other details yet, but I expect they feel she ran away. This has happened to them before. I will keep you updated but ask you again to pray.

Thank you for being there. I'm so grateful to share with you - these extraordinary praises and concerns. Thank you for traveling this road with me.
May the Lord bless you today and always...and bring Spring early for you as well.

Waiting to Bloom

2009-01-13T10:57:00.003-05:00

I’m not sure exactly where the idea came from. I guess it sort of went like this: I was reflecting on my time here in Romania so far, and trying to sort out why I felt like I haven’t really done much of anything. In some ways, I can see things being accomplished but I’m not “flourishing”; I’m still not really serving the Lord as I would hope or investing in people as I want to, etc. That line of thinking brought to mind the saying, “bloom where you’re planted”. I thought back and felt with certainty that I had been blooming for the Lord’s glory at home in the States, but here, I realized, it feels more like I have been surviving… not quite the same thing as blooming! This is where the idea came in I think. And I’m pretty sure it is from the Lord, in fact, I’m pretty sure I heard His “voice”, “Take it easy on yourself; I’ve transplanted you.”

HUH! I thought more about that concept. I wondered, if a plant is transplanted, does it need some time to re-establish its roots and get oriented before it continues to grow…before it can bloom? I knew what I needed to do next- GOOGLE IT (of course)!

There wasn’t too much information available but what I read confirmed my presuppositions. One site I found said: “Remember that it may take weeks or months for a new transplant to overcome the shock of a move and actually start to grow again. Trees may take a full year to complete the adjustment.”

Sounded a bit like missions training! And then I remembered that in the Bible, God’s children are at times referred to as His “plantings”.

“…To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.” – Isaiah 61:3

So the idea is… I am His planting. He has chosen to transplant me here in Romania. He has the foresight to know that I will bloom again for Him… for His glory…in time. He is patient with the process and is encouraging me to be the same.

I am waiting to bloom, but in fact, I do think I am beginning to bud!!! :) Meanwhile, I will seek to extend myself the same amazing grace that the Lord offers to me and trust in His word (and see to it that I get plenty of water and sunlight).

“The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”

Psalm 92: 12-15

Amen

Pics and Stuff

2009-01-05T08:26:00.007-05:00

So here they are... as usual, to see the pictures better and get to the album, just double click the slide show:

France & Geneva 08

My adventures in France and Geneva were short but memorable! We saw some wonderful sites -you'll get an idea but pictures never do the reality justice of course.

It was freezing in Annecy and Geneva was not exactly comfortable either, but we managed to enjoy ourselves still, visiting lots of shops, having hot drinks and eating great food.

New Years was home as I mentioned. I had a great time with my new friends Dana and Lisa. Here we are outside chasing fireworks after midnight. They were pretty much over by the time we got out there but we got to see quite a bit right outside my window! We had a great time, including praying together after midnight for the new year. The girls brought so much good food that we didn't get to the fondue...but I took care of that a few nights ago with another friend of mine :) YUM! I was not disappointed.

So, time to get 2009 rolling. I am seeking to get back on track with the newsletter with my functioning computer :), plan the first meeting for mentoring ministry development, and finally get myself to Potter's House on a regular basis. I'll still be doing language a few times a week and am also hoping to get more involved in the youth ministry at my church.

In some ways it feels a little daunting, but I am trying to just keep my eyes on the Lord and take it a step at a time. This morning I read such powerful scripture, I wondered at my own worries... He says so clearly that He is with me, caring for everything and boy is He HUGE! Here is part of what I read:

"'You are My witnesses,' says the Lord, 'And My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me." - Isa 43:10

Woah!
Happy New Year friends and family - "La Multi Ani"... (they say that for all celebrations here :)
May the One and Only God bless you and your loved ones in this coming year.

Franciful Frolics and Happy New Year

2008-12-31T03:43:00.003-05:00

Hello friends. I am back from my travels and all went well. There was help when needed and I enjoyed the beautiful sights and sunshine in France and Geneva. Spending time with my friend Julie and meeting some new ones was refreshing as well.

Now I am in my Romania home and getting ready to ring in the New Year with some friends. I'll be hosting a few ladies and am looking forward to trying out my fondue pot which was my French Christmas present from Julie :) ...I'll be using chocolate this time!

There is much to do so this must be short. I'll post one picture and the rest will come soon.
I pray that 2009 will bring with it the blessing of greater intimacy with our magnificent God.

Here is a scripture I read this morning that spoke to my heart:

"But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay and You our potter; And all we are the work of your hand." - Isaiah 64:8

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

2008-12-22T15:10:00.003-05:00

Well, I will be traveling for the Holidays... to visit my friend from training in France! It will be a long journey ...the long way is considerably cheaper :)

First, I booked a van to the airport in Budapest, then a flight to Geneva, Switzerland, and then a couple of trains to Albertville, France.

I'll be there until the 30th so that I can celebrate the New Year here in Timisoara, Romania.
I appreciate all your prayers for this first Christmas and New Year over seas. I know that the Lord will be all I need, even as I miss my family and friends so much.

In training they suggested taking a trip out of "your" country at the 6 month mark, so this is right on time. It will be nice to be a tourist and enjoy the sights, and to spend time with my friend.

I pray all your celebrations are blessed. This is such a great time of year in general. How awesome that, though the world has been changing it over the years... for so many of us, this is really a time to celebrate the MIRACLE of The Son of God...leaving His Throne in Heaven to confine Himself to a little human baby existence... and all for US. How I love Him! :)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Continued Catch Up and....

2008-12-18T13:52:00.005-05:00

... VISA news! I finally sent off my Visa Application today - WAhoooooo! I should hear back in about a month I have been told. The whole thing has been such a process and today was no different. I went with all my papers and was told that one of the taxes went up so I had to find the right bank and pay the difference, and I also needed a certain type of folder. So... off I walked... and gratefully I knew where to go with the folder. Finding the bank took asking directions of 4 different people... BUT I found it AND got back to the Police Station 30 minutes before the window closed!! Can you say HAPPY!? What a load off.

Now I wanted to catch you up on the Christmas Celebration for the youth at church. That was last Friday and it was lots of fun.. definitely a group effort, and I was so glad to have something to contribute. I made 40 little presents and inside each one was a scripture that referred to a present we have from the Lord (peace, comfort, His Son, His Spirit...etc.). AND to explain it to everyone, I spoke up front.... in Romanian!!! I had a friend with me to help me along when I got a little stuck, but it was mostly me and I got some warm compliments afterward. It was an encouraging moment!

Another blessing of the evening were the comments on our backs. What I mean by that... one leader had suggested pinning sheets of paper to everyone's back so that throughout the night people can write encouraging comments about the person attached. I took a picture of mine but I don't think you can really read it :) (plus some of it is Romanian), but I was blessed by the comments. There was one inparticular which touched me deeply and I'm not sure who wrote it.

"Thanks for your love (it is in your eyes when you look at us:))."

Wow... and I do love them! The whole night was a great blessing. I'm looking forward to the new year with them.

Here is the link to the album:
http://good-times.webshots.com/album/569231658qmWSRq?vhost=good-times

Back up to Budapest

2008-12-17T01:53:00.003-05:00

Here is a slide show of my pictures from the weekend in Budapest. You can double click on the slide show to go to the webshots online album if you'd like. I sort of suggest it if you like pictures because the slide show only shows you the pictures in part for some reason with the weird scan effect :) Plus, I commented on the photos in the album.

It was sooo much fun and right up my ally with the beautiful sites and handcrafted items. There were so many unusual things that I have not seen before - in jewelry, pottery, glass, wool, leather... Budapest itself is just a beautiful city. Across the bridge I pictured, are old castle like buildings. If my camera battery had not died, I would have needed to post two slide shows to contain the pictures I would have undoubtably taken!

It was a really nice break. Still one more set of pictures to get to you...will do so soon! God Bless you.

Budapest Christmas Fair 08

Castle Event Report

2008-12-15T09:51:00.005-05:00

Hi Everyone...have lots of pics to get to you.

First I'll give you the link to my album for the Castle. It was at the Castle of Hunedoara and put together by Peace Corp working in that area. There were several organizations participating and this was the very first time they did this event. It served as a fundraiser for the non-profit organizations. Our group from Potter's House had three stations: face-painting, a dart game and a place to get your picture taken as part of the nativity scene (the picture will help explain).

It was also an opportunity to point to Jesus. The leader who was in charge of the photos would ask children to identify people in the nativity scene. He said that the majority did not know anyone; a few pointed out Mary. Some of our group spent time sharing the truth of Jesus' coming as a babe for their salvation.

Overall it was a wonderfully blessed time. You'll see some non-Romanian looking girls in the pictures. They are part of a short term missions team from Australia. The rest of their group were helping with another event the Potter's House was doing on the same weekend which was feeding the homeless and again sharing the truth about Jesus' birth.

Thanks for your prayers - all went well. An added bonus for me was being introduced to another organization in Timosoara serving disadvantaged children. After the holidays, I will set up a meeting with the organization head. I also met a little girl from there who melted my heart. That is another story. Enjoy the pics!

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/569224841JFVsDS?vhost=good-times

The Delay

2008-12-12T15:24:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the delay in posting pics as I promised - I do have my computer back (yippee) but have been very busy this past week preparing for the special events I mentioned.
This weekend I will be away for the Castle event I told you about but when I return I will post all the pics and catch you up to date.
Thanks for being there. Your continued prayers are a blessing to me.
Oh - also, I have not figured out how to retrieve my email addresses. The outlook file on the external hard drive which was retrieved will not open. Any suggestions would be great :) I need to get a newsletter out to you guys before the New Year!!!

Preview

2008-12-08T10:28:00.003-05:00

Just want to touch base and give a little preview of what you can expect in my upcoming blog entries.

My time this past weekend in Budapest was wonderful! It is the capital of Hungary and about a 4 1/2 hour drive from here. We arrived Friday late afternoon so my colleagues who had to catch a flight Saturday morning still got to enjoy some of the sights before they took off.

Sooooo.....I will be posting pictures SHORTLY!!! I will save more details for when they can be enriched with visuals :)

That means that my computer is done. YIPPEE.... I'll be picking that up tomorrow, Praise God and many thanks to the friend who helped me.

I still have a throat issue but am getting that checked in the morning tomorrow (finally) - have been putting it off in the vain hopes that it would just get better like would normally be the case. All well.

I'm also helping out this week to prepare for a large Christmas celebration for about 700 children in a castle about 3 hours away. Don't know all the details yet, but there are several organizations working together to bless these Romanian children. Potter's House is involved so that is how I got connected. The big bash is this weekend and I'm helping with some little things that need to be done ahead of time and will go to serve on Saturday and Sunday.

Friday night is also our last youth group for the year, so we'll be planning some special things for that at our leaders meeting tonight.

It made sense to me to serve these events already happening and take this month to pray for the more focused purposeful start of building the youth mentoring ministry come 2009. Especially since I'll be traveling to visit a friend in France for Christmas (Dec. 23-29th).

So, in summary for now - prayer requests are:
**For my health!!! I want to be really well, not mostly well.
**For the Castle event, all who are serving, all the kids - for fun, safety and the story of Jesus' birth to touch hearts and change lives.
**For the Youth night this Friday.
**For the Youth Mentoring Ministry to come (wisdom, people's openness, apparent first steps).
**For Christmas away from home.

Thanks friends - the pictures and details are coming!!! I pray you are well! God Bless you.

December 1st - Wahooooo!

2008-12-01T12:20:00.002-05:00

November was just plain difficult. I learned much but am extremely happy to be greeting a new month today.

The first of December is actually a national holiday here in Romania, so I feel like I am celebrating too :) The difficulties are not necessarily completely past, but things are looking brighter. I'm close to being well, close to getting my computer back, close to having all I need for my visa and close to Christmas :)

I've been slowly getting back into action, while continuing to try and not "over-do". Friday was back to youth group and Saturday I was blessed to be able to help make some cakes with a Romanian student for a bake sale the youth group did yesterday. They earned a bunch of money to help a sick boy get a computer for Christmas.

Today I went to meet with my "language helper" at the girl's home. It was nice because everyone was around since it is a holiday. After Flora and I did a little bit with language, the dad of the house asked us to help repair a puppet that will be used for a Christmas show this year. So, Flora and I worked together to put new legs, feet and clothes on the large puppet. It came out pretty good :) I think even Flora was a little proud!

Being at the house was a wonderful experience. I am amazed at this ministry. The girls have their spats, but overall there is a cooperative atmosphere and it truly is a home. What a blessing it is for them who otherwise would be on the street or stuck in abusive homes. Today they were making Christmas cards to send to supporters, singing Christmas songs, making lunch, playing with the babies in the house, doing homework...and making puppets :) Praise God.

I will be continuing to get more involved with ministries such as the girl's home and Potter's House while working on the foundational steps for the mentoring ministry. I have been here 6 month's (believe it or not) and have the green light to get moving. That means that I met my "required" language level and am not obligated to take class any longer. However, since I am still learning, not fluent and have money left in my language account, I will continue with taking a few classes a week.

There are some plans in the works, but I'll save that for another posting after I have more details.

I'm sorry that I wasn't able to get a November newsletter out, by the way. At least not yet since I don't have my computer!

I pray you are well... and thank you so much for your prayers which have been a huge part of getting through to December 1st.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2008-11-27T02:00:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to post a "Happy Thanksgiving"! Among the many things I am grateful for this season... is of course all of YOU :) I'll be praying for you today and asking the Lord to bless your celebrations.

May He bring to mind the many blessings He has bestowed upon you and the deep conviction of 1 Corinthians 4:7 - "And what do you have that you did not receive?" I love reflecting on that. The answer is so truly nothing!!! It is all from His Hand. Every good gift is from above!

Sorry that my postings are still a bit bland - no way to download pics. I'll at least try to take some today.

Still getting better but not quite 100%. Your continued prayers are appreciated beyond what I can express.

Have a beautiful day!

The Latest

2008-11-20T02:13:00.002-05:00

Well, still working on getting better - it is happening... Praise God. But yeah, slowly is still the fitting adverb.

Turns out my computer's hard drive is dying; very sad. So the friend who is helping me will try to rescue data and help me to get a new one. Hopefully that can be accomplished sooner rather than later, but we'll see. BUT I'm blessed to still have my online connection (thanks to my GEM friends and their extra comp.).

I am really feeling the need for your prayers - and the Lord's answers...for health (no more relapses please) and the computer stuff, and also the visa process. It is too long to get into, but it seemed that there was going to maybe be a problem, but probably not...but maybe (sort of the Romanian way); I'm sure all will be fine, but prayer is always a good idea. I have more documents I need to complete.... overall lots of catching up to do after being sick.

I hope you are all well. Getting ready for Thanksgiving? It is going to be a little strange not being with family, but we will be having our own little gathering here. It will be a combo of GEM people and other American missionaries in the area who would like to join us.

Thanks for being there! I'll let you know if I need you to email me to get your e-ddress again :)

And now the computer...

2008-11-17T16:30:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone...just another quick update to let you know that my computer is not functional right now. A wonderfully generous couple with GEM has lent me their extra lap top so that I can use the internet :) But I don't have access to all my email addresses, etc. I'm praying I'll be able to rescue data but we'll see.

I'm still sick but definitely getting better... I have been saying that for a while now, but it is true; just really really slow. Continue to wrestle a bit with all the feelings I posted last time, but I want to thank those of you who sent along emails of encouragement. I really appreciate it!!!

So there you have it for now. Things are sort of at a stand still; interesting circumstances but not so fun. Thank you for your ongoing support, love and prayers.

Set Back or Set Right?

2008-11-13T03:36:00.002-05:00

Well friends, I'm sick again. I was told in training to expect to meet lots of new germs and do battle... the war is raging. I'm getting better, but is taking time and it is a bit frustrating I have to admit. I just felt as if I was back in the groove and getting some things accomplished when I got "slammed" again.

I have tried to do some productive things while recouping but it is hard to focus on language studies or anything that takes real brain power when feeling so icky. Then I wrestle with guilt, which of course is silly because it is not like I'm doing this on purpose and being a slacker, but if I'm not "doing", I'm not "accomplishing" and that is why I'm here, right?

But it brings me back to God's Grace. He is the one I'm chiefly responsible to and He fully knows I'm sick. He isn't thrashing a whip to march me on despite my ailments (though I might be tempted). I have to trust Him in this.

I worry about you guys too a bit...the ones who have sacrificed for me to be here in one way or another, so that I can do what the Lord has called me to do. But you probably give me more grace than I give myself as well.

So while this feels like such a huge set back, perhaps the Lord is just using this to actually set me right.... getting my eyes fixed on Him once again, trusting Him to be the One to accomplish things in His power, to get me well. And it is also a reminder too, that He loves me not for what I "do" but just because He does. I love to think on His Grace,my undeserved gift of faith, of belief in Him which IS eternal life. "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." John 6:29

So the Lord being true to His word is working all things together for good, even this frustrating time of being ill, again... and all will be WELL in Him.

Thank you my friends for your grace... perhaps it is an exercise in patience for you as it is for me, but lets trust Him together!

I love you guys. Miss you too. I am on the mend praise God by the way!!! I'll keep you informed.

Smattering of Mutterings

2008-11-06T15:14:00.004-05:00

Time for an update... and there are a few random things to fill you in on...hence the title.

I have handed in the papers for the Baptist Union sponsorship finally. So, hopefully in a couple of weeks I will have the paper that I need from the BIG Baptist Union for lack of a better description, that will be what I send with my visa application. I attempted also to get my Romanian Medical Insurance that is necessary, but the 2 hours I alloted for wait time was not sufficient and I had to leave before getting it accomplished! Keep those prayers coming, for patience and all the rest!!!

Things in language class have been going really well, with the exception of today because I was SO tired. I could barely think in English - forget Romanian!!! But my teacher is soooo understanding and sweet. She still made me work but helped me along and gave me verbal pats on the back all the way through. I finally have a picture of us that I took before one of our lessons. Here is the lady I've been bragging about!

I've been busy with other random things like hair cuts and going to the customs place to pick up a package (THANKS JENN AND ANDY!!!) and I can't even think what else... oh, I snuck into a worship conference at my church :) It was for worship leaders but was put on by American's from North Point (Andy Stanley's Church). I was actually invited so.... BUT how awesome to worship with such gifted people!

The Lord also keeps putting new Romanian friends in my path which is a blessing. I need now to try and balance things to be sure I have time to nurture these friendships.

I still haven't gotten back to Potter's House to complete the minor medical tests that needs to be completed... there have been continued conflicts in my schedule, so please pray that it will work out soon. Part of the challenge is that it needs to be in the morning because of the nature of the test and mornings have been full.

Another interesting diddy (which apparently isn't a real word): I like Fall in Romania. This is very strange. For those who know me well, you know that I have always struggled with seeing the good in the Autumn season. Too me it was depressing to know that summer was over and winter was coming. I don't know exactly why it is different for me here, but it may have to do with the fact that I am walking ALL THE TIME... and the days have been atypically warm and sunny this year. I have been loving the colors and feel, and was inspired to take pictures once again in my favorite park. I'll post the slide show.

I'm really tired so I'm not sure what else to say at the moment, besides as always...thank you. I want to you to know I'm still praying for America. Chances are that those of you reading this have varied opinions of how the election turned out. No matter, prayer is always needed, amen?

Also a quick request for prayer about the holidays coming up. I have great plans, but know that I am going to be missing my family and friends probably more than I have to date (and I have). So, I would appreciate that. Thank you again, and Lord bless you today and every day out of His abundance of grace, mercy and goodness. Love, me - Lynn-E.

Fall in the Park

5 days or... 5 weeks?

2008-10-28T04:12:00.005-04:00

Well, so MUCH has gone on in the past week I feel like it has been a whole extra month in the calendar.

Last Thursday I took a 5 hour drive with fellow GEMers to Sibiu for our team meeting. We took the drive back on Friday night. Then Saturday I went to Hungary a couple of hours away with a little group to do a day trip of shopping and sight seeing. Sunday was of course Church in the morning and then we had another special English Service in the evening. Then yesterday was another 1 1/2 hour drive (both ways) to a Romanian city (that I can't remember) for the Baptist Union meeting.

Tons of praise reports are packed in between all that traveling!

I enjoyed my time with my teammates and appreciate feeling a little more connected to the them all. We updated, discussed, ate and played.

Hungary was fun. Here is a link to my pictures I posted on Facebook... let me know how it works and/or if you think the slide shows are the better idea.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30187573&l=195a3&id=1143163937

The biggest prayer request was my trip to the Baptist Union and it ended up being the biggest blessing. As I prepared to go, I realized I felt like I was going to the dentist and that was how much I was looking forward to it. But many of you let me know you were praying and even shared encouraging scripture which helped my attitude and was powerful in that I experienced the answers.

The hardest part about the BU meeting was that I had to stand in front with a microphone to speak to the group of men Pastors (I think about 30), translated by my Pastor. But here are details of how the Lord answered prayer:

For one, I was permitted to sit in on the whole meeting (not to be taken lightly by the fact of my gender). My colleague who did the same process was questioned (from what I was I told) for about 30 minutes from the men. I spoke for maybe 5 min and sat down approved for sponsorship. While I was speaking, I saw a few head nods, warm smiles... and even a "thumbs up". Those gestures set me at ease... and it didn't occur to me at the moment how non-Romanian Pastor-ish that behavior was. Well, there was a group of American Pastors in the meeting, there for the purpose of encouraging the Romanian leaders, but they encouraged me too :) That is not to say the Romanians aren't supporting what I am doing; their form of encouragement is sponsoring me for my visa!

After the meeting was lunch; a yummy surprise.

AND the Lord used the travel time I had with my two Pastors here, to provide an opportunity for dialogue about the ministry in more detail. It filled me with hope.

So there you have it... 5 days or 5 weeks... to the Lord a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day, so... you tell me :)

Clasa de Cultura Plus Some

2008-10-20T09:47:00.009-04:00

Well, I'm almost 100% well. Thank you for all your prayers.

I was well enough to attend my culture class and I am so glad because it was a tremendous blessing. It is a little overwhelming to try and relate all that I learned, sort of like when I went to training (even though this was only 2 1/2 days).

We covered holidays and customs, values and inter-cultural challenges, church cultures within Romania, language, practical issues (medical, visa), and the revolution of 1989. We ended our time with a Revolution tour. Our teacher had a first hand account that he walked us through. I'm including some pictures of the church where is first started (a Romanian Reformed Church), our little group and some bullet holes in a building from that time.

I walked away from the weekend with some tangible items; a list of changes that need to be made in my behavior and appearance in order to better connect with Romanians and very specific cultural hurdles to target in developing a mentoring ministry. These weren't directly given to me but gathered during the time, Praise God! It was so encouraging - I see it as the Lord continuing to give me what I need to equip me for the work here.

I also had another new experience in Romania - the wine festival! I didn't stay long but was a little surprised about how much it reminded me of a carnival at home! The food and the music were different... but there was food and music, and vendors and games...and even a few rides. Here is a picture of part of the crowd.

One more important thing before I sign off this entry; that is the Day of Prayer for Europe. Greater Europe Mission is calling people to pray and providing a way to do a sort of virtual prayer walk with pictures on the website: www.gemission.org. It is this Thursday the 23rd. Consider talking some time to pray for all of Europe along with the GEM team.

Challenging the CZ

2008-10-14T09:43:00.005-04:00

In my Christian Faith, I have many times been challenged to, "step out of the 'comfort zone'," and believe God for great things as I trust Him. Obviously, moving to a foreign country alone is stepping out of the "CZ", but it has been amazing to see how quickly I set up my little nest and my little borders and thought,"aaahhh... OK, this will work."

...Found out that being in a foreign country doesn't take care of that item on the list of "to do's" with God... He is always stretching us, challenging us and carrying us through. I've stepped out of the CZ a couple of times this past weekend and will share those times with you.

First up, Friday night - ladies craft night. This isn't the prettiest thing I've ever made (not their fault for sure - some of them were gorgeous) but the experience of being in a room of about 30 ladies from my church was my real treat. There was no translation but I did sit next to a new friend who knows English well. I introduced myself to the group in Romanian! It was a great blessing but definitely a step outside the CZ... I'm going to try to continue going and get to know the ladies better and soak myself in Romanian. Hopefully I'll make something nice every once in a while too :)

Next up...house church. Vox has meetings in various places every other Sunday which they call House Churches. They just have regular services over the summer, but resumed house church meetings last Sunday. When I first arrived, I attended an international meeting which divided after worship into smaller groups, one in English. I decided to try the Singles group that was suggested to me. For those of you who know me really well, you may realize that this was WAY out of my CZ, not just because it is a small group in Romanian only, but because of my aversion to singles only groups. I won't go into the reasons here, but sufficient to say I was sufficiently uncomfortable!!! I didn't understand everything, but again had a friend who could help me here and there. I'm glad that I went, though I am still not certain that I will stay in that group. (More details in prayer requests at the end.)

Of course my CZ here will be constantly challenged, just as your CZ at home should be... When we take the step out we discover His faithfulness all over again; "And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of this age." Matthew 28:20

Coming up, for your info and for prayer material:

I have a Culture Class Thursday through Saturday (had been rescheduled). However, I am sick right now... so please pray I will be well and able to attend with a clear head...nose, and throat. :)

GEM Team meeting (also a reschedule) coming up the following Thursday and Friday in Sibiu, Romania...

...However... I may also be finally attending the meeting for the local Baptist Union that I need for my visa!! There is the possibility of a conflict in times here and am waiting to get the final date for the meeting. Please pray about the dates and that I would have favor among the Pastors. There is always the chance that they could say no to sponsorship.

Lastly, please pray for my decision about house church. I am deciding between the singles group, the adolescents (as a leader sort of), the international group (for greatest benefit to me spiritually possibly ?) or another more inter-generational group in Romanian.

Thank you for your support and prayers! Love you guys!!! May the Lord give you that Peace and sense of His Presence with you Always as you seek HIM!

Most Excellent Happenings

2008-10-07T11:58:00.004-04:00

I have some wonderful encouraging things to share with you. First, this is an email I received from the Director of the Potter's House a few days after our meeting:

Dear Lynn,
It was nice meeting you and we praise God for His answer to our prayers.
It was our prayer for the last two years to have a family connected with a child...it was a desire, a prayer...but it wasn't much done...
So, God sent you to be His instrument to make this done and take it as a work that He entrusted you with...

We support you in prayer for this vision and Potter's House is welcoming you.

May God help you in the plans that you have and may this wake up Christians to be open for the others needs.

May you have a good weekend.
God bless, Dr Oana Ciucure Potter's House

PRAISE GOD!!!!!!! As some of you may remember, a prayer request I had before I left was that I would actually be an answer to prayer! Şi ... Aşa este!!! (And this is the way it is!!!) My heart is full.

Then today, when I got to my language class, my teacher said that today was a very special occasion. I asked if it was her birthday and she said no, but repeated that is was a very special day and she wanted to go have poponaş together (which is an amazing donuty yummy with sauce kind of dessert). Finally, she handed me my certificate; I have officially reached the intermediate level of my Romanian course!Turns out, yesterday's class was an exam. I didn't know it, because she is smart. She explained that if I wasn't a good student she would have told me so I would prepare, but for "good students", she doesn't say anything to avoid anxiety. I'm so glad I didn't know. It had been a wonderful class. I went over few translations, shared a few paragraphs she asked me to write about a hero of mine (I picked Amy Carmichael) and we conversed as well. We both agreed it was an exceptionally good class in general! How fun.

The Lord is so faithful to give these times of encouragement... I take them in two ways... a BIG God sized thumbs up and fuel for the future when times are a little rougher. Praise God. He knows just what we need.

As my partners, friends and family - I pray that these things will encourage you as well. You are continuing to make is possible for me to be here... you are a part of this work as well. Some of you have already been offering your support for a full year (which is really hard to believe for me)! My prayer is that the spirit of rejoicing will fill your hearts as well.
Love, me

Romanian Randomness

2008-10-03T16:39:00.010-04:00

I just have to share this with you!
Can you see...the two guys in the excavator bucket!!! I couldn't believe my eyes. They were doing something with the cable overhead. When I passed them again later, they were back to digging. Fun Romanian randomness :)

Here are a few pictures of the park I have mentioned before. The sun was back out again today (Praise God) and it was just beautiful.

We had the second youth group meeting this evening. It went well...it was a large crowd with some faces that I heard had not been seen for a while.
I'm getting to know these young ladies a bit. Such sweeties.

Finally went to the Potter's House and had an introductory meeting with the director to discuss mentoring. The leadership is going to pray more and I am going to do what I need to do to begin volunteering there once a week (some medical stuff). This is a picture given to me from one of the girls there. The children are extremely welcoming!!!

Lord willing, I will have a refrigerator tomorrow! It has been difficult... I haven't been eating very healthily since it has been dead. Pray with me that it will arrive.

Well, that is all for now of the Romanian randomness :) God bless you. Thank you and love you.
Oh, and know that I am praying for the US. I am aware of the challenges going on nationally... I'm here but I'm still "with" you.

Mini Trials

2008-09-26T08:54:00.004-04:00

Felt that I should write a mini-post about my mini-trials as of late. I praise God that these things didn't happen any sooner. While it was still difficult, I have just a tiny bit more Romanian and relationship with friends and neighbors to help get me through.

To start, my refrigerator is dead. While extremely inconvenient, I am convinced this is one of those "blessings" at first in "disguise". Turns out I should be getting a new one - Slava Domnuliu! (Praise God!). Why SO happy? Because the dead one is extremely old and even before it started dying, it was not well - I would get a little "zap" every once in a while. Not pleasant. I look forward to having no worries when I open the fridge :). It won't be here for another week... so it is going to be interesting.

Last night when I got home, I heard a buzzing noise in my living room coming for the ceiling lamp. I quickly realized that there was water dripping from my ceiling where my lamp is and that the buzzing had something to do with the electrical wires. WOAH! So, I set about in a mini-frenzy calling my supervisor and trying to follow his directions...getting help from neighbors and calling my landlord. I stopped the electrical current in the apartment and spent time at a friends house so I didn't have to be in the dark all night (which was a HUGE blessing).

This morning, my landlord came and was able to eventually fix the lamp and let the electricity flow! Yippee. He found out the problem that caused the leak and addressed the issue with the upstairs landlord in a very passionate way. I think it ended OK.

So, there you have it. I was so glad to have the help of my supervisor, neighbors, friends and my landlord to get me through my mini-crisis. The only good thing that I can think of at the moment about it all, is seeing the Lord provide so generously in a time of need.

Boy I write a lot! This wasn't very "mini" post! Sorry! Love you guys and appreciate you prayers with everything!

Stepping Forward

2008-09-20T07:13:00.005-04:00

Since language learning is still my priority (and greatest need), I'll start with that update. I met with my language coach for GEM this past week to evaluate what stage I am at in my understanding and use of Romanian. It is looking good. She feels that I am ahead of the game and am just about where I am "required" to be before being released for ministry. I will still complete 6 months of full time study and will just be praying that I end up with a greater proficiency than is required :). Sounds good to me. Since I want to be partnering so closely with the Romanian church, I think a greater proficiency is needed anyway. SO, full time study will continue through November.

Last night was the first youth group meeting for the new school year. I was introduced as a new leader and received a warm welcome. The fact that I have already started building relationships with some of the young ladies was obvious to me and such a blessing. I am already praying for some of their needs and one girl said that she was going to speak with me in Romanian (very SLOWLY) to help me learn :) Our theme for the year was introduced by the pastor and that is, "The 5th Gospel is You." Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are not read by many, but all Christians can be "read" by the people they meet anywhere they go. The pastor tied this in with the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. Jesus calls us to be very different than the rest of the world, and clearly says that we are to be "salt" and "light"; he expounded on what that means. I think it is going to be a great year.

I spoke to the youth pastor at Vox about the mentoring ministry and he suggested some people I should speak with who have been in the church for a while and understand youth culture here. He also pointed out that there is a different understanding of the word "mentoring" in Romania and I need to work on how to clearly communicate what I am meaning within the cultural context. (Some more prep work to pray on and do as I learn Romanian!)

I spoke with a leader at the Potter's House and it seems I will be welcomed to come and help with the after school program once a week, but I am still waiting to hear about when I will be attending a meeting with the leaders. Hopefully soon.

While it wasn't on my agenda :) I also am helping with the English Service that Vox has for International Students. I was asked to participate in a skit. After prayer I said that I would do it if I was absolutely needed. It looked for a while that I wasn't needed until I got a text the night before the first practice asking if I would help. So, I am. The skit is very powerful. I'll be the party girl (a nice short role). You can see what we'll be doing at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA

Thank you for your prayers as I continue taking these steps forward, into the Romanian culture, church and ministry. God Bless you guys ... still miss you and praying all is well. Keep in touch!

Romanian Wedding

2008-09-16T05:29:00.010-04:00

This weekend I experienced my first Romanian Wedding... Jennifer from Australia and Adi from Romania had their Christian Ceremony and reception this past Saturday. They already had their "Civil Ceremony".

I thought it would be fun to give you a quick idea of the cultural differences in celebrating this fine event. There may have been some differences in this wedding celebration from a traditional one because they were not both Romanians... but I believe that it was still very Romanian : ).

We began at Adi's house at 2 pm on Saturday. Cars were decorated with bows (sometimes they use flowers as well) and we all left in procession to Jennifer's house, honking horns along the way to announce the big event to anyone on the street. At Jennifer's, Adi went in to go get his bride. They came outside together and presented themselves to us. We took pictures and then got back into our cars. Adi and Jennifer traveled separately and the honking caravan continued to the ceremony. In this case, the ceremony was in the reception hall and we arrived by 4 pm. The goal was to have it by the river but the weather didn't agree. There was a program that included worship songs, scripture reading, a message and a sermon, as well as the exchanging of vows.

After the ceremony, the courses began. There were 6 total, and each came about an hour apart: an appetizer plate with meats, salty cheeses, olives and some veggies; chicken soup; sarmali and mamaliga; cabbage salad, meat and potatoes; traditional Romanian cakes and then the wedding cake.

Throughout the evening, there was music preformed by friends and family, stories, games and a kidnapped bride. That is a Romanian tradition where the bride is taken at some point during the reception and will only be returned if a ransom is satisfied. I heard stories of some wild required ransoms! For this wedding, it was for Adi to preform one of his tricks (he is a clown) for the children... but when Jennifer came back to see it, Adi had been kidnapped, and could only be returned if Jennifer preformed the song she had prepared for Adi again.

The party started winding down about mid-night. It looked like there might be some dancing started but we left before then. It was a fun celebration.

Hopefully the pictures will give you a little idea but it was hard for me to get good shots indoors. I'll give you an update on ministry things soon. Thanks for your continued support, love and prayers!!! I hope this entry gave you another little taste of Romania.

Oh - and here is a picture of me with my new language helper friend, Florentina :)

Lynn W - Romanian Christian Mentoring Mission

Not Pie or Cake but still Good.

Another Visit to the Valley

Prilipet Adventure

Back in the Swing...

Praises, Pumpkin Soup and Plaaah.

Arms Up

Summer Summary

USA Plans

Haunted and Confessing

A Day of Rainbows

The Right Direction

PR Follow-Up Part 1

Prayer Requests

Visit Pics

Like Lightening

Pebbles

Thought for the Day

Decisions, Decisions

How to Make a "Great Salad" in 2011

In-between Mentoring

Apologies and Updates

Report on Another Big Day

Sharing a Recent Privilege

A Peek at Poland

In the Valley Again

Some Summer Fun and What's to Come

Report on the Big Day

A Big Day on the Way

More ART Stuff!

More Possibilities and Answered Prayer

The Latest Meeting

As of Late

Another Romanian Easter

Art Therapy Adventures

P.S. and More

Planning Strategically

While Away - PLUS

The Return

Post-Op

...And Another Month...

2 More Weeks

Checking in...

What up in the US

A Year and a Half

Good Fruit

About Men and Women

Art Therapy and Freedom

I'm doing WHAT?

Free to Be ME

"Diving In" at Lake Buhui (Bu-hoo-e)

Czech it OUT

Sooooo.....On to the Next Adventure....

Back from the Valley

Weeks of Wonders

A While

Resetted and Recharged

Special Day Out Report

UPdate

Prayer Request

Days of Prayer and Fasting

Recent Joys

Easter Report

Cristos A Înviat!...

Besides Mentoring

Besides Me

The Second First Meeting

The Full Greece Report

Grecian Fun

A Day of Presents

Prayer Counseling

Casa Olarului

YIPEEE-ness

The First Meeting

Taken By Your Faithfulness

The Latest

Get on Your Gear...

An Early Spring

Waiting to Bloom

Pics and Stuff