Things I Miss About Romania

The more time goes on, the more I realize I miss my home in Romania. Here is just a small list of all the things I miss about Romania.

1. The ministry opportunities-- I loved traveling to all the Gypsy villages and building relationships with the people there. God broke my heart for those people and I wish I could be there for them and help them in any way possible.

2. The culture--Romanian culture is so much more different than American culture. I miss how the people there all said hello wether they knew you or not. I miss the food and the way our families there held family as the most important thing in life rather than jobs or hobbies. Our whole team left Romania feeling like we could do more to make our families important to us. We learned a lot from the Romanian culture.

3. My Romanian family-- The two families we stayed with in Romania really became my family during the month we were there. I actually got to talk to Abi (Romanian father) on facebook just the other day. It was really awesome to be able to talk to him, but it also mad me really discouraged that I couldn't be there with them.

4. Team Romania-- It's crazy how living with people for a month can bring you so close together. I didn't know any of my team mates before the trip, but now it feels like I've known all of them my whole life. I know that I can be open with my team because they've seen me at my worst and at my best. We know each other really well and it's really hard not having them around now. Plus, they always made me smile. :-) Team Romania had some really funny times together.

5. The Beautiful landscape-- I loved the rolling hills that I got to see everyday while we were there. It is seriously probably to most beautiful place I've ever seen. It was especially awesome to get up early in the morning and climb one of the big hills to watch the sunrise. It was breath taking and it made me appreciate God's creation.

I want to go back so bad. I know it's pretty much all I talk about, but it's only because it is such a huge part of who I am now. My trip to Romania influenced my life and spiritual life so much that it's hard not to talk about it. I'm pray all the time that God will send me back there and I know that if it is His will, it will happen.

When I think about the ocean, I begin to be afraid. It's so big and so powerful, but yet it's a mystery. I think God has given me this fear of the ocean so that it can be a reminder to me of Him. There are many parallels between the ocean and God. Just as I mentioned earlier about the ocean being big and powerful, so is God. He is also a mystery. I think about how when I go to the beach and I am so afraid of the water, but yet I can't help but to throw my fears away and dive in. That's also how I am about my relationship with Christ. I just want to dive in and go deeper even though I am scared. It's a good fear though. We are supposed to fear God. Everytime I see the ocean, I am reminded just a small bit of who God is. I think it is so cool to think about the parallels between God and the ocean.

Rights and Expectations

While at training camp this past summer, before I left to Romania for three weeks, Don Rock, who is over the Adventures in Missions Ambassadors Program, spoke on rights and expectations.

Matthew 5:21-24--No right to stay mad

Romans 12:4-8--No right to be insecure

Matthew 8:19-22--No right to be comfortable

Matthew 10--No right to be independent

I learned really quickly how important these four little things were when on the mission field. I was constantly reminded how I had to lay down my rights and expectations.

When someone on my team offended me, I was reminded that I had no right to be angry with them.

When I was terrified standing infront of a group of people and speaking, I was reminded that I had no right to be insecure. The Holy Spirit would give me the words to say and He would make sure that what needed to be heard WOULD be heard.

After a week of being in Romania and being completely out of my comfort zone and not having anything to hold onto but God, I realized I had NO right to be comfortable. God has called me to a life that isn't always comfortable. I've learned to not rely on being in comfortable situations but rather to put ALL dependency on God.

The biggest thing I was convicted of was independency. When I wanted to be independent and pride myself what I could do by myself, I was reminded that Christians are not made to be independent, but to lean on our brothers and sisters in Christ, and more importantly, our Father. I learned to trust my team mates and realized how much I needed them. We could not have accomplished what we did during that month without each other. Every person on our team was a valuable part.

Don also spoke on expectations that night and how we should throw out expectations and go with a completely open mind. At first, I didn't realize how many expectations I had until after I arrived in Romania and realized how much different it was than I expected.

I've since realized that it is VERY important not to hold expectations when going on the mission field. Those expectations I held were distractions from the task I was there to do. I hope that next time I get the opportunity to be on the mission field, I can keep an open mind about what how it is and what I do.

That message that Don Rock gave that night continues to stick in my head. It was a very humbling message and it definitely convicted me when I was in Romania. I continue to learn from this message even today, 4 monthes after I heard it.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

This past summer, when I was in Romania, this verse came to be a very important and encouraging verse to me.

The first week I was there, I really struggled. It was hard getting adjusted to the culture, and I was just completely out of my comfort zone. The food was different, the way of life was different, the language was different. This made it really hard to be a part of the culture.

About a week in to the trip, I read this verse during my quiet time. This verse became my theme for the trip. It was very encouraging to look at this verse because it says that when I am struggling, God's power is at work in MY life. It's such an awesome thought to know that the same power that made EVERYTHING in the universe is at work inside of me changing my life.

Throughout the rest of the trip, God continued to put this verse in my head. When I doubted that I could do something, this verse always popped in my head. I can now see that when I was struggling, God's power was working inside of me because I see the change he has made in my life since that trip.

Listen to Music

"Break My Heart for what Breaks Yours"

Break my heart for what breaks Yours. These simple lyrics from the song "Hosanna" by Hillsong United came alive to me this past summer.

I spent a month this past summer living in a small village called Viile Tecii in the northern part of Romania. Before I even arrived in Romania, the words "break my heart for what breaks Yours" became my prayer. I didn't realize what I was asking God for until after I arrived.

God opened my eyes and heart to the people of Viile Tecii and the surrounding villages during that month. The main ministry of my team was to the Gypsy people in the villages. We spent time in many Gypsy villages building relationships with the people and sharing Christ's love with them.

Seeing the poverty that the Gypsies live in and the discrimination they have to endure just because they are Gypsy literally broke my heart. My heart hurt and longed to help those people in any way I could. I have never felt so much hurt and brokeness in my heart before as I did when I looked at those people.

When I had to leave, I didn't understand why God would give me so much compassion and desire to help a people group and then tear me away from them. But then God revealed to me that all He had done was given me what I asked for. It was hard, but I'm so thankful that God broke my heart because it was a learning experience

I fell in love with the Gypsy people. I understand God's broken heart for people now because I've experienced it myself. My prayer and desire is that one day, God will send me back to Romania so that I can continue to help and minister to the Gypsy people.