January Update - New Year, New Open Doors!

The Lord gave me that verse a few years ago, and I must admit I have been waiting sometimes impatiently for this “new thing” to arrive.  Always praying that the Lord would help me keep my eyes open to see what it was He had in store for me, whether big or small.  When I moved to Romania I thought, “finally it is here!”  I have passed the 3 month mark being back in Ro, and I am daily amazed at all that the Lord is doing here and at His perfect timing. 

I love working with my kids at the After School Program.  Seeing their little successes.  Like the reading club I lead with five, 4^th graders, seeing their progress in their reading skills in just a couple of months has been awesome.  Or teaching my 1^st and 2^nd graders words in English and seeing their faces light up when they remember it and use it correctly when they speak to me.
 

Also seeing how some of my children, who could not count to 20 when I first started with them in October can now count to 20, some to 50 and others to 100 on their own!  Mostly seeing how the love we show these kids every day is bringing them security and hope.  We are greeted every single morning, rain, shine, snow, wind, freezing weather, by a group of kids running towards us smiling and waving their hands.  The moment the car door opens we are being hugged by smiling little faces.  I can’t imagine a better way to start a work day! There are some sad times too.  I have one little one that I adore, he’s one of my favorites.  He was very sick and missed the first week of January, we found out he had been in the hospital.  He was so happy when he came back to us, but then missed another week.  When he showed up, his whole countenance had changed, he was so dirty, and sad, and thin, and sort of in a daze.  It broke my heart.  His little lips were chapped severely and he said he had been sick again.  He is normally a little joker, full of life and energy.  Seeing him look like that broke my heart.  I think it’s possible to get used to the look of poverty when you work with it every day, you look past it, and love the child behind the dirty face, wearing the dirty clothes.  But to see this set me back, it was a reminder of how much our children need our love, the snack we provide them, our prayers and most importantly Jesus. You can click HERE to see the After School Program page on Firm Foundations Romania’s (FFR) website!

This month has brought new open doors for me here in Romania as well!  In 1997-98 I was part of a missions internship program called LifeLine Missions out of Calvary Chapel in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  The program changed my life and I always wanted to be able to share this experience with others.  Through a series of events that I believe the Lord was using to give me a little “push” I brought up the idea to my leadership team here with Firm Foundations Romania.  They agreed to step out in faith with me and to allow me to lead and launch this new Missions Internship and Discipleship Program here in Brasov!  I am so excited to see what the Lord will do with this and who He has to be a part of the Program. If you know any 18+ year old women who are interested in an intense year of missions and discipleship in Romania please tell them about this Intership! Click HERE for a link to learn more about the Program!


Another door that has opened is for me to use my administrative skills, photography skills and knowledge of the music industry to help our President, Sarah Vienna with her music and speaking engagements.  Sarah uses her musical talents for spreading awareness about FFR and the needs here in Romania.  It has been so interesting to see my office skills as well as knowledge I gained years ago, being used now to help support Sarah and this ministry behind the scenes. I just finished helping Sarah as she prepares to speak and sing for The Barnabas Group in Texas.  I'm very excited for all that the Lord has ahead for Sarah and FFR! 

Again, I can only say that God’s timing has been perfect, and it is really an adventure watching as new doors open, and I walk forward, one step at a time, seeing what it is He has for me to do next.  Even with all of these new things, I will still be in the After School Program 4 days a week, and will continue to do one morning shift in the hospital each week.

I can see now how He knew the plans He had for me well in advance and was telling me to keep my heart open and to see what He was going to do. What a blessing to be led by the Lord on this incredible journey!

 

Prayer Requests:

• Language Study
• An apartment - I begin to search for a new apartment as my  temporary housing situation ends at the beginning of March
• Unity
• Health
• My kids in the After School Program
• Wisdom in all that I am doing
• Provision for all that lays ahead

Praises!

• God’s faithfulness to provide
• The new doors God has opened here
• The friendships He has given
• The joy I have working with my kids
• His guidance on this amazing journey!

Grace and Peace,

Rachel

 

To see more pictures of beautiful Romania and the ministry I'm doing here, click on the picture above!

 

Overflow

 "Like a waterfall You fill my heart and overflow
Like a candle flame You light my way and lead me as I go"

-Chris Tomlin

"Service is the overflow of superabounding devotion; but, profoundly speaking, there is no call  to that, it is my own little actual bit and is the echo of my identification with the nature of God. Service is the natural part of my life. God gets me into a relationship with Himself whereby I understand His call, then I do things out of sheer love for Him on my own account. To serve God is the deliberate love-gift of a nature that has heard the call of God. Service is expressive of that which is fitted to my nature: God’s call is expressive of His nature; consequently when I receive His nature and hear His call, the voice of the Divine nature sounds in both and the two work together. The Son of God reveals Himself in me, and I serve Him in the ordinary ways of life out of devotion to Him."
- Oswald Chambers