Rachel's May Romania Update!

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O Lord my God, You are very great:You are clothed with honor and majesty, Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain. Psalm 104:1-2

Hello friends and family! What a wonderful and blessed month May has been. We had an awesome team, called “Missions of Mobile” from the University of Mobile out at the After School Program to share 2 days of music and ministry with our kids.  They were amazing!  The performed for our kids and then danced with them and taught them songs. The kids had so much fun and on the last night the team worked with our older kids, in grades 5-8 and shared with them their own personal testimonies of how the Lord has touched their lives.  They prayed for our kids and many of the kids put their faith in Jesus that day!  It was a great experienced that blessed us, the teachers, as well as the children so much! It has also been a very busy month, with us being one teacher short, Juliana and I have had to split up the kids into our classes.  It has been a bit crazy trying to get back into the rhythm I had established so nicely with my own kids, but we are working at each day! I was also blessed by meeting some people who were instrumental in the formation of the After School Program back in 2014.  Jon and Marylois came out for a visit along with Jon’s Assistant Matt.  I had a such a blessed time speaking with them for 5 hours one night!  We spoke about our hearts for the orphans and children of Romania.  They had me share my own personal experiences in Romania and it was such a nice time to get to know people who have a kindred spirit for this country and its people.  Marylois even came out to the village and taught our kids about dental hygiene!  It was great! Having Jon, Marylois, Matt and the team from Mobile out was such an uplifting experience for me.  Sometimes you don’t realize you have a need to be filled and encouraged by others until you are surrounded by such love and encouragement that you feel like your heart could burst!  It was truly a wonderful experience! This month I would like to highlight the story of another one of my kids in the village. This beautiful young lady, is Elena.  She is in the 8th grade and attends our After School Program (ASP) twice a week. One of the things I wanted to start when I first began in the After School Program was to have the older teens help tutor the younger children.  For this entire school year, every Wednesday Elena has been my Assistant for my 5th Grade ASP class.  She really has a gift for teaching.  About a month into have her assist me I began to allow her to do most of the teaching.  We would meet before and discuss what we would do with the kids and then I would let her go for it!  I would guide her as she went and helped with the kids.  It has been great to see her grow as a "teacher". Elena and I with our 5th grade class This past week Elena began the process of taking her exams to enter High School.  She now wants to be a teacher!  I love that she was able to experience what it was like to be a teacher by assisting in our After School Program.  It is so encouraging seeing the older teens getting involved with tutoring the younger kids in the program and Elena is an example of how FFR's After School Program works to transform lives! Elena is always asking me for books to learn how to speak English, and any we have had donated she has read through.  I'm so thankful FFR sponsored the purchase of some REAL books to help her as she wants to teach herself English this summer.  She is an amazing young lady, who is smart and determined!  I can't wait to see what God has in store for her in the years to come! The school year is winding down and the weather is becoming very sunny and warm.  It is getting harder and harder to keep the kids attention as they come to us after already being in school, they are wanting to go out and play.  So I have been trying to be creative in our learning, incorporating movement and art.  Even making snack time more fun, by teaching them English and having them prepare their “fruit and yogurt salads” as they call them.  We are preparing for graduation in June for our Program and then will have a limited summer schedule, to give the children a break and to allow for some teams to come in and do special week long camps with the kids.  It will also give me time to prepare for my Interns who will be arriving the beginning of August. The Lord has shown me so much this past school year with the children.  I have many ideas about next year, and what should be done differently or what to keep the same.  Please pray for wisdom for me, as I am processing and planning.  I want this program to be the best it can be for the children.  To see them learn and be excited for their education, but more importantly to see them grow in their relationship with Jesus. Please continue to keep me in your prayers, I have been working really hard at getting the Missions and Discipleship Internship Program put together.  I am really excited about what the Lord has in store for the young women who I will be working with.  I ask for wisdom for this program and that I would know what the Lord has for the After School Program.  Please also pray for me as it has been much harder than I thought it would be to let go of some of the projects I am working on.  This is one thing I know the Lord specifically spoke to me about during my time in Budapest last month, and I want to be obedient.  I’m still not where I need to be yet, but I am trying! Please also pray for the relationships the Lord has brought across my path.  This is an important ministry to me, and I want to be a light and encouragement to those in my life.  I am trying to be more consistent in making time for these people, as the Lord was showing me the work is not as important as the people. "Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s." Psalm 103:1-5 I do love hearing from you all, so please feel free to write! Grace and Peace, Rachel

Truth

Some truth from my morning devo time. food for my soul...

"And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts."
Romans 13:11-14

and...

"Keep your soul properly conditioned to manifest the life of the Son of God. Never live on your memories of past experiences, but let the Word of God always be living and active in you"
My Utmost For His Highest

6 months!

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  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.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” - Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30)

Well when I first began this letter I had been in Romania for 6 months!  Now it is closer to 7!  Time just does not stop for anyone! Truly I cannot believe that half a year has come and gone already.  Spring is in full swing here in beautiful Brasov, Romania and new life is everywhere.  I know everyone loves spring and the new life it brings, but growing up in So Cal I am always mesmerized by the changing of the seasons here.  3 weeks ago it was snowing and today, all the trees are in full bloom, the grass has grown, and there are flowers everywhere.  It is amazing! I love anniversary dates, they give us time to pause and look at what has been.  My first 6 months back in Romania have flown by.  Everything has felt so natural, like I never left, and yet so much has changed in this country it feels like a new place.  So many contradictions I know, and yet, all feels like home. The work in the After School Program has been amazing.  It is like all of a sudden what we have been teaching the children is sinking in!  I have kids who know how to read, recognize the alphabet, can do math in their heads, and all I keep thinking is, “when did this happen?”  But I praise the Lord for their successes, even the small ones.   We received some new books for the children to read, they do not have anything like these simple children’s story books in the village or at school.  They contain beautiful pictures and simple, large print words.  They kids ask to either be read to, or read them alone every day! The kids are learning about the Bible and each week they memorize a new Bible verse.  As I have said so many times before, we will not see true transformation in the lives of these children with just teaching them math and reading.  Their little hearts need to be transformed and this can only be done through the Word of God and Jesus Christ! Here are some of the kids saying their verse for the week. https://vimeo.com/127366181 I do of course have another story about Vasilica.  Our After School Program is not just about learning, it is also about showing our kids love, and sometimes love can be shown in the most practical ways.  Vasi had really long nails and they were filthy, completely black underneath.  I brought in a pair of nail clippers but she would not let me cut her nails.  She just kept saying she was afraid!  So I cut my own nails in front of my 1st grade class, then the other children asked me to cut their nails, and so I did, and finally Vasi let me cut ONE nail.  After this she was totally ok with it and she let me cut all of her nails.  Then I noticed that her and her sister’s hair had been growing out but they were always a disaster. So I brought in a brush we received in donations and my own brush.  Once again there was NO way Vasi or her sister Raluca were going to let me brush their hair.  So first I let them brush my hair with my own brush (they have lice pretty frequently so no hairbrush sharing was going to happen!)  Then they braided my hair.  Finally, after we kicked all the other kids out of the room, Vasi said I could brush her hair.  She laughed and squirmed the whole time.  I was super gentle and when I finished she walked around showing off her hair and holding her head a bit higher.  She was so proud! Here are some pictures of the hair brushing experience! Since then, she has come to program with her hair brushed and even had her hair in little braids one day! I had a really good meeting with my leadership here in Romania, thank you for your prayers. They are very supportive of all that the Lord showed me during my time of rest and seeking Him in Budapest. I will be switching some things up.  I will not be doing my regular hospital shift on Fridays for a while, I will still go in to visit Cami the play therapist and to say hi to the kids but will not do a full shift.  I will also give up some of my responsibilities for helping my boss Sarah with her music stuff.  These are two things which I am a bit bummed about, as I love doing them, but for now I feel that this is where the Lord is leading me.  The Internship Program will be starting in a few months and I have a lot to do to prepare for this and need more time to do, so this will allow me to do that.  I’m so excited about the program and all that the Lord has in store for it. I just accepted my third intern.  I can’t wait to invest in their lives and in turn watch them invest in the lives of the people here in Romania.  I was saying to my friend today, that even though I cannot do everything that I want to do here, I am excited to have the interns, it will be in a way an extension of myself, they will be able to do so much here and my investing in them is an investment in the ministries here in Brasov. That is the news for now!  Thank you all again and again for your prayers and support! Grace and Peace, Rachel Prayer Requests: My apartment Wisdom for the Internship Program as I am setting it up The grace to be able to let some things go, as I implement what it is the Lord has asked for me to give up for now. God's continual provision My health Language learning   Praises! My time of rest and refreshment God clearly speaking to me His will His grace! Friendships Support and encouragement How everything is coming together for the Internship Program

His Work

 

The Lord has been bringing across my path several truths as of late.  One of them being that I need to be aware of what it is HE has for me to do.  Then I need to be obedient to that.  Also to remember that the work that I am doing in obedience to Him, is HIS work, not my own.  I need to remember to not spread myself thin in work that has nothing to do with His will for me at this time and point in my life.  The world does not depend on me to turn, life goes on with or without me, and the projects and work here in Romania that the Lord has ordained will go on as He has for them to go on, as long as we are obedient and faithful to what He has for us to do.

God is so good.  And I always get a little laugh when He sends me the same truth like 20 times....it's almost as though He knows me and my stubborn head and heart and wants to be sure I am understanding what He is saying to me!

Here is a great quote from my devotional this morning.

"All that we build is going to be inspected by God. Is God going to detect in His searching fire that we have built on the foundation of Jesus some enterprise of our own? These are days of tremendous enterprises, days when we are trying to work for God, and therein is the snare. Profoundly speaking, we can never work for God. Jesus takes us over for His enterprises, His building schemes entirely, and no soul has any right to claim where he shall be put."
-My Utmost for His Highest

grace & peace