July Romania Update

My July Romania Update! “The people said to Joshua, ‘No, but we will serve the Lord!’ ” (Joshua 24:21). This is not an impulsive action, but a deliberate commitment. We tend to say, “But God could never have called me to this. I’m too unworthy. It can’t mean me.” It does mean you, and the more weak and feeble you are, the better. The person who is still relying and trusting in anything within himself is the last person to even come close to saying, “I will serve the Lord.” We say, “Oh, if only I really could believe!” The question is, “Will I believe?”.... - Oswald Chambers   This quote from My Utmost for His Highest daily devotional reading was one the Lord used a year ago to confirm to me that He had for me to move to Romania. It is incredible to me that it was a year ago already that I began planning for my move to this wonderful country.  And as I read this devotional again this year, I am reminded that it really is amazing that the Lord chooses to use me.  For I am weak, and feeble and unworthy.  But He doesn't “call the qualified, He qualifies the called”, and I am thankful for the work He is always doing in my life to help me grow and for all that He has done through me. My missionary prayer card my friend Lyrissa made me a year ago before my move! July has been an interesting month.  I feel like it was a very long month.  My 36th birthday was on July 9th, and that seems forever ago! I had a nice small little gathering with some of my friends here Brasov. That same week there was a team here from Calvary Chapel Treasure Valley in Boise, Idaho who put on a VBS for our After School Program kids in grades 1st through 4th.  The team did an awesome job and the kids really loved it.  They shared Bible stories, crafts, games and music.  The women spent a couple days working in the children’s hospital with us, and the men helped put some beds together and paint in my intern apartment, as well as laid some cement for a house in the Roma village we work in. While the younger kids were having VBS we also had an English Camp for our 5th-8th grades with this wonderful woman, Lyndsey.  She worked with our kids on learning English through songs, the Bible and games.  We are so thankful to the groups and volunteers that come through FFR during the year to bless our kids. The rest of the month the After School Program had off, but that did not mean in any way that I was not busy!  Actually I almost feel like I was even more busy than normal.  I helped our organization's president, Sarah, prepare for some speaking engagements she has in the US by helping with her speech and powerpoints. My main thing though this month has been preparing the apartment my interns will be moving into on the 10th of August!  It has been a lot of hard physical work.  I had a lot of painting to do, furniture to put together, rooms to organize, and a ton of cleaning.  The days have been very long but the apartment is looking really nice and I am so looking forward to this internship beginning!  I can’t wait to invest in these young ladies and to see what the Lord has in store for their lives.  After months of preparing the time has finally arrived to get this show on the road! I have also been doing a lot of prep work for the 2015-2016 After School Program year.  Trying to get ahead of the game this year to make things hopefully a little easier.  We learned a lot from this past year and had a really great meeting about where we want to see the program go this year. I did spend the day yesterday out with my missionary friend Dawn who is in town for work.  We went about 15 minutes by bus outside of the city I live in, to the fortified church in Harman.   It was little, but really cool.  It was also nice to get out and walk around and enjoy the cool German history of this part of Romania. Thank you all for your prayers and support and encouragement! Grace and Peace, Rachel Prayer Requests: Please keep me in prayer for my physical health, the long hours and physical work I have been doing is really catching up to me.  My CFS has been acting up a bit this month. Perseverance, I think with my having a rough month physically it is weighing on me emotionally. Prayers for my language learning.  The more I can learn, the better I will be at my job with the kids and the more personal/relationship ministry I will be able to do. Balance – As always, that the Lord will help me find balance in my life with all that is going on here.  There is much to do, but I need to remember to take on only what He gives me.  This has proven to be my hardest lesson here. Wisdom and guidance for being the Project Coordinator for the After School Program and the Internship Program. Praises! God’s constant provision and faithfulness. I really do stand in awe at how He takes care of me above and beyond my needs. Which increases my faith in Him everyday.