I really cannot believe that I fly out for Romania tomorrow night. It amazes me that it has been 3 months since the Lord confirmed to me He had for me to move back and join Firm Foundations with their After School Program for the Roma (gypsy) children.
So much has happened in the past few months and there were more than a few surprises with my health and a tooth problem that left me wondering if everything would be finished by the time I flew out, but the Lord has been faithful to take care of everything. I had a little scare last night when I thought part of my new crown had chipped but it was only an extra little piece of the cement holding it on that had chipped off, and the dentist was kind enough to come back to the office at the end of the day to make sure everything was ok for me. What a ride this has been!
I know that hindsight can always show us things so clearly, it is so awesome to sit here now and to look back at how the Lord arranged things for me. Things at work, things at home, things with my health, and even having me do a lot of house sitting at the end to earn some extra money.
There were lots of goodbyes over the past couple of weeks with friends and family. This is always the sad part of moving, while it is so exciting to be going back to Romania, the sad part is always all of the people I leave behind.
I also at the last minute decided to take my last week off of work, instead of working basically until I flew out. It has been really nice to spend time with my parents. On Wednesday we drove all over San Pedro and I was able to see the house and apartment they lived in before I was born, we had lunch at nice park in Palos Verdes overlooking the Pacific Ocean and a light house. It was fun to hear all of their stories about life when they first met. We also had a nice trip up to Big Bear the other day and yesterday my mom and I spent the day at the Getty Museum. It has been really nice and super important to me to have that quality time with them.
But now the time has come for me to leave. I want to thank everyone who has helped support me through prayer, encouragement and financially. I have been blessed by more than a few surprises from friends and friends of friends or friends of my family who have supported me. I think the hardest and most humbling part for me of being a missionary is needing to be supported financially. I LOVE being supported with prayer and encouragement from friends and family, but it is hard for me to accept the financial support. I know I just need to get over that, as I have always loved supporting other missionaries, it just feels so different being on this side of it. So thank you, thank you, thank you, to each and every single one of you who has helped support this move and who has committed to supporting me on a monthly basis. The Bible says that those who go out to battle and those who stay behind supporting those who have gone out, should equally share in the reward. To those of you supporting me, know that your reward in heaven is waiting for you, and that the work I will be doing with the kids in Budila would not be able to be done without you. You are not only contributing to me, but to those kids, and to their future. Thank you for believing in me, and believing in what the Lord has in store for this project! I am so excited to be able to share with you as the time goes by, all that is being done. I expect the Lord will do great things!
Please keep me in your prayers. I fly out tomorrow night and arrive in London on Sunday. I will spend the night in the airport and will fly out to Romania on Monday arriving Monday afternoon. I will be picked up by a driver who will drive me from Bucharest, up the mountain to Brasov! Please pray for the Lord’s hand of protection over me and my suitcases, and that everything will go smoothly. Of course please pray for my parents, it’s never easy to send your daughter off to another country. Please pray for Romania as it shares a border with the Ukraine and there is still much tension going on there. And PLEASE pray for an apartment for me! I have not found one yet, but have a Romanian friend who lives in Brasov helping me look! Ultimately, please just pray for the Lord’s will to be done in my life and in this journey ahead.
Being in another country can get kind of lonely, even though I have friends in Brasov, so please don’t forget about me! I would love to hear from you, even if it’s just a short “hello”. Feel free to email me or friend me on Facebook.
May the Lord bless you all! I look forward to hearing from you!
Grace and Peace,
Rachel
For more information on how you can support me click here.
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