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

March Update and Video!

Hello everyone!

Spring is trying its hardest to arrive in Romania, we have had some snow and might have a bit more, but nothing is sticking around too long and the sun is really trying to come out. 

March was an incredibly busy month. I feel like I say that all the time, but boy was it stuffed full!  Sarah and Mary, the President and Secretary of the organization I work with were in America for half the month, so there was much to be done and we were short two key people.

Steffi (our VP) and I spent almost a week getting the future FFR Missionary Internship apartment ready.  We have some people who will be staying in the apartment between now and August when the internship begins, but there was much work to be done.   A lot of cleaning, and moving furniture and organizing.  It was a lot of fun and a lot of hard work!

We had a major donation come in from Germany.  A giant trailer full of donations and diapers for our organization.  We are so blessed by the amazing donations we receive from people all over the world.  Our organization could not do what we do without this help!

We also love to share what we receive with those around us!  One day, Steffi and Lauren, another long term volunteer and I took a road trip to bring donations of children’s clothes to a nearby town and a baby hospital.  It was beautiful getting out of Brasov and seeing more of the Romanian countryside.  Romania is such a beautiful country!  The people we dropped off the donations to, were so thankful for our help, it brings us such joy to know that we have the means to be able to help children not only who are directly involved in our programs but those who are in need around us! 

You can read more about our adventure on FFR’s Blog by clicking HERE.

The after school program is going great.  The more I get to know my children the more I love them!  I just wish I could take them all home with me!  It is exciting to see how the kids are growing and learning.  We are only an after school program but I have several children now in my classes who ask me to give them homework!  Which they faithfully complete, this is on top of any homework they may have from school.  It is so exciting to see their desire to learn grow.  

 

I know I talk about little Vasilica a lot, but once again she has amazed me this month.  She is one of 10 children with another little one on the way in a month or so, and each morning she wakes up and asks her older brother to get her ready so she can go to school and then come to us.  Even when her older sister or friends do not go to school with her or come to the program, she is faithful to come.  When I have reading time with them, she always sits right next to me, and tries to read the words along with me, even though she doesn’t really know them yet.  Today was so sweet, she came even though she was really sick, so sick in fact that she fell asleep at her desk trying to work on the project we had.  Poor thing, I just let her sleep through class, and the other kids were so kind to her, trying to be quiet, and then helping her at the end clean up so they could all walk home together.  She just melts my heart.  

I wanted to give you a little “Day in the life” video of my time in the village at the After School Program.  So here is a mini video of some of my time with my kids!

Finally, I wish you all a Happy Passover and a very Happy Easter with your family and friends. I pray that you all remember what this Holiday is about. That Jesus came as the Messiah, to be offered as the sacrifice for our sins.  Once and for all He died that those who believe in Him, may have eternal life!

Isaiah 53:5 prophesied “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”

 

Grace and Peace,

Rachel

If you are interested in supporting me and my work in Romania financially, please click HERE.