Location: In a cemetery in the citadel in Sighisoara, Romania, about 1:00pm on Saturday, September 26.
Why am I in a cemetery?
So far, it is the closest thing I have found to a peaceful park where I can get away from the world below. Today is a day off, and I decided to use much of it for prayer. So I have been sitting here enjoying the singing birds, the first falling leaves, and the sunlight filtering through the trees. The Lord and I have been discussing you, as well as my future in Europe and beyond.
I very frequently pray for you. Most of you are probably on my prayer list, and I also try to pray for you each time you contact me via email. If you have a special request, or if you are afraid that your name might not be on my list, let me know! I will make sure to pray for you!
Thanks for praying for me. This week passed well. I have begun teaching on stage during our village programs. Our trips into the villages are very challenging--it is fun to be welcomed so enthusiastically, but all the while one knows that often the people are looking for free handouts of food or candy or anything else. My language classes are going well, especially now that I jumped to a little higher level. They are difficult, but I am learning! Work is settling down now as we complete some of the transition and begin to know each other better. Yesterday we discussed how we feel about the first two weeks, and what we need to be able to do our best work.
What does a typical day look like for me? Well, I spend the morning privately with the Lord in prayer and reading the Word (the Bible). Then I grab some muesli (like granola) for breakfast around 7:45am, and I head back upstairs for devotions at 8:15am (we take turns leading devotions). Our work starts about 9:00am, and most days that means cleaning or remodeling work around our living area/workspace. Sometimes I get to help out in our kindergarten. Yesterday, for example, we split A LOT of wood trying to prepare for winter's onslaught. Our four-story building will be heated only by a wood stove in the garage with radiators in the rooms. That is one thing I love about Romania: it is so old-fashioned and charming in many ways! You regularly see horses and carts on the roads or in the fields, people garden and farm by hand, or sometimes with the help of old tractors. Men give women, especially the elderly, their seats on the bus; women usually wear their hair quite long. People say hello in the streets, and they sit on their front steps or a porch and greet the neighbors. You can buy fresh fruits and vegetables in the market, or on the side of the road. Can you picture it?
In fact, maybe I already told you, but many of the gypsy villages are very similar to African tribal villages. Many of the children are half- or completely naked, and the people live in shacks and shanties, though of course it is not unusual to see satellite dishes perched on top. Sometimes they have to work hard to find clean water or enough food for their families.
But back to the day. After working hard for a couple of hours in the morning, I can hopefully find a little time to study Romanian (or go to class, depending on the day). Then I hurry to the dining room in time for a quick lunch before meeting the team upstairs to discuss the day's program. Half-an-hour later, we are en route to one of the villages, where we will play with the children (football or stamps or jewelry) while the truck is set up. Soon after, we will start our program with games and music, followed by short teaching lessons. After nearly two hours, we will say goodbye, debrief, and make it home in time for a little more work before dinner. We eat dinner about 7pm, and in the evenings we have more preparation to do as a team, or a team activity.
You can see that I spend a lot of time with our team (there are about ten of us). But I also get to spend some time with college students from America who help us out. Last night I had the privilege of joining one for dinner in town, and he and I had a great time of discussion and fellowship. Every time I have a conversation like that, I remember that I do not have to fully understand why I am in Europe, because each of those interactions was worth everything I have given up and endured to be here. May God get the glory!
You are worth it, too. That is why I love communicating with you, usually through email. Your emails are encouraging to me, and I like knowing how best to pray for you. I have been in contact with so many wonderful men and women of God--what a blessing! In addition to email, I have met wonderful people each place I go! Let me briefly describe some of them to you:
One man I met ministers to Muslims all over the world, despite the death-threats he has received; prayer and study is the backbone of his work, and he intentionally trains others how to become people of prayer, like Jesus.
One man is finally building a house for his family after he has lived in ten places over the past 12 years. He has frequently sacrificed his own mattress for someone else in need; this is a man who would literally give the shirt off his back so that others might know the love of Jesus!
One man was a taxi driver in Chicago for years, and he always welcomes you with a smile. From whatever position he is in, he will show you respect and love in the way the Jesus would. He cares for his elderly wife in such a gentle way that you know you are safe when you are with him!
Two young ladies, one with a handicap, laugh and laugh when they are together. They run camps for disabled children, and they have a vision to fight for rights for persons with disabilities in all of Romania, transforming the nation. They do not know how they will do it, but they are ready to follow Jesus as He leads them!
One young mother has poured herself and the love of Jesus into her work. She has worked with the same handful of handicapped young people year after year for many years. At the same time, she cares for her family and her church. It is a thankless job, but she is a hero to those young people, and to me!
One man moved to France more than twenty-five years ago, and he still lives and ministers there, raising his family among a people who often have no hope. I heard several people agree that his gentle character is more like that of Jesus than anyone else they know!
Another girl is the sister of a man of God confined to a wheelchair. She selflessly cares for her brother in anything he needs, and along with her church friends she ministers among persons with disabilities in Romania. Now she has decided to study physical therapy to be better equipped to touch people with the love of Jesus!
These are just a few of the people I have been honored to meet during the past four months. Maybe one of those mentioned above is you--maybe not. The truth is that my heros are usually unsung. If you are not on my blog, you are in my heart. I thank you for letting Jesus work through you. May each of us be a hero in someone else's eyes, thanks to the Holy Spirit living through us freely!
But like any good hero, we must be humble. I know that the majority of the persons who have influenced me never had any idea that they made an impression on me. So now it is my turn to do the same. I bought some items this morning that I need for winter here, and I replaced Waldo (my ballcap) with a Romanian fedora. I still will not blend in very well, but hopefully I will not stand out so much. Hopefully no one in Sighisoara will remember the lanky American who smiled through the streets one year, but hopefully they will have been forever transformed by the Jesus that lives in me. I hope the same for you, and I bless you in His holy Name!
Why am I in a cemetery?
So far, it is the closest thing I have found to a peaceful park where I can get away from the world below. Today is a day off, and I decided to use much of it for prayer. So I have been sitting here enjoying the singing birds, the first falling leaves, and the sunlight filtering through the trees. The Lord and I have been discussing you, as well as my future in Europe and beyond.
I very frequently pray for you. Most of you are probably on my prayer list, and I also try to pray for you each time you contact me via email. If you have a special request, or if you are afraid that your name might not be on my list, let me know! I will make sure to pray for you!
Thanks for praying for me. This week passed well. I have begun teaching on stage during our village programs. Our trips into the villages are very challenging--it is fun to be welcomed so enthusiastically, but all the while one knows that often the people are looking for free handouts of food or candy or anything else. My language classes are going well, especially now that I jumped to a little higher level. They are difficult, but I am learning! Work is settling down now as we complete some of the transition and begin to know each other better. Yesterday we discussed how we feel about the first two weeks, and what we need to be able to do our best work.
What does a typical day look like for me? Well, I spend the morning privately with the Lord in prayer and reading the Word (the Bible). Then I grab some muesli (like granola) for breakfast around 7:45am, and I head back upstairs for devotions at 8:15am (we take turns leading devotions). Our work starts about 9:00am, and most days that means cleaning or remodeling work around our living area/workspace. Sometimes I get to help out in our kindergarten. Yesterday, for example, we split A LOT of wood trying to prepare for winter's onslaught. Our four-story building will be heated only by a wood stove in the garage with radiators in the rooms. That is one thing I love about Romania: it is so old-fashioned and charming in many ways! You regularly see horses and carts on the roads or in the fields, people garden and farm by hand, or sometimes with the help of old tractors. Men give women, especially the elderly, their seats on the bus; women usually wear their hair quite long. People say hello in the streets, and they sit on their front steps or a porch and greet the neighbors. You can buy fresh fruits and vegetables in the market, or on the side of the road. Can you picture it?
In fact, maybe I already told you, but many of the gypsy villages are very similar to African tribal villages. Many of the children are half- or completely naked, and the people live in shacks and shanties, though of course it is not unusual to see satellite dishes perched on top. Sometimes they have to work hard to find clean water or enough food for their families.
But back to the day. After working hard for a couple of hours in the morning, I can hopefully find a little time to study Romanian (or go to class, depending on the day). Then I hurry to the dining room in time for a quick lunch before meeting the team upstairs to discuss the day's program. Half-an-hour later, we are en route to one of the villages, where we will play with the children (football or stamps or jewelry) while the truck is set up. Soon after, we will start our program with games and music, followed by short teaching lessons. After nearly two hours, we will say goodbye, debrief, and make it home in time for a little more work before dinner. We eat dinner about 7pm, and in the evenings we have more preparation to do as a team, or a team activity.
You can see that I spend a lot of time with our team (there are about ten of us). But I also get to spend some time with college students from America who help us out. Last night I had the privilege of joining one for dinner in town, and he and I had a great time of discussion and fellowship. Every time I have a conversation like that, I remember that I do not have to fully understand why I am in Europe, because each of those interactions was worth everything I have given up and endured to be here. May God get the glory!
You are worth it, too. That is why I love communicating with you, usually through email. Your emails are encouraging to me, and I like knowing how best to pray for you. I have been in contact with so many wonderful men and women of God--what a blessing! In addition to email, I have met wonderful people each place I go! Let me briefly describe some of them to you:
One man I met ministers to Muslims all over the world, despite the death-threats he has received; prayer and study is the backbone of his work, and he intentionally trains others how to become people of prayer, like Jesus.
One man is finally building a house for his family after he has lived in ten places over the past 12 years. He has frequently sacrificed his own mattress for someone else in need; this is a man who would literally give the shirt off his back so that others might know the love of Jesus!
One man was a taxi driver in Chicago for years, and he always welcomes you with a smile. From whatever position he is in, he will show you respect and love in the way the Jesus would. He cares for his elderly wife in such a gentle way that you know you are safe when you are with him!
Two young ladies, one with a handicap, laugh and laugh when they are together. They run camps for disabled children, and they have a vision to fight for rights for persons with disabilities in all of Romania, transforming the nation. They do not know how they will do it, but they are ready to follow Jesus as He leads them!
One young mother has poured herself and the love of Jesus into her work. She has worked with the same handful of handicapped young people year after year for many years. At the same time, she cares for her family and her church. It is a thankless job, but she is a hero to those young people, and to me!
One man moved to France more than twenty-five years ago, and he still lives and ministers there, raising his family among a people who often have no hope. I heard several people agree that his gentle character is more like that of Jesus than anyone else they know!
Another girl is the sister of a man of God confined to a wheelchair. She selflessly cares for her brother in anything he needs, and along with her church friends she ministers among persons with disabilities in Romania. Now she has decided to study physical therapy to be better equipped to touch people with the love of Jesus!
These are just a few of the people I have been honored to meet during the past four months. Maybe one of those mentioned above is you--maybe not. The truth is that my heros are usually unsung. If you are not on my blog, you are in my heart. I thank you for letting Jesus work through you. May each of us be a hero in someone else's eyes, thanks to the Holy Spirit living through us freely!
But like any good hero, we must be humble. I know that the majority of the persons who have influenced me never had any idea that they made an impression on me. So now it is my turn to do the same. I bought some items this morning that I need for winter here, and I replaced Waldo (my ballcap) with a Romanian fedora. I still will not blend in very well, but hopefully I will not stand out so much. Hopefully no one in Sighisoara will remember the lanky American who smiled through the streets one year, but hopefully they will have been forever transformed by the Jesus that lives in me. I hope the same for you, and I bless you in His holy Name!
