I Didn't Do It!

Location: Kitchen of ministry base in Sighisoara, Romania, at 7:30am on the 27th of October.

None of us did a thing! It just happened! (This is the story you have been waiting for...)

When I arrived back in Sighisoara, I met M. One of several recent visitors from Switzerland, this young lady is studying to be a nurse and came for a practicum. From a Muslim family background, she has been searching for the Lord for about a year. She was enjoying her brief time here despite the language barrier, and she was fun to have on the team.

Saturday morning, we had our team devotional time, and we studied Romans chapter four. A few of us shared and discussed a short while, and then we prayed, about what we had learned and for the day and two children's programs ahead. Toward the end of the prayer, M. abruptly left the room. Several of us guessed what one gal voiced: "Maybe it was too much for her."

After the prayer, we hesitated, and then one of our teammates went to check on her, to see if she was going to come to the preparation for the programs. She found that M. had been crying, and told her she could stay in her room and take some time to herself if she wanted. Instead, M. came out, sat down, and said something in Swiss German.

I do not speak Swiss German at all, but I understood what she said, in part because one of the other Swiss girl's faces lit up like a spring day!

"I just gave my life to Jesus!"

How cool is it that none of us did a thing--the Holy Spirit Himself touched her heart and moved her, transforming her into a new person! Praise the Lord!

After that, little else seems important, but it has been a great weekend. Saturday we did two fun children's programs, and were joined from my friends from Targu Mures. I translated for four people in church on Sunday, a powerful sermon about miracles! I also helped transport kids in and back out to one of the poorer communities, and I helped in their Sunday school class. They are from the same neighborhood as A. (see the preceding blog), but I have not yet been able to follow up with him. However, his son told me on Sunday that after we prayed for his dad, his liver/side had stopped hurting him. Praise the Lord!

I finally made it "home" to C. on Sunday evening, but I hitchhiked back out on a brisk Monday morning to take M. to the airport in Targu Mures and to go with S. to pick up a friend from the airport in Cluj-Napoca. While there, I got to meet up with some friends I had not seen in quite a while, and I also picked up my residency card for the coming year. The Lord blessed us with great conversation in the car, and I really enjoyed the long day of travel.

Yesterday the schedule was back to normal, but I managed to nearly catch up on emails. I am also trying to secure an absentee voter ballot for the coming election. I also spoke briefly with my former coworker I. by phone. And today I am off to the village of V., where I hope to soon live! Please pray about all of these things.

And it does not trouble me to remind you again: Praise the Lord! O, He is good, and His love endures forever!

Five-in-One

Location: The ministry base in Sighisoara, Romania, past bedtime (11:30pm) on Friday the 22nd of October.

I need to be in bed, so I will make this quick. Yes, I made it back safely and as you can see from my train window, I did not miss autumn's Midas touch. Isn't it breathtaking?

(Actually, I am not back "home" to the village yet, but I am in Sighisoara, where I work. For more about my sister's wedding and my time in America--with several photos--see the post below. Now about my first day back...)

Neither the chilly weather nor jet-lag kept me indoors today. In fact, so far, jet lag has not been a problem, and though it was below freezing this morning, it warmed up to tee-shirt weather this afternoon with the sun. No, it was an unusual day, but I ended up visiting five of the six communities we work in today--talk about a full day!

There were ups and downs, spiritual blessings and challenges, but let me summarize. After two challenging visits, we stopped in another community, where I began playing with the children. I even let a group of the kids pick me up, kind of like a pathetic version of crowd-surfing! But the best was yet to come. A father came up to me and asked if I could pray for him and his family. I went to his house with him as he requested, and on the way he told me he was addicted to alcohol. Once we arrived, he told me he was in the last stage of cancer, what I understand to be liver cancer. I prayed for him, and then we talked a little, and then he surprised me.

"I don't want to live longer or have this body healed," he said, "I just want my soul to be saved."

I'm translating and paraphrasing as accurately as I can recall, but that was the gist of it. So I said that we could pray about that, too! So this time, we got down on our knees on the floor, and I let him pray, helping lead him in a prayer of repentance and invitation to Jesus best I could.

I did not feel adequate, especially with my language weaknesses in Romanian. We talked a little more, and I think he has trouble truly understanding what Jesus offers us in salvation, what it really means. However, I tried my best to explain, and then I found out he knows a couple of my Christian friends. I think my friend R. and I are going to go back to visit him tomorrow evening. Please pray for us, and even more for A. and his family, that he would be freed from his addictions and fully healed and fully saved, to the glory of God. He has eleven children, the last of whom was saved from abortion by the grace of our Lord through a miraculous dream.

I thank the Lord for today and for each place he put me in, the hardest as well as the most joyful. And I hope to never forget when someone became impatient with my prayers and conversation because I did not understand what he ended up stating so frankly: "I just want to be saved!"

How about you? Do you know Jesus? Don't wait for a miraculous dream or a bumbling "missionary" to ask you. Tell Him (in prayer) that you want to know Him, and invite Him to live in and through you--His holiness in place of your humanness. I bless you in the Name of our holy Jesus.

The End of the Road

(Location: Gate M5 at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, USA, at 2pm local time on the 20th of October.)

Once again, I am sitting in an airport. I suppose I spend as much time in airports as in any other "home." This one happens to be in Chicago, as I wait to board my plane to Amsterdam, where I will catch a flight to Bucharest. It will be a long two days of travel by the time I arrive in Sighisoara or the C., where my house is. If you are reading this, I am probably no longer in Chicago (where you have to pay for internet access), which means I may be in the Netherlands or Romania or somewhere else in the world.

You may recall that I was very excited about putting on an evangelism seminar at my church. It was fantastic and fun! There were probably 50 or 60 persons in attendance from six or eight churches, including a group from my Mexican church. My Mexican pastor translated the workshop into Spanish, and the Spirit moved powerfully among us. I was delighted to be present to see the Lord at work in the Church in Indianapolis! Thank you so much for your prayers! I apologize that it did not get recorded, but I can send you my notes if you ask.

Perhaps, though, you are more curious about the wedding--my sister's wedding. How did it go? Some people said it was the best wedding they had ever attended! I thought it was a lot of work! But I have to admit, it was very nice. My sister is beautiful, and her pretty dress and the outdoor setting accented her beauty as she married a good, godly man. The wedding included a brief ceremony, out-of-town guests, a reception under a large white tent, a surprise visit from a marching "clown" band, hay rides, dancing, and more. Not only was it a privilege to be there and to pray for them, but I was also delighted when Dad responded like this to the question, "Who gives this woman away?": "Her mother and brothers and I!"

Since the wedding there has been a lot of clean-up and several visits with friends and family before I head back overseas. Now I am trying to get back in the Romanian mindset as I let the Lord lead me where He wants me, in His perfect timing.

A great example of that supernatural leading happened today. I ate yesterday at a "torta" restaurant owned by friends of mine from the Mexican church. When they found out I was headed to Chicago today, they offered to take me along with them, so I ditched the Megabus and had a great ride up with them! They dropped me off at the airport after we had a Mexican seafood lunch--can't beat that!

There were so many special blessings during these past two weeks. They included getting to meet up with former Romanian missionary, J., and meeting her best friend, S. and family. I also got to see my cousins from Arkansas and meet the wife of one of them for the first time. My parents' church gave me the privilege of sharing a bit last Sunday morning, my Mexican church prayed for me Sunday evening, and one ministry group I belong to prayed for me on Monday night. I spent quality time with my sister and her (now) husband; I also spent quality time with some of my best Christian friends and mentors, as well as with my parents and my brother and his girlfriend. I also enjoyed listening to Moody Radio, which is one of the things I miss most about living away from the USA.

This short visit sped by quickly, but I feel rested and eager to dive back into God's blessings in Romania. Thanks for your prayers, and please do not stop praying! I made time for many of you while I was in town, and I was blessed to do so. Please forgive me if we were unable to sit down and talk during my American blitz. The one thing I did fail to do while I was in Indiana was to catch up on my nearly two hundred emails--I chose personal interactions and sleep over emailing, so please be patient as I try to catch up now. And thank you to all of you who made time for me, who sent or tried to send gifts with me for people in Romania, and even for me. You are each a blessing in my life.

I am praying for you, and I bless you in the Name of Jesus the Christ!

Lots of New . . .

Location: On my bed in my parents' house, Indianapolis, Indiana, right at midnight on the 11th of October.

My apologies for not writing sooner. As you know, I happily arrived in my hometown a week ago, only to be waylaid by a rotten cold that really made me pretty miserable for the week. Thank you all of you who prayed; I am feeling better now.

I am posting photos to update you on the week that sped by. You will see photos of some of the wedding work I have been doing--I cut the grass at the wedding site, and I also helped the mothers make table decoration out of sycamore-tree logs and grass bouquets. (The wedding ceremony will take place between those two big sycamore trees.) You will note that we desperately need rain (though preferably not during the wedding ceremony!) and see a photo of a beautiful tree at the camp where I went to meet up with some friends I used to work with there--the leaves transformed this week into a medley of color. There are photos of some of my good friends I got to see, and a photo of the engaged couple (wearing their "Bride" and "Groom" sweatshirts), right after my sister's fiance accidentally beaned her in the nose. There are also some photos from my cousin's soccer game I watched.

Despite my cold, I have been so blessed, as you can tell from the photos. Today I got to visit both of my churches, the English-speaking one and the Spanish-speaking one. I am so proud of the one that had the most evangelical message I have ever heard from it! Jesus is moving powerfully in both of these groups of people, and they really made me feel welcome and loved! I also saw a childhood friend in church, which gladdened my heart!

This evening, I got to visit with neighbors of mine that I have not seen in quite a long time; I heard their passion for God's heart for our hurting world, and we had a great exchange. I got to speak to my Christian brother in Utah tonight; I have also visited by phone with dear friends in New York, Boston, Atlanta, Knoxville, and other parts of the country. I got to see one of my cousins who was briefly home from his work in Afghanistan, and I have been able to visit with several other family members as well. My biological brother should be home soon, too, and I look forward to seeing him as well.

God provides in mighty ways, and you may be envious to know that God moved someone to offer me the use of their red (Ford) Mustang convertible while I am home. Even more awesome is that God has provided so completely for me that I was able to say, "No, thank you," to it! Our Lord is a great God!

This week will slide by quickly as we prepare for the wedding; my evangelism workshop is on Tuesday, too. It is hard knowing that I will not get to see many of my friends during this short trip, but that is the way it is sometimes. I am trying to catch up on my 150 emails, and to also call some of you while I am in your time zone. Thanks for your patience and your prayers; you are important to me.

I hear that it got chilly in Romania. You friends of mine in Romania, you are on my mind constantly. I wake up dreaming about Romania, and I will soon be back. I am praying for you, and I thank the Lord for the work He is doing in and through you.

God, You are an amazing God! Thank you for revealing your powerful arm here in Indianapolis, in Romania, and in other parts of the world! Thanks for the special meetings you have ordained with old friends, with strangers, with family members and collegues, and with people who are thirsty for You. May they and I all see Jesus clearly, and may we know Him intimately, by the work of Your Spirit in us!

See also...

Yes, I am in Indianapolis now for a brief visit. You can read about my trip home in the post below, but also please see the invitation to the October 12 Evangelism Seminar in the post below that. Also enjoy the photos on the Picasa site--I finally updated all of them to date, and even edited some of the previous albums. Finally, I finished typing a friend's amazing testimony--for now I will not post it on the blog, but email me if you want to read it and be greatly encouraged by God's power! I bless you in the Name of Jesus!

On a Megabus!

(Location: On a bus between Chicago and Indianapolis in the USA, a quarter to seven on Sunday evening, the 3rd of October.)

Thanks for your prayers--I arrived in the United States without mishap. And if God's faithfulness continues (it will!), I will soon arrive at my parents' home.

I have two important things to tell you (at least, that I can recall).

First of all, the village of V. Last week I wrote to you about V., but I visited this village again twice this week, and I have some new stories. (This is not the village where I feel called to live, but the other V.)

When I arrived on Thursday afternoon, it was raining. Maybe you do not know, but most life in rural Romania stops in the rain. I, however, am American enough to continue with my plans, so I marched through the mud to see my dear village people. As I entered town, one boy saw me from his window and braved the weather to come out. He called his friend, and soon eight or ten boys had gathered with me. The rain was holding off temporarily, so we climbed the hill to the apple tree. The donkey tethered to a stake sounded the alarm, but I hee-hawed back at it so convincingly that it left us alone! Then we collected a few apples and munched on them until the rain started again. Then we had an apple-ball fight! Have you ever had a snow ball fight? This was exactly the same, but with apples! It was SO much fun! Maybe you can join us next time!

After that, as the rain picked up, I sprinted with those two boys to the house of one of them. We sat on the "porch" snacking on fresh pecans. Then the sister of the boy came out, interrogating me until she found out that she was my age and that I was not married. I saw where the inquiries were leading, so I scrammed before any bigger questions were "popped"! But I think it was my best visit yet!

I will try to post a picture I took of boys from this town lined up against our ministry truck, eager to help me let down the stage.


Even more glorifying to God, though, has been the trip to America. Many Romanians dream of going to America, though many of them only have a Hollywood picture of such a destination. But let me describe the journey.

Saturday morning I woke up, packed, and gave a French test. Then I hitchhiked to town, arriving in time to do two children's programs, in V. and in B. I left the latter one a tiny bit early and caught a minibus to Bucharest--a five hour trip. Concerned about some of the aspects of my trip, I prayed a lot in advance, and God sent me an angel.

You see, I needed the driver to let me off at the airport, about 40 kilometers before Bucharest. Not expecting that to be a problem, I was surprised when he told me "no"! Yet an elderly gentleman (who spoke English, no less!), took me aside later and told me I needed to ask a couple more times; the driver was just waiting for me to ask more. So I followed his culturally acurate advice, and with his help, I was left standing on the side of the road right where I needed to be! In addition, I had prayed about the pouring rain that had drummed the bus during the trip, and it stopped a little bit before I had to get out! God is good!

I walked to the airport in time to wait for another eight hours--"sleeping" in the airport would not be a very accurate word to describe my wait in the chairs there. But after being questioned by at the Passport Control about my expired residency permit, I boarded the plane which left on time. Thus, I arrived in Paris on time, and an hour-and-a-half later, also left there on time. My arrival in Chicago was also easy, and I had no trouble passing Customs as I thought I might. Amazingly, my old cell phone somehow worked--I thought it had no credit!--and a Christian brother of mine picked me up and spent two hours with me before the bus came. Those two hours were such an encouragement to me! Now, even though I am sort of sleep deprived, I am eager to dive into the blessings the Lord has prepared for me in Indiana.

Thanks for your prayers, and keep praying! I already miss Romania and keep speaking Romanian words, even in my English. I am praying for you, and I bless you in the Name of our Jesus!