From the Mountains to the Sea

Good afternoon! This post is about the 2nd week of ministry that took place in Romania (after quarantine ended). Enjoy!

After attending church, we packed our bags and drove through the Carpathian Mountains. These mountains were epic! We drove through a crazy canyon alongside the river to get through them, and we saw many Romanian towns along the way. From there, we got on the motorway. I read Psalm 63 and experienced a significant amount of joy in the Spirit. This was an exciting time in the mountains, and I felt so free. Freedom in Christ is such a beautiful thing, and this was one of those moments where I was in His presence. We made it to a town called Alba Iulia, where we toured a large fortress and got amazing views of the city. Some friends from the church also came along on the adventure as well. Later on, Chris and I prayed over Alba Iulia and Craiova on a balcony that had an amazing view of the city.

We stayed the night at a pastor’s house where we got to learn about the Romanian church and the status of Evangelical Christians in Romania. The history was fascinating, and we also got some much needed rest. The family was super friendly, and we woke up to a nice breakfast and some deer in the adjacent yard. We also got to pick some fruit and take in the views of the mountains. Homemade jam, red peaches, pears, and fresh bread made this a delectable scene. Definitely reminds me of a bed and breakfast! To be honest through, we really enjoyed the rest and the slower pace of life here. Soon after, we met up with more people to tour Corvin Castle. More eye opening history presented itself- along with more mountain views. After zigzagging through Romania, we made it back to Craiova for more ministry.

To say that this week was intense but awesome is an understatement (9/6 – 9/12). So much happened this week- and weeks of praying / interceding prepared the way for what took place! Close friendships were built, and we handed out posters to the locals. Meanwhile, we planned for a youth event at the church. Throughout the week, we passed out invitations to people and did outreach. When the event came, we had terrific attendance and could barely fit everyone in the room. Praise the Lord! We also hosted an event for women and got to meet people that are from the Middle East. Praying for these relationships to grow and pave the way for the Gospel! Meanwhile, we also continued interceding for the city and working with the church to pray over the area.

Yet the week also pushed me like no other week (while also preparing me for exploration and ministry in Albania). While praying and seeking the Lord, He continued to show me that I needed to be a fool. Really? I thought that fools are looked down by society. Isn’t it a bad thing to be a fool? But if we are to share the Gospel and proclaim the Kingdom to the earth, we are hated by the world- a similar attitude of being seen as a fool (see John 15: 18-25). To advance the Gospel, I needed to be a fool. Yet when walking in that identity this week, I experienced so much freedom (and also in realizing that it’s OK to make mistakes, encounter pushback, and fail at times). This empowered me to be bold in terms of evangelism and also to try new things. It was a crucial growth moment that I look back on fondly. Some really neat things happened out of this- including getting to know a Syrian / Romanian family and having a conversation with a friend that helped bring her closer to Christ and also with someone to disciple her after I leave. Great times!

Time went by fast. After the Sunday church service (on September 12), we loaded our stuff and went to the Black Sea. It took over 6 hours to get there, but it was terrific to explore the area! Some of us went and rode rides and walked around the area. But the next day, I was not feeling so great. While the sunrise mesmerized us, I continued to deteriorate. The suspect was food poisoning. Ouch. I laid on the bed resting and praying for recovery. The Black Sea was cool to check out though- despite this inconvenience. The gondola provided a cool view of the area also!

From here, we drove back to Bucharest. I was feeling very weak and crashed when we got there. That night I spent resting and trying to recover. Thankfully, I began to turn the corner and recover. After this, we took Covid Tests in Bucharest with all of us being negative. This is a huge praise as we prayed for this for multiple weeks and is a necessary component to being able to travelling to Albania safely. The rest of the day was spent regaining my strength and hanging out with the ministry hosts at the Waterpark. Really enjoyed the fellowship and got to end our time together well. Will certainly miss everyone that we got to know in Romania!

So where does this leave us, dear reader? Read on to find out. The bags are packed and ready to go. The squad then woke up at 4 am- tired but in good spirits. A large white bus greeted us in the dimly lit parking lot…