“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
~ 1 Corinthians 15:58
Paște Fericit!
Happy Easter! Today is Easter Sunday in Romania. Romania goes by the Orthodox Calendar so they have a different Easter than we do in the States. It has been a beautiful warm day here in Romania. I wanted to write you today, to wish you a happy Easter and because the first week in May I will be attending a conference here in Romania for Calvary Chapels. I am really looking forward to this time, two of my pastors, Pastor Ken Sutton from Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, and Pastor John LaBelle from Calvary Chapel WestGrove are going to be flying out. It should be a good time of fellowship and refreshment.
This past month has been busy! It has been full of joys and some hardship. After much prayer and talking with my Pastors at home and with my accountability partner, I feel the Lord is going to be moving me out of Bucharest. This decision comes with some sadness as I have developed some wonderful relationships here in Bucharest, and love the babies at the hospital as well as Florinel who I have been teaching English to. But there have been some circumstances here that I do not feel I should continue to be involved with.
There are 3 ministries here in Romania who would like me to come and work with them. I have worked with 2 of them in the past and the third would actually be to pioneer a ministry. I am praying that the Lord will lead me to where He has for me to go next. I will meet even more ministries at the conference next week. I am really looking forward to the future with hope and excitement. I have a wonderful support system of pastors at home who have really encouraged me to make this move and I feel the peace of the Lord in this decision. I will let you all know where I will be moving to prayerfully in the next few weeks. I do not plan on making a decision until after the conference.
I do want to share with you the wonderful times I did have this past month. My work in the hospital, was great. I have really enjoyed being able to talk to some of the mothers who are in the hospital staying with their children while I am working with the abandoned children. It is refreshing to meet some who have such compassion for the abandoned babies. One mother spent over a half an hour crying with me about little Florica. She couldn’t believe that anyone could abandon her, and her heart broke that Florica is basically living in the hospital alone. The mothers are always amazed that someone from America would come to Romania just to love these abandoned babies…it really gave me an opportunity to share practically the love of Christ and to be a light.
I have also enjoyed the relationships I have made with some of ROCK’s staff. Especially the three woman who work in the hospital with me, Laura, Lily and Martha. Their love for the Lord and for the babies is an inspiration to me. We have spent time in prayer for one another and in fellowship together. They are some of the hardest working women I have ever met in my life!
I was also able to develop a relationship with a young lady, Karla who came to live with us. She is 23, single and pregnant. I have to admit I am thankful she decided to keep her baby. There are many, many women here in Romania who have abortions, many are encouraged to do so by their doctors. Please keep Karla in your prayers, as she is unsure how she will be able to care for a child and work. Pray that she will make Jesus the Lord of her life and that He will guide her and provide for her so that she will be able to be a good mom.
Please keep me in your prayers especially over this next month as I will be moving to a new ministry. Pray that the Lord will lead me and guide me as He has been so faithful to do in the past. I also ask that you pray that my time with my Pastors will be fruitful and refreshing. Thank you all for your continued support and prayers over the past few months. I know that the difficult times I went through this past month would have been very hard for me had I not had your prayers to support me. The Lord is so good!
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.”
- 2 Corinthians 13:14
In His love,
Rachel
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Missionary Update - 4.5.2008
“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”
James 1:27
Buna! Hello everyone!
I write to you with such a happy heart, completely overwhelmed by all that the Lord has blessed me with.
This past month has flown by. I made my move to Bucharest and am enjoying my new apartment with my roommate Nann (who is the also the founder of ROCK Ministries). I have been incredibly busy, but have loved every minute of it. The Romanians here call me Rahela. I love it! It’s fun to have a Romanian name and I think it sounds so pretty.
I have been working in a children’s hospital here in town. ROCK works with children who are abandoned, orphaned or who do not have parents who come and visit them in the hospital. We bathe the children, help feed them, change them and play with them. Right now the majority of our children have cerebral palsy. I have really been enjoying interacting with the children. I am also teaching one of our foster boys, Florinel English. He’s 8 years old and very smart!
For the past 10 days we have had a team with us from Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara. Nann is training me to become the Outreach Team Coordinator. We had a great time with the team. They helped us in the hospital, put on a VBS for our foster kids and spent time with many of the foster children one on one. It was a blessed time. It was great for me as well to spend time with the team. I was really blessed by them. It was also a great way for me to learn the city a little more as I have only been for less than a month. It was fun getting used to the subway and the bus system. I was also blessed to lead 2 devotionals while the team was here.
Nann and I were talking the other day about starting a ministry with our church, working with the elderly. This was something that was on my heart before I even moved here, so please keep this in prayer for us.
Thank you all for your prayers and support. The Lord is so good and I am so blessed to be used by Him. I love my time here and I am so excited to see all that He has in store for me.
Prayer requests:
1. Teaching English, and possible teaching other foster kids as well.
2. Working in the hospital with the children.
3. Health and safety.
4. Driving in Bucharest (it is CRAZY here!)
5. Possibly starting a ministry working with the elderly here.
6. Dorina and Laura in Timisoara.
7. ROCK Ministries
I attached some pictures. I hope you are all good!
In Him,
Rachel
James 1:27
Buna! Hello everyone!
I write to you with such a happy heart, completely overwhelmed by all that the Lord has blessed me with.
This past month has flown by. I made my move to Bucharest and am enjoying my new apartment with my roommate Nann (who is the also the founder of ROCK Ministries). I have been incredibly busy, but have loved every minute of it. The Romanians here call me Rahela. I love it! It’s fun to have a Romanian name and I think it sounds so pretty.
I have been working in a children’s hospital here in town. ROCK works with children who are abandoned, orphaned or who do not have parents who come and visit them in the hospital. We bathe the children, help feed them, change them and play with them. Right now the majority of our children have cerebral palsy. I have really been enjoying interacting with the children. I am also teaching one of our foster boys, Florinel English. He’s 8 years old and very smart!
For the past 10 days we have had a team with us from Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara. Nann is training me to become the Outreach Team Coordinator. We had a great time with the team. They helped us in the hospital, put on a VBS for our foster kids and spent time with many of the foster children one on one. It was a blessed time. It was great for me as well to spend time with the team. I was really blessed by them. It was also a great way for me to learn the city a little more as I have only been for less than a month. It was fun getting used to the subway and the bus system. I was also blessed to lead 2 devotionals while the team was here.
Nann and I were talking the other day about starting a ministry with our church, working with the elderly. This was something that was on my heart before I even moved here, so please keep this in prayer for us.
Thank you all for your prayers and support. The Lord is so good and I am so blessed to be used by Him. I love my time here and I am so excited to see all that He has in store for me.
Prayer requests:
1. Teaching English, and possible teaching other foster kids as well.
2. Working in the hospital with the children.
3. Health and safety.
4. Driving in Bucharest (it is CRAZY here!)
5. Possibly starting a ministry working with the elderly here.
6. Dorina and Laura in Timisoara.
7. ROCK Ministries
I attached some pictures. I hope you are all good!
In Him,
Rachel
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