No sooner asked...

Well I know I don't normally write so much in one day, but I had to post this too. The Lord is soooo good to me!

I have been wrestling with some hurt feelings lately. Yes, even I get my feelings hurt by people who are mean to me, whether it is to my face or behind my back. Well, this morning when I woke up I had some anxiety about this. So I began to really pray and seek the Lord. I read a chapter in my daily Bible reading from Isaiah 49, but nothing really spoke to me. I kept praying about it and finally emailed a few friends asking them to please pray for me, that the Lord would give me wisdom in this situation. I want to do His will and not react to being hurt in my flesh and try to defend myself. I was getting ready to sign out of Facebook when I noticed my friend Maggie had posted a verse on her profile page,

"When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul." Psalm 94:19

Wow that was perfect for me, I love it when the Lord randomly uses my friends to bless me and speak to me!

After I signed out, I really felt that the Lord wanted me to continue reading in Isaiah, so I sat back down and just began to read where I left off, starting with Isaiah 50. Hello! Right away the Lord began to speak to me. Reminding me that He is my defense and He will take care of everything for me. I believe that there are times when, as it states in Matthew 18 we are to go to people and talk to them when they have wronged us, and I also believe that sometimes the Lord wants to be our defense, and that He wants us to sit back and watch what He will do.

I want to share all of these verses with you, in case some of you ever feel that you are in the same place I was in this morning...struggling maybe with being hurt, or having someone wrongly say things about you. Not knowing if you should go to them or sit back and let the Lord work. These are the verses that the Lord gave to me for my situation specifically, it was as though these verses from my reading this morning jumped right off the page at me.

First I read:

"The Lord GOD has opened My ear; and I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away. I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting. For the Lord GOD will help Me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed. He is near who justifies Me; who will contend with Me? Let us stand together. Who is My adversary? Let him come near Me. Surely the Lord GOD will help Me; who is he who will condemn Me? Indeed they will all grow old like a garment; the moth will eat them up. Who among you fears the LORD? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely upon his God."

Isaiah 50:5-10

I kept reading and then the Lord spoke to me through these verses in Isaiah 51:

“Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, you people in whose heart is My law: Do not fear the reproach of men, nor be afraid of their insults. For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool; but My righteousness will be forever, and My salvation from generation to generation ... I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die, and of the son of a man who will be made like grass? And you forget the LORD your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth; you have feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he has prepared to destroy. And where is the fury of the oppressor? The captive exile hastens, that he may be loosed, that he should not die in the pit, and that his bread should not fail. But I am the LORD your God, who divided the sea whose waves roared—The LORD of hosts is His name. And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, that I may plant the heavens, lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion, ‘You are My people’... Thus says your Lord, the LORD and your God, who pleads the cause of His people: “ See, I have taken out of your hand the cup of trembling, the dregs of the cup of My fury; you shall no longer drink it. But I will put it into the hand of those who afflict you, who have said to you, ‘ Lie down, that we may walk over you.’ And you have laid your body like the ground, and as the street, for those who walk over.” Isaiah 51:7-8, 12-16, 22-23

And finally ending in Isaiah 52. As awesome as the Lord is, He ended what He had to say to me with victory and peace and praise!

"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “ Your God reigns!” Your watchmen shall lift up their voices, with their voices they shall sing together; for they shall see eye to eye when the LORD brings back Zion. Break forth into joy, sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem! For the LORD has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. The LORD has made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Depart! Depart! Go out from there, touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her, be clean, you who bear the vessels of the LORD. For you shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight; for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard." Isaiah 52:7-12

No sooner had I asked my friends to pray for me for wisdom and asked the Lord to give me wisdom, than He lead me back to His word and to those verses. He is so good and so faithful. I didn't go searching through the Bible to find those verses, they were there in my daily reading, they were there waiting for me to read this morning, set up before hand by the Lord! The Bible is so real and so alive, the Lord is so good and so faithful, I can't make this stuff up! He is truly amazing and is always wanting to be there for us, to meet us where we are if we will just be willing to ask and seek Him and wait for Him to show us what He has planned for us!

Amen? Amen!

grace and peace,

Rachel

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Conversations and a Convoy

It's been an interesting last 2 days, so I thought I would write a little bit about it.

I left early in the morning on the 28th for Romania. My parents dropped me off at the Orange County airport. I flew from Orange County to Chicago...the flight went by pretty quick, nice and smooth, up until the decent into Chicago, which was totally bumpy and made me a little sick, which never happens to me! I was excited to grab a quick snack in the airport as ORD has this one little place that makes the BEST vegetarian quesadillas...but alas, I was short for time so I rushed to the International Terminal, only to find that McDonald's was pretty much my only option in there. Mental note, eat in the domestic terminal next time around.

I was SUPER blessed on my flight to London. We had the nicest plane ever! It must be brand new, each seat had its own touch screen, with a library of movies and tv shows. You could stop, start, pause and play any movie in the library at your leisure. It was awesome. I also had 2 seats to myself! So after watching Sherlock Holmes I went to sleep, or tried to. I can never sleep on planes. Oh well, at least I was super comfortable.

Next stop London. Not much to say here, I had basically an hour and a half to get from my plane, through security and to my next terminal. Then I was off to Budapest, Hungary. At this point I was exhausted. I had been up since 5am, and like 17 hours had passed or something. So I actually got some sleep on the plane all hunched over in my seat leaning on my tray. That made that trip go by fast! In Budapest my driver was on time to pick me up and we were off to Oradea!

So, there were 3 others in the van with me going to Oradea, and everyone spoke Romanian! Ha! After not speaking any Romanian for 2 months it was fun to get thrown back into it. I had an interesting conversation with one gentleman about communism. I don't usually have conversations with strangers about politics in Romania cause you never know, you may get the one guy who loved communism cause he was corrupt during that time or something. But this guy brought it up and sort of asked for it when he mentioned Obama to me. Now I do not usually speak about politics on my blog. But it was an interesting conversation. I started mentioning to the guy how I felt about Obama and the similarities I have been seeing in America and what Obama wants to do with America with what I have seen in post-communist Romania and for that matter what I have heard from my Romanian and Hungarian friends I have interviewed on the subject. He said something that rings so true in my mind, and something that I usually say when people talk to me about wanting more government involvement in our personal lives...he said basically "Americans do not know what Communism is because they have never experienced it" he went on to say that it always sounds "good", and can even sound "democratic". But the reality of it is, it's not good and it is certainly not democratic and takes away your freedoms. The cute little grandma next to me entered the conversation at this point and pretty much agreed with everything we were saying. Stating that America just doesn't know what communism really is and how detrimental it is to the people, society and economics of the country. I guess it was all just a reminder to me to continue to pray for my country and for it's leaders and for the elections in November! I NEVER want to see America end up like Romania...

So anyway, I'm off my soapbox now...onward we go...my drive to Oradea led us through grape vineyards, orchards and bright yellow flower fields. Hungary in the spring is lovely! About half way through we stopped at a truck stop to use the restroom. It was called Convoy City. Awesome. I walk through the swinging doors, ones like you would see going into a saloon in the old west, to find Johnny Cash playing overhead, "because you're mine, I walk the line..." Awesome again. After a brief stop we journey on to Oradea. I did fall asleep at some point during the car ride, I was so exhausted I really don't know when the last was I felt that bad.

We then made it through the border of Romania and I FINALLY make it to Ibi's! After 25+ hours of travel I arrived in Romania on the 29th! I showered and had a great meal of spaghetti and meat sauce. Ibi is such a blessing to me. She always has the table set so pretty and makes such yummy food for me! We caught each other up about the past 2 months and what the Lord has been doing in our lives and teaching us. It was awesome to see how the Lord has been blessing Ibi and working in her life.

Since I knew I wasn't coming back to Romania for long I filled my suitcase with gifts and clothes for my Romanian friends here. It was so fun shopping for them! Now Ibi is probably the only person I know who is thinner than me. So I brought her a bunch of my old nice clothes that I don't fit into anymore. She was SO happy! It was so fun to see that they all fit her so nicely. Sometimes it can be so easy to bless people. I'm happy I brought those things.

Well, I am off to Timisoara in a few hours. A 3.5 hour train ride awaits me. So much traveling is ahead of me this month! Please keep me in your prayers!

Pa! (bye!)

Rachel


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Rachel's Romania - April 2010 Update

“May the LORD watch between you and me
when we are absent one from another.”
Genesis 31:49b

Hello my friends! I cannot believe that my time on furlough (vacation) in California is over with! I leave for Romania this Wednesday early in the morning. I am totally looking forward to my time coming up in Romania. Just as a reminder, I will be moving back to California in June. I am returning to Romania to say my goodbyes and to move my things back. It will be another month and a half full of traveling and living out of a suitcase. But it will be a very special time with those dear Romanian friends the Lord has brought into my life.

This month has flown by so fast. I can’t even believe it. Some days I was seeing maybe 3 people in one day! One for lunch, one for coffee and one for dinner! I tried very hard to see each of you that I had planned to see while I was home, but I ran out of time. The good news is I’ll be home in June!

I was blessed to friends from my old jobs, and friends from church and past missions trips! What a blessing it is to see people from my past and catch up on all the Lord has been doing in our lives. I had a great time at Disneyland with my friend Kari, we have a tradition of going each time I’m home, and her mother-in-law is able to check us in for free, which is a HUGE blessing!!! (thanks Jody!)


At the beginning of April my parents and I went on vacation to the “Gold Country” area of California. It was beautiful! My time with my parents these past two months has been really important to me and very eventful! We celebrated my dad’s birthday last week AND my parents both retired this month! It has been a month of celebration.


Well, I have to admit my mind is a bit scattered right now, thoughts of packing and making arrangements of where I will be staying while I’m in Romania are swirling in my head. I am so thankful that the Lord has already provided me with a job for when I return to Cali, working once again with my dear friend Frances! That is one HUGE thing I do not need to think about right now!


I will not be taking my laptop to Romania with me. I need every ounce of weight I can get to bring things home with me. Plus with all the traveling around I just think it is best to leave it here in Cali. So if it takes me a while to post things I am sorry! I will be home in June and will update you all on my journey then.

Please keep me in your prayers. With all the traveling and final arrangements that are still not totally set in stone yet. I want to be a blessing to my friends before I leave and to have enough time to say goodbye without feeling rushed. I have already received some sad emails from friends in Romania in response to my returning home, but I can rest in the peace of knowing this is the Lord’s will for right now in my life. I know the Lord is going before me and I trust in Him. There is a lot of change ahead of me, please keep this in your prayers for me too!

I hope you all have a great month, and I will write more in June!

Grace and Peace,
Rachel


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MOVING!

“Go home to your friends,

and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you,

and how He has had compassion on you.”

Mark 5:19b

Hi friends! Well I want to first thank you all for your prayers while I have been home. As you know, when I first moved to Romania I had signed up to go for 2 years. My 2 year anniversary was this past November. Since then I have been seeking the Lord as to whether He had for me to stay in Romania longer or to return home.

I have really used this time at home to seek the Lord’s will. WELL….about 3 weeks ago I had felt that the Lord confirmed to me that He had for me to move back to California. I wasn’t sure however on the timing or what I would be doing when I returned. I just felt this incredible peace that He had for me to come back to Cali. Then just this week the Lord has opened a door and a job was offered to me! I couldn’t believe it! At the same time I don’t know why I was surprised at all. The Lord always provides for me, I guess I just didn’t expect Him to provide a job for me before I moved home! So I will be moving home to California in June.

I am so thankful to God for always taking care of me. My good friend Frances was praying about me the other day and the Lord spoke to her saying “She is mine and I will take care of her.” This spoke so much to my heart, these past two years the Lord has done so much to reveal Himself to me and to show me how real He is and how faithful He is to take care of me. Hearing Frances tell me that and then having a job offered to me before I even began looking is just one more testimony of how good He is!

So how am I feeling about all this? Well, of course there is sadness. My time in Romania was filled with so many amazing times, as well as hard times. Such good memories, I feel like I have lived a lifetime over there already. I learned to trust the Lord and to not put my trust in man alone. I learned that I need to love people even when they are hurtful and cruel and to love those that society doesn’t even want to acknowledge. I have made so many amazing friends. It brings tears to my eyes to know that I won’t be seeing those friends everyday anymore. I know I will be able to visit someday, but it still makes me sad to think about leaving my kids at the hospital and my friends and the country and language that I love. I am however, also very excited about all of this! I know that the Lord would never call me home and then leave me hanging. He has already shown me this to be true. I am excited to see what He has in store for me when I return.

I will continue with my updates even after I return home for a while. I do still ask for your prayers. While it is awesome that I will have a job to return to, I know that the transition from life in Romania to life in Southern California will not be totally easy. This past 1.5 months since I have been home, has revealed to me that the culture here in California will take some getting used to again for me. I feel a little out of place here. But still have the peace from the Lord on coming home. So please pray that the Lord will help me to readjust to life here in So Cal. Please pray for my time in Romania and all the people I will need to say good bye to. Finally please keep my moving back to California in prayer. I am thankful that I will have a job, but I will not be able to get my own place right away, and so I ask that you pray that I will save up money quickly enough to be able to get my own place in His timing in order to finally be settled and not living out my suitcases and of course just for His guidance as to when to move out on my own and where to move.

More updates to come, but I just wanted to send out this letter to let you all know what was up with me!

If you have supported me at all this past year by sending any donations to Calvary Chapel WestGrove or are going to before I return home, and either did not receive a receipt for your donations or would like a receipt, please contact me and I can send you the paperwork to either access your donation receipt online or to receive one by mail.

Thank you again for all of your prayers and support and I will be keeping in touch and updating you on my time in Cali at the end of the month!

Grace and Peace,

Rachel

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HAPPY EASTER!

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you"
1 Peter 1:3-4

I will be gone on Easter Sunday...
so....
Happy Easter and Paste Fericit!
xo


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Good Friday

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.
Isaiah 53:5

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March 2010 Update

Oh come,

let us sing to the LORD!
Let us shout joyfully
to the Rock of our salvation.
Psalm 95:1

Happy Spring everyone! What beautiful weather we have been having here in Southern California. I was sitting here this morning trying to think of everything that happened this month and it seems crazy all that was crammed into March. It was a full month for me!

I arrived back in California on Friday, February 26th and immediately began working at my sending church, Calvary Chapel WestGrove on Monday, March 1st. I was so completely blessed to have had the opportunity to work at the church, helping out in the missions department. I am very grateful to Pastor Brad and Pastor Brent for working it out for me to be there. It is always really important for me to work a little while I am home to pay for my plane ticket, have some spending money while I am home and to have some money in my account for when I return to Romania. So this was definitely important! I had a great 3 weeks working.

I have been able to visit a couple of churches since I have been home. It has been so nice seeing old familiar faces and friends, and sitting under such great teaching.

I also was able to attend a fund raiser for Promise Child which is the Child Sponsorship organization my missions Pastor and his wife started. It was a beautiful Classical Music Concert, and it was for a great cause, supporting children in Haiti who have been displaced from the earthquake. (for more info visit www.promisechild.com)


During my first 3 weeks of March, while I was working, I spent very little time seeing people, as I was really just too tired after work, plus spending time with my parents was a priority for me. I was able to spend some time with my good friend Susie. She is the one who blessed me with the trip to Italy back in October. It is always great seeing her.


I was also able to see my sister and her family which was nice. The week after I finished working I took my oldest nephew Steven out to play miniature golf. We had a lot of fun, he is such a sweetheart. We had a great time talking and hanging out.


Then the next day, I took my other nephew Brett out to the movies so we could have some bonding time as well. We walked around and talked too. It is so crazy how much these boys have grown up this past year!

Last weekend, my mom and I went out to Tea together. It was a special event and we had a great time! We had bought tickets for this event months ago and it was a lot of fun. The Lord blessed us by sitting us next to two sisters in Christ, one of whom, I had actually read her blog when I was in Romania! It is such a small world! We had a lovely day together.


This past week, I finally was able to join my sister in her ministry of feeding the homeless (or “friends without homes” as she calls them). While I was in Romania I had some of the children in the hospital color some paper lunch bags for my sister’s ministry and so it was nice to be able to be a part of it myself. We had a great morning, being with her and people from her church that joined us. I was able to speak a little bit with a man who actually came from Romania 30 years ago! He totally remembers Romanian perfectly, and it was fun for me to be able to speak to someone in Romanian. I was totally happy it was all still there in my brain! And really, was thankful too, I always wondered if I would be able to use my Romanian in California. It was a blessing for me!

Last night I joined my sister and her family as my oldest nephew Steven received an award for his kindness, good deeds and grades. He was one of 16 children who received the award out of 8 middle schools in Orange County! That’s huge! I was very proud of him.


Well that leads us up to today! April 1st! Wow! My first month home has flown by. This Saturday my parents and I will be leaving for a week on vacation. We are going up to an area outside of Lake Tahoe to go camping. I am really looking forward to my time with them. April promises to be another busy month. With birthdays, my dad’s retirement and anniversaries. And I will finally be able to spend some time with friends I did not have a chance to see in March!

I am still praying for a lot of direction from the Lord. He is so faithful and good. This summer will be a busy one when I return to Romania on April 27th. Please keep me in your prayers, that April will be a great month and that I will be able to visit with everyone I need to, and that my trip back to Romania will be good.

I hope you all have a very blessed Easter this weekend!

Grace and Peace,
Rachel