I also have some exciting news! Our original race route had us going to Egypt next, however that is not going to work out.  So as of right now we are Asking the Lord for our next month of ministry.  Each team is spending the next two weeks searching after the Lord’s will and listening for his voice.  AIM has a few contacts that we may meet up with, but many of us will be praying and following the Lord’s leading completely.  I am very excited about this next step!  All we know is that we will be in Eastern Europe somewhere.  From there we were supposed to go to Jordan in November, but it’s looking we will be headed to Turkey instead!  From there we will hopefully still be heading to Israel in December! I hope that this is the case!!  Please be in prayer for us this month as we learn in to God’s voice.

Also a quick update about support, I still have about $4,000 left to raise.  My next deadline is November 1st, for which I need $1000 more and then the finial deadline is January 1st for the rest of the amount.  I thank you all so much for all of your wonderful help and sacrifices in getting me on the field.  I am SOOO excited about the ministry God is doing here and through all of your gifts.  Be blessed knowing that He is up to great things.  Ok, without any further delay, I present a snapshot of my life in Romania so far:

Another cool experience we had was earlier in the week.  Danielle and I spent the day with a lady named Simone, playing with her children and spending time with her.  She invited us back later that night to sing and maybe study the Bible some.  Our whole team went back with our host family, who are also serving as our translators.  A couple of our guys shared and Abi, our host, translated.  In the middle of it one of the men that was there began asking questions to Abi about the Trinity and holiness and what separates good people from Christians.  Abi spoke with this man for a good half hour about the Lord.  The man seemed to understand a lot, and asked for prayer at the end of it.  He even invited our guys back to his house later this week so they can continue to discuss and pray! Later we learned that he had never spent more than 5 minutes at a worship service and never engaged in spiritual conversation.  Even though we weren’t able to directly speak to him, I believe our presence in the village was a catalyst for this divine appointment.  We merely created the space, and God did the rest.  It was really freeing for me because so often I believe missions is an on the go type of thing all the time, but God  just wants us to be, and rest, and create spaces and then allow him to work.

I am learning a lot about how to love people, despite a language barrier.  Even though we have a difficult time with the language, love is the most powerful way to speak.  We do a lot of acts of service, and I believe that speaks volumes.  Later this week we are trying to get together a  children’s ministry and a language school, so please pray that doors will be opened and that we can learn to communicate God’s love to people.  We are in this village for two more weeks and then we are supposed to leave for an AIM conference at the end of the month.  They are having 4 different squads, AIM staff, and many World Race alumn meet for a five day conference in Romania.  I’m looking forward to meeting the other squads and learning as much as I can from them.  I’m not sure when I will get internet again.  We took a bus for about 30 minutes this morning because it was our day off.  We may get another one next week, but who knows.  I appreciate all of your prayers so much.  I really feel it being here and not being able to communicate.  Know that even though I can’t write much, I love you all so much and miss everyone terribly!!  May Christ give us all the wisdom this week to look for opportunities to create the space for God to move.

I think it has finally begun to sink in that this is my life for a year.  I haven’t showered for four days, and I couldn’t be happier.  I have waited my whole life to be a missionary, and I am finally here.  I feel as though God is preparing me for a future overseas.  I’m not sure exactly what that context will be, but I love helping people and travelling and seeing other cultures.  I just can’t believe that I am here and that this is my life for the next year.  It is so exciting to me!!  I still miss everyone back at home, but I am confident that this is where God has me, for such a time as this.

Thank you for all of your prayers.  This month is a lot of family ministry, so please pray that the language barriers may be broken down so that we can share Christ to them.  The last thing we want is to be just friendly travelers.  Also pray that the religion that is already here not restrict those who want to go deeper with the Lord.  We are beginning to do children’s ministry and women’s Bible studies.  I am excited to teach practical lessons and stories to them.  I am not sure when the next time we will get Internet is.  We either have to walk about 3 miles into town to get it, or take a 20-minute bus ride.   Thank you all for your prayers and love.  Know that it is being spread here like wildfire.