2 Years in Romania

Food for thought....

2010-04-04T18:46:00.000-07:00

The question has come to me for the first time this year....what was it like at the grave the moment of Christ's resurrection? He was the only One there. What did it look like? Sound like? Smell like? feel like?

Will we know this one day in Eternity? Or is it such and intimate moment that will forever be between the Father and the Son (and the Holy Spirit)?

Oh the mysteries of our Lord, and His great love for us.

Happy Easter, dear ones.

Several Thoughts....

2010-03-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

In January I got an e-mail from Paulette Carson of Beautiful Gate Translations, wanting to meet and talk about potential opportunities for her ministry in Romania. I met with her and some other ladies and had a great time. A little while later, I went to Houston to meet with her and a gentleman who has a ministry to addicts, with whom she is hoping to merge ministries. Paulette and I also met with the Jones, my former college ministers and some of my favorite people on the face of the planet. I didn't, and still don't know why I went to Houston (besides the fact that I had never been there and I wanted to meet the addiction ministry man AND spend some time with Curtis and Amanda). The Lord knows, though. It was a good time.

While in Houston, I got to spend some quality time with the Jones. I don't think I have told y'all how much I enjoyed staying with you guys and how much fun I had. Curtis and Amanda graciously listened to my story of what I had experienced in Romania and made me feel so special with their verbal affirmation and the time that they gave to spend with me. They invested a lot of time in me while they were in Irving, and they are super wonderful people. (This means HUGE things to me since my main love language is quality time).

I was invited to stay with them on Saturday night and go to church with them on Sunday. As soon as we walked in the door from dinner on Saturday evening, it seems a switch went off and they snapped in to action...their 4 year old Jackson and 1 year old Annabeth were in bed within 10 minutes. I was amazed at their awesome parenting teamwork skills. They patiently listened to me recount much of my time in Romania, and I believe it was the first time I had gone through that story without shedding more than just a few tears. I am so humbled that they felt so badly on my behalf, and also that they shared with me a time that they had a similarly trying experience. That Sunday, I went to service with them and their Sunday School class. I had always wanted to visit the church from which many people at my church in Irving have come. I wasn't surprised when they tried to talk me in to moving to Houston, because it had happened before, and I would even do it if I had a job down there.

Needless to say, thank-you, Amanda and Curtis for opening your home to me...it was a special time.

More recently, I have been continuing to grow and heal and be more active in the job search for a teaching position in the DFW area. I have loved reconnecting with my class at church and continuing to make new friends. Starbucks is alright, it's a job with benefits and that's about it. I have to remind myself that my co-workers are just as lost as the throngs of people I walked through at Piata Victoriei in Bucharest at rush hour, and that they need Jesus just as bad.

Lastly, I had the privilege of babysitting my sweet niece yesterday evening for a few hours while her dad and mom went on a date. As I was feeding her, a few bites in to her spaghetti, she looked at me, folded her hands, bowed her head, and said, "pray." So we prayed. This happened about five or six more times, and even though I thought it was cute and funny, we didn't run out of things to pray about. I took the opportunity to pray for her salvation one day, that God would draw her close to Himself as he is even today, and that she would grow up to be a warrior woman who loves Him more than anything. Her 18-month old mind doesn't understand these things yet, but even still, I was so amazed at how sweet she is...not just that, but I was more proud of her parents for her persistence to pray than I was of her....They certainly are teaching her the way she should go.....

I guess I owe y'all a post.....

2010-02-22T15:33:00.000-08:00

Well it's been close to 6 months since I've touched this blog. These months have been filled with questions, tears, healing, forgiveness, answers, restoration, and the beginning of moving forward.

When I first returned, I wanted so badly just to get back in to the groove of the "normal" life I had before I ever crossed the ocean....I got re-acquainted with my family, friends, and church home. I had three weeks with my parents, who came up for a visit (they had planned on spending half their time here, and half their time in Romania visiting me). I got a job with the same company I worked for in college. I bought a car and totaled it 6 weeks later. I bought another car. I took a class to move towards getting my alternative certification to teach. I took my certification exams, and passed them. I was in my old roommate's wedding. I spent Christmas with my brother, sister-in-law and precious niece. I spent New Year's Eve with my class from church. I started making new friends. I made a goal to run a 1/2 marathon this upcoming December.

On the outside, it would seem that I've gotten it all back together, and that's what I want people to think. But the reality is that, even though my life is almost back to normal, I still have questions. I still struggle to forgive. Some days, I still feel broken.

I know that some of my questions will never be answered. I understand that every day I have to choose to forgive. I am confident that God is healing my heart and putting me back together.

God has been gracious to give me people who are willing to listen. I have been able to talk through and process several times, and with each time has come new understanding, and a step closer to whatever it is He's taking me towards.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm content. I will always live with questions and He will continue to heal me. But the other day I realized that I'm at a place where I haven't been in a long time. I'm at a place of contentment, knowing that I can't change all of my circumstances, but God is working through them, and it feels so good. He is restoring me. I will never be the same person I was before I went, but I'm ok with that.

I've been back for a month now

2009-09-09T21:19:00.000-07:00

I'm a terrible blogger. You would think that as the job search has been slow, and I've got no excuse except that I've been catching up with my niece (who turned 1 today!!), that I would do a better job at updating. The truth is that I have wanted to post, but I just can't find the words to express the things that come to my mind and heart as this transition is taking place.

I still know beyond the shadow of a doubt that I made the right decision to come home. I have a car, a job and a place to live. I have friends and family around supporting me and lifting me up.

I'll write more about what's bee going on since I got home, but please continue to pray for me as I continue to get re-acclamated to life here in the States....

Some News

2009-07-22T14:19:00.001-07:00

Dear Faithful Prayer Partners,

Again, forgive me for not being very good at keeping you updated on what has been going on with me. Much has happened since my last update, and big change is coming up.

This is not an easy letter to write this time around, but after much prayer and consideration, and after talking with many wise people, I have decided that it is best for me to return to the United States. I believe that this is the best thing for me right now, as I will have the opportunity to grow back in to the person I was before I left the States, only with more hard lessons learned and this experience behind me.

I am not giving up on my calling, nor am I copping out. I believe that this upcoming chapter in the States, though I don't know how long it will be, will help me grow in to a person who can be more effective in future ministry.

I thank you for your fervent prayers for me, as I know that they have brought me this far. Please continue to pray for me as I wrap up these last two and a half weeks here in Romania and get ready to go home. Pray that the Lord would provide the perfect job for me. Please continue to pray for my colleagues here in Romania and all of Europe, as this is a very difficult place to penetrate with the Gospel. Please also continue to support my colleagues who work for IMB and remain here doing the task that they have been called to.

Blessings,

Angela

My Current Favorite

2009-07-19T08:13:00.001-07:00

So my current favorite album to listen to is called "Waves of Grace" by Grace Community Church in Brentwood, TN. The worship team from this church came and led myself and almost 1000 other colleagues in worship last month in Greece and they definitely did an amazing job. They taught us my new favorite song (I think I had sung it or heard it before, but now I really remember it...) and so now I can't stop listening to the whole album. It is available on iTunes for $9.99 and it is well worth the 18 tracks of old songs, new songs, and Scripture.

My new favorite song is "Never Cease to Praise" by Jeff Bourque:

May we run this race
May we keep the faith
May our eyes be fixed on Jesus
That we'll not lose heart
In our struggle with sin
And through suffering know endurance.

May we arm ourselves
With the mind of Christ
To rejoice in trials and not be surprised
May our hearts be so consumed by you
That we never cease to praise!

May the words we share
Be your grace and peace
May our tongues speak your proclamations
That the many parts
Of the Body of Christ
Be affirmed in their right relation.

As we long and wait
For the groom to come
May we learn to love and spur eachother on
May our hearts be so consumed by you
That we never cease to praise!

When that day arrives
And the race is won
When our friefs give way to deliverance
We will fully know
As we're fully known
All our groans will end as new songs begin.

And a multitude
From every tribe and tongue
Wearing robes of white will stand before your throne
And our hearts will be so consumed by you
That we'll never cease to praise!

A Very Belated Post on Greece...

2009-07-16T01:47:00.001-07:00

Well, friends, the last time I posted I was getting ready to spend 2 weeks in Greece. The first week was big conference for those of us working throughout Eastern Europe for a time of fellowship, meetings, and worship. The week was amazing and it was so wonderful to worship in English and be able to know fully and understand what we were singing and know every word that was being spoken over us. The speaker was really good and brought us some good messages, as well. I loved every minute of the fellowship I shared with some old friends, new friends, colleagues, and even met some distant relatives!

After the week of meetings and fellowship, two friends and I took off and went to Crete for a few days. We spent a couple of days in Athens on either end of our trip, then took an overnight ferry to Crete. The overnight ferry was THE WAY TO GO. We were able to get to Crete and not have to pay for another night of a hotel room. We took the overnight ferry back, as well, though the second one was not nearly as nice as the first one.

On Crete, we played lots of cards, took a bus to a sandy beach because the one we were staying by was only rocks and pebbles, and took a three and a half hour boat tour of two small islands right by the north coast of Crete. We had so much fun relaxing and had a great vacation.

For your viewing pleasure, here are a few pictures....Ok more than a few...

Inside a tunnel at the ruins of ancient Eretria, Greece. This was close to our hotel for the conference.

God gave us some beautiful sunsets...this was only one of them!!

The Theater of Dionysos on the way up to the Acropolis.

What? I was there? For real?!?! Yes, me in front of the Greek Parthenon. It was incredible. My favorite part was when the wind blew, it sounded like music coming from the way it blew through the columns. The scaffolding may have had something to do with it, but I don't know. I like to think that the wind blew long ago through the marble columns and made "music" the same way I heard it in 2009. Amazing.

The other side without as much scaffolding in view. It still amazes me that this was built so long ago without machinery. Also, I never though I would walk on or see anything older than the Mayan ruins I used to visit as a child in Central America. This was like a dream....

The city of Athens behind me. The Acropolis is on a hill almost in the middle of the city and the city goes on forever it seems in all directions. Amazing....

The Olympic Stadium. The old one. There were two pigeons here having a race that we watched. Yes, Pigeon number 1 won, even though we don't know where they were supposed to be going. Haha, it was quite humorous.

The view of Mars Hill from the Acorpolis (Acts 17).

This is said to be the exact spot where Paul stood and saw the temples to other gods in Acts 17 where he was so moved to speak to the men of Athens, including Dionysos, who was saved and this contributed to the further spread of the Gospel throughout the known world at that point. It was neat to stand there and see what Paul would have seen, hear what he may have heard, and appreciate that he was so moved to speak God's word....

Funny story. If you have ever been to Guatemala you will recognize an item in this picture. The orange quilt made of guipils (Mayan blouses) sewn together and dipped in orange dye. I had an interesting conversation with the vendor about that particular item. I told him I knew where it came from and that it came from Guatemala not Greece. He asked me how I knew and I told him how I had grown up there and knew how they were made. He would not let down and tried to convince me that "they make these in Northern Greece, too!" I decided to let him think what he wanted but still wonder how many Guatemalan quilts people have bought thinking they are from Greece.....

The Port of Pirraus and the city of Athens at dusk from our boat headed to Crete!

The old Venetian port/harbour at Chania (pronounced Hania) town in Crete early in the morning. This was beautiful.

The lighthouse at the interance to the harbour.

Olives and Tzaziki sauce. Yumm...it doesn't get any better than this!! We ate all of those olives between the 3 of us, by the way!!

The little white church on a pier at the sandy beach we went to. We walked out there and it was beautiful.

The first glass of orange juice I ever remember enjoying. I guess back in the day sometime I experienced some bad orange juice, and have never liked it since then. But I figured that since I was in Crete, which is known for oranges (and olives), I would at least give some of the local faire a chance. Man was it good!! I loved it!! Now the problem is that no orange juice that I drink ever again will live up to this!

And finally, our poor map of Athens when we were finally finished with it.

Greece so far...in a nutshell

2009-06-30T12:24:00.000-07:00

A week of grown up meetings.
Lots of fellowship time.
The Acropolis and Mars Hill.
Athens and an overnight ferry.
A Venetian harbor.
A quaint hotel.
A Yaya with olives.
Octopus and a nice waiter.

All this and more when I get back to Bucharest!

I'll post lots of pictures later!

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-20T21:51:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take a little bit to wish my dad and my grandfathers a very Happy Father's Day! For those who read my blog and don't know this, I am the third generation in my family to do what I am doing now. Both of my sets of grandparents are retired from the field, and my mom and dad have been on for 23 years and are still going strong...

Daddy, I love how passionate you are about storying and am so proud of the way that you have influenced the way that some people do ministry. I know that it has not been easy over the last many years, but also know that you are gifted in what you do and God has blessed your efforts. Thank you for being an example to Tim and me over the years and for teaching us to trust and obey the Lord. I love you!

Grandpa (Stanley), I can rarely be in the same room with any Baptist from Ecuador, Honduras or Mississippi where someone knows my last name and doesn't ask me if I'm related to you. Every time, I proudly reply, "Yes, he's my grandfather!" I'm thankful for the many years you put in to ministry and for the example that you are to all of your children and grandchildren of serving God. I love you!

Grandaddy (Ray), Many times, people also know that I'm your grand-daughter, and I'm proud to say that I am. You are a wonderful example of taking care of yourself and your family, working hard, and enjoying life and living it to the fullest. You know how to make people laugh and enjoy themselves, too. You are a Godly man and a great leader. I love you!

It's been a long time....again.....

2009-06-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

So here’s another long over-due update. I don’t know where to start, but I guess I have to start somewhere.

The team from North Greenville University is long gone, except one girl who had asked if she could stay on a few weeks. Those guys did an amazing job and were troopers in Braila introducing the National Bible Reading Campaign to the streets of that city. God truly opened doors there and now workers are needed there to follow up on the contacts that were made.

After a series of events and conversations with various people, I decided it would be better for me to come back to Bucharest and pray for a ministry to become involved in. I have found that I became so frustrated with waiting and dissatisfied with where God had me that I sought another option. I didn’t have peace about it from the very beginning, but went ahead with the plan to move to Galati because I was so frustrated here in Bucharest. Why I didn’t have peace about it, I have no idea. Only God knows. I was raised to obey God and to do what I believe He has for me, and a way of discerning this has been to make the decisions I have peace about. I have peace about being back in Bucharest, so I guess it’s all right.

So after 3 nights in Galati and 3 weeks in Braila with the group, I decided to come back to Bucharest with a fresh start, a new perspective, and no expectations. I have found that every one of my colleagues here in Bucharest are in the same boat. Trying to find their niche, exactly what it is that their ministry will look like while trying to dodge the distractions that the devil is sending our way.

I apologize for not updating sooner, as I’ve been back in town for almost three weeks. I just haven’t been inspired and really haven’t sat down to try and put in to words what I have experienced in the last six weeks.

On Sunday evening, all of my colleagues in all of Central and Eastern Europe and myself will meet together in Greece for a week of meetings, worship, and fellowship with each other. At this time, I will sit down with a few people and try to come up with what the next half of my term will look like. Please pray that I would have clearness of thought, that I would seek Him first, and that I would trust the Lord to speak to me and those with whom I will meet clearly and precisely about this decision. My heart desires to be available to take some of the load off some of my colleagues that would help their lives be a little bit easier. I also want to be actively involved in a ministry, and the beginnings of something will be happening this Fall.

Above all, I know that He is in control, He is sovereign, and He sees all of my days. I know that He will take care of me and He knows what is in store for me.

After a week of meetings, I’m taking vacation with a couple of friends. We will be spending a couple of days in Athens, 2 nights on an overnight ferry to and from Crete, and 3 nights in Crete. I am so stinking excited about this opportunity to relax and see something new. You can for sure count on seeing pictures of that trip. Please pray that we will be safe as we travel, and that we will be wise in every decision that we make.

Oh and I just remembered I still haven’t posted photos from my trip to Poland. That will be very soon. Hopefully by the end of this week I will do that.

Last thing, I have not had internet service now for more than a week, and don’t have any word on when it will be repaired. I’m thankful for a dial-up connection that allows me to check the essentials and make a post on my blog. Sometimes when I have this internet problem, I think maybe we would have been better off if Mr. Gore never even invented the internet, because then we wouldn’t know what we were missing! Just kidding. But not really.

Have a blessed week.

The Next Three Weeks...

2009-05-11T08:02:00.000-07:00

Today is the day that my group from North Greenville University arrives. We will be saturating the city of Braila, which is a 20 minute drive from Galati, with prayer-walking and some street evangelism trying to make contacts and find people who are interested in studying the Bible with us. Please pray for the 10 students, 2 professors, myself, my supervisor, Troy, and others who will be joining us in this effort.

I will do my best to update you all as much as possible with pictures and stories from the upcoming weeks. Also, hop over to Troy's blog here for probably more updates than you will get from me.

Thank-you for your consistent prayers and support. I appreciate you all more than you know.

Once I get a few minutes, I will give a run-down of my time in Poland. I will say for the moment, though, that it was excellent.

2009-04-28T08:49:00.001-07:00

To get a better understanding of how my new job will work and what I'm getting myself into, check out my supervisor, Troy's blog: http://seekandsave1.blogspot.com/ .

I'm in Warsaw, Poland with my friend and it has been a beautiful day. I have officially decided that the Munich airport (in Germany), where I had a 3 hour layover, is one of my favorites so far. So calm and clean and easy to navigate. I have always been a proponent of "if you haven't left the airport, you haven't been there" and I stuck to my guns today. I didn't leave the Munich airport, but I was tempted to be a fake and buy a souveneir from the airport that I didn't leave. I abstained, and I'm proud of myself.

Kaylin took me to the pottery shop today where I indulged probably more than I should have. Fortunately, I was able to have what I bought shipped straight to the States, so I don't have to worry about getting it to Romania and then from Romania back to the States in a while.

Warsaw is much cleaner than Bucharest and I like what I've seen so far. I am glad, though, that I'm not trying to learn Polish. For example "drzwi" is pronounced "dgvee" and means doors. Who'da thunk? I'm just trying to figure out how on earth you pronounce a word that has four consonants and one vowell AT THE END OF THE WORD. I think I'll stick with Romanian for now....

I'm kicking myself.....again

2009-04-27T02:31:00.000-07:00

for not taking any pictures on my trip to Galati last week. I should have taken pictures in my new city. But I have over a year to take pictures of my new city, so you should all forgive me please.

I had a very successful trip to Galati last week. The Lord provided for me to be with the girls to help look for an apartment for all of us to move into and He proved Faithful again. We found a great apartment for a good price. I won't have my own room, but that's ok. I prefer to share space than to have a whole apartment all to myself!

Tomorrow I'm off to Poland for a ladies' retreat and to visit a friend that I was in training with. I'm excited for a new stamp in my passport, going shopping for Polish pottery, and to see a new place. But I'm most excited for the fellowship that I will get to have with my sweet friend and others who work with us.

Ok, so to make up for not taking any pictures in Galati, here are some pictures of my last trip to the mountains.....

a village house

the mountain that still has snow on top of it in April

I tried to be creative

And again, I tried to be creative

the view from "Dracula's Castle" really he only stayed at this one for one night...

Where babies come from. That's right, ever seen a Stork's nest?

The walk up to Dracula's Castle

A pretty creek

Just a view of the countryside

I took this one from a moving car. I like it.

The gorge.

The lake that was still frozen in April.

Entering the gorge.

My New Assignment

2009-04-19T08:09:00.000-07:00

Well I've kept you waiting long enough.

I first want to thank all of you for your fervent prayers for me. The Lord has certainly had His hand in my life so strongly since I have been here in Romania. He brought me through the Winter and Holiday Season, and has now given me the gift of witnessing the "pop" of Spring. He has allowed me to see some really beautiful places in Romania, and I can't wait to see more.

But for now, He has opened the door wide and is directing me to move to the city of Galati in the Eastern part of the country. I went there in January and fell in love with the ministry that is taking place there. There is a very gifted team there that has been working for about four years at trying to get a Cell church started. Well, it's finally really taking off and starting to slowly snowball, and there is opportunity for me to fit in and serve there.

For more details about what's going on out there you can click here. Basically I will be involved in evangelism and discipleship and my goal will be to get one good group running and training and discipling of a leader out of that group to start another group that will all be part of the cell church.

Thank you again for your prayers in this. I know that the Lord has great things planned for me in Galati. I'm going out there tomorrow (Monday) morning for a couple of days. I will help the girls I'm moving in with to look for an apartment as well as to get some thing settled for a group that is coming for 3 weeks who will be working in a city close to Galati. I'll be back in Bucharest on Wednesday to pack up my things and get ready to move. I will then be leaving to attend a retreat in Poland for about a week and as soon as I get back I will move to Galati.

Once I'm moved, I will be living with four sisters who have had to learn to lean on eachother. This will be a welcome change from living alone for the last six months. I know that there will be challenging days, but I also know that I will learn a lot. Click here to read about one of these sisters. I am humbled that the Lord has given me the opportunity to provide a little bit extra support to them.

Thank you again for your prayers and for keeping up with me. I appreciate all of you so much and want you to know that your prayers have meant the world to me. It seems my adventure is just beginning.

Snippets

2009-04-14T03:08:00.000-07:00

I apologize in advance for the potential length of this post....I have several random snippets to share with you and I just haven't sat down to type in quite a while. I don't know why....

Snippet #1: A few weeks ago, I got in a taxi at 7:30 in the morning to go to the post office and pick something up that required identification. The taxi driver was quite chipper. He showed me a picture of his dog and told me how he loves to play. He told me jokes and made up songs and was singing the whole way. He was very nice and very happy for that time in the morning. Then he told me he had not yet had his first cup of coffee and I thought, "If he's like this without his first cup of coffee, I wonder what he's like once he's had his first cup of coffee..."

Snippet #2: A couple of weeks after that, I had the opportunity to go to the Opera. Someone had bought tickets and couldn't go, so I got a free ticket and went with a sweet lady that also works here. When we got there, there were several nice cars and bodyguards and media everywhere. We didn't know what was going on or who was there. Turns out it was the 60th birthday of the Crown Princess of Romania and that evening was a special opera performance just for her. The whole Royal Family of Romania were there. They do not hold any political power, they are social Royals, like the British Royal family, but clearly not as famous. However, the performance made it clear that Romanians love their Royalty. They were in exile somewhere (Sweden maybe?) during Communism, and I don't think they have moved back to Romania after that. I think they just come for major holidays and occasions. Who knows, though. Now I can say that I went to the opera with the Royal Family of Romania. It was quite an experience.

Snippet #3: Since I last wrote, we put the veteran family that was here in Romania for 14 years on the plane. They don't plan to come back for various reasons. Please pray for their health, their family, and the unknown as they don't know where they will end up settling once their stateside assignment time is over.

Snippet #4: I know I left you all on a cliffhanger at my last post about what my new assignment will be. I will update you as soon as all of the details are worked out. That will be by this weekend hopefully. Please pray that as we sit down with supervisors this week that we would be of one mind and be able to make purposeful plans for this ministry that I will be involved in.

Snippet #5: This week I have been in the city of Bacau with a sweet family that has lived here 5 years. They have 2 kids, a 7 year old boy and an 11 year old girl. The parents went to a pastors' and wives' conference one night so I got to stay with their kids. Their son is just a constant ball of energy. He is so much fun. Their daughter is a sweet girl who is so helpful and is so caring. I have had so much fun getting to know their family and just spending time with them. Yesterday they took me up into the mountains to a place called Lacul Rosu (The Red Lake). There is a small lake there and several little shops where you can buy souveneirs. The little lake is still frozen, but there are sections where the ice is real thin and cracking. We drove through a gorge in the mountain alongside of a river to get there. It was so beautiful. I will post pictures in another post soon. This trip reminded me again that I serve the most amazing Artist who is the Creator of the Universe...He can carve rocks with water and glorify Himself with our enjoyment of them.

Snippet #6: Please pray for the next few days. All of my colleagues are getting together in the mountains for a few days of retreat and fellowship. We will have a speaker and a worship leader from the States who are coming to minister to us. Please pray that this would be a wonderful time of renewal and fellowship for everyone.

Snippet #7: As everyone in the Western World celebrated Holy Week and Easter last week, in the Orthodox world Palm Sunday was this past Sunday. We are now in Holy Week as to the Orthodox calendar. The Evangelicals here also celebrate this week. It has come to my mind that regardless of when we celebrate Christ's death and Resurrection, the greatest Sacrifice of all time, it happened. Truly truly He is Risen!

It's time I be up front with you...

2009-03-24T04:39:00.000-07:00

I don't even know where to start.

Some nights I have been awake sobbing into my pillow for hours. On these nights I have been lied to by the Devil himself that I am all alone. It has only been when I have truly turned to the comfort of the One who says "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you" that I have been able to calm down and rest in His grace. Each time, His promises are loud and clear in my heart, I lean on them and trust Him, and He fulfills them.

Some days I have asked what on earth I am doing here. Since arriving, many circumstances have led me to asking myself, and God, this question. Sometimes it is a sense of lack of purpose here. Other days it is an intense longing to be with dear family and friends again. Each time, though, He has said, "Be still and know that I am God." I have no choice but to trust Him.

I have been able to meet some great people and observe a couple of ministries, but since being in Bucharest, I have not become attached to any one thing in particular. This has left me very discouraged at times, but again, I have had no choice but to trust Him and His perfect plan, even though I don't know what tomorrow may hold. I know that this has all been a part of His plan for me here. I have had many opportunities to grow in my walk with Jesus. I believe He has purposed these past five and a half months for this exact reason. He becomes More to me every single day.

I believe that what I am about to share with you has been in His purpose all along for me to come to this place of complete dependence on Him.

In prayer and seeking purpose for my time here in Romania, I have wondered if I was too hasty in taking this job simply because the Lord had made it crystal clear that He had placed Romania on my heart before I even started the Journeyman process. There has been a twinge of doubt. But this last weekend, the Lord again faithfully confirmed that He has me here for a purpose. He has opened the door for me to participate in an amazing ministry that is going on here in Romania. Ever since experiencing just a taste of this ministry back in January, I have been drawn to it. I really fell in love with what is being done, and cannot wait to get started.

I will give more details as time goes on, but please keep me in your prayers. I feel I have a new energy and a confirmed purpose here in Romania. Who knew even a week ago that I would not have a doubt that I am right where He wants me.

I'm about to make this post twice as long, but I can't leave you without sharing some pictures of my recent trip to the mountains. I went back to the town of Sinaia, and this time got to tour the castle there. I went with 2 American girls (one who lives here in Bucharest and one who was visiting from the States) and 2 Romanian girls who are sisters.

A monastery...

On the way to the castle...

Yep, a castle...

A mural painted on the walls inside the courtyard...

...And what you've all bee waiting for, the castle in all her glory!

Update...

2009-03-07T13:03:00.000-08:00

What can I say?

I have not had too much going on the last couple of weeks that has been worth reporting. I was sick for about a week and am now better. The weather was bad the week I was sick, so it wasn't too miserable to stay home. Besides, being sick really throws me off my groove, so it's taken me a while to get back on track here. Hopefully next week I will have more to report.

I guess mostly I want to thank you all for your continued prayers. I will get details about the ski retreat I asked you to pray for and update you on that as soon as I can.

Please pray specifically for a couple of things over this month. Two families who have been here in Bucharest for many years are packing up their homes and following the Lord back to the States. Please pray for the transition for these families. One of them is the family of my supervisor since I got here. Pray for their kids as they transition back to life in the States and back into the school system there. Much of the reasons that both of these families are making the transition back is health-related. Please pray that the Lord will place them in the care of qualified physicians who will be able to help them along back to restored health.

Please also pray for a family that lives in another part of the country who will be leaving this Summer. They also have children, so pray for their transition back to the States, as well.

Please pray for each of these families that the Lord would guide them to the life He has for them back in the States. Pray that He will restore them physically, emotionally, and spiritually upon their return as they need.

I have had several good weeks without any major meltdowns. This is a good thing for me. I am thankful for the Lord's constant provision of comfort from His Word. Only He gets me through every minute of every day. I have learned that utter and total abandonment to dependence on Him is the only way I am ever going to make it. But you know, it's a relief to know that He can handle it and I don't have to.

I know this is like a bunch of random statements, but I really just wanted to type my heart to you tonight. Thank you again for your faithful and fervent prayers for me. Now that Spring is coming, I plan to get out and take more pictures so that you all can see more of where I live, so stay tuned!

Ski Retreat

2009-02-19T05:39:00.000-08:00

I am posting to ask my readers for prayer for a Ski Retreat that is going on starting today. I am not a part of it, but I have been attending a Bible Study through the same organization that is putting on the retreat. It is an evangelistic effort for University Students to have invited some lost friends to go skiing and also to hear the Gospel. There are around 15 students on the retreat that do not know the Lord.

Until this week, we had not had snow in about a month. Therefore, only one slope has been open for a while, and this is a concern, considering they need snow for skiing. It snowed here in Bucharest once this week and has been on and off today. While I know that the Lord knows best what is needed at this time, the staff does not want the students to be bored and to think that they are not getting to have any "fun" on their retreat. My prayer is that the Lord will provide snow, but more, if He chooses not to provide snow, that the time that would have been spent skiing will be spent for lost students asking questions and hearing more about the Gospel.

Please pray for safety for travel for these students and also on the mountain that there will be no injuries.

Please pray that the Spirit will stir their hearts and open their ears and minds to hear and understand the Gospel that is being given to them over the course of the next several days.

Please pray for those students who know the Lord, that they will take opportunities to share with their lost peers on this retreat, and that they will not alienate themselves, but that they will all mingle and have uplifting conversations.

Please pray for the leaders on the retreat that they will be sensitive to the Spirit's moving and that they will be flexible and work with what the Lord puts before them.

....thank-you for joining me in prayer this week.

Counting My Blessings...

2009-02-10T12:35:00.000-08:00

Ok so I haven't blogged in a while, mostly because I've been too lazy to try and put in to words what I have been thinking and feeling the last few weeks, but I will pretend that there's another reason I don't know yet.

Just kidding.

Remember in the Fall when I visited a Bible study for university students? Well I have been back now, twice in a row, and I'm really liking it. I'm meeting some people there and beginning to make friends. One of the young ladies on staff with the organization that holds the Bible study is in the small group that I'm a part of on Sunday nights through my church.

Oh, I just have so much to tell.

I've gotten involved in a small group on Sunday nights through the church that I have been going to here. It's really a nice time for fellowship and studying the Word more intimately with a smaller group of people. There are people from several walks of life in our small group. It is held in the home of some missionaries, who actually also work for the organization that the university student Bible study is through. There are 4 married couples, an older lady, a single guy and 3 single girls. One of the married couples is the missionary couple. Another one is a young couple who work at a British school here in Bucharest. He is British and she's Romanian. I'm becoming fast friends with her, and hope to be able to spend some time getting to know her outside of our small group. She told me one evening that all she does is work and then go home and cook and clean, and she really desires to make friends. She is my age, and I think this could be a good thing.

One of the other single ladies is a teacher at the local MK school in town. She's been here for about 5 years.

So as I said, the other single lady is on staff with the university student ministry that I'm hoping to partner with in local ministry opportunities when I have "down time." She invited me over to her apartment yesterday afternoon for lunch, and I visited with her and with another young lady that's on staff. They asked me about my growing up as an MK and about my testimony, including how the Lord called me to Romania. I enjoyed hearing their testimonies and just being around more examples of single ladies who are just doing life with the Lord and serving Him. They do a great job with the university students. I hope to be able to visit with them some more.

Amanda (congrats on sweet Annabeth, by the way!!), I will say that all of these new friends that I'm making are a direct answer to your prayer that the Lord would make people here as precious to me as those I left behind in Irving. I am certainly seeing His hand in this.

Funny story...so this evening I was at the student Bible study, and they offered my some tea. Well of course I accepted, but I set the mug on a shelf kind of behind me to let it cool. As I was talking to some girls, they asked me how one earth I had learned Romanian so quickly. Of course my answer is almost always automatically that I speak Spanish fluently, and that that helped a ton. One of the girls got so excited and started speaking to me IN SPANISH. She's Romanian, but she has studied Spanish and told me she feels called to go to Peru. So we agreed that she could practice her Spanish with me, and this is good for me, too, since I've had the fear that I would forget my Spanish while I'm here. This girl also goes to the church I go to, and I had seen her before but never talked to her. She sings in the choir and often recites Scripture during Worship. Yes, I said recites, not reads. I can tell that she has a true love for the Word and strives to hide it in her heart.

So back to my tea. Remember I put it on the shelf? Well this girl got so excited that I spoke Spanish, and I got so excited to speak Spanish to her, that I turned to put my tea back on the shelf after checking if it was cool enough for me to drink, and IT TIPPED OVER, FELL OFF THE SHELF AND SPILLED ALL OVER THE FLOOR.....RIGHT AS WE WERE GETTING STARTED. I was so super embarrassed, but oh well. What could I do??

Ok...what else??

I have been offered the opportunity (and accepted) to talk to the Seniors at the local MK school about re-entry in to the States and what it's like to live there for college, and just about my experience in college after being an MK. I'm really looking forward to this opportunity and hope that I can be of some help. I've always wanted to work with MKs and I think this is a good opportunity for me.

I am also currently helping a sweet 9 year old with her 3rd grade math 3 days a week while her mom teaches her brother his Math. They home-school, so I think it's a big help to them. Who'da thought that I would ever end up "teaching" Math?? I'm really enjoying it and am having fun working with her and helping her learn the essential basics of Math.

Ok so now that I've written a novel about what I've been up to, I will leave you. I'm off to bed and hopefully will get up in time tomorrow morning to go do some more Math!

20 Things That I Love About Romania, and a Few Things I Don't...

2009-02-06T10:03:00.000-08:00

I love....
1. Public transportation
2. My apartment, though I miss having roommates
3. The mountains
4. When my internet works
5. Cooking more than eating out
6. Public transportation
7. Walking wherever public transportation doesn't take me
8. The piata where they sell fresh fruits and veggies
9. The church I'm able to be a part of and the small group I've been going to
10. Public transportation
11. The language and the fact that I've been blessed to learn it not perfectly, but quickly
12. New opportunities that are presenting themselves
13. Did I say public transportation???
14. That I've lost weight since I got here...Maybe by the time I'm done I will be back to my pre-college weight
15. New friends
16. When it snows
17. Beautiful days like today, when the sky is blue and the sun is shining...in what is supposed to be "the middle of Winter"...
18. Spiritual growth that I have experienced
19. That I'm not the only person that plays games on my cell phone on the metro
20. Oh yeah, and public transportation...

I don't love...
1. Nasty stuff on the sidewalks
2. Feeling like I have to push people out of the way in the grocery store
3. Getting pushed out of the way
4. When people talk fast because they think I'm fluent in their language
5. Not having roomies
6. When my internet doesn't work

My Prayer Update

2009-01-26T12:25:00.001-08:00

Friends,

I have been in Romania now for more than three months. I can't believe it.

I finished language a couple of weeks ago and have since begun working on some mobilizing of students and preparing for one group that is on the way here in May for three weeks. I got 100 on my language evaluation, and I'm thankful for the gift of the language. Now if I just had more opportunities to use it, that would be good for me to practice.

I went to Galati (pronounced Galats) the weekend I finished language. Galati is a city in Eastern Romania close to the border with Moldova and Ukraine. I was very encouraged by what I saw my colleagues doing there and am excited to be able to hopefully work with them some during my time here.

Thank you for your consistent prayers for me and I ask that you continue lifting me up. I have seen the Lord work in my life in many ways over the last three months and I know it is because of your prayers for me.

I will be meeting this week with my new supervisor and talking about some options for me to be involved in ministry here in Bucharest. We are having a lot of changes in the whole organization as well as a change of personnell here in Bucharest. A lot of coming and going of people is happening within the next few months and I'm sure that this will pose a change in the dynamics here in Bucharest, which may not be a bad thing.

I apologize for not keeping you all updated as I should. Hopefully some super exciting things will start happening soon and I will be able to keep you more up to date.

For now, please join me in praying for all of the changes going on in the IMB as well as here in Romania. Also please pray that the Lord would be clear with me in showing me His purpose and plan for me here in Romania and how He intends to use me in impacting lostness here. Pleas pray for the students that He is calling to join us here in ministry. Pray that they would hear the call, recognize it, listen to it and obey it.

Blessings,

Angela
http://2yearsinromania.blogspot.com

The last couple of weeks...

2009-01-14T00:42:00.000-08:00

God has certainly blessed me already in 2009. I have never seen His hand move in my life in such a short amount of time than just the time between Christmas and now.

I made it through Christmas, like I said, without any major crises. He was truly good to me. And then He blessed me with a fun relaxing time with friends, which I posted about a couple of weeks ago.

Soon after that, He handed me some friends here in Bucharest.

I finished language last week. I scored 100 on my evaluation, which is crazy. I had never tried to learn a language before now, since Spanish comes as naturally as English, and I learned both of those at the same time. Romanian has come easier to me than I expected, and the great advantage of having Spanish is that it helps immensly with my pronunciation as well as understanding concepts in the language that don't make sense to those who speak only English. For example, I understand the concept of masculine and feminine (though it threw me off when they threw the neutral in there), and I understand the conditional form and how it is to be used, as well as the subjunctive. Some lessons, my teachers would tell me that Americans have a hard time with this, and it usually doesn't come until the next book (which I wasn't going to get to), but they would teach it to me anyway. More often than not, my response was, "we have that form in Spanish, so I know what circumstance I need to use it in." Now I don't have any excuse not to use my language. I'm thankful for this gift.

On Friday, I heded East to Galați (pronounced Galats), on the border with Moldova and Ukraine to see what's going on out there as far as ministry goes. I came back so encouraged. The team out there has a very specific plan that has cost a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to get off the ground, but after almost three years is picking up momentum. I was tempted to stay there and not come back to Bucharest because it got me so excited for what's going on out there. Major props to the Galați team. I think I can honestly say that after catching their vision, my life and thinking of how to do ministry in Romania, and Europe in general has completely changed. Not that I had any thoughts on it before, but I will say, I have seen the light. Check out their website if you have time here.

Now I must be off to run errands. Have a great rest of the week, dear friends!

A Breath of Fresh Air

2008-12-30T05:21:00.001-08:00

The Lord knew what I needed, and provided abundantly this past weekend. One of my friends from training, who is serving in Poland, as well as a team mate of hers came to Romania to visit. She came to visit me, and her team mate came to visit a guy that works with us in a city about four hours away from Bucharest.

On Sunday, the four of us took a train up to a town in the mountains called Sinaia. There is a beautiful castle there, but it was closed for tours, so we didn't get to enjoy that. We did, however, take a lift up the mountain to a point where people can slide down the snow on sleds. There are a few restaurants up there, and a hotel. We ate at the restaurant in the hotel, and our meal was delicious. We took the lift back down the mountain in time to buy our train tickets back to Bucharest. The next train out of town was already filled, so we had to wait for the 8:40 train, which was about half an hour late getting in. So, that afternoon, we enjoyed a few cups of coffee and a relaxing time in a coffee shop in town.
For some reason, I used to think these kinds of trees only existed on postcards...Boy was I wrong. The veiw from the lift going up the mountain.

The four of us...L-R Angela, Kaylin, John Mark and Justin.

Me!! It was quite surreal.

I think God is the best artist ever. This is looking across the valley at the mountains on the other side.

A ray of sunshine in a cold, snowy forest.
The town of Sinaia is below.

It felt so natural being with my peers. Perhaps because this was my first social interaction with people my age and in my state of life in over two months. Kaylin and John Mark know eachother from working together in Poland, and I had been in some meetings with Justin when I first got here. It is hard to find the words to describe my experience...some of us didn't know eachother well, but we are all in the same place right now. We are all trying our best to honor God and obey Him, to live our calling and to depend wholly on Him for what He has in store for us.

It was good to know that I am not the only one facing the struggles we all talked about, and I was so encouraged by the fellowship we shared. We talked about what God is doing in our respective places of ministry, and a little bit how He has brought us to where we are.

I am refreshed by the breath of fresh air that the Lord gave me this weekend.

Christmas...

2008-12-25T12:34:00.000-08:00

I will be honest. I have been dreading this day since the day I realized I would be spending Christmas away from my family. For six months, I have come near tears just at the thought of this reality.

But Christmas came and it's almost over, and I made it. It was hard not to wake up in my parents' house and go downstairs and open presents and stockings. But I have been beyond blessed at the realization that my brothers and sisters here are celebrating the same thing we celebrate across the ocean.

Yesterday evening, I went with my supervisor's family to a Christmas Eve service that was a joint effort by our church and another church here in town. There were Christmas carols, a skit, and the Word was preached (though I didn't understand much of what was said...). After the service, we and the choir from our church were invited over to our pastor's house for food and more singing. This was my first opportunity to eat some true Romanian food. They had appetizers...ham, sheep cheese, olives and pickles, and then they served what is called "sarmale." It is meat (in most cases ground beef or pork) mixed with rice and condimented, wrapped in pickled cabbage and steamed. It was delicious. It wasn't quite the Guatemalan tamale I have been craving for a week now, but it was very good.

Today I woke up and had a sweet time with the Lord. I read the Christmas story out of Luke and was reminded again, as I have been over and over again, the reason for this day. I made a pie and went over to my supervisor's house for dinner. We didn't have turkey and dressing...what we had was even better. We had fajitas, enchiladas and chips and salsa. It was delicious. They are such great cooks and hosts....and have fed me several meals since I have been here. They gave me a cute candle holder for my apartment, and we played a game. We had coffee and ate dessert before I came home.

And now it's 10:55pm and I made it. Yes, I have wept some, but I have held it together better than I thought I would. I have been overwhelmed at all the notes I've gotten from people that they are praying for me this week. If this isn't evidence that we serve a living God, I don't know what is...because I don't know how I could have done it without His peace and joy today.

Most importantly, we have the privilege of celebrating the birth of a child that would change the course of history, and as I wrote at the beginning of this post, it has been a blessing to celebrate this same event across the ocean.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T13:15:00.001-08:00

My favorite ornament on the Christmas tree at my parents' house in Guatemala is an old round ball, with silk thread wrapped around it and a plastic band with a picture on one side and the chorus of a song on the other side. I don't know how old the ornament is, but I know for sure we have had it for as long as I can remember. The picture on one side is of a child at the manger, perhaps a young shepherd. The other side has the chorus of my favorite Christmas song. It is a very old song, and I don't know that I've ever heard it sung in the States, but we used to sing it at home when I was little, and we also used to sing it in Spanish. You might know it...

Thou didst leave Thy throne, and Thy kingly crown,
When Thou camest to earth for me;
But in Bethlehem's home there was found no room
For Thy holy nativity.

Oh, come to my heart, Lord Jesus!
There is room in my heart for Thee.
Oh, come to my heart, Lord Jesus, come!
There is room in my heart for Thee.

When the heavens shall ring and its choirs shall sing,
At Thy coming to victory,
Thou wilt call me home, saying, "Yet there is room,
There is room at my side for thee."

Oh, come to my heart, Lord Jesus!
There is room in my heart for Thee.
Oh, come to my heart, Lord Jesus, come!
There is room in my heart for Thee.

Merry Christmas, friends.

May your day be filled with the joy that only He can give....

8 Things

2008-12-18T00:02:00.000-08:00

My friend Krystal tagged me for this, so here goes....

8 TV shows I watch...
1. The Office
2. Lost
3. The News
4. How It's Made
5. House Hunters
6. Amazing Vacation Homes
7. Ace of Cakes
8. The Tonight Show (sometimes)

8 Things that Happened to Me Today...
1. I woke up to my alarm and proceeded to set it for 30 minutes later
2. I had to walk up to the 8th floor in to my colleague's apartment because the elevator wasn't working
3. I paid my electricity bill
4. I went to language for the last time in 2008
5. I found a bookstore that sells English novels
6. I saw a dancing Christmas tree...it was better than the dancing Santa...
7. I heard people speaking English on the metro 2 times today
8. I went down to the visa office to see what I need for turning in my visa applications tomorrow

8 Things I Look Forward to...
1. My first white Christmas
2. Greece in 2009
3. Ladies' retreat in Poland
4. Being able to play with my niece when she is older
5. Eternity
6. My friend coming to visit from Poland next weekend
7. New experiences
8. Making new memories this Christmas

8 Things I Wish For...
1. To be with my family for Christmas
2. To be fluent in Romanian
3. Some black beans and rice with corn tortillas and avocado (just thinking about it makes my mouth water...)
4. Abundant, affordable travel
5. Laundry to wash, dry, fold, and put itself away
6. My upstairs neighbors not to vacuum at midnight
7. A Guatemalan Christmas Tamale
8. Steady, dependable high-speed internet service

8 People I tag...
1. Elise
2. Erin
3. Jenn
4. Kaylin
5. Gilda
6. Claire
7. Ashley
8. Mary Ann

Christmas Update

2008-12-15T10:23:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,
Thank you for your prayers over the past few months already. They mean the world to me, and I have felt them.

Moreover, I have felt the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, as it has become more difficult to not just give up and book a flight home for Christmas. Each day that passes, I am falling even more in love with the Christmas story and what December 25th really signifies. I wonder what would happen if December 25th came and went one year without any Christmas lights, trees, fireworks, presents and loved ones to be around. Would we still remember and more importantly celebrate the birth of our Savior? I pray we would.

Don't worry. This is not how I will be spending my Christmas. I have lights up in my apartment, a Christmas tree, I hear they do fireworks ("artifici" in Romanian) here, I will soon be ordering some gifts online for family, and will be surrounded by brothers and sisters in Christ on that day. It is a new experience for me spending this time with new people, in a new place, making new memories. When I begin to even feel a hint of nostalgia, I meditate on the real reason that this time of year is special, and I challenge you to do the same.

As this year comes to an end, I would like to praise the Lord for getting me where I am. I'm thankful for the calling He has placed in my life, and for His faithfulness in fulfilling it. I praise Him for being with me day in and day out, and for the new level of intimacy with Him that He has brought me to already.

I would like to thank you again for supporting me in prayer. Moreover, I would like to thank those of you who have contributed this year to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. 100% of this offering goes towards the support of people like my colleagues and me all over this globe. This offering is our financial support and helps to provide housing, medical insurance, transportation, and education for those with children.

Merry Christmas, dear friends.

Woe is Me...and a shout-out to First Irving

2008-12-08T02:50:00.001-08:00

I have been without high-speed internet and confined to dial-up now since Wednesday evening. It's so interesting how we get so spoiled with the advances of technology and then once we know how much better "better" is we feel like we are back in the stone-ages when we are thrown back just a few years in the area of technology.

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Quick update: I'm actually starting to recognize people now at church and talk and converse with them. I think my visit to the student Bible Study last Tuesday night helped that a lot, since a lot of the students that were there go to my church.

Friday was a beautiful day. I took a nice walk to the mall and back. It is a good 30 minute walk either way, so I feel like I got in plenty of exercise, as well.

I have been catching/keeping up with my pastor's sermons back in the States. It's such a blessing that they podcast them so that I can keep up. After hearing a sermon in Romanian and barely understanding the gist of it, it's nice to hear God's teaching from a voice and language I recognize. I love my church back in the states with my whole heart. I never thought I'd find a church in the States (being in an American church for one year at a time or less every four years was not the best thing for my perception of American churches...) that I would love so much. That body of believers has been one of the hardest things for me to leave behind during this time. There's nothing like being a part of the Body of Christ and having that fellowship. But I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that they support me in prayer 110% and are very very missions minded, and I could not be more thankful for that.

Yesterday my supervisor's wife was able to attend church for the first time in almost 6 weeks. She has had severe back pain and I remember her saying, "it's so good to be here." That's how I felt every time I walked through the doors at First Baptist Irving, especially after being gone for a few weeks. I can't wait for that feeling again in a couple of years. Oh I can't wait.

Do I have to have a title?

2008-12-03T04:51:00.000-08:00

On the night before Thanksgiving, I met with a very nice Romanian couple who work for Campus Crusade for Christ. I had met them the previous Sunday at church, and agreed to meet with them for dinner sometime during the week to discuss possible ways that I could plug in to their ministry as something local that I could be involved with. This experience involved several "firsts" for me.

The first first was that I had to buy a tramvai ticket. I had not yet ridden the tramvai since the second day I was in country, and that was with a colleague and his daughter.

The second first was that I rode the metro to a stop I had never gotten off at before. And since it gets dark here by 5 now, it was dark when I came out. Fortunately, though, I had asked for specific pointers as to which direction the tram needed to be going for me to go the right direction after I got out of the metro.

The third first of that evening was that I got on and off the tramvai at the right place going from and back to the metro. Since I wasn't familiar with the area, and knew that I was going to a mall, I decided to go a little early so that I could backtrack if I got lost, and so that I could look for some cold-weather shoes (aka boots, not snow boots) since I'd been kicking myself for not packing the ones I left in Texas. They wouldn't have fit, anyway, and this was a good excuse to buy new shoes, anyway :). I was praying the whole time that I would be able to fall in love with some that I could afford and that would meet my semi OCD attitude towards having to match my black shoes, belt, and purse, even though I know it's not a big deal anymore. The Lord was more than good to me and I found a black pair and a brown pair that both were very affordable, especially since they were having a great sale. And now my toes and ankles can stay warm during the next months.

I had a very nice dinner with this couple. They practiced their English and I didn't practice my Romanian. But it was ok that way.

On Saturday, I went again to the big Sam's like store and was able to buy a Christmas tree and some decorations. I think I deserve a Christmas tree. Turns out I didn't buy enough lights, so I had to go to the market the next day and buy some more, but that was a good, fun experience. I think I might go back. Here's my Christmas tree...the picture is not very good because I am not super creative with taking pictures, but maybe during the next few weeks I will produce a better picture. This should do for now:

I also strung lights up around my windows since I don't have curtains. I think it gives a nice touch.

Monday was a holiday and they had a Military parade in another part of town. I didn't have class had intended to go to the parade, but decided against it. It was such a foggy and cold day, and I had not just stayed home all day in a very long time. So that's what I did. I stayed home. I finished decorating my tree, watched DVDs and made peanut butter balls.

Yesterday my language teacher canceled class because she has had a cold now for over a week. So I decided to go to a Bible Study for university students that is put on by a different organization, not mine and not Campus Crusade. Several of the workers for this other organization go to my church. I have wanted to visit but just had not gotten around to it. I really enjoyed myself and I think I'll go back. It was a good chance for me to meet some other people and also to fellowship. I hope this is somewhere I can plug in and be able to serve, as well.

That's all for now, folks. I'm not going to go wash my dishes because my hot water is out for 12 hours today...until 8 pm, but I'll find something to do!

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T13:08:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope you all had the opportunity to spend time with your family or loved ones, and were able to make new memories. Some of my favorite childhood memories are from Thanksgivings past, and I treasure them like none other. This has been my first Thanksgiving away from my family...mom, dad, brother, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. But I was able to make new memories this year, and I'm so thankful for that opportunity.

I had dinner with a family that I work with and a man who also works for our mission, whose wife is in the States being treated for some back problems she has been having. After a delicious Thanksgiving Dinner, in which I am proud to say I did not over-stuff myself (!!!) and some Pumpkin Pie and coffee, the family and I went with another family to the Ballet to see The Nutcracker. It was just beautiful. The only recollection I have of ever having previously seen The Nutcracker, was on video at my grandparents house when they lived in Honduras, and I was not yet old enough to appreciate the fine arts. I preferred to watch "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" several times a day for two weeks in the Summer than to watch a long video that only contained dancing and classical music. If I had only known what I was missing..... But I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to experience it now as an adult, and at a live performance in a place where it is a cultural event to go to Ballet and Opera performances. I might as well be in Heaven, because I have grown to love the Theatre.

And yes, I spelled that t-h-e-a-t-r-e.

Anyhow, I got told to put my camera away shortly after the first act started, so this is the best I got...

On another note, I wanted to mention a few things for which I am thankful this year...
-a very, very supportive and loving immediate and extended family
-my calling, though it's difficult at times
-a sweet group of girls that I got to share my life with during College, and who I still get to talk to on a regular basis
-an amazing mission family in Guatemala, Nicaragua (and other places in Central America) who I consider to be aunts, uncles, and cousins
-a new mission family here in Romania and across Europe
-the comfort in knowing that He is in control of all things, and as so many have heard me say in the past, in the end, "it'll be o.k."
-this might be silly that I don't ever listen to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving, but I'm thankful that tomorrow I can listen to Christmas music
-for the opportunity to make new memories during this Holiday Season, though it will be tough being away from family for the first time
-knowing that He will never let me down, and that He is all I need
-for the reason that I'm in Romania...the calling He has placed on my life and that I have no other choice but to obey
-and last but certainly not least, I'm thankful for the reason we celebrate the upcoming months, and that's Jesus Christ and the Salvation that we are offered because of His ultimate act of obedience that we might spend Eternity with Him.

Dear Snow, are you coming or not??

2008-11-22T13:04:00.000-08:00

It seems as though many of my colleagues in countries around Romania (Hungary, Ukraine, Poland, etc.) have gotten snow today. We had a "wintry mix" as the weather people like to call it, but nothing stuck.

So I wonder, is God just having mercy on this poor little Texas girl who grew up in the Tropics and holding off as long as He can as far as the snow goes, or is He just saving it all up for one great big huge snow so that I can experience my first real Winter to its fullest?

Just a thought....

This is what I brought my groceries home in...

2008-11-18T12:40:00.000-08:00

...and I felt like all the 60-year old ladies that bring their groceries home in that, too. It has wheels on the bottom so I can roll it behind me....so it was way better than trying to carry the groceries in stead of just rolling them along like it were a suitcase and I was in the airport.

Saturday...

2008-11-16T09:50:00.000-08:00

**This post may be a little bit disturbing, but my desire is to be real and transparent about things that I see here. I promise, though, the disturbing story has a "happy" ending**

Last weekend, when I was in Craiova, I was told about a shopping center off of one of the metro stops, so on Saturday, I decided to do some exploring. I asked my language supervisor exactly how to get there and she told me. I found the place without any problems. To give it the best description, it is like a market. There are shops everywhere that are owned by different people, but a lot of them sell the same things...Much like markets in Central America or I'm sure around the world...minus the produce. I wandered around for a couple of hours and made a couple of purchases. Then, I ate lunch at McDonald's, because I had another stop to make.

I decided to go down to another metro stop where there is a mall. It's the same one where I had the produce fiasco. I had been told that there is a Christian bookstore somewhere on the piața close to this metro stop, so I walked all the way around the park in the inside of the intersection to see if I could spot the bookstore. I found what I thought might be it, but wasn't sure.

I was across the street from the building that it was in. The building (like most of the buildings here in Bucharest...) was at least 7 stories tall, and had billboards across the top of it. I saw a crowd of people looking up across the street toward the top of the building. Right by the building, there were a couple of ambulances and a fire truck. I looked up to see what people were watching, and there was a man standing on the ledge at the last floor above the building. He had climbed over the railing and was just stainding on the ledge. It was obvious that he was a homeless man who was high on shoe glue. Unfortunately, there are many people (grownups and children, both) who live on the street that sniff shoe glue. This is not the first time I have encountered this tragic way of life....they have them in every city I've lived in outside of the US (and probably in Dallas, too...).

My first instinct was to panic and walk away because I didn't want to see him land on the hard concrete 8 floors below if he jumped off the building. But it was like a trainwreck...you can't stand to watch it, but you can't stand to tear your eyes away, either. I called my language supervisor and asked her exactly where the bookstore was, and she told me. I found it...it was on the bottom floor of the building that everyone was staring at, and it was closed. While I was on the phone with her, I told her about the man on the building and asked her to pray for him, as I was doing. By this time, there was a police man or security guard on the other side of the railing from the man talking to him.

Since the bookstore was closed, I went back across the street where people were watching. Shortly after, the man turned around, climbed back over the railing, and ran off across the roof. There's no telling how long he had been up there before I got there, but at least 15 minutes passed from when I first spotted him to when he got himself back to safety.

I guess the point of my story is that even in the midst of opportunities I have to share the Gospel, there are people who have no home, no food, no money, and no hope. The shoe glue that they sniff alters their thinking (duh), and causes them to do crazy things like stand dangerously 8 stories above hard concrete without the protection of a rail between them and the chance that they could fall to their death.

Please pray for those who seek warmth and the sensation of a full stomach from the chemicals that they inhale. Pray that someone will seek them out and get them help. Pray that this man might one day find hope that is the reason he did not fall to his death on Saturday November 15, 2008.

I was floored....

2008-11-14T11:45:00.000-08:00

I have two language teachers. I have them each for six hours a week, a total of five days a week. Monday thru Friday.

Today, my Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday teacher started out our time with conversation. We were working on using the conditional tense (as in "I would...if..." etc.) and she asked me three questions. The first question was what would I do if I were president for a day. The second question she asked me was what would I do if I were a man for a day (to which I replied I really don't want to be a man for a day, but I would probably go play Soccer or something...).

The last question was a blessing that was dropped in my lap by the Father. She asked me what I would do if I knew that today was the last day of the world. First I was speechless...convicted to the bone. To my knowledge, she is not a believer. My answer was that I would make sure that everyone around me knew that knowing their eternal destiny is very important and that I would do my best to tell everyone how they can know their eternal destiny. She then proceeded to ask me if I knew my eternal destiny and of course I said yes. She asked me what it was and I told her that I know that I will be spending eternity with Jesus in Heaven.

As these questions kept coming, I was more and more blown away. But that was not all. She asked me what my beliefs were and how I knew for sure that I was going to spend eternity in Heaven with Jesus. In broken Romanian, with some words that I did not know in Romanian, basically I was able to tell her that I believe that Jesus died for my sins because that is the only way that humanity's relationship with Christ could be restored because of the sin that Adam and Eve committed in the Garden of Eden.

On one hand, I feel like I blew it because if it had been in English or Spanish it would have been so natural and easy for me to explain this to her. But since this really was conversation practice I wasn't able to explain to her the full extent of it. I was praying the whole time, though, that the Holy Spirit would give me the words that I needed to get the point across.

After this, she proceeded to ask me what some of the fundamental beliefs of "Baptists" and what was the difference between Protestants and Catholics...in stead, I told her the fundamentals of Protestants (we read the Bible for ourselves and don't need a priest, we pray in Jesus' name directly to the Father and not through saints, we are saved by grace through faith lest any man should boast, we don't venerate the Virgin Mary, we don't pray to saints, we don't believe that Saints can do miracles, we don't pray for the dead, we don't believe in Purgatory, etc.)

As I spoke, she wrote down words for me that I didn't know how to say in Romanian that I guess she knows that I need to know how to say if I am to share the Gospel.

For me, this was huge. It's like she asked for it. And I didn't give a full out Gospel presentation because my Romanian isn't good enough for that. I just answered her questions. I told her that God works in my life and that I read and obey His word, the Bible. I told her that Jesus has changed my life and that He lives inside me...and that I know for sure that I will be spending eternity with Jesus.

Please go to the Father with me and pray for my sweet language teacher. Her name is Oana and I don't know that she is a believer, or even if she is religious at all. Please pray that I will have more opportunities to share with her about my faith, that I have hope in Christ and Joy in Him and don't simply follow a list of rules. And please praise Him with me for this incredible opportunity...

Craiova and Drăgănești in Pictures...

2008-11-11T01:10:00.000-08:00

This last weekend I had the opportunity to go to Craiova, where two couples with the company work. I went by train to Craiova, which is the main way of getting between cities here. It was much more pleasant than taking a chicken bus in Guatemala, I'm sure, though fortunately I don't recall ever having had to do that.

On Saturday, they took me to one of the towns in the region, about an hour and fifteen minutes away from Craiova called Drăgănești pronounced "Drugunesht."

The beauty of the trip to Drăgănești was that it served two purposes. The main purpose was for me to meet with one of the couples and the team leader of a group of Romanian Ms in the area. These brothers and sisters are full time workers. They are supported by various churches and are dedicated to getting the Gospel to those in the surrounding villages. I was so encouraged by them, just knowing that they have a burning desire for their own people to know the same Joy that they do in the Lord.

I met with their team leader and he told me a little bit about the difficulties of ministering in that area. This is an area in the southern part of Romania, who for many years have constantly been attacked by the Turks, the Serbs, the Hungarians and others. They have lived for generations defending themselves and their territory. Unfortunately, they also defend their Orthodoxy from the True Gospel. That being said, this is some rough ground. Despite this discouraging situation, as I said before, I am so encouraged by the faithfulness of my brothers and sisters who are there plowing the ground day in and day out.

Besides meeting with the team leader and having the opportunity to meet some of the other workers in the area, I had the chance to experience my first Romanian Civil Wedding ceremony. As I said in a previous post, in many countries, only governing officials have the legal authority to declare two people to be legally married. Therefore, the Civil ceremony is a big deal. For Christians, though, it is the legal side and the equivalent of going down to the courthouse to get the marriage license. Except they have to bring witnesses, the governing official has to sign and read them the terms of marriage by Romanian law, and the whole family comes along.

This civil wedding was for one of the sisters in Drăgănești who is marrying a British man. They met when he came from England on a missions trip. He plans to move to Romania and join in the work. They're having a church wedding on this coming Saturday.

Here are some pictures from my trip...

View from the train....It is fall and it has gotten colder, so it is pretty gray and brown, but I thought it was kindof pretty nevertheless.
There is still a little bit of green left...
Another view from the train. It was getting dark, so the reflections in the window were getting more apparent.
On the way to Drăgănești from Craiova. The goats crossed the road, and their shepherd was right behind them.
A Gypsy house. Apparently, they think that the more metal things they have on top of their roof, the more powerful they are. I thought they were kindof cool and looked very interesting.
An Orthodox Icon on the side of the highway.
In the country, you still see horse drawn wagons.
The Bride and Groom are in the orange and the suit to the right of her. The couple next to them are the team leader and his wife, they signed as witnesses to the marriage.
The governing official (I'm not sure if he is the mayor or what...) reading them the Rites of marriage. The girl with the blue and green scarf interpreted since the groom is British, and it was nice so that some of the rest of us could understand what was being said.
He had to sign...
Then she signed...

The whole crew. The couple got tons of flowers, very traditional. It was good that I was there so that I could take the picture of the whole group with everyone's camera. This is also a good picture of the team that I wrote about above. They are all pictured here. Now you can see their faces and pray for them.

Way Overdue...

2008-11-11T00:50:00.000-08:00

I have been terrible about posting photos on the blog, but here are some that I have taken. I struck out and explored one day. The picture above is of the entry way to my staircase up to my apartment...
This has to be one of my favorites. I think this car was parked here before the ditch was dug. There was no way for it to get out of there. Now, the ditch is filled in, but has not been covered over with concrete again, and the car has a flat. It has been there for at least two and a half weeks now...
This is a pretty flower garden close to my apartment. It is also the street-crossing place and the place where people can wait for the tram. There are pretty flower areas all over the city.
Old European buildings....Love them!
Just a little bit of Bucharest traffic. This doesn't even begin to describe what it's like to be in a car here...
The building on the left is the National Theatre. I'm not sure what the building on the right is, but this is from the day that I struck out and explored a little bit.
The day I explored, I passed by 3 Orthodox churches. I think they must have been having 4 o'clock mass, because I heard liturgy coming from all of them. This one was tucked behind some trees and a fence, so I went through the fence to get a better picture of it.
This is another one of the churches that I passed. I thought it was a cool picture. I didn't go inside any of the churches because they were in service.

Out of Town

2008-11-08T23:29:00.000-08:00

I apologize for the lack of activity on the blog, but I have been out of town since Friday afternoon. I am in a city in southern Romania called Craiova, and I'm here to meet with my colleagues as to how I can mobilize students for them.

Yesterday (Saturday) they took me to Draganesti, a town about an hour and 15 minutes away, and I got to see my first Romanian civil ceremony. In a lot of countries (including Central America) the civil wedding ceremony is a bigger deal then it is in the States. It is the equivalent of going down to the courthouse to get the marriage license, but here, only city/government officials have the authority to declare someone married, unlike in the States where ordained ministers have that authority, also.

So the main point of our going to Draganesti was for me and one of the couples I'm visiting with to meet with a Romanian national missionary to see how I can help them to mobilize students. A sister in that town, though, was having her civil ceremony yesterday, so that was just an added bonus. I took a few pictures, which I will upload later. I know I am way behind on picture uploading. That will be taken care of soon, though!

All in all, the trip was fantastic and I am so encouraged by the work and the brothers and sisters I met in Draganesti yesterday. I will post a longer version when I get home, but for now, I just wanted to pop in and let you all know that I'm still alive and breathing. I love you all!

Big Day

2008-11-04T00:36:00.000-08:00

Not to be Captain Obvious or anything, but it is a big day for the United States. The polls will open and thousands will vote. There is always controversy during election season and people allow the stress of not knowing who will be our next President get the better of them, sometimes.

No one knows what the outcome of today's election will be, but I do know this...God is in control and He already knows who our next President is.

Let's trust Him today and take Him at His word in Romans 13:1, "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God."

Whatever happens, we know through God's Word (look at Kings...) that God is the one who raises leaders up and who also brings them down, whether they are good or evil, ultimately to glorify Himself and show His power.

November Prayer Letter...

2008-11-02T10:35:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,

I’ve been in Romania now for more than two weeks. I apologize for the delay in getting this letter to you. I want to thank you all for your many prayers for my time so far. I have been so blessed.
Currently, my main responsibility is language study. I go to the International House, a language school, every day for a total of twelve hours a week. Speaking Spanish fluently has certainly been a big help. It helps with my pronunciation as well as with understanding some concepts of the language that some people who speak only English speakers have a hard time understanding.

I have enjoyed my time here so far. So far I have mastered the metro and getting myself to and from the language school as well as one of the mission properties where some colleagues live and there is a guest house.

My apartment is mostly set up. It has become quite cozy for me and I enjoy coming home to it. This is the first time in my life I have ever had to live by myself. Once I left home for college, I shared a small dorm room with one room mate for one year, and the last three years, I shared a two bedroom, two bath apartment with four other girls. There were five of us in that small space, but thankfully we got along and were (still are) great friends. It’s not often you hear of young ladies sharing such close quarters for so long and still being friends afterwards.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to participate in some training designed for volunteer coordinators as well as in a team meeting for Team Romania. It was weird going to grown-up meetings and not having an option. I enjoyed the meetings, but like I said, it was strange having to go to the grown-up meetings.

I enjoyed getting to meet the rest of my colleagues here in Romania and am excited to get to know them and their ministries here. This upcoming weekend I will be taking my first trip out of town to spend some time with two couples who work together in the city of Craiova. I will be talking with them about how I can mobilize students for them and how they can strategically use students in their work.

I have found a church to go to and I think I will really enjoy it. I have met a few people there, and hopefully will be able to get involved in some of the University Student ministries in town, one of which is out of this church.

I invite you now to Praise the Lord with me for these things…

-For getting me here safely with all of my luggage
-For a great first two weeks in the country
-For advancement in language

Please join me in praying for these things…

-That I would continue to advance in language, that I would have courage to not only speak it in the classroom with my instructors, but also to get out and use it in public
-That I would quickly find ministries to be involved in
-That I would begin to build meaningful relationships
-For safe travels as I begin to visit colleagues
-For my visits with my colleagues, that they would be fruitful and that the Spirit would be clear as to how students could be instrumental to the work

Thank you again for all of your prayers. I appreciate each and every one of you for being faithful in joining me through prayer.

Love,
Angela

It's Wednesday...

2008-10-29T06:19:00.000-07:00

And I've almost been here 2 full weeks.

Language is going as well as it could be, I feel like I'm progressing in class, however I lack the courage to walk up to someone and ask them if I can practice with them. My goal by the end of next week is to have found 3 or 4 people that I can practice with on a daily basis. I have in mind a few people/places I can stop at between my apartment and the metro station, so we'll see. Please ask that I would have the courage to do this. This is very hard for me, a perfectionist, knowing that I will make mistakes, being the one that people came to for proofing grammar on papers in both English and Spanish for several years.

On Friday afternoon last week I had a doctor's appointment for a physical. Basically it is a requirement for my visa, just to prove that I'm not a risk to the public healthcare system. So in stead of coming straight home from language, I got off at one of the metro stops where there is a McDonald's inside the stop. I managed to order a "Menoul McChicken cu Coca Cola." The place was so crowded, so I found a table that was not taken, but it shared a booth seat with another table that was taken by two college boys. When I recounted this experience to someone, she told me it is perfectly normal to share tables in fast food restaurants here in Romania. Whew.

Well that's not all. The two college boys got up and left about half-way through my meal, and then their spots were taken by two college girls and a guy. They ate their food as I ate mine, and when I was finished with my meal I got up to leave. Well, my tray apparently wasn't securely on the table, and my bag knocked it and somehow catapulted my McChicken box into the air and onto the bench next to the Romanian girl! I was so embarrassed!! She just kindof waved her hand at me and I think said it was ok and handed me the box. I hightailed it out of there and didn't even check to see if anyone was laughing. I doubt it, though...more to come on that.

This weekend I had quite an adventure. Saturday morning the family that lives closest to me came over to put together the dulap (wardrobe) for my bedroom. This way I could get my clothes out of my suitcases and where they belong! That afternoon, they took me to a big store called Metro (it's like Sam's or Costco in the States and like PriceSmart in Guate). I was able to find a printer/scanner/copier for a good price so that I can print, scan and copy things, mostly for work purposes. Then, they took me to a really fancy mall where I was able to buy an internet router (which I have yet gotten to work...). We walked around a little bit and ultimately ate dinner in the food court at Burger King. Yes, I'm embarrassed to say that the only 2 times I have eaten out so far have been in American Fast Food restaurants (which 100% of the time are better in 3rd world countries than they are in the States...).

Sunday I went to church. I had been told what metro stop to get off at and how to get there, so I felt like I could do it. Well...I got off at the right metro stop, but THERE WERE 4 EXITS!!!! Well, from the train, there were two ways to go. Had I gone the way I didn't go, I would have been fine. However, I went out an exit that had 3 exits. Does that make sense? Basically, it was an exit that was also an under ground cross-walk. I tried going under and eventually came out of all 3 of the exits, but still couldn't figure out which direction to go. So I called someone and they told me how to get there....

When I finally got to church, I was so relieved. I thought to myself that I could finally just listen and concentrate on trying to pick up some of the sermon. YEAH RIGHT. The guy that preached was a Romanian who was visiting from New York, and he preached a 40 minute sermon in 20 minutes. I didn't even try. I met some nice people, other GCCs here in town that I hope to get to know while I'm here.

Monday I had 3 hours of language class and it was fine.

On Tuesday (yesterday), I had a short class and I got out at 3:30. So I decided to get out at the same metro stop that I got off at on Sunday and do some exploring. It is in the middle of the city, and there are some really pretty buildings around there. I had planned on doing this already, so I took my camera with me. I'll post pictures later. Well from that metro stop, I walked and walked down a street, and found myself at another metro stop (the one that has McDonald's in it). On the way, I passed 3 Orthodox churches and 1 Catholic church. They were having 4:00 mass in the Orthodox churches, but I didn't go inside. Maybe one of these days I will venture in and sit in on one.

I found myself at a mall that is attached to a grocery store (much like Paiz in Guatemala, or that could be compared to a very minimal version of Wal-Mart). It is a French store that's apparently all over Europe. I didn't have much cash with me, but I decided to pick up some carrots and apples. When I got in line and was being rung up, the girl behind the counter asked me something. I'm almost positive it had to do with having my produce weighed. I got flustered because I had no indication that I needed to have it weighed, especially since in the store close to my apartment they weigh it at the check-out (but it's a different chain). Also, the girl didn't seem very polite at all, so just walked off without anything.

Yesterday I also discovered something that I might regret for the rest of my time here. Everywhere, there are these little Patisseries called Fornetti. I have been curious about the breads they sell, and there is always a line at the one inside one of the metro stations. So yesterday on my way home, I decided to get in line and give a shot in the dark to these pastries. I shouldn't have. Consider me hooked. The item I ordered was fresh out of the oven. Warm, melt in your mouth. What I bought was a little strudel that had cheese in it. It. Was. Delicious. There's no turning back.

So today I found another one of these little stands and tried something else. Bad idea. I'm hooked. More than hooked. Addicted.

That's all.

Why My Head About Exploded...

2008-10-23T10:33:00.000-07:00

So if you have any knowledge at all of the Spanish language (I'll get to Romanian in a moment...) you know that all nouns fall under either masculine or feminine. Thus, the house is "la casa," the white house is "la casa blanca," and the car is "el carro," the black car is "el carro negro," etc. So depending on if the noun is masculine or feminine the article is either "el" or "la," with the exception of very few words like "agua (el agua)," "mano (la mano)," etc. To make the nouns plural you simply add an "s" on to the end of the article and the noun and the adjective if there is one. Easy.

Well, Romanian also has masculine and feminine, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE NEUTRAL. There are different articles for masculine, feminine (not anything compared to "el" and "la") and they are not just converted in to plural by adding an "s" at the end of the words. To throw another wrench in the deal, if the noun is a singular neutral noun, it uses a masculine article. If the noun is a plural neutral noun, it uses a feminine article. Don't even ask me for examples. That would involve me having to walk to the other room and try and decipher my notes from yesterday's lesson. Maybe once (if) I master it I'll give examples.

Throw in definite and in-definite ("a dog" vs. "the dog"), and my head about exploded.

It's ok, though. Both of my teachers have told me that I'm learning very quickly, that I'm the only Spanish-speaker trying to learn Romanian that their language institute has ever had, and that I have perfect pronunciation.

On another note, Monday I got my first realization of living alone (to answer your question, Amanda, yes, I'll be living by myself permanently from what I understand but sometimes I might have company for a bit...). See, I had gone down to the store to buy a few groceries and picked up the only jar of salsa they had. When I went to open it later on that evening, I COULDN'T GET IT OPEN. And there was no one here to open it for me!! So I just put it back in the fridge and hoped someone would be coming over soon that could get it opened. Fortunately, on Tuesday after my big trip to IKEA, someone came over and I remembered to ask her to help me open it. What a blessing.

The Salsa is not Pace's, or from any amazing Mexican restaurant in Texas, but it works.

Ok. Enough for now. Sorry for the long post, I just don't have anyone to talk to :).

Love y'all!

First almost-week in Bucharest...

2008-10-22T07:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm but 48 hours from having been here a full week. It hasn't gone by too quickly, but it hasn't gone too slowly, either. Here are a few things that I can remember so far...
-Friday night I slept about 15 hours. It was great. Went to bed around 9 pm and got up at 12 noon on Saturday. It was beautiful.
-Saturday my supervisor's wife brought me to my apartment, where we met the people in our mission who love closest to me and have been taking care of getting my apartment set up. I walked with some people down to the nearest grocery store so I could have food in my home. I didn't sleep well Saturday night but oh well.
-Sunday I skipped out on church because of the jet lag and all that good stuff. I slept in once I finally got to sleep. That afternoon my colleague and his daughter took me on the metro and showed me my language school.
-Monday...I woke up late. First day of class. I think I'm doing pretty good in my language lessons, but after today's (Wednesday's) lesson my head felt like it was going to explode. I also got a SIM card for my cell phone so I now can communicate with people when I'm not at home.
-Tuesday I rode the metro by myself for the first time ever in my whole life. It wasn't bad since I had been shown already how to change lines and look at the signs and all that good stuff. I met my supervisor's wife at the metro stop nearest their house and she took me to IKEA where I was able to buy a duvet and duvet cover, some rugs, a blanket for my living room and a few things for my kitchen. It was a very successful shopping day. Then I went to class and learned numbers and time in Romanian.
-Wednesday (today) I went to class, my head about exploded, and I came home from class. Then, I went down to the internet office and got the internet turned on at my apartment so that I don't have to run up my phone bill using dial-up. And now I'm loving having fast internet in my apartment. :D.

Hopefully the rest of the week will be pretty chill. Right now, I'm off to see what I can muster up for supper and then homework. Woohoo.

Thanks for your prayers!
Love,
Ang

I made it!

2008-10-17T10:51:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone...thanks so much for your prayers as I traveled over the last several hours. My luggage (all of it!) and I made it to Bucharest just fine. My flight out of Dallas was delayed 4 hours, but I'm thankful to God for allowing me those extra hours to spend with my family. And once I got to my connection I had already been re-booked on the next flight in to Bucharest. Timing was perfect.

God is so good.

Now I'm going to try and curb this thing they call jet lag.

This is the day!

2008-10-16T05:30:00.000-07:00

Well, folks, I fly out at 4:10 this afternoon. Please pray that I will rest on my flight and that I will have some good time spent with my family before I go. My parents got in late last night and it's nice that they are here.
A couple more things to pray for....
-that my suitcases would expand but not weigh more than 50lb each
-that I would be calm in a new airport, on a new continent, and hearing a new language
-that I my luggage would arrive with me and not after me
Thanks for your prayers. I will post when I get there and let you all know I got there safely.

PTL

2008-10-09T18:48:00.001-07:00

So if you were with me for the last 2 months in VA, you heard me say several times that I left my parents in Guatemala and was not going to get to see them again before I hop the pond.

Well I for sure did not know what God had up His sleeve, because they are coming!!! Granted they won't arrive until 10:30 on the night before I leave, but I'm so excited. A couple of weeks were freed up in their travel schedule due to hurricane destruction in the Caribbean, and through a series of several experiments, my mom was able to find some super cheap airline tickets for them to come up! I'm talking the other day there was nothing under $700 a piece for them to come up, so they started looking in to taking a bus. That quickly was becoming very expensive, too. My mom doesn't give up, so she started experimenting with the travel days and times online. Finally she found tickets that totaled about $400 per person round trip...only $100 more for both of them to come up than it would have been for one of them to come up when she had been searching a few days ago!

I'm so excited and thankful that I'll get to see my mommy and daddy even if it's for less than 24 hours before I leave. Fortunately, I don't leave until the afternoon, so I'll have all morning with them.

I don't want to pack...

2008-10-08T12:38:00.000-07:00

So anyone who has moved around a lot or traveled a lot knows that it's kindof a pain to pack and an even bigger pain to unpack. Well, I've been back in town for almost a week and I still have not unpacked from orientation. I know, I know, I need to, but at this point I have so much to do (including unpacking and repacking) that I just want to sit here and do nothing.

I will put in some unpacking time here in a little bit. I need to do laundry, also, which if you know me at all you know that laundry is my least favorite chore of all. I think it has something to do with growing up overseas with household help...

I also am praying that God would multiply the hours in the day because there just don't seem to be enough. Yesterday I had a great day with two of my former roommates. They went with me to the mall as I bought a few last-minute clothes for winter.

My calendar has quickly filled up, and I still have people that I want to see and spend time with. The problem is that once you graduate from college and people get full time jobs, they can't just run out to lunch with you or share an afternoon coffee. So I know that during the time that my favorite people are at work, I need to unpack and do laundry. But again, I don't want to.

I think it is something about having packed my life up so many times I feel like I lose a sense of belonging once my stuff is in boxes and suitcases. Maybe not. Any thoughts?

To sum up this post in three short statements,
1. I haven't unpacked from Orientation, which means that I clearly have not even begun to think about packing for Romania.
2. I need to do laundry, but I just wish that clothes could wash themselves.
3. I need more time. Thank God for the Body of Christ and for the hope of Heaven. Amanda, I completely understand what you referred to when you and Curtis left Irving...

September Prayer Update

2008-10-06T18:57:00.001-07:00

Dear Prayer Partners,

Orientation is over and for the next few days I’m back in Dallas. I apologize for the “lateness” of getting this out to you all, but I appreciate all of your prayers. I have only nine days left in Dallas before I head to Romania.

Orientation came to a close very quickly, but not quickly enough to keep me from getting the bug that went around. Fortunately I got only the mildest form of the 24-hour stomach bug. Aside from that, our commissioning service was a great ending to the two months we spent in sessions.

I would like to thank you for your prayers for my time at Orientation. It truly was a fruitful time of growing in knowledge and my walk with the Lord. I made some precious friendships that I’m sure will continue to grow during the next few years, simply based on the similarity of many of our situations. Thank you also for your prayers for my family. My parents travel a lot due to their job, but they are enjoying themselves. I’m excited to tell you that my sweet new niece, Sahara Xiomara Stamps was born on September 9 healthy and beautiful. Elisa’s labor and delivery went very smoothly. Thank you for praying for that.

As I prepare to get my life into a few suitcases and cross the Atlantic, I would ask you to pray for a few things.

-Please pray that the rest of my time in Dallas would be sweet spent with family and friends.

-Please pray that I would know what is essential for me to pack to take with me and what I won’t really need.

-Please pray that I would be able to fit what I’m taking into some suitcases and that I would not go over any weight limits when it comes time to check my bags

-Please pray for my travel on October 16^th and 17^th as I fly to Romania. Pray that I would adjust smoothly and quickly. I start language classes on the 20^th and will be in class 12 hours a week (3 hours a day Monday thru Thursday).

Thank you again for your prayers. I love and appreciate each one of you.

Quick Update...

2008-09-24T19:47:00.001-07:00

So Orientation is almost over. In one week, I will have been commissioned and I will be getting ready to fly back to Dallas the next day. What a whirlwind this has been. It feels like I got here yesterday, yet I've learned so much. I'm reminded more and more every day that I need to make Him a priority. I'm reminded of it even more when I don't.

Every time I'm put in a new situation, I learn more and more about myself. This time I have been reminded of how God has blessed me to make friends easily. I did not have a hard time making friends when I went to college, nor did I have a hard time in the last 2 months making friends. I know He is faithful, but I still am afraid of what my friend situation will look like once I get to Romania, simply because I won't be taking classes (except language, praise the Lord!).

I guess I'm just afraid of the unknown. In my flesh, I am afraid. I know God is already there, though, and that is good for my spirit. It is not the unknown to Him, and therefore I try not to worry. But my flesh worries. I need to live in the Spirit and not worry. So pray that I will build relationships once I get there with other people my age. There is no one in my city that works for the same organization that I do that is my age. Pray that I would have opportunities to even meet others.

One of my biggest desires (besides learning the language) is to also build relationships with nationals. I don't desire to surround myself only with other GCCs (Great Commission Christians) from the United States. I know that other GCCs will be important for my spiritual growth, especially where Christian fellowship comes in, but I guess my MK instinct is to want to blend with the culture and become part of it.

I know this post is everywhere, but it's been several hours since I started writing...I went for coffee and a wal-mart run in between, so I've had some time to think and come back with a different perspective maybe.

Oh quick request before I go....this nasty 24 hour stomach bug has been going around this place like crazy. I don't normally get stuff that goes around, thank-you to my iron stomach that was developed while living in the middle of no where. Anyway, I don't want to start now. It seems to have a 1 week incubation period after being exposed, 6-8 hours of continuous "getting sick" at least hourly, and then major fatigue...followed by being perfectly back to normal 24 hours after it's showed up. Pray that I don't get it, because I dont'want to be sick on the plane, visiting friends, or meeting my niece for crying out loud.

Thanks friends...I love you all.

Shopping Fun...

2008-09-21T12:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a group of us went down to Willamsburg to the outlet mall there. I didn't plan on getting anything, but when I saw these things and their prices, I knew it was meant to be. I did it only because it was like an act of God. He truly does not want me to freeze during my first real Winter ever...

I found the only pair of snow boots in the women's section of L.L. Bean right in my size. Turns out they are technically men's shoes, but the price was right ($100...they were on sale, people!), they fit perfectly, and I have since learned they are REALLY GOOD snow boots.

I also found an UnderArmour outlet which had base layers on sale, also! Praise the Lord! I will not freeze in Romania! Each item was $30, so I bought two pants and two shirts...and on top of that, since I was spending over $100 in that store, I got a 10% discount! I was really excited about that, too.

The third item that I found were some socks made out of something called smartwool. They are pretty much the best socks ever. They have different intensities of cushion for different activities. I just got the medium cushion for hiking, even though I'll wear them around town under my amazing new snow boots. I figure they'll work. Oh yeah, and they were a really good price, too... $7.95/pair, which normally I would not pay that much for socks, but their usual prices run close to $10-15 a pop.

So there you have it. I will not freeze in Romania. Praise the Lord.....Now if I can only figure out how to get this all back to Dallas without having to pay an arm and a leg for overweight luggage...

I'm an Aunt Now!

2008-09-10T04:58:00.001-07:00

Praise the Lord! My niece was born yesterday afternoon!!! Her name is Sahara Xiomara (Sahara pronounced with the second "a" sound like "ah") and she was 6lb 8.9oz and I'm told perfect in every way. I sill have not gotten any pictures, but I'm thankful for this precious life and already love her so much!

Please pray with me...

2008-09-01T17:24:00.000-07:00

Friends, Please pray for my brother, his co-workers, and students as they deal with the loss of my brother's cooperating teacher in Irving.

My brother teaches 2nd grade, and tomorrow will have to help 30 2nd graders that he and this other teacher team-taught deal with the unfortunate loss of their teacher.

She and her husband, who have been married just over a month, were killed in a car wreck overnight in Dallas.

Here is the link to the Dallas Morning News article

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/090208dnmetcrash.32a228ca.html

Here is the link to the NBC 5 report

http://www.nbc5i.com/news/17358829/detail.html?rss=dfw&psp=news

Thanks so much!

I've Been a Terrible Blogger...

2008-08-31T10:48:00.001-07:00

Well, maybe not terrible, just not amazing, either.

Since I last posted, I've had 2 "shot days," almost two weeks of information overload, and two days of lecture on the Persecuted Church. Wow.

Shot days were weird, because normally in the afternoons when everyone is free, there are children on the playground and people wandering around. Not on shot day. Everyone is told to stay in their quad until it's time to make the walk of doom. No one knows how many or what shots they'll be getting that day. I've been lucky and had to only get one shot so far. I did get the TB skin test, but that's not really a shot...it's just a bubble on my arm. Most people had to get Typhoid shots, too, but since I had a reaction to the Typhoid shot when I was little, I scored and got the oral Typhoid preventative. This consists of 4 pills taken every other day on an empty stomach with a full glass of water an hour before eating. So basically a pre-breakfast appetizer.

We've had several sessions on Church Planting Movements (CPM) and what they look like in different parts of the world. This information is interesting, but a lot of it is hard to process and put in a mold of how it will fit in Romania, or anywhere in Central and Eastern Europe for that matter. We've also had some sessions on how to attempt to start a CPM, and that too is difficult to implement with the cultural and religious implications of where I'm going. I know though, that God is in control and makes a way for His Word to spread to all corners of the world. We get that promise from Revelation.

So the Persecuted Church. Wow. These sessions were by far my absolute favorite so far. The speaker was very dynamic. I won't say anything about the nature of the speaker's job, but it seems like an amazing job that takes very special people to do. I'm sure it's scary at times, too. I really loved listening to these sessions as they were very informative. It made me thankful for the freedom I have to be a Christian and to share my faith and to relate with whoever I want. It also helped me to understand a little bit of what some of the people I may be working with may have gone through during the time of Communism.

Well, with all that said, I'm thankful for the last couple of weeks, and I can't wait for what else the Lord has to teach me. Thanks for keeping up with me. Love you all!

August Prayer Update

2008-08-19T16:24:00.001-07:00

Dear Prayer Partner,

Thank you so much for partnering with me in prayer as I begin this great adventure that is ahead of me. I am so grateful for people like you who love the Lord, love missions, and love me! I hope to share my life with you as best as possible in the upcoming months through these prayer updates and my blog, http://2yearsinromania.blogspot.com .

To start off, I would like to let you know a little bit about what has been going on with me in the last couple of weeks. I am currently at Orientation in Virginia at the International Learning Center. The last few months leading up to this time were spent greatly anticipating the time when I would finally be surrounded by others who share my passion for the nations. Since arriving at ILC, I have learned a lot about what will come up against me once I get to my field of service. We spent Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of the first full week of our time here in sessions dealing with Spiritual Warfare and discussing different ways that the enemy will try to attack and hinder the Gospel from being spread. These were some heavy sessions, and required a lot of patience to get through listening to everything that the presenter had to say. Most recently, we have been briefed on different services that are available to us and have had the opportunity to fellowship with others who will be going to the same region.

As far as prayer requests go, I would like to ask you this month to pray for a few things. First, though I would like to give you a brief description of what the work in Romania looks like and what my job will be. The work in Romania is primarily focused on church planting, but there has been little success reaching the younger generation. Most existing evangelical churches in Romania are dominated by older, pre-communism generation which does not appeal to the younger generation. Student volunteers are frequently used for projects geared toward reaching the young people who are not churched. The students do a good job, and now we are seeking to use them more strategically and effectively.

My job will be to bridge the gap between the church planters in Romania and North American student volunteers. I will mobilize and facilitate the volunteers and help the IMB church planters to develop and implement strategic projects in order to utilize the student volunteers effectively. This work will be focused more on urban areas with the goal of starting and multiplying small groups that will eventually become multiplying churches.

That being said, here are some things that I would ask you to pray for this ministry:

-Pray for the young people who are flocking from the villages to the cities for educational purposes. Pray that my colleagues and I would know how to best engage them with the Gospel in order to have some small groups started.

-Pray for the younger generations of Romanians not to be consumed by materialism but to remain open to the Gospel.

-For God to awaken the Evangelical churches in Romania to have a passion for Christ and for the lost and to be willing to let go of their traditions and legalism.

-Pray for God to call students out from the United States to go share the Good News with their other young people in Romania.

I feel that the Lord has given me this task because He plans to fulfill His purpose through it. I know that I am not able to do this task on my own, and that’s why I need God’s help. This being said, pray for me:

-Pray that I would be receptive to all of the training I am receiving at ILC.

-Pray that I would know who to seek out for expert advice as to how to mobilize students to come join the work in Romania.

-“Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,…” Ephesians 6:19

I would also like to ask that you take some time to pray for my family:

-My parents are on the mission field in Guatemala, and my brother Tim and sister-in-law Elisa live in Irving, Texas. It will be a new experience for my family to be in different continents and hemispheres these upcoming months.

-Tim and Elisa are expecting their first child, a girl, in September. Please pray that Elisa’s

pregnancy would continue to be healthy and that the baby will be healthy, too.

-Pray that I would be able to focus on what I’ll be learning during Orientation when the time comes that my first niece is born.

Thank you again for committing to partner with me in prayer as I strive to live in obedience to the call that God has placed on my life. I can’t wait to share my adventure with each and every one of you.

La revedere! (That means goodbye in Romanian!!)

Thanks for praying!

-Angela

God is still Faithful....

2008-08-07T17:56:00.001-07:00

Friends, one of my concerns heading to orientation has been the requirements about fitness that they have here. Though I played soccer off and on through the years until the end of my Sophomore year in high-school, I am not the most athletic person in the world. In fact, by playing soccer off and on I mean I was the official bench-warmer.

So, since then I have not really kept a habit of exercising on a regular basis, and this is bad. Very bad. I have worked out in the fitness center at DBU off and on through the college years, but never consistently or habitually.

Here, there is a requirement to have 4 hours minimum of aerobic activity each week. For some people that's not a problem...For me it is. So all week I had been thinking in my mind that one of these evenings I would start walking. They told us the other day that if we walk from some flag poles to the gate and back it is two miles.

This evening at the dinner table, I was talking to a sweet girl that is in my small group and in the same living area as me. She mentioned that she was going to walk and I told her I would join her. Y'all...God could not have been more Faithful. We both confessed to each other that neither of us had exercised habitually in the last few years and just talked about it. It really was a blessing because we were able to walk at the same pace and didn't run out of things to talk about. For two whole miles.

It took us almost an hour to do the whole thing and get back to our quad, and as we walked back we looked at the lightning in the distance hoping that we would get back before the storm hits. We made it back and it's still not raining.

Please join me in thanking God for putting someone that walks at my pace to walk with. We made a goal to walk every day at least the two miles. We might even try running eventually, but we're going to try to work up past the two miles before that and get up our endurance. Please continue to pray that we would be diligent in attaining this goal of walking the two miles consistently every day and that the Lord would give us the discipline to build up the endurance to handle more.

Thanks, friends!

Tomorrow is the day...

2008-08-03T19:28:00.000-07:00

Well, tomorrow is the day I head off to training in Virginia. I'm so excited about this phase in the process because it is where I get to finally be around the people I met back in April that shared my passion. There was nothing like that week being so excited with everyone around me, everyone with their heart tendered toward a different place on the planet all for the same cause. The Lord is SO faithful and I know He will continue to be during these next couple of months.

...On a side note, this weekend I attended a Beth Moore simulcast while I was here in North Carolina visiting with my Aunt and her family. My Aunt, Cousin and I went to the simulcast and the Lord totally came through. There are very few people whose teaching I have sat under over these past years who have truly helped me grow. And even though I have sat under Beth's teaching through books and TV and certainly not in person, I know she is a true lover of the Word and strives to teach it accurately.

The Word this weekend was about allowing the Word of God to fall on the good soil of our hearts and to treasure it...She pulled this primarily from Luke 8, the Parable of the Sower, and several other passages throughout Scripture. I know that it was just what I needed heading into this next phase of my life, to be encouraged to continue to love the Word, hide it in my Heart, and press toward the 100-fold Harvest. The Lord knew what I needed, as always....

Enough rambling for now. I must get back to packing.

Headed out soon...

2008-07-24T19:42:00.000-07:00

Soon I'll be headed to Orientation in Virginia. I'm excited to be around people who share my passion. It will not be easy leaving this place I've had to call "home" for the past four years, but I know that what's next is so exciting.

I'm all packed up and will be getting all my belongings out of my apartment tomorrow. I'll also be turning in my key. I have a feeling it will be quite anti-climactic, kindof like my last shift at Starbucks was after working there for three whole years. But it will be sad at the same time. I've lived in that apartment for 3 years and shared it with 4 Godly women who I wouldn't trade for the world (yes, 5 girls in a 2 bedroom apt...only by God's grace are we all still alive.).

They have been my sisters and my best friends. Sure, we've had our moments, sisterhood is not all rosy. But we have loved each other nevertheless and will stay friends for a very very long time.

I know that the Lord will provide other friendships along the way...people who I can trust and share the next chapter of my life with. He has always been faithful to that, every single time I've moved (and that's a lot of times, friends!).

Please continue to pray for me as I finish up these last few days in DFW and head off to training. I'll be visiting some family first, and that's exciting. As I leave this chapter of my life behind, I'll take with it lots of lessons and memories...and the great anticipation of what's to come in this incredible journey called "life."

Welcome!

2008-07-03T11:14:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my Romania blog. I'll be updating this at least monthly with my prayer updates, but I'm sure there will be stories to tell about my upcoming adventures. I'm so glad you're here to share this journey with me, and I ask your prayers as the time draws near for me to leave the comfy life I've had for something new.

I'll be changing the look of this blog in the upcoming weeks, so please bear with me on the design level.