Wow, what a month it has been. As I sit in Albania, in one of the most breathtaking places I’ve ever been, I’m almost at a loss of words for what I’ve experienced so far on this race. But don’t worry, I’ve found a few to jot down here for you all!
In many ways, Romania was hard. The first few weeks there felt extremely heavy. The look in most peoples eyes was distant and cold. I would smile and greet the locals as I passed them on the sidewalks but rarely received any acknowledgment back. As someone who is typically joyful, optimistic, and loves to laugh, feeling the weight of their misery was difficult. Usually I flee from these kind of places and feelings, but I knew God wanted me right where I was. So I stayed. I prayed for days for the heaviness to dissipate and saw moments of happiness but still felt the weight. After some time, it occurred to me to ask others to pray alongside me, and God put my church family from home on my heart. If I’m being completely transparent, it terrified me to ask them for this. Not because I didn’t believe they would do it but because I believe this lie that I’m not really part of “their community.” While I’ve gone to my church for years, I often had work or other commitments that made it hard to attend regularly. I have always felt loved and supported by everyone there when I could go but allowed myself to believe that I was an outsider and not really apart of the community. Thankfully, I stopped believing that lie long enough to send a message in the group chat to ask for prayer. The response from my community was exactly what I needed.
The next morning as I was walking alone, I came across a sad, little, old man struggling to get the frost off his car window using a single fingernail because he had no gloves. I went and stood beside him and ask if I could help, he clearly did not understand any English so I showed him my hand with my glove and made a motion of cleaning the window off. He still looked confused so I just went ahead and used my gloved hand to scrape all the frost off. Immediately the man’s face lit up! He was smiling ear to ear and laughing out loud while saying “da da da,” which means yes in English. He was legitimately ecstatic and had the most hopeful look I saw in a stranger’s eyes while in Romania.
This was the turning point for me. I realized as I walked away that the weight I was feeling before was gone and it never returned. God had answered the prayers of my community and took the weight of the city off my shoulders then used this man to remind me of the hope we have in Him.
The remainder of my time in Craiova was filled with new friendships, laughter, and fun with locals. We had opportunities to play games with students and kids, to share Bible stories, and to provide food for underserved communities. As a squad, we were able to run an eyeglass clinic where we checked patients’ vitals, fitted them for glasses, and then prayed over them. I realized that my heart for these people was so much larger after wrestling with the heaviness they live in every day. Their smiles seemed more genuine and there was more joy in their laughter. I am beyond thankful for my time in Romania and for my faithful church family. I pray my heart never forgets these people and the moments we shared!
If you are interested in partnering with me and the World Race, there are two ways you can join!
- Pray for me and my team. We will be on the field until the end of November 2022 and your prayers are crucial. Please ask God for our safety as we travel, for eyes to see his people as he sees them, for ears to hear, and for the courage to speak life to everyone we meet. And if you are praying for us, please let me know! It’s an encouraging and uplifting reminder when we get to witness answered prayers!
- Offer financial support. If you feel called to support the work God is doing through me and my team as we bring his good news to the unreached, then please prayerfully considering donating using the donations link at the top of my page. I have to raise $18,700 by April 29, 2022 and all contributions are tax-deductible.
Thank you so much for all the prayers and support I have received. This is such an incredible opportunity and I’m grateful that I have so many of you in my corner!
