The new year has settled into a rhythm and we're... Back In The Saddle!As we've said before, getting back to Romania and back into the swing of things was both natural and stressful! We love serving our church, serving the youth and their families, and getting to know everyone better. But being less busy is good too! Since Christmas is busy and January and February is a bit like activity detox, we are now settling back into the normal "swing of things!" And as a Texas boy by blood and heart, we used the colloquialism of being back in the saddle anytime we resumed doing something we stopped. We're plugged back into our normal activities and yet every day brings its unique challenges and joys. It's back to regular language lessons, youth trips, youth meetings, Youth for Christ planning, caring for others, doing paperwork for my residency, and... did I mention language lessons? In February we did all the usual, but a couple things in the month stand out.
As always, we're trying to better connect with our partners and potential partners, so we'd love to hear from you about the good and bad of your life also. Please consider this email as your formal invitation to do life with us, and be a vital part of helping us not just do the work here in Slatina, but also grow as disciples of Christ with you! We want to pray with you, for you, and even know that you're praying for us too. Especially as I'm seeking to learn the language better, I don't want to lose any of the connections we have with each and every one of you. Keeping up these connections is important to us! An important part of me learning Romanian is also access to the Romanians I know and love already! I want to know them by name, not just face, and be able to visit them to check in on their well-being. So I recently offered to lead the organizing of a pictorial directory for the church. I believe this will make our service of each other that much easier. We can all play a role in caring for each other better when we can reach out more easily. And if I ALSO benefit by learning everyone’s names, then so much the better. We are so thankful to be here! Prayer, Praise, & People Here's a snapshot of the ministry right now:
SPOTLIGHT: Gabriela Lăcraru
I cannot say that I am totally as the Lord wants. I have times when I fall or the evil one wants to enter my life by all means possible, but I know that these struggles can lead me to victory only with the Lord. I am involved as a leader in the Awana club, where we help children aged 6-14 understand why they need God in their lives and hope that they will receive Him in their lives and even talk about Him with their parents, friends, and so on. It's a big challenge for me and a big responsibility. I want to be an example and lead them on the right path. Thanks so much for sharing a bit of your life with us! If you’d like to see some of her calligraphy work on Instagram, go here! Now it's time for our UNITY QUESTIONS, which I hope people enjoy as much as I do! I appreciate the "slice of life" these questions involve, things that bring us all together, and I know my U.S. people are interested to hear what foods are popular in America that we can't get here. Without further ado...
Thanks so much for allowing us to "Spotlight" you, Gabriela! You are such a joy to be around, and we know you will do great things for Christ and wherever you go in life! If someone you love has shared this email with you, I hope you enjoyed learning about our work, and the people we love here in Romania. Please consider going here to sign up for these E-Newsletters so you don't miss out on what's next! *Gabriela Lăcraru în română...Numele meu este Gabriela Lăcraru si am aproape 17 ani. Sunt la liceu,in clasa a 10a, pe un profil mai provocator: matematica-informatica. Domnul a ingaduit sa ma nasc intr-o familie in care ambii parinti sa fie pocaiti, avand posibilitatea sa aud Cuvantul Lui inca de la o varsta foarte mica, dar nu i-am dat o asa mare importanta decat dupa 13 ani, cand Domnul mi-a schimbat inima intr-o tabara si mi-am dat seama mai bine la 15 ani ca doresc sa Il urmez pe El mereu. Am facut botezul pe 4 august 2019, la varsta de 16 ani. Nu pot sa zic ca sunt in totalitate cum vrea Domnul, am momente cand cad sau cel rau incearca sa intre in viata mea prin tot felul de mijloace, dar stiu ca aceste lupte le pot duce spre victorie doar cu Domnul. Sunt implicata ca lider in clubul Awana, in care ajutam copii intre 6 si 14 ani sa inteleaga de ce au nevoie de Dumnezeu in viata lor si speram ca Il vor primi pe El in viata lor si chiar vor spune despre El si parintilor, prietenilor si tot asa. E o mare provocare pentru mine si o mare responsabilitate. Vreau ca sa fiu un exemplu si sa ii conduc pe calea cea buna.
De asemenea am si cateva hobby-uri: fotografia si caligrafia. Prin aceste hobby-uri vreau sa exprim tot ce face Domnul penttru noi, felul cum a creat fiecare mic detaliu, in mod special copii, bucuria pe care o exprima printr-un zambet e o mare binecuvantare pentru un parinte, asta vreau sa explim prin fotografie, iar prin caligrafie, vreau sa arat oamenilor Cuvantul lui Dumnezeu intr-un mod creativ. Stiu ca aceste talente pe care le am sunt un dar pe care numai Dumnezeu mi le putea da si de aceea vreau sa le folosesc doar pentru a-L slavii pe El si de a le spune si altora despre cat de minunat este Dumnezeu. Si pentru mine, unul din lucrurile care ma pot face sa zambesc cand sunt trista este rasul unui copil.
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December 2020
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