I'll Walk I'll Run

Through winding streets I walk, I run

By lofty fences, gates of steel

I wonder…of faces hidden inside

~

With wearied looks from weathered eyes

I see hearts of stone & questions why

I ponder…what will chisel the ice

~

So lost, alone and hopeless

They question the reason

For their lives on this earth

~

We only have two hands, two feet

A body that is tired and weak

I question…how hope can usher the light

~

They don’t know what they’re longing for

Or even where the love springs from

Their hunger…only He can fulfill

~

Their stories, lives broken

Hearts empty and longing

For the touch of Your love

~

Your sacrifice the final price

Death had no grip it had no say

Mighty Savior…no love can compare

~

Your truth and love a gift to me

So I can share and I can teach

Holy Spirit…come shine through my life

~

Victory is the answer

Through Christ there is healing

We are children of God

~

Through winding streets I’ll walk and run

Into hearts of stone I’ll pour Your love

Father…come open their eyes

~

With you power use my hands my feet

A vessel may I ever be

Through your love…salvation will come

Artwork of the Creator

Denise singing "gloria, gloria, gloria"

Marianna

My little buddy Razvan

Precious Simona

Sergu

Just wanted to share a few of the beautiful faces I get to see daily. These kids are incredible the joy and love I get to share with them continues to astound me! My prayer is that each one of these children would grow into the young men and women of Christ they were created to be.

Camp Joy

Leading songs for Camp Joy in Lomprit

    Okay so I know the all surpassing question everyone really wants to know is: “What are you really doing in Romania???”  So, I’m going to tell you about Camp Joy, the focus of the last three weeks. Originally camp happened at a camp ground up in the hills. However, when Romania joined the European Union, new regulations restricted the number of children allowed in the cabins (although they seem very adequate and much nicer than the homes the kids come from). This however, couldn’t stop the ministry to the gypsy children, so camp is now brought to the kids. We go to a village or two each week and have camp activities. This creates a program very close to what we call VBS in the states. We sing songs, have Bible lessons, make crafts & play games. However, this is a rare event for these kids. Their churches don’t have a big children’s ministry or Sunday school program where they experience these types of activities often like in the States. So, it is a very exciting time for the kids!

   The camp is organized by Jessica, the oldest daughter of one of the missionary families that has been a big part of God’s work among the gypsy people here (she’ll be a senior in high school this fall). We also have what we call our Romanian team. They are college, high school and middle school students who help run camp. They are also all fairly fluent in English. Some of them are very good translators and help translate for the teams who are here from the States, and help me with my broken Romanian. This is a remarkable ministry that the Romanian students are a part of since there are very few Romanian people who think ministering to the gypsy people is worthy of their time & energy. The other part of the team is the youth team that is here from Virginia. They brought about a group of 15 to join with us for 2 weeks. We go to some of the bigger villages while the American team is here and go to the smaller villages before and after. I think we will have Camp Joy in a total of 7 villages in about 5 weeks.

 Camp Joy is an incredible opportunity to share the truth & love of our mighty God & Savior! These kids are loved and blessed in ways they may never be throughout the rest of the year. The families and communities are so thankful for what we do for their children. It is really an incredible opportunity for us AND the kids. The people are always seeking to bless us. They invite us into their homes and offer us the most comfortable seats (often in their one or two room homes this means sitting on the edge of a bed) they always want to feed us or make coffee for us. It is truly incredible to see the love of God at work in the lives of these people. The blessings of Camp Joy surpass all age or race and reach directly into the hearts of those involved. May God be glorified through it all!

Alexandra playing a relay game

 

The Romanian Team & Me

Damaris teaching the kids the songs & actions

This is My Desire

Set your heart on Christ no matter what distractions!

Psalm 73:25 “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.”

 
Lately I've been thinking about passion. And by thinking, I mean I've been praying for less passion for ice cream and movies and more passion for salad and running! Okay just kidding, but not entirely...

PASSION is defined by dictionary.com as a strong affection or enthusiasm for an object, concept, etc. That put me to wondering what I have enthusiasm for.  What does my heart truly long for? This thought prodded me to look up the word DESIRE: a longing or craving, as for something that brings satisfaction or enjoyment.

I've been thinking about the what consumes my mind, what consumes my time, and what is truly consuming my heart. Questions have been floating through my mind like: Do I spend more time reading novels than the Bible? Do I spend more time thinking about how to feed myself physically or spiritually?  Would I truly rather spend time fueling up for ministry and seeking God's will in my life or would I rather be lazy and watch TV or a movie? What are the true motivators of my heart?

This brought to mind the verse in Psalm 19:14 "May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart by acceptable in your sight O LORD, my rock and my redeemer."


As I read the whole of Psalm 19 I was pleasantly reminded of where my desire and passion should be focused: the Law of the Lord is perfect, the testimony of the Lord is sure, the precepts of the Lord are right, the commandment of the Lord is pure, the fear of the Lord is clean, the judgment of the Lord is true. And ALL these things are much more desirable than gold! More than the most distracting, most beautiful, most precious, most costly, most entertaining, or valuable concept or thing this world could posses! 


So my prayer: that my desires and passions would be focused on the Lord and the glorious abundance of His truth, love, and character. That I would stand in awe of my glorious Savior and be filled with a desire and passion to be so filled with the Holy Spirit in such a way that the flow of His love can't be hindered by language, generation or culture. And right now in my life, that my desires and passions would communicate the glory, love and truth of my mighty God to all the people I interact with here in Romania. (I know, I know, I'm praying for big things, but I have a big God and He's in the business of miracles!)

This pic reminded me to fight thru the distractions!

If you want to check out all of Psalm 19 and see what I'm talking about here it is:
PSALM 19:
The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to the end of the world.
In them He has placed a tent for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber;
It rejoices as a strong man to run his course. Its rising is from one end of the heavens,
And its circuit to the other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.
They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.
Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. 
Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins;
Let them not rule over me; Then I will be blameless, And I shall be acquitted of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, 
O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.

Joy Made Complete

Little Nicoletta never stops smiling!

 This week we had a three day camp at a village called Doh. It is one of the smaller villages, so we only had 15 to 20 kids, but they were wonderful. They were eagerly waiting our arrival each day and excited for each activity.  They quickly caught on to the many songs we taught them & were very attentive to the Bible lessons. Every kid played with all their might at each game we taught them.  They also treasured their craft creations. Beyond all that, they displayed true joy. It kept striking me each day how beautiful and genuine their smiles were.
Their joy could not be suppressed by the lives they live. They had no concern for the dirt on their faces or clothes. The color of their clothes mattered not; the holes in their clothes or shoes couldn't distract. The coughs and runny noses couldn't keep them at home. The shack we met in didn't turn them away. The diaper-less babies still sat on welcoming laps. The joy continued to abound! Their smiles were not hindered by the fact that a third of the people leading camp couldn't speak Romanian. Even beyond this, many of the younger children can't even speak Romanian yet and only speak Gypsy. Yet, frustration was nowhere to be found & in it's place and inexpressible joy.

 God has been pushing and prodding me over the past 6 months regarding the level of materialism I allow to penetrate my heart, mind and life. I've been realizing more and more that my focus can so often sway toward material desires. If I were to measure the amount of time I spend in a day thinking about material things compared to the amount of time I spend thinking about God, His Word, His purpose and His glory I wonder what would be larger? What truly consumes my heart and mind? What is my true focus?
 So, as I spend time with these joyful children I long to learn from them. I desire to seek joy from the fountain of love that never ceases to pour from my heavenly Father. I want to find again the faith of a little child & add to it godly wisdom. I want to sift my thoughts and remove the worldly focus and replace it with more and more truth that comes from the Word of God. I want to learn to remain in the love of my Savior and obey Him with my whole life.
And may the promise of John 15:11 be made alive in my life and yours: "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."

joyful Roxanna

Alex with his ever present joyful smile!

Laughter was always on his smiling lips!