Month 10: Heartbreak & Hope

Hey friends, we’ve finished up the race & are actually home now! How wild is that?! 

I didn’t make a post about the last two months on the field, so today I wanted to share with you a bit about Romania. I truthfully don’t have a ton of words for this month, so most of this post is go into be me asking you to pray hard! I’ll give you some specific prayer requests towards the end, but first I want to share a bit about what this month looked like. 

Our time in Romania was spent serving alongside Hope Church. Hope Churches everyday focus in spreading the gospel & church planting throughout all of Romania. But with the devastating war just a few hours away in Ukraine, they have shifted their focus just a bit. While we were here, we had the privilege of working alongside the Ukrainians that have fled there country, hoping one day soon to return. Hope church has opened up 8 houses, 7 or then long term housing, and one of them transit housing, getting people to more long term housing in other parts of Europe. 

My team & I worked alongside houses 1,2,&3. We took care of their basic needs, as well as came & just became their friends. 

Typically we watch events like this from our TV screens, and our passion dims as soon as the news stops airing the tragedy. Or we go to a museum to view events like this years down the road, getting some kind of emotional high that also leave us just about as fast as we walk out those doors. But this time, these people became my friends. They became the people I shared meals with, had conversations about life with that often left us both in tears, & danced around the kitchen with while we smiled from ear to ear. 

This month was full of moments of absolute brokenness & heartbreak, yet you could still see the Lords faithfulness & the little glimpses of hope shining through. 

We serve the most high God, the most kind God, & the God who sits with us in our pain. That was very evident throughout our time in Romania. 

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PRAYER REQUESTS: 

~ The Odessa Bridge: this is the main bridge from the Ukraine to Romania. We have been nervous to take large groups of people out, because our fear was that the Russians would begin to bomb the convoys of people. Instead of this happening, they decided to bomb their way out. They can still get out, but they have to travel many hours up and around Moldova, which is much more dangerous, because they have to come in contact with the soldiers, which is never a guarantee of anything good. 

~ Pastor Raul & Family: This family has been working all hours of the day and night to make it possible for these Ukrainian family’s have a place of safety to come. Raul is the pastor here at hope church. His faith is honestly incredible, but him and his family are tired! His son Samie & wife Anna have spent weeks now driving back and forth, picking up refugees & transporting them from the border to homes, train stations & airports. Raul & his team have spent months finding housing in Romania & all over Europe for thousands of people. 

 ~ Hope Church: Though the focus has shifted in this season, there are still church services to be planned, youth groups to be held & people to disciple. Endurance is needed, as well as new believers to step up & learn how to cultivate & disciple others. 

~ The Workers are Few: With all of this going on, Hope Church is in need of more short & long term missionaries to come & help. World Race teams have been a huge blessing, but they need more people who are able to stay & actually cultivate deeper relationships for longer amounts of time!