"We Have Clean Water"

In one week our team fed 75 elderly at My Sweet Refuge. Held a medical clinic 3 hours away treating over 100 families. We stayed one night at the Guatemala Ranch, Hearts in Action, picking up over 200 kids for the Jungle School. We helped with a Christmas craft for the children's sponsors, de parasiting all the kids with the help of the missionary Doctor and topped it off with a fiesta for the kids. We made 2 water filters and installed 6 in a village 3 hours away and incorporated it with an education on the importance of clean water.

Our team of 8 also worked side by side with a the local church and the Ministry of Health in the Peten. For our medical clinic we loaded up two trucks and 10 Nationals to assist in treating the families in the village. When we delivered water filters it was in collaboration with the leaders of the village and Ramon and his family from Mount Zion church.

What you don't see is the 100 plus temperatures, 20 people squished in 2 small pick up trucks crossing on a ferry with a semi carrying gas and 6 cars and trucks being toted across a river by a 75 outboard motor. The sounds of 200 kids full of joy piling on top of each other after the pinata breaks, the story of God providing food to feed the elderly, the story of the donation of glasses that helped Dr. Obed at HIA get a piece of led out of a child's cornea, the 12 bottles of Acetaminophen at the first of the month that turned into 50 by the end of the month. The families who no longer have ameba's and parasites after receiving a filter or the baby who is being nursed by other mother's to survive because his mom has no milk.

Thank you Calvary International, YMCA Belleville, My Sweet Refuge, Hearts in Action, Mount Zion Church and YOU! Together we are changing lives around the world!

The Lost Sheep

"Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn't you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, 'Celebrate with me! I've found my lost sheep!' Count on it—there's more joy in heaven over one sinner's rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.

Luke 15: 4-7 (Message Bible)

Over 50 kids showed up for the 6th Anniversary party of Lumina on Saturday. Rebecca and Daniella from Germany were here to help us celebrate. We prepared a skit about the Lost Sheep in Luke and Rebecca was the Shepherd and I was the sheep, Daniella narrated the story.

It held the attention of the kids and after the lost sheep was found they received a message of how much our Shepherd loves us and how he continues to look for us until we are found! He heals our wounds and our brokenness and then brings us back into the fold. He knows our names and never stops calling us even if we are lost.

It was a beautiful message and the kids really enjoyed it. We sang songs and played games. At the end of the program each child received a sandwich, banana, special cake and some candy with juice. They were fed spiritually and physically. I have to tell you that it is a joy to serve these children! There is no greater joy for me than being with these kids!

We also spent a day visiting the homes of these children. Praying with their parents. The conditions are indescribable and no picture can fully grasp the reality. It is a condition of the heart and in the physical it is a mess but the simplicity is very beautiful!

It is as simple as the Lost Sheep! When one is lost we should go and find them and tell them that the Shepherd is looking for them and He wants them to come into the fold! He wants to heal their hurts and pains, He wants to take care of them and most important He loves them and has not forgotten them! In Medgidia there is lost sheep and we are finding them and bringing them in one at a time! Every time one is brought in we celebrate like the party at Lumina!

Thank you for sending me to find these lost sheep!

Together we are bringing them in one at a time!

"Cool Breeze"

It is late in the night and I awake to the small cool breeze coming through the window. I get up and go to get closer to the refreshing air of the night as "cool" is not something I have experienced much of in the past month. I begin to think of these faces and many more as I embrace the cold air and know they are on a bench, under a tree and probably looking for the sun to break so they can get warm! One man's blessing could be another man's curse.

I begin to reflect on the time spent with them, getting to know them and a glimpse of their lives. How can one ever begin to understand a life on the streets, unless you actually live it? Maybe I can't experience but I can take time to understand and get to know them.

One Thursday a group of 9 adults came to the Center that is used in the day for the children. They came to eat, shower and get a bible study and prayer. The Center is a place for people to be fed physically and spiritually. After eating we worshiped and a message was given a Pastor who preaches in the prisons. Then we had quiet time and prayed for the specific needs of each person. Here is their request:

1. One young man's father who has beat him since childhood, and is mute because of the abuse, request special prayer for his father who is sick.

2. Another prays for a job because he does not like living on the streets.

3. A couple prays for a job and housing as they are tired of living on the streets.

4. A young lady prays she will be able to attend school.

These are just a few of the request from the hearts of these everyday faces. People who have dreams and visions for a better life. Just like you and me. Their circumstances, the language, the country is different but the heart is the same.

As another blast of cool air comes through the window my mind races with thoughts of helping their lives change. I look forward to sharing those things with you when I return to the States from September to December. Next time you feel a cool breeze, pray for the homeless around the world, do something kind for them, get to know their heart. Together we can make a difference!

ONE STEP AT A TIME!

Thirty Five Dollars and 3 Months.

Everyday when I leave in the morning and return in the evening I look for these 3 girls who play in the park outside my apartment. Since the day I arrived they have been there several times a week. They participate in the Saturday Lumina program where they come and hear a bible story and then get a sandwich or a pizza from the bakery. However, during the week they stay on the streets begging for food and money.

Eleven year old Mariana carries that baby around on her hip all day and is responsible for her as well as Erica her 4 year old sister. Their matted hair and worn clothes are signs of the poverty and despair they live in. In the past months I found out that they live in the Garden, I don't know where that is or what that means but it has to be near here.

Every time I see them I greet them from a distance and they tell me they are hungry. I go to the nearest store and buy them bread, milk, fruit or yogurt. With $35 that was donated to the mission I decided to see how long and how many kids I could feed. In one month, I not only fed these kids but several others.

Mariana and her siblings always take the food and I tell them that Jesus loves them. They usually take it at a distance, never getting to close, and always have a smile. I tell them to say thank you and pray before they eat and as I walk away they set up their little meal in the park playhouse.

When I was gone for 2 weeks and returned I saw them for the first time at Lumina. Erica ran to me and greeted me with a hug that would melt your heart. She hugged so tight I did not think she would let go! I was surprised as the relationship we have was strictly about the food but in this moment I knew it was so much more than food! I am still moved to tears by the warm greeting. The bonus is that for the first time, Marianna brought her 2 brothers to Lumina.

Thirty five dollars and 3 months, my life and these girls lives have been changed and we both know that love goes deeper than money and food. Words can't express the love I have for these kids on the streets wondering around, hanging out in parks and bakery's asking for food and money.

My time is in the middle here and nearing the end, as I return to the States in September. When I return there will be a clear plan on how, where and when we will be able to feed these kids and their families. Thank you for your love, prayers and support, these kids are just one example of many lives we are changing here. These girls give me hope that we can and are, "changing lives around the world with the love of Christ, one step at a time!"

Flip Flop, Flip Flop!

The sound of my flip flops echoing in the halls, like there is a thousand people following me. Flip flop, flip flop, I hear over the thoughts that are so heavy on my mind. I pray that I can keep composure this week as last week I did not do so good. The hall is bare, stark white, so white that if it was dark you could still see. Each door you pass is closed and has a sign to indentify it's contents. We slow down and greet a few workers as they are used to seeing the folks I came with. The greetings like last week are distant and cold but necessary.

Flip flop, flip flop I hear again as we approach the door. As we open the door the smell of a full diaper pale without a lid overtakes the sounds of my flip flops. However, there is no diaper pale, just 5 babies who slowly try to see who is in the room from their cage like cribs. There is one baby who can stand and she stands to here feet hanging on to the rail that the paint has been chewed off, and begins to rock in anticitpation for the musice she knows she will hear. Charlotte and Ron bring a CD player and play music for the children. You forget the stinch of 5 babies lying in dirty diapers as those dark eyes stare you in the face as you look down on them. Eyes that you can still see in your thoughts long after you are gone.

They are big enough to reach for you but they don't reach as they have poor muscle control and don't know that they should. We quickly notice the four from last week, in one room, has become 5 as one more baby has been added since our last visit. She shares the crib, her head, feet and hands are big and her belly protrudes, a sure sign of neglet and malnutrition. As I lift her out of the crib, her body is like a wet noodle, this is a baby who has been laying on her back quite sometime. I choke back the tears and try to think of the good reasons I am there and not think of the terrible conditions she was in. I can tell by looking at her that she is older than she looks, probably 12 months or more. I lay her on the table and and begin to exercise the legs and arms and speak to her, she is motionless and allows me to do all the moving just staring at me with a blank stare. I pray for her under my breath with each movement, and it takes everything I have not to cry out for this little one.

As I lay her back in her crib, the mother and grandmother come in to visit the skinny guy in the bed next to her. She brings two diapers in with her and picks up her baby like every mother would, with great joy. The conditions in her home are poor and she don't want him to be there, as he was born weighing 2 kilos and 7 months later weighs in at about 4 kilos. I am filled with compassion for this mother and the baby and don't really know if I am happy or sad that she does not take him with her. She and the grandmother visit him for 15 minutes and then kiss him and leave. As she leaves the he cries for his mother as if somehow he knows.

Our team of 4 hold each of the 9 babies, change their diapers, walk, excercise, speak with them and then gather them all in one room and corporately pray. The little guy in the walker, Osman, I hear has been there at least 2 years, he can't walk but in his progression and 2 years later is finally getting 2 teeth. The blessings are far and few between but in some way you have to believe that the weekly visists are making a difference.

It is a priviledge the hospital allows us to visit! Ron and Charlotte have developed great relationship with the Nurses and Doctors and have paved the way for me to go. I hope and pray that in the coming months I can go and visit more often than once a week. Imagine how many teeth will grow with a few visits a week! Please pray that I will have favor with the staff to continue to come during the week as I hope to find another National who is willing to go with me to love these babies more often. I will evaluate the needs, diapers, clothes and milk with the staff and see if it is possible to continue to visit.

As we close the door and walk away from our two hour visit, the thoughts in my head and the beating of my heart is louder than the flip flops on my feet. I hear the words in my heart, "Every place your foot shall tread, I have given it to you!" Joshua 1:3.

We are truly changing lives with the love of Christ one step at a time!

Everyday We Can Make A Difference

Two months in Romania and the road does not come without challenges! After 3 rounds of Antibiotics, a trip to Bulgaria, a strong bout of culture shock and another year younger, I am feeling refreshed and renewed! It was an amazing time in Bulgaria and a blessed time with the American and Bulgarian team. The world is so small as I met 3 American Missionaries and some great folks from UK. The opportunity to work with all in the future is a blessing.

I joined the team in Bulgaria for the last four days of their trip. They had already ministered in several Turkish villages and in Istanbul Turkey. They experienced a strong presence of God in every place. Many people received Jesus in their hearts as well as the evidence of speaking in tongues. There were many physical healing as well. After my arrival the team traveled an hour out of Sofia and ministered in a Turkish Church with over 1000 members. The presence of God was there and many came with expectant hearts and left with those expectations filled.

I to came with an expectant heart as well. I wanted to see God move in peoples hearts and see miracles of healing and experienced it first hand and was used by God. As usual, I expected to give but received so much more than I could ever give. After experiencing some difficult things and not feeling well, God used the team in Bulgaria to encourage me.

Thank you so much for you prayers and encouragement! It has allowed me to come through some challenging times here! The needs outweigh the ability and time! The lives here in are so broken, yet so hungry. There are things you see out in the field, things you experience that words can't even begin to express. The day to day of just trying to process the why's, the who's, the what's is a challenge. I wonder is it enough? Am I making a difference? I want to do more but I feel so limited, due to language, time and so many other things. I ask God, "I am doing enough?" I want to do more, I want to go faster and the fact is that it takes time!

Everyday is a new opportunity! Everyday is a chance to make a difference! Everyday we can change someone's life. It don't have to be in Romania! Even if you don't feel like it, and it is hard and it won't be enough, do something nice for someone else...Small is good, don't wait for the big thing do the small first. A kind word, a good deed or just listen! You will see, it changes your life and it makes you want to do more! Everyday is important, don't miss the chance, we are not promised tomorrow. No matter how hard it is!

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Romans 5: 3-5

9 Bible Students

Last week we had 9 Bible students from Oredea Romania come and help us. They were a great blessing to us here and we look forward to their return soon. They helped us with the everyday task of feeding the kids and sending them off to school and helping them with their studies.

A special project they did was clean out an apartment for a woman and her family. It was toxic and they had to wear hazmat suits! As I stood in the doorway taking pictures a rat ran out of the room. There were maggots and bugs to big for a name. Unbelievable. They were brave and up for the challenge! We also traveled to some outside villages and visited and prayed with families. It was a very busy week.

Now I am off to Sofia Bulgaria until Monday. I will meet a Texas team and we will work together ministering to several Gypsy churches there. Please pray and I look forward to sharing all the things God did while we were there!

What I See and Don't See, I Must Believe!

When I write on the blog I always want to write something profound! Something that will allow you to see, taste and smell everyday life here. The photos help but there is always just something missing from them, as they do tell a story but there is an element that is missing. Like you believe but you can't believe unless you see it. Soooo...after much consideration here is what I ponder today.

I know it is a windy day, not that I can see it, but the trees are waving and my hair is blowing and the dust makes little tornado's all over the city. I can't see my breath but I know I am alive, so it must be there. I can't see my muscles but they hurt when I carry two 5 litre bottles of water up five flights of steps.

What I can see is 5 children everyday playing on the swings with no parental supervision. What I do see is the same man standing on crutches begging for money a the bakery. What I do see is 3 girls who got a bath and clean clothes one day and then next they are wearing filthy rags and don't have any shoes. What I do see is those same 2 girls carrying a baby around on their hip begging for food. One more thing, 2 people, a man and woman living at the dumpster, who take very good care of their area and are happy to take your trash and sort through it and feed the 5 or so dogs living there as well.

What I don't see is if the bread and food I give the kids on the swings makes a difference. What I don't see is the money and bread I gave the man the day before makes a difference, because he is back the next day. What I don't see is that the clean clothes from the day before made a difference as they were back dumpster diving by the evidence of the clothes the next day. What I don't see is the the 2 people who live in the dumpster area moving any time soon.

So as I ponder the things I see and the things I don't, it seems the things I see I want to change and the things I don't I just believe it is there. Just like the wind, the breath and the muscles I don't need to change those things, I just believe and then know they are there.

So maybe instead of me trying to change things I should just believe and have faith that it is already there and know the seeds being planted in bread, clothes and water are changing from the inside and I just can't see it but I have to believe it is there. Even if we can't see the results of what is going on in our lives because of what we do, can we just believe that it is already there? It is by faith!

Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen.

and

By faith we understand that the worlds have been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen hath not been made out of things which appear.

Hebrews 11: 1 and 3