After about 25 hours of travel back home, the team made it back to campus safe and sound! (Plus very sleepy. :)) Please continue to pray for the team as they experience re-entry back into the US, that they would draw close to the Lord through navigating reverse culture shock and that they would be transformed by this experience even in their daily rhythms.
Make sure to ask a team member about their experience and how you can be praying for them specifically!
On Wednesday night, we had the opportunity to visit the Palace of Parliament. This impressive building is the second-largest administrative building in the world, surpassed only by the Pentagon. It was created by former dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu and construction began in 1984. The building covers an area of 330,000 square meters and boasts over 1,100 rooms. We had a great time taking photos and enjoying the evening.
The following day, we had the chance to meet the Media team of the organization (GEM) we were serving with. It was inspiring to hear about the creative ministry tools and projects they were working on. One of their major projects is a movie. Some of their team members are former actors from the U.S. and they recently completed the script and will soon begin production. It was fascinating to learn about their backgrounds, roles, and how the Lord led them to work in Europe. They also shared with us that our gifts and talents could be used on the mission field if we decided to serve full-time.
In the afternoon, we had our first round of debriefing for this trip. We grabbed coffee at Starbucks and we were able discuss our time. It was a meaningful time where we discussed our fears and anxieties before the trip, how well our team worked together, and the impact of our work over the past 2 weeks. This trip stretched all of us. It was incredible to witness each of us using our gifts and talents and stepping out of our comfort zones.
Friday was our last day of work at the church. We prepared two meals for the Ukrainian Refugees. Esther made Chicken Fried Rice while the rest of the team prepped and made pizza for dinner. The day flew by quickly, and we had to say our final goodbyes to the volunteers and the people we served throughout the week. It was a bittersweet moment. These past two weeks went by in a flash, and we are incredibly grateful for the time we spent here. Our goal was to serve and encourage others, but in reality, they were the ones who encouraged us.
Friday evening our hosts Gene and Jason invited some of the church volunteers to dinner to celebrate our team. Gene and Jason both thanked our team for being here and for being willing to come to Eastern Europe and serve in that capacity. it was a special time. We ended the night with a gelato trip for one last time and headed back to the apartment for get ready for a 3am wake up call to head to the airport.
This was a life changing trip for us as a team in so many different ways. We witnessed firsthand the significant needs of the vulnerable and marginalized, which reinforced our mission to support those often overlooked by society. This experience demonstrated the value of taking a leap of faith, even when uncertain of what lies ahead. By obeying God’s call, we were able to demonstrate His love and grace in practical ways. We pray that our service left a lasting impact on the lives of those we assisted and our own spiritual journey. We are truly grateful for this experience and are prayerfully considering returning someday to continue working with this local ministry.
Thank you!
Hello family and friends! It has been a lot of hard but good work these last couple of days. We continued our work with the church on Monday by helping serve lunch and dinner again. I (Roosmarie) was also able to make an apple cake, a family recipe, for dessert. As always, it is encouraging to see everyone’s smiles and thanks after the meals and at the end of the day.
The next day, we were asked to help at a camp site a little ways away. We met the couple who help maintain and run the camp/retreat, and they were so sweet and kind, and tried their best to communicate with us despite their limited English. They told us that they take care of the site all by themselves, so we were more than honored to help do our part! We helped repaint concrete, as well as sanded and painted a couple of benches. Although it did not feel like much work, they were super grateful and kindly made us lunch. We ate very well! After helping at the camp site, also we took a short visit to a monastery up the hill. It was beautiful, both the building and the flowers planted all around it.
Today, we went back to the church to help with meals. We decided to put an American twist on the lunch by making burgers and fries. We had many people that came in for lunch (the most people we have served so far), and they all absolutely loved it! It was nice to have a little taste of home and to see the people from here enjoy it too.
Places like the church, camp site, and monastery help remind us of the long and rich history of the people of this country. It helps us to know where they have been and where they are now. It also empowers us to keep loving on this country and these people, serving them where they are and planting seeds for where they need to be, in God’s name.
If you would like to share your prayer support with this team, please feel free to use THIS FORM and we will share your encouragement with them.
Day 6/7/8: A Weekend in Eastern Europe
Buna! Hello!
Esther here. As we continue our outreach, we got to meet others who have been serving at the church. They were grateful that we were there so they could get a break. After serving dinner on Friday, one of them had come up to our team to shake our hands thanking us for our effort and for a good meal. Considering what Mary Ann and Jason cooked up, it was certainly a delicious meal!
During that meal we got to sit with someone who had been at the church for 20+ years! They told us their testimony and shared that if God was able to forgive their imperfections, they could give others a chance and forgive them too.
The best line for me was,
“We are the pen in God’s hand.”
It was a simple yet beautiful line. Even though it seems like we were there to relieve the volunteers and give them a break- it felt like they were the ones encouraging and inspiring me instead. It just shows that if you know God and how He loves us, we easily become vessels in which God pours His love through.
“We love because he first loved us.”
1 John 4:19 ESV
Over the weekend, the team had an excursion to a nearby castle outside the city! It was fascinating to learn about some of the countries’ rich history, experience some local culture, and admire it’s beauty. We had local food and came back to the city to witness some lively night life.
Today, we attended Sunday service at the church we are serving at. The entire service was in the local language but we were able to listen in on a zoom meeting where English translation was provided.
It was an immersive experience of the lovely local language and my favorite part was the worship. Even though I couldn’t speak or understand the local language- there was a familiar song: What A Beautiful Name by Hillsong. It was gorgeously sung and I enjoyed looking around and seeing people I never met worship God… similar to what I’d imagine heaven to be like.
“so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:10-11 ESV
We did kneel at the pews and prayed by the way, an exception to the typical church service. It was an interesting experience as some brothers from the congregation prayed and meditated on 1 Peter 2:10.
Then, we took the rest of the day to take care of some chores and prepare for the week ahead.
So, thank you for all the support from back home, please continue to pray for our health and strength as we show God’s love to the local people and those who seek shelter from the war. Mulțumesc! Thank you!
If you would like to share your prayer support with this team, please feel free to use THIS FORM and we will share your encouragement with them.
Days 3 and 4
The last two days have been filled with joy serving the Ukrainian refugees and the people in this country. Our first full day at the church consisted of deep cleaning the chairs that were in the Meal room and the Devotional room. Another task was cutting up different vegetables for meal preps. During both of these task we were able to interact and get to know the refugees.
We learned about their background and how they have been doing since having to move away from home. Some even expressed that they either have family that moved to another country and others who still have family back in their home country. It has been a lot for them but they are so grateful to have this ministry to open up and embrace them with warm hugs.
Our second full day consisted of making lunch and dinner. For lunch we were able to serve leftovers of Chicken, potatoes, and soup which is a very common easy dish to have. For dinner we made a baked pasta, with homemade marinara, veggies, and baked cheese. We also made powdered sugar brownies. The pasta ended up being a top favorite, with people going back for seconds and thanking us for making the dinner for them.
Seeing the smiles on each persons face has brought this team so much joy. We are so happy to be here, helping and loving on everyone. We can’t wait for each day to begin!
If you would like to share your prayer support with this team, please feel free to use THIS FORM and we will share your encouragement with them.
Our team began the first day by prayer walking through the city. Our team hosts guided us to various locations where we stopped to pray for specific topics. These included praying for the country’s leaders, and the next generation, and for pastors and local churches to unite in their mission to reach the lost in the city. It was neat to learn about the history of this country and how far they have come. Considering the country’s challenging past, it is important to have a basic understanding of its culture, especially when engaging in ministry. This prayer time not only allowed our team to bond and learn more about each other and our hosts, but it also provided us with a sense of the city and the people we will be serving during our time here.
After lunch, we had the opportunity to meet the pastor and leaders of the ministry we are serving with. They gave us a tour of the church and community center, where we saw the facilities that house and care for refugees from Ukraine. This church serves as a registered refugee location in the country. One of the attached photos shows the church sanctuary. This room had been converted into a bedroom for several refugees and their families. They have utilized every inch of this church to help serve refugees. Over the past 2 years, this church has assisted hundreds of refugees. Some church members even travel to the border of Ukraine and into the country to provide aid and support to those seeking shelter. Refugees who seek help from this church are welcome to stay for a while. During their time here, the ministry helps them find housing, and employment and assists college-age students in enrolling in the local university. It was encouraging to see many of the refugees actively serving at the church, engaging in tasks such as construction, cleaning, cooking, and assisting other refugees. We are excited to start serving alongside these dedicated volunteers and leaders today. Although our time here is short, our goal for these next two weeks is to be flexible, serve in any capacity possible, and be a source of encouragement to those we are serving.
Prayer Requests
– Pray for the refugees and leaders that we are serving. The word “exhausted” has been used a lot when describing their experiences coming here to this country for help. For those serving, they haven’t had a break in 2 years. They are thankful for teams like ours that come here to serve.
– We are doing well as a team. We are small but mighty! Pray that we continue to work well together and that the Lord will allow our unique gifts to be used during this time.
After a couple lengthy flights over the Atlantic and Europe, our team has made it to their destination in Eastern Europe! They are enjoying some dinner and heading to their apartment to get some much needed rest for the night. Join us in praying for them to get rest tonight and to wake up tomorrow with all of the excitement and energy they need to get started in their ministry with refugees!
If you would like to share your prayer support with this team, please feel free to use THIS FORM and we will share your encouragement with them.
Our second Global Outreach team of the summer is now off to the airport to start their two weeks in Eastern Europe! This team is small but mighty and has already practiced so much flexibility. Please join us in praying for their safety as they travel, and for their health (spiritual, mental, and physical) while they are on the trip. Pray for the team to bond together on this trip as they serve the church and the refugees that they will encounter. We trust that the Lord is close and is already moving in and through them!
We will update again once they have arrived safely in Eastern Europe!
If you would like to share your prayer support with this team, please feel free to use THIS FORM and we will share your encouragement with them.