Take a Trip with Me...

Imagine for a moment…

A place where

The air is thick,                            

Darkness overcomes light,       

Oppression reigns.

In this place,

Abuse is rampant,          

Bodies are used, sold;     

Hope is lost.                        

In this nightmare,           

Loneliness abounds,       

Lost ones cry out,            

Morning never comes.

You can open your eyes.

You can wake up

From this nightmare.

But the orphans can’t.

Can you imagine this pain,

This hopelessness, this nightmare

As your reality?

They have to.

Now imagine for a moment…

A place where

The air is bright,

Light trumps darkness,

Christ reigns.

In this place,

Hugs and kisses heal,

Loving arms reach out,

Hope is found.

In this dream,

Love abounds,

Laughter rings out,

Mercies are new.

Open your eyes,

Picture their broken faces.

We can make this dream

Their reality.

Never forget their pain,

Their hopelessness, their nightmare.

We’re called make a difference.

We have to. 

What Now?

Buna!


Please take a moment to read through this post that our team leader, Victor (who grew up in a Romanian orphanage) wrote as we were flying home on Tuesday): 


Dear friends! As I write this little note, the USA Team is in the air above the Atlantic, flying back to their homes. We sent them back with our prayers, and I would greatly appreciate if you keep them in your prayers. 

This team has been a blessing to myself and a privilege to lead it. We had a great time together, as we partnered with our Romanian brothers and sisters in Christ, by reaching out the love of Christ to the "least of these", the orphans of Romania.

To understand the whole picture of what we have done in Romania, I will encourage you to meditate on this bible passage: "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me'. Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The the King will reply, 'I tell you, the truth, WHATEVER YOU DID FOR ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE BROTHERS OF MINE, YOU DID FOR ME". -- Matthew 25:35-40 --

This passage has been our focus as a team to reach out throughout the orphanages. In one orphanage ("Rehab" center), we were able to feed, give water and clothe them. With the orphans from "Sfanta Ana, we looked after one of them that got injured playing soccer with us, as well welcomed the rest of them in our hearts. With the other orphanages from "Chitila", "Tei" - day care center, #6 apartments & #7 apartments (mini orphanages), as well as the kids from the CTL Counseling Center, we were able to build relationships and became life friends.

From the pictures that we updated you with, you may say that the trip went great and did great things, indeed it was. But our hearts are so BROKEN and we are OVERWHELMED by the living conditions those orphans live in and the DARKNESS and HOPELESS that is found in their lives. If you have never been to Romania, you may never understand this whole trip of brokenness, darkness and hopeless until you are stepping out of your comfort zone and come to Romania! So, think about it and see what is God talking to you to do in the future. Maybe to PRAY for CTL in Romania, SUPPORT financially this ministry, or even GO to Romania! Let's together pray for God's direction as we further His kingdom with the "least of these".

Thank you so much for your prayers over this trip. We appreciate this so much! May the Lord bless you as you are a blessing to others.


If you have not seen any pictures or video from the trip, I will gladly share them with you. Those, combined with these words and the words I have already shared, should have moved you in some way. I want you to ask yourself, what now?  If God has touched your heart at all with the plight of these orphans, please don't ignore it....


Is He encouraging you to pray? Then please pray!


Is He moving you to give financially so that this ministry (CTL) can continue to offer some hope to the least of these? Then please give!


Is He calling you to go? Then please don't ignore that call and go!


What now?


I am continuing to pray about that same question for my life. God has an incredible plan in place in Romania, and I pray that He will bless us all by allowing us to be a part of it. 


I would love to share more of my heart for Romania with you in person, for there is so much that I cannot put into words on here. Please let me know if you'd be interested. 




(For more information about CTL's ministry, please visit their website http://childrentolove.org/.)

If I had to describe my trip in ONE WORD...

...it would be...

HEART-WRENCHING 

causing great sadness; heartbreaking.

I can't even write more than that right now, but I wanted to leave you with that short preview of what may come (if I can figure out how to put any of it into words).


Please keep praying for the children of Romania, the incredible CTL staff, and my team members. May God continue to do amazing work in and through all of us.

Split Personality Much?

Tomorrow is the last day of school.

Friday morning I'm leaving for Romania.

I need to make sure my room is clean and everything is in order.

I need to make sure I'm packed.

I have to say goodbye to my kiddos.

I'm trying to finish this amazing book before I go love on some Romanian kids.

As crazy as they can make me, I'm going to really miss my students. More, I'm sure, than I think. 

I'm slightly anxious about that long flight.

I'm going to really miss some of my coworkers.

I can't wait to see some of the Romanian staff.


Like I said...split personalty much.... 


My head is in so many places that I can't really get a grasp on it. I have to just let go and try to go with the flow. That, my friends, is not my strong point.

Honestly, this morning, as I opened up a few emails from our team leader, I was so overwhelmed that my first thought was I just don't want to do this. I don't want the year to end. I don't want to go. It's just too much...


But, God always has a way of showing His sovereignty and power. He always has a way to take me away from myself and my anxiety so that I can focus on Him and His plans.

As I read through the email showing our schedule, I glanced down and saw the name of one of the orphanages we'll be visiting--Chitila. However, my eyes didn't just see the name of that orphanage, they saw two sweet faces, precious sisters who completely stole my heart six years ago, and my anxiety melted away.

Those babies are the reason I am going....

Right now, I have no strength of my own. I am drained. I am scattered. I am tired. I have nothing left to give. Good thing, huh?

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  (2 Corinthians 12:9)


Good thing. The kids that I say goodbye to tomorrow don't need my strength and love alone--they need Christ. The staff and kids I'll work with in Romania don't need my strength--they need Christ's.

God, may your power rest upon me....





For those who are partnering with my team and me in prayer, here are a few points to guide your prayers:

* Please pray that I will let go and that God's power will rest upon me as I finish up the school year and go serve in Romania. 


* Pray that I will be open to the Spirit's leading as I am interacting with the staff and children. Pray that I will be obedient to God's prompting. 


* Pray that we will remain safe and healthy, specifically that my headaches will be manageable or non-existent. 


* Pray that God will move in powerful ways in the lives of the staff, the children, and our team. 

Thanks so much. I could not do this alone (obviously!).

If you are interested in reading more about my trip or helping me with the last bit of support, please go HERE!

If you are interested in learning more about the organization that I will be working with (Children to Love), please go HERE!

Blessings. :) 

When it Rains...

...it pours (or so they say--who are "they" actually? Anyone know?).

Photo Credit

I am not a fan of your typical everyday normal rain. I could never live in the northwest ("they" also say that I should never say never). Revision: I would never CHOOSE to live in the northwest (better?).

I am, however, a HUGE fan of crazy lightening and thunder storms. The brighter the sky, the louder the boom, the heavier the rain, the better.

Photo Credit

Whenever I see ominous clouds, I pray that God will make the coming storm worthwhile and not waste my time (who do I think I am?) with piddling rain that simply gets in the way. Unfortunately, this rarely ever happens in Bakersfield....

Except now. God said "sure thing" this time.

And during a huge, crazy, beloved storm, do I want it to end? Of course not. I want to enjoy every moment, see every unique crack of lightening, experience every crash of thunder, take in every pounding rain drop....

But do I feel the same during crazy storms in my own life? Honestly? No.

Fortunately, I have a very wise and caring pastor, and his prayer last week truly hit a heart string. He didn't ask for the storm to leave. He asked God to teach me every lesson He had for me during this time....

So, I will do my best to embrace this crazy storm as well--clinging to my Jesus, growing and changing as He wills, gratefully walking through each day, and (prayerfully) not missing out on any lessons along the way.

Quite Like, Rather Dislike, Round 2

If you'd like to glance back at Quite Like, Rather Dislike Round 1 click here! For Round 2, keep reading!

Quite Like: 


The Shadow Children series--I read another book (Running Out of Time) by this author when I was in junior high, and I liked it so much that some of my students are reading it now in their literature circles. Because I thought so highly of that book, I decided to read a few of her others. This series is comprised of seven books--I read three of them last weekend. I'm on the final book now, and I've quite enjoyed the entire series.

Neutrogena Clear Face Sunblock--for those of us with oil rigs on our faces, this sunblock is a winner! I HATE putting sunblock (or much of anything) on my face because it does get quite oily throughout the day, but this little gem truly kept my face from becoming an oil slick, AND it protected me from all of those harmful rays. Win win, I'd say.

House Hunters International--it's my new favorite show. I have a bunch saved on the DVR. I love being able to see houses around the world and hear people's stories about why they are moving all around the world. Delightful.

Rather Dislike: 


Political Ads--I seriously can't stand them (commercials, signs, junk mail, phone calls, etc.). They make me want to do just the opposite of what they tell me to do just to spite them. Anyone with me?

My head--it hurts every day, and I'm pretty darn tired of it (and of trying to figure out the cause of the pain). Perhaps it's just going to be the thorn in my flesh. Perhaps God is working in my life through it (ok, I know he is), but I'm not a fan of the pain, just sayin'...

Being pulled in two VERY different directions--in just sixteen days, I will both check out of my classroom and leave for Romania. Don't get me wrong, I am SO EXCITED about both of these things; however, it's such a strange feeling to be pulled in two very different directions. I feel like part of me is finishing out my year, getting ready to say goodbye to my kids, getting my room in order, and getting excited for the summer, while a completely different part of me is reading a book to ready my heart for Romania, trying to get the rest of my financial support, creating packing lists, and gathering what I need to take with me to serve in another country. Really? Is that even possible? I'm not sure I've ever felt so separated like this before. Thoughts? Advice? Thanks.

There you have it. Stay tuned for Round 3 in the (near or far or who knows when) future. :) 

Relay for Life (...and I'm on TV again!)

If you've never been a part of a Relay for Life event, I'd highly recommend it. Not only does it raise money for a great and worthy cause, it is loads of laughs and fun.

The cardboard car race is one of those events filled with laughs (and ridiculousness). I remember watching the races last year, and I admiringly walked by the cars this year, but I never dreamed I'd actually be a participant in said race.

Eyewitness News (our favorite news station that I've written about here and here) built a Tow-mater car (clearly the coolest one out there), but had no one to "drive" it because Aaron Perlman (the weatherman) was emceeing the event. He asked me if I'd be willing, and I thought "what the heck? why not?"

I grabbed my friend Hannah (so grateful she was around), and we suited up.

First of all, we barely fit in the car. Second of all, we were both wearing flip flops. Third of all, we were competing against people who could actually run quickly.

So, needless to say, we didn't win.

However, we did have a blast, and we certainly looked good doing it!

Here's a video of the race. Yup, we're the ones in the back. It's a cell phone video, so it's not the best quality, but this tid-bit was on the news--high def. and all (joy!)...

And if you haven't had enough, be sure to tune in to Eyewitness News Fox 58 tomorrow morning between 7:00 - 7:30ish to watch the HUMPDAY dance! I'm pretty sure I'll be making an appearance with Tow-mater!