Yay Team!
Well, the count down has begun as we are already partly through our last week of outreach. It’s sad to think that we are coming to an end of outreach, but at the same time its exciting because we are looking forward to the new adventures that God has planned for our lives.
We have been continuing working with the ministries here at the YWAM Constanta base. Today Cristia and Olof went to the Girls’ Home for the evening; Matt, Ian and Leanne went to the Kids’ Center and one of the staff from the base and I spent some time in the cafe down stairs teaching street people water colours. It was fun to just spend time relaxing with them and talking to them and having fun.
The ministries here are VERY relationship orientated. I like that. I think that if you truly want to impact someone’s life you’ll need to build a strong relationship with them. It’s a gift to be able to see a little into what life is like here in Romania and to be able to meet the people here. We are very blessed.
Please continue to pray for our team for this last step we have left. Pray that we will finish well and that we will continue to purse a closeness with God.
Thank you for all of your support!
Tasha
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First of all I would like to say that this last week has been awesome, it has been our privilege to be involved with the Constanta Romania YWAM base and their many local ministries. Last week Leanne, Tash and I worked with children at the day center located a few blocks from the base. Playing with the children, telling bible stories, and making crafts being typical daily routines. One of the more challenging activities we participated in (personally at least) was hunting for lice. Winter weather has been far to cold to treat their hair with shampoos (which arn’t commonly found in Romania) and with the living conditions some of them endure, it is a constant battle against the tiny menace. Last Friday we all worked at the cafe “New Wine” (based on Matt9:17, and not actually selling wine) Cristia and I Barista-ing, that was really enjoyable :), Olof provided live music, meaningful confersations were had with the college age students that attended. Another themed night is in store for this Friday. Matt, Cristia and Olof have been working with a shelter for young girls and a ministry for street people, I look forward to starting with these this week, as we are rotating around the various areas of YWAM Constanta. Pray for us in these last weeks of our time here. :)
Like Isaiah said “Here I am Lord, Send me!” let that be our motto in this week, “Here we are Lord, use us!”
Ian G Cook, B.R.O. 2010
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Well, we are off to a very good start here in Constanta, Romania. The base here is very active in the community, and in our 2 days of working here, we’ve gotten to participate in 5 of the ministries they have. Tasha, Ian, and Leanne have been going to a Day Center each day, where children come for a meal, activities, and help with homework. They’ve been doing crafts, telling stories, and singing songs with them, as well as helping to clean their hair, because many of them have lice. In the evenings, the Day Center becomes a place for people to come in off the streets and have a hot meal. Matt, Olof, and I went there last night and helped out. We spent a good deal of time in prayer, with at least one person in the back room praying at all times during the evening. Those who regularly help said that they could notice a difference in the people and the atmosphere because of the prayer. We got to meet some really interesting people and pray for them afterwards.
Another ministry that the base has here is a home for girls. One of the YWAM staff lives there, and other people volunteer to live there during the week. It is a place where girls can live who come from large families, usually with only one parent, that have trouble supporting all of the children. There are currently 3 girls living there; they gain a sort of second family in this home and learn to cook, clean, and do other household chores. Matt and I were able to join them for dinner the other evening; we did an activity with them and sang some worship songs. It is a very cool place, a very relaxed and home-like atmosphere.
The base also has a kids club that runs in the streets on weekdays, although right now that looks a little different than usual because of the cold weather and snow. Olof went with some of the staff the other day, playing with kids and handing out cookies and tea, which were much appreciated in the below zero weather (below zero in Farenheit; I think it’s been about -20 Celsius). Tonight, we’re looking forward to participating in a ministry that we haven’t taken part in yet, but have heard much about. The basement of the YWAM base is a small cafe, which they open on Thursdays and Fridays to the public. They use it for different purposes, Bible studies, live music, or just casual conversation. Tonight Olof Mikmar will be providing the entertainment, and I will bake something yummy to add to all the good things they sell, and hopefully, we will have a chance to meet and talk with some people. We pray that God uses us in each of these ministries.
Thank you all very much for your prayers. You can continue to pray for out team, as we are halfway done with outreach, and I’m sure all of us are thinking at least sometimes about going home. Pray that we would be able to finish strong, continuing to put all of our effort into everything, listening to God, and staying unified. You can also pray for our finances, and safety.
Pictures will hopefully be coming soon of our time in Burgas.
Cristia Johnson, student
After over 24 hours of travel and 3 trains and a taxi we have arrived without serious incident in Constanta Romania and were warmly welcomed into the local YWAM base. Currently, the weather is freezing cold! Its been snowing steadily and a good deal of snow has already on the ground, some have said that its the worst winter in 25 years. Hopefully this fact wont hinder any of our work here. the team is doing excellent, spirits are high as we adapt to yet a new exiting culture and home.
Some prayer points, for the team to finish outreach strong and focused on the task at hand, it becomes easier and easier to look to the return home and dwell on that instead of keeping our focus on God and his plan for Romania. Finances, are miraculously coming up close or just under budget, praise God! a couple of the team members are still moving out of faith for Gods provision, pray for a releasing of that promise upon them! :)
Finally the devastating quake in Haiti has been on all of our thoughts and minds lately, somewhat unrelated to the team, but its really been on our hearts to pray protection, blessing and healing to the broken nation and to all who come along side it in their hour of need.
Pray For Haiti!
Ian G. Cook, Student
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When I write this I’m sitting at an office in the central part of the city Stara Zagora. We got here with the intercity bus yesterday due to our previous plans for transportations didn’t work out. On the other hand the bus we took were cheaper so praise god for inconvinience(!). Anyhow, we got to the city and our contact person Stilian was miraculously there to pick us up (our contact had been very limitied due to certain conditions), praise God again(!). He also introduced us to a guy named Jimmy, so they picked us up and drove us the church office where I’m sitting now. We had a little talk about the practical stuff and our former experiences of Bulgaria and in the conversation we got to know that we were supposed to take care of a church service that very evening. So we had a few hours to sort everything out and I can feel now that more is expected from us as missionaries and messengers of God’s kingdom. So after that we went for lunch at a fastfood place and then we went to our seperate places of accomodation. This is the first time we’ve been split up as a group and it’s both exciting and bit strange to not have people around. We live pretty close to each other though, so no worries. I got the priviliege to stay at Jimmy’s place and I already feel at home. I’m being taken care of like a king and I’m just stoked about God’s provision! So I leaved my bag there had a chat with Jimmy over a coffee (!)(finally a coffee lover!). Then we aimed for the church service in the gypsy area. We got there and started out and we could all feel such a passion and joy among the people there! It was really motivating to share with a group of people like that. After a few songs, three testimonies and a preaching from Ian we had prayers for the people there. It was amazing to see how willing the people are here! They just come forth pointing where they had pain and we just started praying. It was amazing and I’m a bit sad that we can’t go back there again (we’re only staying in this city 5 days). But it seems to me that we’ll be busy with sharing the gospel and stepping out even more! I am very excited and today we’re going to a turkish church I’m already sure that God will move in His special way! Thanks for all of your prayers, it means a lot to us! God Bless everyone of you!
Pray for courage and fearlessness when it comes to trusting God. We have been learning to rely on God more and there are many occasions when we don’t have clue about what we’re doing. Good thing that God is in control :D I am very thrilled about what God wants to do!
Dad, may your Kingdom come! Bring it on! In Jesus name, Amen!
Olof Mikmar, enthusiastic student of the Bluwater DTS!
Well, it has been two weeks since our first glimpse of this country, all except for Tassha, who was here before, and I think we have settled in rather nicely. We have been working mostly with one gypsy church here in Sliven, with two wonderful couples. Radko (who picked us up in our cold, lost, and confused state that first day from the train station) and his wife Nevin, and Mitko and his wife Plummena make up the entire permanent YWAM staff here. We pray at the church with them, the pastor, and a few other people almost every morning, and we go to visit the homes of people who are sick and can’t make it to church. We’ve been doing a great deal of praying, which surprised some of us at first, but we have realized that the struggle here is mainly in the spiritual realm, and spiritual warfare is very important.
And we have seen results of our prayers, as well. First of all, we’ve prayed quite a bit about finances because we still need money, but so far, God has provided us with what we need, when we need it. And the cost of living here is much less than it is elsewhere in Europe, so we might end up needing less than we expected.
Another cool story of God working happened a few days before Christmas. A few of us went to a home to pray for an older women. She had some of her family there, including a boy, about 14 years old, sitting in a wheelchair. He had an infection in his eye, which was very swollen, and he could hardly see. After praying for the women, both Ian and Olof felt God specifically say to pray for the boy, so they placed their hands on him and prayed for his healing. Then they said good-bye and went home.
The next day, the church had a Christmas party/service/feast in the gypsy neighborhood and invited all of the neighborhood people to come. When the place started filling up, we noticed the boy in the wheelchair among those in the crowd. We also noticed something else: both of his eyes were completely healthy! The infection was gone, and nothing was wrong with his eye. God healed him!
God really showed us His power that night, and His love for His people. We’ve grown to love them too, and we have found some really good friends here who we won’t want to say good-bye to. But, in the words of one of them, “Hopefully your heavenly home will not be far away from mine.”
Thank you for your prayers!
-Cristia Johnson, student
p.s. We apologize for the infrequent updates; our internet access is a bit sporadic, and it is by Ian’s kindness that we may borrow his laptop. Thank you Ian!