crystal clear

Wow, outreach over in Romania has been great so far! During my time in Constanta, a friend Kyle and I ministered at the skate park almost every night. It is cool that God uses our gifts for his glory. I never thought that I would be skateboarding for the sake of the gospel. During the day, though, we were able to be a part of a "kids camp" for gypsy children. They are beautiful children of God... and it is sad to me that most of Europe is cruel to them. Fathers cannot get jobs, just because they are gypsy. Some Romanian parents will send their children to different schools, only because they do not want them around gypsies. Sad.

As a matter of fact, there were two teenage Romanian boys at the kids camp. They were not participating, they were just there watching... smirking... laughing. They asked me to come sit with them and talk... so I did. We started talking and they told me that they came to the kids camp, only to make fun and laugh. They made it very clear to me that they were not gypsy... that gypsies are bad, and they are most definitely Romanian. I asked them why they made fun, and they just said it is funny that we came to hang out with the gypsies. But, as we kept talking about this topic, one kid said "it is good you are here though, because the gypsies are happy. We have never seen them this happy... it is a good thing." He said that we make them happy, and they do not know how. Well, I know how... and who (Jesus Christ!) makes them happy. It was reassuring to me, that even these two kids, who didn't like they gypsies, noticed that we carried a presence... the Holy Spirit... the Joy of the Lord. The two boys told me that they will not make fun anymore, because of the conversation we had... they understand now.

That is the God we serve. Wow.

"For it has been granted to me that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now that I still have." Philippians 1:29-30

It is apparent how we, who call ourselves Christians, are supposed to live. Believing is not enough... having the knowledge and going to church is just not enough. We are called to live as Christ, for he was the PERFECT example for us. Paul endured suffering way beyond what most of us even dream of, and I believe it was because he was a threat to the devil. Yes, the devil caused his suffering, not God. The devil still works this way today... when he notices someone making an impact in the kingdom of God, he will do anything to thwart God's plan; financial problems, prison, disease, and even death. In reading this passage, I realized that maybe my life is not enough of a threat to the devil. Yeah, I am a "missionary," and I want to live sacrificially... but I want the devil to be scared of me. I want the devil to fear God, himself, working through my life.

It is crystal clear how we as Christians are supposed to live.

And later in Philippians 3, Paul goes on to say the he wants to "share in the sufferings of Christ, and become like him in his death." And if Paul was important enough to have his life remembered in the Word of God, the Bible... then what he says must be valid. He must have lived his life, at least, somewhat correctly! We should have this same attitude towards life... this same desire... exact same PASSION to see the Lord's kingdom come on this earth!

constanta, romania

I am certainly overjoyed to be here in Constanta, Romania! Each day, I am struck with an attitude of thankfulness to the Lord, for I cannot believe that he has enabled me to spend my summer this way... to see his kingdom come and his will be done in eastern Europe... to prepare the way of the Lord, whatever you would call it!

We just left Cheb, a small city right on the German border, in the Czech Republic. It saddens me to see that prostitution is a big problem there. German men will drive to Cheb, only to pick up a prostitute... because the "sex is cheaper there." Sad. On a better note, though, I did get to witness the effectiveness of prayer. We had just talked with a woman on the streets, and as she was walking away from us, we noticed a car waiting at the end of the block. Of course it was waiting for her. She walked closer and we began to pray that she would not get in... or that something would stop her from going with the men. She was about to get in the car, when a policeman drove by and flashed on his light and sirens. Immediately... immediately, the girl walked away and the car sped off. Praise the Lord, right!!?

From there we took a series of four trains to get to Constanta... a total of about 30 hours aboard a train. I really enjoyed it, to be honest. I am just happy for some mode of transportation, even if it was super hot and sweaty the whole time. I do not really know what to expect while we are here in Constanta for 10 days. I guess God knows, though... and that is comforting to me. It feels neat to be in the same area that my sister Elona was from. She lived in an orphanage in Belgorod Dnestrovski, Ukraine... which is right on the black sea, close to the Romanian border. I have always wanted to go to this area ever since she became a part of our family... and now, God has let that become reality. Wow.

"O you who love the Lord, hate evil!" -Psalm 97:10 God makes it so clear to us... hate evil. If we love the Lord, we cannot even have the smallest desire to do evil.