Month: July 2010

Goodbyes and Packing

It’s already over.  🙁   We overcame jet lag, adjusted to light switches, woke up to a huge grass hopper over my bed, learned at lunch not to fill up on the soup because there’s more coming and so many more stories that are waiting to be told!

Right now all of us are back to the house packing and spending the last moments left with our translators and hosts. Earlier today was the hardest part of the trip, we had to say goodbye to the kids at VBS and what was even harder was saying bye to the youth staying at the camp we’ve had VBS at. Those were the ones, about twelve of them, who we really got to hang out with and know this week.  They’ve opened up so much to some of us and it’s hard leaving knowing what they’ve gone through and going through now.  Please continue to pray for these young adults even as we come home. Pray that they will accept Christs gift of forgiveness, some feel they don’t deserve it because their parents have left them. Pray that they will find and put their hope in Christ, for we know that in hard times, even when it seems as if the whole world is against us, we have that hope in Him… these kids don’t have that but are seeking affection from someone, pray that they will seek the love of the Father who is perfect and will never let them down.

Can’t wait to share more when we get home but now it’s back to packing.

Planning for the Future

As our team finishes up with their last VBS and then gets ready for a visit to the gypsy village, Johnny, Keith, Claudiu and I are discussing plans for future trips. The emotions I know were high today as our team said goodbye to many of the youth that are helping with the VBS from the local orphanage.

Tomorrow they will have time to shop for souvenirs before we head off to Budapest for the night so our travel day on Wednesday will not be as long. A few of us have succumb to either the water or the food but between Joey’s blueberries and the Imodium I found at the Farmacie in Baia  Mare, we are doing ok. Just pray that we are back to normal before we get on the plane.

I look forward to seeing my home again and my son, but there is still one more service and one more day of ministry plus who know what the future will hold.

More Pictures

Didn’t have time to blog last night but wanted to be sure to share some more pictures this morning before we get going. I stole Amy’s camera so if you have looked at the previous links you may want to look again especially for the traveling T-Shirt.

Anyway, here are the new links…

http://picasaweb.google.com/rbarnett73/Romania2010Day12?feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/rbarnett73/Romania2010Day4?feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/rbarnett73/Romania2010Day5?feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/rbarnett73/Romania2010Day6?feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/rbarnett73/Romania2010Day7?feat=directlink

Enjoy

Our time has gone by so fast.

Even though I’ve meant to do this a couple times already, this is the first time I’ve been able to blog since joining the team in Romania. I was so excited the first night (I can’t remember what day that was) when we finally pulled into the driveway at our house here in Finate. It was a long sleepy drive with Achim and Pastor, especially since the GPS was locked on the airport for an hour. But I was greeted with hugs by the few close friends who stayed up till 2am when we finally got there. It was a reunion I’d been looking forward to for a long time.

This week in Romania has been both difficult and joyful and heartbreaking and rewarding. Our time with the teenagers at the camp has been the highlight of my trip so far. It’s hard to grasp all they’ve been through and I want to be able to make everything right in their world but I can’t do anything but be their friend. I feel like they’ve really opened up to us and now tomorrow is our last day. I wish we had another week to hang out with them. A few of them are believers, but the culture of the orthodox church makes things complicated for them to grow in their walk with God and their life story has been rough. We’ve been able to encourage them in Christ and just be a listening ear when they need it. That alone was worth me coming. The other night I felt drained and like I didn’t have anything left to offer after traveling for a month and a half, but I was reminded that He has me here for a purpose even if I can’t always see it right away. Being friends with these guys is a big part of it and it’s so worth it.

Random thoughts:
-“Thank you” and “My name is” both include the sound cows make (although here in Romania, they suck in to moo)
-our translators are some of the coolest people in Romania
-riding with Achim requires a strong trust in God
-Spiderpig is dead, let’s not talk about him anymore
-Alison is now 14!
-the creeks here are amazing and everyone just jumps in!
-hayrides bring out the redneck in people, nomatter what country they’re from
-I’m so going to miss these kids!
-nomatter where you want to go in the country, you can always get there in “30 minutes”
-Pedro did the Mexican Hat Dance and lost his sombrero (over and over in slow motion)
-Romanian donuts are the best!
-Joey needs to eat more fruit so he can get big and come back and marry a Romanian girl
-sometimes smiles, highfives, and thumbwars are the only ways we can say we care about these kids, but it works!

Working to Exhaustion

It is 5:37 p.m. at home while it is 6 to 7 hours here. We have been very busy. We have been having fun with the kids and enjoying fellowship with other believers. I gave my testimony to a group of teenagers the other day as well as giving it today in church. My heart is broken for many reasons. If for some reason this does not make sense, it is because I do not have enough sleep.

Another wonderful day in Romania!!

Wow – there are no words to describe what a wonderful day it has been, although I will try….
God is so wonderful! Yesterday I was asked to give my testimony and I said no, I was not comfortable doing that. Well, I should know by now to not say No to something for God. This morning as I was getting ready to read my bible I just happened (or more accurately, God led me to) begin reading Psalm 139.
Psalm 139 vs. 4 – 6
4. Even before a word is on my tongue behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
5. You hem me in, behind and before and lay your hand upon me.
6. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it.

Through the verses there I was lead to give a brief testimony in Church this evening. All day I knew this is what God wanted from me – complete trust and surrender to Him. As much as I like to talk, I do not like to speak in large groups. I was very nervous about having an interpreter and speaking to people from a different culture. It all worked out good. The biggest thing I learned from this today is something that I also shared in my testimony….it is beyond my comprehension to know that since the moment I was conceived God planned for me to be in Romania at this time in my life, however, who am I to question the Creator of everything?

As I said before, this has been a wonderfully blessed day. I came to Romania prepared for the younger children from the villages and orphanages to capture my heart. I thought I would not be able to handle being with the the majority of the time here because of my own children back at home. I was not prepared for the joy, blessings, and breaking of me that would come from being with the “teenagers”. That is what we refer to them as, but they are a group of boys and a few girls that grew up in some of the oprhanages from here. They are helping us with VBS and things here. They are wonderful and have stolen my heart!!! They love taking pictures so I have attached a few. Please be praying for these special kids. They know about Jesus, but they do not have a personal relationship with Him….keep them in your prayers….They are wonderful and I will miss them a lot when we leave…

Valerie

To Adam: I love you forever!
To Austin: I love you berry much!
Love, Mommy

Pictures and Brief Update

A number of people told me that they can not get to the pictures because they don’t have Facebook and it is requiring them to create an account to view the pictures so I am rectifying this. The new picture locations are as follows:

http://picasaweb.google.com/rbarnett73/Romania2010TravelDay12?authkey=Gv1sRgCJWF7sv15Y-Icg&feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/rbarnett73/Romania2010Day4?feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/rbarnett73/Romania2010Day5?feat=directlink

Hope you all enjoy.

I have been waiting to see if the team is going to Blog tonight, but we had a good stretch of storms tonight and I believe they said they had no power when they left today. They met us for service tonight. All were safe and had a good time today and the youth + Cathy, did a great job singing during the service. (Joey found a guitar so he was happy, I found Mountain Dew so I am as well.)

Tomorrow begins a long day for all so I am signing off for now.

Continue to pray,

In Jesus’ Name.

Who Gets the Glory?

This has been a wonderful few days of ministering with one of the young pastors on our staff.  Each day I have been blessed to work with Pastor Rich.  It’s easy to say, “I know someone,”  But it’s another to really know them.  I have been blessed this week to serve as a team with my brother and to offer support to the rest of our team.

As I read the book of Galatians this morning, I was pricked in the heart by the last verse of chapter one, “And they glorified God in me,” 1:24. Here the Apostle Paul reminded the church that a life that is surrendered to Christ is a life that brings glory to Christ alone.  I was convicted about how often I want the glory to be about me.  I am so thankful that God is changing my life as I draw closer to Him.

I look back over my life as see so many times when I struggled with God over who get’s the glory.  Brothers and sisters the gospel is always hindered when we are presenting two lord’s!!!  We must come to the place where we can genuinely say, “I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me,” 2:20.

When you live the Christ life, He is lifted up and you are lifting Him up by serving Him in holiness and in humility.  Please pray that our team exhibits this character as we complete the last half of our journey.  Pray for Rich and I that those who come to hear us would only see Christ and that we would desire His glory alone.

We are praying for each of you, that in your individual lives, Christ alone would get the glory.

Wake up call at 3 am

This has been a long day. The VBS is going great. The children amaze me in how they will pass up candy for tooth paste and a tooth brush. There is a group of teens and young adults staying at the camp we are working at. Tonight Butters, Joey, and Mike got the oppurtunity to talk with them. They had lots of questions about God and our beliefs. It humbled all in our group as we sorted through the questions. We know and can feel the prayers that have been prayed. We need more so God can guide us in what we say and do with all we come in contact with. We head to the mountains tomorrow for more VBS. It is now 4am here and I have to be up at 9am so good night to all and thank you for the prayers.