November 2006
This month my letter is going to be rather newsy, so there's no need to get your tissue handy, unless you're one of those unique individuals who gets teared up with no warning (like me) or unless you've just had a family crisis and everything makes you cry. But in that case, you probably wouldn't be reading my letter.
Anyways, it's been a few months now since I came back to Galatz, and I'm into a new rhythm of life without the responsibility of leading servant teams. The two girls on my last team, Katie and Ruth, are actually still in Romania, living in a village and serving with a small church there. They're amazing. I haven't seen them since they left Galati in June, but we've got some planned a visit for later this month.
This summer I moved out of my cozy little one-room apartment because it went up for sale. Now I live with the Stefan family, Mrs. Stefan, George (18) and Vica (15) who are both in high school. The Stefans have been friends for a long time, in fact, ever since I met Vali, which was back in the very beginning in 2000. Vali was the first staff member who came alongside David in outreach to children on the streets in 1998, and now she is the director of our drop-in center, Casa Vale (not named after Vali; Casa Vale = Valley House, named because the neighborhood of the drop-in center is in a low-lying area…it's easy to get the two confused). I enjoy my new room at the Stefan's as it's on the fifth floor and gives me a great view of the sunset every night. It's also in a great central location and so far I get along well with the family.
Another new sphere of life for me is the worship team at my local church, Biserica Creshtina Emanuel. I've been asked several times by the worship leader about joining, and finally felt the freedom to say yes. My hesitation has always been the amount of time it requires. You see, Romanian Christians are pretty serious about church. None of this one hour Sunday service and that's it! Orthodox Christians have a four-hour liturgy on Sunday morning. In the Pentecostal church I attend, the Sunday morning service is at least two hours, and the Sunday evening youth service is another two hours. Tuesday night is a three hour rehearsal for the worship team, Wednesday night is another two-hour service focused on Bible study and Friday night is the 2-hour prayer service. All of these services have at the very least a half-hour of worship. While I was leading servant teams, I didn't even consider joining the worship team because I was already overstretched. Now I've got the challenge of offering my time and gifts but also setting my limits so I don't get burned out. So far that means singing for Sunday morning and evening services and attending Tuesday night rehearsals. We'll see how I do when Christmas comes around and there are a million extra events on Fridays and Saturdays!
My days with children have two main aspects: first, I spend most mornings in the city with Fani and Audra at a busy traffic light (in Micro 19) where a gang of children spend most of their time. God has used the last few weeks of frequent visits to rebuild trust that was lost over the summer, and we continue to pray for God to set these children free and give us wisdom in knowing how to accompany them.
My afternoons are spent at Casa Vale with three adolescent girls, Alina, Claudia and a new girl, Stela. We have a well-rounded program with them from English, math and Romania to sewing, worshipping and playing basketball. Back in January, Nina and I started a group for all the adolescent girls at Casa Vale beyond the three girls we see every day. We saw the need for all the girls to have a place to talk about hard things, learn about trust and openness, and just be girls. Their chosen name for the group is “Grupul Prinţeselor Minunate” which means “Wonderful Princesses Group”. Every Monday, Ana, Audra and I meet with them to talk about such things as discrimination, learning to express emotions, what it's like to raise children, and also do fun projects like sewing pillows, making bracelets or going out for ice cream. There are now 8 girls in our Princess Group and we've split in two groups so everyone has a chance to talk in our one hour meeting. Keep us in prayer. It's tough to be a girl, and it's especially tough to be a teenage girl!
That's it for news. I could throw in a tear-jerker story here (I have plenty) but I'll refrain… just wait for that Christmas letter! J
Your love, prayers, contributions and moral support are as always, coveted and very much appreciated. As I count my blessing this month, you all are among them. I am very blessed.
Peace,
Rachel
Don't forget to check our web page for updated prayer requests. www.wordmadeflesh.com go to Romania, prayer. If you are interested in receiving my letter by email, contact me at rachel.simons@wordmadeflesh.com, but don't worry if you prefer paper! I do too and it's no extra work for me. A girl named Cesia helps me with the letters every month.