Dear friends,
It’s hard to believe that autumn is upon us! The pace of life always seems to quicken this time of year as we all bustle around busy with school, work and getting ready for winter. In Romania, we literally have to think ahead about the coming winter months – this involves canning vegetables, pickling cucumbers and green tomatoes and making lots and lots of plum jam (yum, yum!). I haven’t personally mastered any of these wonderful kitchen skills yet, but I’m slowly learning from my Romanian roommates. I recently made a big pot of soup from scratch. Yup, just boiling water transformed into a tasty meal in a matter of hours. And most amazingly, I received the seal of approval from Alina who says I am now “buna de maritat” (ready for marriage). J
Thank you for your prayers in response to my last letter. I know that God has been faithful to answer those prayers.
Kari A. has returned home from the hospital in Colorado where she is still recovering. Irene is growing stronger but is still on respiratory devices and will remain in the hospital until January. Seth and Kari were advised to keep Irene under careful medical observation for at least a year which means they will not presently be returning to Romania as they had originally planned. Pray for us as we miss them and pray for them as they learn to live as a family of three, caring for a very fragile young life. Boy’s camp was a fantastic week with 9 older street boys. The Bible study times were particularly memorable this year as we took a Bible character each day (Noah, Abraham, Jonah, Moses, Paul) and acted out their life stories. God used this time to speak to all of us about His special plans for each of our lives. Continue to pray for the Morgan family in Wolfeboro, NH, as Ruth continues to battle cancer. Continue to pray for the communityhere as we learn and grow from the loss of some staff due to conflict and burnout.
More prayer requests:
In Romania, school starts on September 15 each year. Pray for the nineteen children that we have enrolled in school. For some of them this is their first time attending school. Pray for God to provide plenty of volunteers to help the children with their homework in the afternoons. In September Joel and Monica Klepac with their son Simeon moved back into the boys’ home where renovations are almost complete, including a new roof and freshly painted walls and ceilings. Pray for a smooth transition and for God to give them wisdom and guidance as they once again open their home to street boys. The Servant Team has arrived and we’ve been enjoying getting to know one another. Toni, Rheanna, Katie, Korie and Robin have brought a special combination of gifts to our community and I am honored to be their leader during their time with us. Toward the end of this month I plan to take a week long trip with the team to Turkey to renew their visas. We’ll be traveling along with David and Viorel who will make contacts in Istanbul where we wish to send Viorel in the near future. In September we began to frequent a new area of the city called Micro 19. There we have met a new group of about ten boys living on the street who are between the ages of 13-18. Pray for wisdom and guidance as we develop a relationship of trust with them and try to discern how best to meet their needs.
I have written another grocery list letter to my dismay. I much prefer the more personal letters with stories. But all in its own season. These last days have been full and your prayers sustain me. I’ll be keeping my eyes open for stories to share in my next letter.
Be blessed today as the Father walks with you through each moment of each day.
Seek justice. Encourage the oppressed.
Shalom,
Rachel J