Words aren't adequate... here goes

How has it been a year already? I left September 28, 2009 for a country and I had an experience that would alter my life. God has used this opportunity to challenge me and draw me to Him so much more. It’s amazing how much grace God gives us and how loving and gracious He is!

This year Sept. 09- Sept. 10 has been by far the most blessed 365 days of my life so far. It has been filled with eye opening sights in Romania, loving orphans and building relationships with believers from so far from “home”, befriending strangers and most importantly completely relying on the Lord.
Here’s the most amazing part, when I got back in March from this life altering trip… it didn’t stop there. I was changed. It’s been nothing that I did to change me, it’s completely Christ.

“But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Galatians 6:14
I hope if you are reading this you see that change in your life as well. It’s a burning passion. It’s an extreme desire to love the lost and to love your brothers and sisters in Christ. If you know me you know I’m far from perfect, but I hope also if you know me you see that change I write about. Christ’s love truly is amazing. I really don’t deserve it, but I am completely grateful for it!
I just can’t imagine what the next year holds but I know that God is the sovereign King of Kings and Lord of Lords! I’m so excited to watch it unfold.

Thank you again for your prayers during my time in Romania and for my time back here. Please continue to pray for the children of Casa de Copii and the lost all around the world.

Much Love- Elizabeth

Please excuse my lack of writing!

So I've been back in the United States for a little over a month now and endless opportunities awaited my arrival it seems. I've been able to volunteer and help friends, spend time with my family, see my brother play baseball and take a trip with my sister to watch her sing. It's been great being home but I do miss my friends in Romania. I think about the kids often... I miss them. I made this video to share with my church family... and I'd like to share it with you as well. I'm no video designer but it makes me smile.

Much Love!

Safely back in the USofA

So after a 4 hour drive to Timisoara, Romania starting at 11pm to catch my flight there at 6am to then fly to Vienna, Austria to catch another flight to Munich, Germany to then catch another flight to Charlotte, North Carolina to then sit and wait for my last flight to Tallahassee, FL I have finally made it home. It was a long day of anticipation and reflection. I was so grateful for the experience and opportunity that I have had these past 6 months and I was also thankful for the friends and family I was returning to.

I will write more later, honestly I have really enjoyed just writing my thoughts and experiences down. I am already trying to figure out my future plans and how Romania fits into them. There have already been multiple little things that have fallen into place which I will write about later. Also as I promised I will do my recap of the kids... I just need to get a few things in order like unpacking and laundry! :) Much Love

Chapter 23?

Well I suppose I should change the title of my blog to 'Chapter 23' since Thursday was my birthday and I am no longer in the 22nd chapter of my life... but I think I'm too lazy to change it! Haha. I had a wonderful birthday filled with lots of precious people, delicious food and a ridiculous amount of flowers. It actually began on the 24th (the day before my birthday) with my friends Andreea and Karina. We went to a restaurant and chatted... they gave me gifts and flowers. Those girls are so nice, I hope that they will continue to grow and learn and come to know Christ.

Robert's sweet family threw me a birthday party on my actual birthday with my favorite foods, gifts and birthday cake with candles! It was so much more that I would have hoped for. I truly felt loved. I am really going to miss Robert and his dear family. They have pretty much adopted me and I really feel like a part of their family! Oh PS. Robert decorated my birthday cake... I think he did an excellent job! :)

Then Saturday I was planning on meeting up with my sweet friend Dea because she lives in a different city and I want to make sure I got to say goodbye to her. Little did I know I was being set up for a surprise birthday party thrown by all the staff and kids of Casa de Copii! I was completely surprised. This party included more flowers, more cake, pictures drawn by the kids, balloons blown up by the kids and gifts. It was slightly overwhelming. I am so blessed! I wasn't prepared for a party so I didn't have my camera... I will hopefully get the pictures from a friend who had his camera!

Here are a few pictures from my birthday celebrations!

Valentine's Day (I can't believe I forgot to blog about this!)

So I know it's a little late now but... in English Club on Feb. 13th we learned about Valentine's Day! We learned some vocabulary words associated with the day and made some awesome Valentines for our loved ones (in English of course!). I also had the memorize 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."

Here are a few pictures:

He made his Valentine for me... I felt so bad having to correct his "I love my ticher"! He is a sweetheart!







Inu... he is a trip! He is also very smart...we like to have fun!










This is Emma. She is so smart, gorgeous, and super sweet. She is really going to an incredible woman when she grows up!

Seasons Change

As I walked "home" today... I looked around me and the realization of change hit me. Snow has started to melt and the hills have bare spots with exposed dead grass. Spring is nearing and so is my return. I leave here in less than 2 weeks. The things that seemed so foreign to me when I arrived are a distant thought now. The unfamiliar has become a comfort and a joy. I have fallen in love with this country and it's people. The landscape here is beautiful but you can see how the people who have inhabited it have stripped it and turned the beauty into a sad reminder of oppression.

As the next 12 days pass I'm not sure how I will spend my time. I love the children at Casa de Copii, I have my church friends from Petrosani, my English Club girls... my prayers for friends were definitely answered and now I have to leave them. I am grateful for the friendships I've made and am trying to understand that seasons come and go but the Lord is unchanging and sovereign!

"He changes times and seasons;
he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those who have understanding" Daniel 2:21

As spring arrives I intend on preparing myself for the summer and fall. I want to become better equipped. I want to learn to teach English as a second language, I want to continue learning Romanian and I want to continue growing in the Lord.

I truly believe I will be coming back to Romania. I look forward to seeing how God works that out, as he most certainly has had control over this season. Thank you for your continued love and support. Much Love-

(PS. I am working on a post of a recap of the children and how they have grown since I've gotten here... stay tuned!)

Beauty from Ashes

Last week I made a little trip up to Oradea. It's a large city here in Romania near the Hungarian border. The idea was to meet up with my new friends Corey and Diana Burba to observe and learn about what they do here in Romania and also hop over to Hungary to update my visa.

Corey is an American who back in 2001 worked with Romanian orphans in the states... this sparked an interest and the Lord gave him a desire to help the orphans of Romania. He made his first trip here in 2002 and realized that this is where God was calling him to be. He began Romanian Orphan Ministries and has been helping orphans here ever since. I personally love his tough love mentality and fatherly approach to working with them. He and his wife Diana (who is Romanian) live in a house that they rent (the Beauty from Ashes Center) and currently have 3 girls living with them... and a multitude of kids coming over and being mentored and exposed to truth. If you'd like to read more about Corey and his story you can at www.romanianorphanministries.com... I was extremely impressed with the organization, the girls, the teamwork, real family environment and the time and effort Corey, Diana and the rest of the staff put forth with the girls.

In an effort to raise money to continue supporting the orphans they minister to they have begun a little business. The girls at the Beauty from Ashes Center in Oradea make the most beautiful greeting cards! They girls enjoy being creative and artistic. Also they have a certain amount of cards they are to make so they are learning time management and when they are done you can tell they are proud of the beautiful things they have made. I actually got to helped them and LOVED it (but anyone who knows me knows that kind of thing is my cup of tea!). Soon they will add a link onto their website so that you can buy them directly from there. If you are interested in purchasing some cards contact me and I can direct you to Corey. Here are just a few pictures I took during my visit... there are so many more to choose from!







Also if you are interested in reading more about daily life at the center and exactly what goes on there you can read Corey's blog here http://blog.romanianorphanministries.com and believe me life is never boring at the Beauty from Ashes Center! :)

I am very thankful for making new friends and seeing how other people run things here. It was an encouragement to me and I hope and feel that I will be able to see all the girls and staff at the center again. Much Love.

Stickers!

So last week the kids and I played with stickers! Whitney Beach sent me a package and her sweet grandma contributed stickers to this package. The kids and I have been making all sort of artwork with them. I've found Sebi is very creative while David and Delia just enjoy sticking stickers on any surface available. One day Mama Gabby, Petre (15) and Pinti (20) even joined in on the fun! Here are a few pictures of the kids and their artwork.

I mean WOW.

I was invited to go to a part of the mountains by my friends Andreea a Karina. Andreea's dad offered to drive us there and take us sledding! It was absolutely stunning, I mean WOW. I wish I could have taken every single person there to show them the awesome beauty and majesty of our Lord! Here are a few pictures, but honestly they don't do it justice! :)

The Reality of Winter

The excitement of receiving my Christmas package from my best friend Whitney quickly faded as I walked out the doors of Casa de Copii and was greeted by a mom with her 4 snotty nosed adorable children standing out in the cold hoping for assistance. As I stood there trying to communicate with her I looked down to see what I could give these people. Holding my package I felt rather frivolous and helpless. CDs? Printed tights? DVD? Lip gloss? No... what they wanted was warm clothes and bread. I had nothing to give and what I wanted to give I couldn't verbalize. I told her at my house I have oranges... seriously that's about it. She and the 4 kids followed me home and I ran quickly up stairs to grab as many things I could that I felt like she could possibly need. All I could gather was milk, oranges, a scarf, gloves and chocolate for the kids. I grabbed my Romanian New Testament in hopes that she would read it... or at least know in who's name I was helping them. I came back down and gave all the kids hugs and told them "Jesus loves you" one of the few Romanian phrases I know.

Many people here strongly dislike the gypsy (Roma) people. I'm not saying there isn't truth behind people's allegations towards these people. But I don't think Jesus Christ ever said "take care of the orphans and widows because they are good people and they need help". No, nor did He say, "help the poor, but only the ones who deserve it". None of us deserve anything we are given. It is only by the grace of God we have life and breath.

Please pray for those children, they are precious and cold. I wish I could do more... but for now I can't. Pray the Lord gives me more opportunities to help and serve His people. Much Love.

This is my heart, these are my thoughts, this is my prayer.

I want to make the reason I am here, in Romania, very clear. It's not because I am a good person (Romans 3:12 "All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.") because I'm not. I am a sinner just like everyone else. The reason I came to Romania is because I felt the Lord leading me here. I knew that this is where I was suppose to go. The Lord gave me such a peace about this adventure I knew that if I were to not go I would be sinning in complete disobedience!

Why Romania? I still don't know exactly... but I do know that these past 4 1/2 months have been amazing. I have gained so much insight from the Lord, I have seen His answers to my prayers and the sovereignty of Him laid out. I have met people who have changed my life. I have met people who I hope I have helped to change their lives through Christ. My gifts and talents have been used... and I have been stretched as a person and I definitely have had my faith tested.

What I want you to know, christian, is that I am no better than you. If you are feeling stuck and confused about how you are to serve our awesome and mighty Creator then get on your knees and seek His will. I knew where God wanted me and I followed. I did and do not want to compromise His plan for my desires. I want to follow His commands and live my life in complete submission to Him and His will for me (Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.")

What I want you to know, unbeliever, is that Christ has abundantly shown His character to me while being here. He is a God of love, yes we all know that. But He is a God of hate too. He loves all that is beautiful and hates all that is terrible.(Psalm 5:5 "The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.") That is good and bad news. WE are sinners. WE are terrible. WE deserve death and hell. Thankfully He is a just God and has to carry out that justice. I don't want to serve a God who is changing and unstable. The Lord desires you to worship, adore and serve Him... and Him alone. Please consider that what I am saying is THE truth. Please realize that Jesus Christ says, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) It's so important! It's the most important thought to ever ponder.

I believe it so much that I came half way around the world to love on the children here and share the love of Christ with them. I want them to grow into adults and remember the love that was given to them and to remember that differently... I don't care if they remember my name... I don't care if they even remember me. I do care that somehow the Lord makes it evident in their hearts that the love of Christ Jesus was given to them back in September of 2009 till March of 2010.

This is my heart, these are my thoughts, this is my prayer. Much Love.

Shots, Coloring, and Snow!

Last week I went with the kids to get their shots. Oh man, that was difficult. Little Delia was pretty brave but still got teary eyed and her little bottom lip quivered. Mario cried... a lot! David saw Mario cry and started screaming, "NU VREAU!" which means "I DON'T WANT!" oh boy. Tina looked terrified and Rares and Sebi were tough guys. :) I do not look forward to taking my own children to get shots one day.




Yesterday I was pleasantly surprised when Alina (13) came up to me and asked me how I was doing. Usually I approach her and she is shy and quiet. We ended up drawing together and she asked me to do the whole bubble letter drawing with her name... something I use to do when I was her age, heck I still do it! So we were coloring and then Andrada (15) decided she would join in on the fun too! Usually she is too cool for most things. :)I'm glad we got to hang out, I've been hoping that they would open up to me which is difficult with the whole language barrier.

Speaking of the language barriers, I can tell a major difference in last couple of weeks with how much I've learned. I'm so thankful I'm understanding some things. Robert has been so kind to help me, I even helped him with typing up a paper! I read to him in Romanian as he typed it! I didn't understand a lot of what I read but at least I'm pronouncing words correctly! :)

Finally... winter is back. Definitely back. We had a mild December but things are now back to being very cold and snowy. Snow is exciting for me, maybe because I'm a Floridian, but really it's gorgeous! Ice on the other hand I could live without! I haven't fallen YET but I'm sure I will. Last night I just decided to slide my way home, it was more fun and slightly scarier. That's all for now, much love from this side of the globe!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

These are just a few little things I'd like to share:



1.) On Sunday afternoon in Petrosani my friend Robert and I had just finished eating lunch under a pavilion when 3 boys came up and asked for money. This is a very common occurrence in Romania. Many children are sent out by their own parents to beg for money and sometimes if they don't meet their quota they will be beaten. It's a big problem... and I'm not sure why something is not being done about it. Anyway these 3 boys discovered quickly that I'm American. They began to many ask questions and it provoked conversation. Robert took the opportunity to share Christ with them, hopefully it's a seed planted in good soil. (Matt. 13:8)

2.) Yesterday, upon the kids request Robert visited Casa de Copii. (They love him... I'm no longer the coolest.) There was a woman and her grandson visiting. The woman is having a hard time feeding the child and keeping him clothed and was seeking help. Seeing as the orphanage has little to no money they can not take on another child but have agreed to feed him and give extra clothes to the family. So Robert and I sat at a table with all the little children and the woman. The kids and I colored as Robert presented the gospel to her. I would have loved to be a part of the conversation but... I couldn't keep up, so instead I prayed. I ended up having a copy of the New Testament in Romanian in my purse (a total God thing) which we were able to give to her. She has invited us over to her home on Friday! :)

3.) Delia can color in the lines now! I'm so proud of her. She also is gaining weight! :)


4.) Tomorrow I am spending time with a girl who is very lost. She is 16 or 17... please pray for me to be bold and unashamed of the truth. Also pray for me to not freeze seeing as we are going up on Parang... yes that is a picture of it. brrrrrrr! More pictures to come! :)

It is truly a blessing to be used by the Lord and I am so thankful for the opportunity. Much love-

What my obedience to God costs other people

This was my daily devotional today from Oswald Chamber's 'My Utmost For His Highest' and it really stuck out to me.

"They laid hold upon one Simon . . . and on him they laid the cross." Luke 23:26

If we obey God it is going to cost other people more than it costs us, and that is where the sting comes in. If we are in love with our Lord, obedience does not cost us anything, it is a delight, but it costs those who do not love Him a good deal. If we obey God it will mean that other people's plans are upset, and they will gibe us with it - "You call this Christianity?" We can prevent the suffering; but if we are going to obey God, we must not prevent it, we must let the cost be paid.

Our human pride entrenches itself on this point, and we say - I will never accept anything from anyone. We shall have to, or disobey God. We have no right to expect to be in any other relation than our Lord Himself was in (see Luke 8:2-3).

Stagnation in spiritual life comes when we say we will bear the whole thing ourselves. We cannot. We are so involved in the universal purposes of God that immediately we obey God, others are affected. Are we going to remain loyal in our obedience to God and go through the humiliation of refusing to be independent, or are we going to take the other line and say - I will not cost other people suffering? We can disobey God if we choose, and it will bring immediate relief to the situation, but we shall be a grief to our Lord. Whereas if we obey God, He will look after those who have been pressed into the consequences of our obedience. We have simply to obey and to leave all consequences with Him.

Beware of the inclination to dictate to God as to what you will allow to happen if you obey Him.

Catch All

I'm afraid I haven't written much lately... and now there are too many things that I'd love to share in one blog update. I will try my best to be concise!

1. MAJOR prayer answered. I came half way around the world without all of the money I needed to get back, but the Lord has provided for me yet again. It truly is an awesome blessing that Lord would take care of little old me. I have all the money I need, and will be coming back on March 4th. Thank you for all of your prayers and support! I don't have the words to adequately thank the Lord and everyone who has helped. Multumesc!

2. The kids are back to school and that means I have somewhat of a schedule again, which is nice! Poor Rares really struggles in school and cries just about every afternoon while trying to do his homework. Please pray for him, that he would gain perseverance and understanding towards his school work. I relate with him and wish I could communicate that better, but for now I just try to encourage him when he shows me his homework.

3. I really don't know how I am going to leave these precious children in less than two months! Back in October I really felt like there was no way that I'd live the rest of my life and never come back to this country again... that feeling has only become stronger. I'm interested to see what the future holds. :)

4. PRAISE- my language skills have really improved! I have made a new friend named Robert and he clearly has the gift of teaching. He is very patient with me and we read through the Bible in Romanian and then he helps me translate it and then compare with my Bible. I really love the challenge and I love learning on both levels. I've also enjoyed his friendship, which has been another blessing.

5. I start back teaching English Club next week and I am looking forward to it! I've actually decided when I go back to the States I will take a course at Florida State University at the Center for Intensive English Studies and become certified to teach English as a second language. I'm in the process of figuring out the logistics and details but, I'm excited about the opportunity!

6. A funny thing happened today, I was getting on the Maxi Taxi to go to Petrosani... and I shut the door behind me. The driver said something to me but I couldn't hear him too well so I said, "Poftim?" which is like "Excuse me?" and he said it again. I thought he told me I didn't slam the door hard enough... so I apologized and re-opened the door and slammed it harder. He laughed at me and the rest of the bus looked at me like I was crazy... and then I realized he had told me I slammed the door too hard. Oops... now I had done it twice! I flashed him a big smile and said "Scuze, nu vorbesc romaneste" which means "Sorry, I don't speak Romanian"! I always feel weird saying that in the language I claim not to know! OH how I do enjoy language barriers! :)

Well I think that's enough for now. The kids are great and life in Romania is good. I'm loving listening to sermons from John Piper, Francis Chan and Paul Washer... there is so much available on the Internet, I encourage you to take advantage of the tools the Lord has made available for us! Much Love-

Zapada!!! (snow)

Here are a few pictures from today after I picked the little ones up from school! It was super cold but the snow was the perfect consistency for snowballs!