So, as you can see I am going back to Romania. Why, you might be asking? While I was in Romania, God really convicted my heart that I needed to pour into those people. And also, when I leave a country and fall in love with the people, I normally lose it by crying all my sorrows away. My team can tell you that instead of talking about the month and the ministry, the people and our contacts, I plug my headphones into my iPod and take my own time thanking God for the time I had in that country, in whatever way that means.
Well, Romania was different. First of all when we were leaving, I had this peace within my heart that I would be back. That, I, Rachel Martin would not end my Race in Central America but in Romania and that it wouldn’t be only 11 months, but close to 16. I have fallen in love with Romania and I can’t wait to go back to this country where God blew me away. I can’t help but think that Romania is where I’m called for the following 4 months after the Race. I didn’t cry when leaving this country like I thought I would. Instead, I was excited to know that God was calling me back to the country.
Romania stuck out in my mind in several ways now and even before I started the Race. When I was 13, my friend Tory had gone to Romania on a mission trip to an orphanage. She had worked with children that had been abandoned and left by their parents. She told me horror stories of how many children lived in one room without the love of parents, without the support of adults. I was crushed and I was only 13. The strange thing is that I wasn’t walking with the Lord at that time. I was walking for myself and frankly said, I was not a huge fan of God. Instead of this turning me away from God, it helped me walk towards Him and lay my life at His feet. So, with this being said my heart was stuck on Romania since I was 13.
I don’t know how many of you knew this, but I applied for the World Race before the route was listed. Part of me knew that Romania was going to be on our list, that it would be somewhere between Month 6-8 and sure enough it was Month 6, even though it wasn’t supposed to be on our route. While I was in Romania, God started to show me that the ministry that I was doing there (teaching English and loving on gypsy children by telling them the Good News of Jesus Christ) was what could become long-term. If you go back one blog you will see my support letter for Romania. I ask you to strongly consider reading it and ask the Lord what you can do to help not only me but those in Romania.
