So, as you saw in the first part of this blog, Romania is and has been on my heart since 13, so 11 years ago. When I was a sophomore in college at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, God started to speak to me about my identity. This was the very beginning of hearing who God was calling me into and how He was guiding my steps into long-term missions.
These are just a few things I heard Him tell me:
1) Long-term missions with a significant other.
2) We would adopt kids from all over the world. (One of my teammates tells me day-in and day-out that I will have my own little U.N)
3) We would change the world
The countries that God had placed on my heart to adopt from are all countries that ended up being on our route, except for Peru. Those countries being Philippines, Swaziland and Romania. Like I said in the last blog, I had no clue the countries that would be on my Race and was willing to go where God led me. Let’s back up a few steps…Romania has been on my mind for 11 years. I tried to take a missions trip with my church this past year, but couldn’t because I was signed up for the Race. Training Camp fell at the same time that the team was leaving for Romania. I can’t even begin to tell you all the confirmations God kept putting in my heart about Romania before I even got there. Every month, our team leader tells us our ministry and the next country if there is a change within the route. I remember sitting listening to Marian in Swaziland as she told us we were going to Romania and working in Draganesti-Olt. I was not suprized at all, because I had this inner peace that Romania was it.
It’s so cool how God has redeemed so many things in my life through the 25 days being in Romania. Yep, I was only there 25 days and immediately felt this peace that this is where I could end up. Some of those things were this man named Valentin. I wrote a blog about him a few weeks after I left Romania. God brought me a Romanian father to redeem my relationship with my father and what I went through as a teenager walking through my parents’ divorce. God showed me His provision with finances as I had 2 weeks to raise $3,000 or else I was going home because I didn’t have the support I needed. Within 1 day, I had received $1,700, by which I still to this day have no clue who gave me money. God gave me the support of the missions team when I felt like I was supported; God brought me provision for the future of when I was coming back. If you read my support letter, it will show that part of the team is covering some of my costs that would normally me there, but aren’t.
To say the least, I’m so excited for this next step of my journey. I wanted to share this with you, because God is teaching me so much of who He is calling me into including walking into this new form of leadership-stepping up into the woman He has called me to be and no longer fearing not knowing what the future looks like.
