Romania 2009

It's late and I should be in bed. In fact, I was reaching for my "real" journal but instead decided I needed to blog. On Thursday, I leave for my third trip to Romania.
Many of you reading followed my last trip via blog. I doubt I will have time to blog on the trip as its only 10 days long. But it is already full of emotion. It is almost a year exactly since I was last there. I am so excited to go back, but so many other things are on my mind as well.
One of my favorite parts about Livada, the ministry in Romania, is that I get to see the same kids year after year. I am starting to see some of them grow up. It's amazing. Last year, I didn't want to leave. I knew it was time to, but I was feeling called to come back and possibly even more long-term. As a prayed through the fall, I was surprised (and I must confess a bit disappointed) to hear from God that I needed to lead a team this summer. Don't get me wrong - leading a team is great. But leading a team meant I could not spend the entire summer there and I of course could not spend even longer there. It didn't seem to make sense, but I reluctantly obeyed.
Now, I am leaving for Romania with a team of eight ...some youth, some peers/adults, and my mom. I can't tell you how fun it is to hear my youth speaking Romanian. Not only are those eight a part of Romania, but countless people in the church and a few in the community have become involved. Even my students helped (by helped, I mean bought my overpriced candy bars for a fundraiser, but it still counts). Now, so many people in my life are a part of Romania. I would not trade that for anything.
As I leave, obviously there are many prayer concerns for the trip, a few being travel, safety, unity, and to expect great things from God. But my biggest personal prayer is that God shows me how Romania fits in my future. I don't need all the details, just a peace about what to do next. This coming week, I will have to face some Romanian friends who are disappointed I did not move there. I don't even know what to say some of them, nor do I know what the future holds. As I wrestled with dreading those conversations, God used a bible study tonight to remind me of the way He works. The main point: Balancing Passion with Patience. I know I am passionate about Romania and I was ready to dive in fully a few years ago. Patience did not come easy; I'm not even sure it came at all- I waited, but not always patiently. But the little patience I had allowed me to invite many others to be a part my passion. Who knows what else patience can bring as I wait on His timing.