once again in columbus

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm writing you from Columbus , Ohio after a long day of travel back to the States last week. As I watch snow gently falling outside my window, it is hard for me to believe that my four months in Romania are finished and that Christmas is quickly approaching. During my last few weeks in Gala ţi signs of Christmas were all over, from the lights around the city to our children belting carols daily at the center. I was able to see our kids sing at two different churches and was so blessed by the joy and hope with which they praised God. They are a reminder to me of the God who redeems.

Reflecting over the past year and four months is overwhelming for me as I recognize all of the things God has led me through and the ways in which He has grown me. Ultimately, though, I praise Him because of the calling I know He has placed on my life: to return to Gala ţi to serve Jesus among the poor. I will be interviewing for Word Made Flesh staff in Omaha on February 21 and 22 and will then return for staff commissioning in April. Assuming all goes well, I will then return to Galaţi, Romania as staff the first week of May.

Many of you have been asking how Moldova may or may not play a role in my future. Right now all I can say is that we, as the Word Made Flesh community, are praying about the planting of a field in Moldova. I have finished a proposal that describes different possibilities for what this could look like and will talk about these ideas at my interview in February. The next step that we are praying about is the involvement of at least one more person in this Moldova field. I will not be going there to start a field alone, thus our continual prayer is that God would call more people—including Romanians and Moldovans—to community among the poor in Moldova. If this happens we will then take the next step forward. Thus I cannot offer any sort of a timeline for how long I will be in Galaţi, but I am committing myself to serving in this community indefinitely.

PRAYER REQUESTS

1) Continue to pray for the children in Galaţi as they frequent the day center. Ask that they would understand how deeply they are loved by God. Also pray for our friends on the streets in Galaţi. Ask that God would heal and deliver them.

2) My time with the servant team finished up well as we studied Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed together. It was a book that was deeply challenging for us, especially as we wrestled with what it means to live a life that honors the poor and what freedom really means both for the oppressed and the oppressor. Please pray that the servant team and I would continue to bring these things before the Lord in prayer and that our hearts would not grow hard to the way He is calling us to live.

3) Pray for the community of workers at Word Made Flesh Romania. With the servant team leaving Galaţi as well as two staff members and their three children, all before Christmas, the community is going through a lot of challenging transitions. Ask God to show them their identity in Him and to allow them to find their refuge in Him.

4) Pray for my time at home with friends and family, that these four months I have would be blessed and memorable. During this time I will be working for my dad as well as beginning to study the Russian language (which will be necessary for me if I return to live in Moldova). Ask for God's grace in this area as well as in the continual improvement of my Romanian.

5) Finally pray for God's direction and leading both at my interview in February as well as regarding the future in Moldova. Expect to hear back from me soon after February 22!

May you be blessed this Christmas as you come to know more deeply the love of Emmanuel, the God who is with us and whose Kingdom is at hand.

Har şi pace,

John

mustard seed

Dear Friends and Family,

It was a Saturday morning and my host family had left for a visit to relatives in a nearby village. I was sitting alone in my room, reading and listening to music, enjoying the quiet of a day off. Then the doorbell rang. I assumed it must be my host family returning early from the village, not knowing who else would be coming by on a Saturday morning. I opened the door, and to my surprise, saw a young boy, about 10 years old, with a swollen, black and blue eye looking up at me. He told me that he was sick and asked if I could help him. I asked him what he needed more specifically, and his response was either money or food. I told him to wait outside, rummaged through the refrigerator, picked a handful of tomatoes and brânză, and put them in a plastic grocery bag. I then opened the door again, handed him the food, and asked what his name was. He said Şovan. Then I asked him where he lives. He told me with his grandfather in a nearby neighborhood. Şovan then turned around and began walking down the five floors of our apartment block.

Reflecting on this interaction, I keep wondering what would have happened if I had invited Şovan inside. What was he really crying out for? Sure, the food I gave him would ease the hunger pangs in his stomach for a few hours, but he would wake up the next day with the same problems, the same pain. Many child beggars in Romania either live in abusive homes, where they are forced to beg during the day by their parents in order to bring home a certain amount of money. If they fail, they are often beaten or not allowed to come inside. Many of these children, understandably, run away and begin living on the streets, like many of the boys I’ve recently become friends with at Word Made Flesh.

I am becoming more and more convinced that our response to the poor must happen in the context of relationship, in true community. Şovan has probably received numerous handouts from people, but how many people have shared a meal with him, have listened to his hurts, have cried with him and told him that God loves him? And is this type of communion not a prophetic sign of the Kingdom of God? This is the Kingdom where the rich and poor sit at the table together, where social, ethnic, and racial barriers are torn down, where the sick are healed, and where the outcast are embraced and reminded of God’s love for them. This is the Kingdom that Jesus announced, the Kingdom that He said is among us. Although it may seem like a mustard seed in the midst of our world of hurt, poverty, disease, war, and pollution, it will grow to be bigger than all other kingdoms.

There are days for me in Romania in which I have a hard time believing that the mustard seed will ever grow into a tree (see Luke 13:18-19). Discouragement is easy for me, especially on the days when I see our friends on the street still sniffing glue or when I am reminded of the conditions in which the children who frequent the day center live. Last week we were privileged to have a group of people from Ministering to Jesus (http://www.ministeringtojesus.com/) visit us in Galaţi. They held a four-day series of teachings and worship times for us. During one of the worship segments, there were Scriptures posted about faith, and as images of Şovan and of our most recent soccer game with a group of street boys flashed through my mind, God reminded me to continue to have faith that His Kingdom is at hand (Mark 1:15) and to know that our work is not being done in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). Since then He has encouraged my faith in several ways. One is with an 8 year old named Renato that I’ve been teaching to read. Several weeks ago I was literally showing him the sound of each letter of the alphabet, and now he is already reading three and four-letter words. Another is in prayer times I’ve had with some of the older kids at the center. I am seeing God work in their hearts as I hear them cry out to Him for guidance and mercy in their lives and in the difficult situations they find themselves in. He is surely with them.

Daily life at the center here has been full as I continue studying Romanian intensely and participating in many different activities with the kids who come daily. Recently I’ve been most involved teaching English, computers, math, and reading. The book we are currently studying with the servant team is The Open Secret by Lesslie Newbigin, which is an introduction to the theology of mission. Our last book will be Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire.

Regarding the future, as many already know, I will be returning home to Columbus, Ohio on December 12. I will then be interviewing for Word Made Flesh field staff in February, where I will present the proposal I’ve been working on for a new Word Made Flesh community in Moldova. Assuming I am accepted as staff, I will attend commissioning in Omaha the first week of May and will then immediately return to Romania. From that point, the future is still unsure, but I will be committing myself to the community in Galaţi and to praying about an expansion into Moldova. We have several ideas of what that expansion could look like, but a time frame is not yet at all set.

PRAYER REQUESTS

1) Please continue to pray for the kids who frequent our day center and for the boys on the street. Ask that God would show them who He is in a powerful way and that He would be bringing them into community.

2) Pray for the relationships among workers at the center. Relational conflict is unavoidable in the close circumstances in which we are living and working, so ask God to give us unity in heart, mind, and purpose as well as love and grace for each other.

3) Pray for my last month of language study. Ask God to help me to absorb as much as possible while I am still around Romanian speakers every day.

4) Please pray for the future of my role at Word Made Flesh. I believe that this is exactly where God is calling me, but ask that I would be obedient to wherever He might have me, especially in regard to the expansion into Moldova. Ask that He would be calling people to this community if it is what He has in store.

5) Finally, pray for my transition to the States next month. I know that there will be culture shock and other issues to deal with as I transition to life in a very different place, so ask God to give me grace, joy, and patience in this time.

Thank you all for your prayers and support.

Har şi pace,

John

hot eggs for breakfast

Dear Friends and Family,

The past month has been full as I continue to integrate into the community here at Word Made Flesh Romania. Walking through my apartment this morning I realized that fall is truly here as my host family shut off the ever-open balcony door leading into the kitchen, pulled out a thick comforter for my bed, and served me with hot eggs, ham, and tea for breakfast. This colder weather is causing me to be more reflective, and I'm finding it hard to believe that just a year ago I was beginning to adjust to life in Moldova not knowing what would be in store a few months down the road.

Life in Galaţi continues to go well. I have stayed busy working on my proposal for a Word Made Flesh community in Moldova as well as planning an exploratory trip to Moldova that we took last week. The purpose of the trip was to visit as many organizations as possible in Moldova that are working among the poor, among vulnerable children, and among victims of human trafficking. In one very full week, we visited a whole range of organizations, from small, grassroots Christian organizations to larger, established organizations such as Save the Children and Amnesty International. Overall, I think we learned a lot about what these different organizations are doing and how Word Made Flesh could potentially find a place in Moldova in the future. Currently I am reflecting on this trip and adding the final details to my proposal.

As a side note, Denis (the boy I lived with this past summer) and Ilie (one of my English students in Moldova) were both baptized this past Sunday during my visit! I praise God for the work He is doing in their lives and the way He is shaping them into men who desire to follow Him. Thank you for the prayers you have prayed for them.

Here in Galaţi, the servant team and I have recently been studying N.T. Wright's The Challenge of Jesus. This study has impressed me as all involved have continued to ask deep questions and to enter into places of true reflection. Please pray for these studies as we are all wrestling with various issues for the first time that have come up in our discussions. Throughout this process it has been a joy for me to see the way God is working in each of our lives, causing us to see that He is much bigger than we had known.

My other daily activities at the center now include English lessons, computer lessons, homework tutoring, hall monitoring as our kids come to brush their teeth and take showers, and soccer games with the group of street kids we have been meeting with. One of our newest and developing activities here in Galaţi is the Job Creation Project. We are working to create places of employment for our children in various areas, from baking to accounting to carpentry. Our first tangible effort in this area is Christmas cards made by the children in our art therapy program. If you are interested in ordering Christmas cards from our community here in Galaţi, please visit http://www.wmfromania.com/Eng/news1.php to place an order. The money you spend on these beautiful cards will benefit our children and help us know how we can continue to use our children's art to help support them in the future. However, please note that orders must be placed by NOVEMBER 1 in order for us to print the necessary cards and have them shipped in time for you to send your Christmas greetings. This only gives you two weeks to order, so please do so now!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

1) Please continue to pray for our community here in Galaţi. Ask that we would be diligent in seeking the Lord and living out the ways of His Kingdom. Pray that the poor would be lifted up and honored among us.

2) Pray for our community as we continue to pray about the possibly of expanding into Moldova. We want to be absolutely obedient to the call of God for us as a community, so ask that we might, in intimate relationship with Him, have ears that are open and hearts that are willing.

3) Finally, my personal prayer request is that I would be obedient to what God is calling me to do in the future. As some of you know, I have made the decision to apply for Word Made Flesh Romania staff and will be back in the States for an interview after Christmas. I am not able to share all of the details of what this will look like for me yet, but as for now, please be in prayer for me. I appreciate this especially as the last few months have been a huge time of stretching and growing for me.

I will leave you with a passage of Scripture I read recently: "The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them" (Exodus 2:23-25, NIV). May the same God who heard the groaning of His people and ultimately delivered them also deliver you from that which is enslaving you today. And may you live a life that brings the same freedom to others.

Har şi pace,
John

hope in the not yet

Dear Friends and Family,

Last Wednesday was our "final outing" of the summer for the kids who frequent the day center here in Galaţi. We organized lots of games and activities to celebrate this last day of summer together before the kids head back to school. One of our games was a scavenger hunt throughout the city. We were divided into groups, each receiving a camera and a list of things that we had to find and take a picture of within the next hour and a half. Finding a door with the number "72" on it, a policeman, wood cut to be burned, and several other things seemed doable, but a cow's skull and a pig seemed a little more tricky! However, one of the girls in my group (I'll call her Gabriela) immediately suggested that we go to her house to take a picture of her family's pigs. Being that Galaţi is a fairly large city, I didn't expect our children to have pigs at home, so, curiously, I followed Gabriela down the street along with our group. Almost all of the homes here in Galaţi have tall, iron fences and gates along the street, blocking any view of the yard or house. So, when we finally arrived at Gabriela's home and swung the gate open, I was suddenly encountered with a hidden world, invisible to the casual passerby. Memories from a trip I took to the slums of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil when I was in high school swept through my mind as we walked past rows of dilapidated, thrown-together shacks. Trying to avoid both the liquid mud that was flowing seemingly everywhere and the manure that was found in all the other places, I picked my way past old women squatting in front of small fires and dirty, naked babies running through the scattered trash. Our group arrived at a pig pen behind one of the shacks, smiled for a picture as Gabriela held one of the squirming piglets, and quickly left through the iron gate that would continue to hide the home of these families from the sight of the rest of the world.

The next day at a book study I was participating in with the servant team, we opened with several worship songs, one of them with a very repetitive, simple chorus: "Come, Lord Jesus." As we sang the tune over and over, God brought Psalm 113 to my mind, a psalm we had meditated on as a community earlier that week. In this psalm, we see our great God, who "is exalted over all the nations" (v. 4, NIV) and who "sits enthroned on high" (v. 5), raising the poor from the dust and the ash heap ("dunghill" in the King James and " gunoi" or "garbage" in one Romanian translation, v. 7). He then seats them with princes (v. 8). As we continued to sing "Come, Lord Jesus," I began to imagine Him, in all of His glory, coming in humility to Gabriela's family, wiping the tears from their eyes, washing the dust off their feet, lifting them from the piles of dung and garbage, and giving them new names as princes and princesses in His Kingdom. I was groaning inwardly for the time when creation will be liberated from its bondage (Romans 8:21) and when all things will be made new (Revelation 21:5).

Over the past month, I have realized more than ever that we are living in the "not yet" of the Kingdom of God. Our world is full of sin, poverty, sickness, and death, but we serve a God who says that His Kingdom is near (Mark 1:15)! He is present now among us, empowering the poor (Psalm 113:7-8), making all things new (Revelation 21:5), and filling the earth with the knowledge of His glory (Habakkuk 2:14). It is a painful place to be, however—in this "not yet." One of my main activities over the past month has been a book study with the servant team that is here. We are currently working through a book by Ronald J. Sider called Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. The study has been incredibly eye-opening for all of us, but at the same time we are finding ourselves sometimes feeling hopeless, not knowing how to truly live authentic lives in the Kingdom of God among a world that is dying and that seems to shout that this Kingdom is not yet here. It is in that hopelessness, however, that we find ourselves crying more desperately, "Come, Lord Jesus!", and in Him, we find our hope. The Kingdom truly is at hand.

In addition to book studies and integrating into community life here at Word Made Flesh, I have been working on my proposal for this organization's expansion into Moldova. It is going quite well as I continue to research, process interviews and questionnaires from this summer, and communicate with potential partner organizations in Moldova. I have also been organizing an exploratory trip to Moldova that we will be making the second week of October, so we are praying that God will open our eyes to what He is doing and planning during that time.

Things with the children here in our community are going wonderfully. I have been tutoring them in English, math, and reading as well as sometimes helping to supervise art and recreation time. This next week we will be beginning a music class, which I am privileged to be able to take part in. I am looking forward to this so much as music is one of my greatest joys in life and as I believe it, as well as the other arts, plays a huge role in affirming the humanity (the image of God) in each person, something that poverty so easily steals away. I have also enjoyed this month getting to know a group of guys who live on the streets in Galaţi. We have been playing soccer and sharing a meal with them once a week. Although I have found it difficult to really engage these guys in conversation, I believe that trust will continue to be built the more we are consistent in their lives.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

1) Pray for the community of believers who make up Word Made Flesh Romania. We want to be a community that models healthy relationships and obedient lifestyles for the children who come to the center daily. Ask God to pour out His Spirit and grace on us to be the people He's created us to be.

2) Pray the words of Revelation 22:20 for those we are serving among both here in Romania as well as in the future in Moldova. Ask Jesus to come in presence and in power, bringing His life, restoration, justice, and salvation to the poor, lost, and broken.

3) Pray for the book studies that I've been doing along with the servant team. Many of the books we are reading are causing us to wrestle with deep issues that many of us have never thought about before. It is wonderful to see this happen, but ask that God would guide us, humble us, and fill us with wisdom as we seek to learn more of His way.

4) Finally, continue to pray for my decision about the future. I am on the verge of deciding whether or not I will apply to go on staff for Word Made Flesh Romania (and possibly Word Made Flesh Moldova!), so ask God to make His calling on my life clear.

Again, the emails and support that you send mean more than you know. Thank you all for choosing to be involved in this ministry and for being open to the things God is doing.

Har şi pace,

John

Greetings from Romania

This is my email update from August 22.

Dear Friends and Family,

I have now been living in Romania for over a week, and things are going quite well. I arrived late last Sunday night and since then, much has happened here at Word Made Flesh. The city where I am now living is called Galaţi (say Gah-lahts) and is situated in the south-eastern part of the country, next to the border with Moldova. Many of you have been asking for more information about Galaţi, so here is its wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gala%C5%A3i , and here is Galaţi's official site: http://www.primaria.galati.ro/ . I realize that this site is all in Romanian, but if you click on "Portal," and then "Oraşul în imagini" (near the top left), you can see a good number of pictures of the city.

My main responsibility here at Word Made Flesh over the next four months will be to write a proposal for this organization's possible expansion into Moldova. Currently I am in the process of doing initial research and compiling thoughts and ideas. On top of this, I will be participating in many activities with the servant team that is here now, a group of four Americans who have committed four months to living and serving here in Galaţi. With them I will be going through a series of book studies and discussions as well as participating in many service activities.

My first week in Galaţi, I participated in many training seminars, which covered everything from Word Made Flesh's philosophy of ministry to a discussion on the poor in Scripture and poverty assumptions. Additionally I had my first language lesson and have also been spending lots of time with the children here who frequent the center in Galaţi. All of these children come from vulnerable families in the community, and in the summer time, spend their days at the center. Here they take showers, eat a healthy meal, play games, have art, music, and Bible lessons, and receive tutoring in different subjects (math, science, English, etc.). There are also special outings once a week as well as chapel services led by the children. Word Made Flesh also has a ministry to the street children who live in Galaţi, a ministry that I will be participating in this week for the first time.

Now to rewind a bit in time. My last month in Moldova consisted of continued intense language lessons, visits to the orphanage's camp (which included more interviews and questionnaires), taking several children shopping for clothing and school supplies--and the most time-consuming thing—living with and walking with Denis. He is still doing so well, as he continues developing spiritually, in his life skills, and in his English lessons. Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, and encouragement regarding Denis and his family. Things with him are going well, although walking through the various challenges this family is facing has not been as easy as I anticipated. Denis and his sister now both have good living and schooling situations for the fall, but their mom is struggling to find hope. Without giving away personal information, I ask you all to please pray for her. Ask God to shine His light into the darkness that often surrounds her and to deliver her to a "firm place." "He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand" (Psalm 40:2, NIV).

As I reflect on this past year, I am amazed by all that I have seen and experienced. Although in many ways I feel like I now have more questions about faith and community and poverty and justice than I had when I arrived in Moldova, I also feel like I have learned so much. The children here have taught me to laugh and to be joyful in the midst of pain and suffering, they have shown me beauty where I didn't see it before, and they have given me hope. This year has passed much faster than I ever imagined it would, and it is easy to think about things that I "could have done" or "should have done," but I am entrusting these things to God. I believe that He is present in this move to Romania and that He is also present in the lives of the friends I made in Moldova.

If you are interested in finding out more information about Word Made Flesh, please visit http://www.wmfromania.com/Eng/main.php. Please be especially sure to visit the "advocate" link, where you will find stories of the children in Galaţi, detailed information about the current situation in Romania (which I am currently learning much about), as well as art work created by the children here. Also visit http://www.wordmadeflesh.org/countries/romania_reflections.php for various types of reflections left by Word Made Flesh staff members in Romania.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

1) Please continue to pray for Denis and his family!

2) Pray for all of the children at the orphanage in Moldova and for the children here in Romania, that God would continue to reveal Himself and that His Kingdom might be revealed even in them.

3) Pray that I would be centered and filled with a listening spirit as I adjust to my new role in Romania and as I pray about future direction and decisions.

As always, thank you all for your love, support, and encouragement.

Har şi pace,

John

And my new address:

John Koon
O.P. 6, C.P. 256
Galati, 800.760
Romania

another month?

Hello to all,

Life in Moldova continues to move quickly! Thus far this summer, three American mission teams have come to help run camp here in Chişinău. The first team was from North Carolina, the second from Texas, and the third from my very own Rolling Hills Community Church in Nashville. Their camps were full of tons of activities for the children, including sports, arts & crafts, drama, worship, Bible study, and life skills training (including a phenomenal seminar for older girls on sex trafficking).

It was just this past week that I had the opportunity to spend time with the wonderful people from my church family in Nashville. It was so much fun for me to be with so many familiar faces in Moldova, to share a bit of my life here with them, and to be able to take part in the high-quality camp that they put on. Many people in this group commented on the continual development of the children that Rolling Hills has been pouring into for several years now, as many of them are simply better-cared for, happier, and now on a path toward a successful life. Thus, the team left in high-spirits after seeing the beautiful things God is doing in these kids’ lives.

The other thing that I have been spending much of my time doing lately is questionnaires and interviews with kids not only at the camp in Chişinău, but also with kids at other camps around Moldova. I am doing this to find out as much information as possible about the lives, hopes, dreams, struggles, and problems of the children of Moldova. As I compile this information for future use, I am astounded by some of the things these kids have experienced but am also encouraged as I hear their dreams and their aspirations for the future.

Things with Denis, the boy that I am currently living with, have been going extraordinarily well. I have had the privilege of watching him blossom this summer into a mature, responsible young man. He has been working every day for my host family’s father and learning English and computer skills on the side. He has also discovered the joy of reading this summer, much to my delight, and is currently devouring the Romanian translation of C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. For a kid who had never read a book in his life before this summer, it is amazing to see the growth and changes that are taking place in him. I am also seeing him growing and maturing spiritually as I believe he truly took hold of his faith as his own this summer. Also, Denis and I were able to spend much time with his sponsors from Nashville, Jon and Emily Merryman, this past week. We talked a lot about some different plans for his future, so please keep this in your prayers as there are many details to think about!

And finally, as many of you know, I have decided for sure to make the move to Galaţi, Romania, this fall. I will be leaving a few days before the 15th of August as my position there officially starts on the 15th. I cannot believe that my time in Moldova is almost up, but I do believe that this next step is exactly what God has prepared for me. Part of my responsibility at Word Made Flesh will be to write a proposal for this organization’s possible expansion into Moldova based both on my experience here as well as on all of the interviews and questionnaires I have been recently working on. We will be praying and discerning what God has in store for this organization’s future work in Moldova. Therefore, much is unknown to us now, but our prayer is that God will begin clearly leading this team of people who will be praying for both Romania and Moldova. Additionally, I will be working with the children of Word Made Flesh’s community in Galaţi in various capacities. If you’d like to read more about this community, visit http://www.wmfromania.com/Eng/main.php.

As I make this transition, a relevant question is how my financial situation will be this fall. I am happy to say that, due to all of your help, I will not need to raise any further support through December. Although I did not know that I would be making this move when I was originally raising support over a year ago, I hope that you will all support me in allowing me to continue to use the funds that you generously sent for my living expenses through December. I know that some of you, throughout this year, have sent additional donations at different times and may want to continue doing that after I move to Romania. (But please know that I am no longer in need of funds. Any extra gifts would either be used for miscellaneous living expenses or for others’ needs in Romania and/or Moldova.) For these types of gifts, you can continue sending them to Rolling Hills Community Church (9019 Overlook Blvd., Suite D-3, Brentwood, TN 37027), where my account will still be managed through December. However, if you are interested in directly supporting Word Made Flesh and the community in Galaţi, Romania (and maybe even a developing community in Moldova!), you can send donations directly to Word Made Flesh (P.O. Box 70, Omaha, NE 68101) with a sticky-note designating your gift to the Romanian/Moldovan community.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

1) Please pray for the remaining time that I have in Moldova. There are many important relationships that I have built with kids here, especially with the boys in my small group, which I want to continue to develop. Ask God to be present in power and in love in these relationships and to open our eyes more fully to His present Kingdom.

2) Ask God to bless the interviews that I have with kids in the coming month. Pray that this would be a way of giving a voice to these children as many of them have never been asked before what they think or what they hope for in life.

3) Finally, ask God to be with me as I transition into life in Romania. I’m not exactly sure what to expect, but I do know that God is present even in this move. As He continually grows and stretches me this month, ask that I might be open and aware to His moving both in my life and around me.

Thank you all for your support. I hope to send out another email before I leave with a more personal reflection on this year in Moldova and some more information on what the future may hold for me in Romania!

Har şi pace,

John

Voi binecuvânta pe Domnul în orice vreme

Hello to all,

Well, summer has officially arrived and the weather is hotter than ever. As I understand we have been having record highs here in Moldova with temperatures soaring over 90 degrees farenheight. However, despite the unusual heat, things continue to go well. My English students at the orphanage continue to progress in their language abilities as I introduced the past simple tense to them last week. Thus, they are now able to form simple sentences about what they did yesterday, what they are doing today, what they do usually, and what they will do tomorrow. I am glad that most of my students will be at the camp this summer so that we will be able to continue learning English together. I also hope to begin teaching a whole new group of students as there will be more time for this at the camp.

The time I spend with my small group continues to go well. The time we spend together is meaningful, and our relationships continually grow deeper. The Bible studies we've had this past month, on the other hand, have been difficult. Sometimes it seems to me that the boys have lost interest in spiritual matters, but I can't allow this to discourage me. I know that God is at work. Please pray that the Holy Spirit would continue to stir their hearts and to draw them to Himself.

As I mentioned in my last email, there are now two boys from the orphanage, Denis and Iurie, working for my host family's father. They started working this past week and from now on will be working all summer. This is a wonderful opportunity for them to learn life skills and to be exposed to healthy family life each day. I will be teaching them English, personal financial management, and other life skills through daily life together (how to make a shopping list, how to prepare a meal, etc.). Also, Denis is now living with me, so we are of course spending a lot of time together. Again, this is a great opportunity for him to observe "normal" life outside of an institution and to begin to pick up the life skills that he will need in the future.

This week I will be spending my time doing lots of shopping for the camps that will take place this summer not only in Chişinău, but also in two smaller Moldovan towns, Cahul and Faleşti. Liz and I are helping to prepare for the American teams who will be arriving to help with the camps by purchasing everything from lunch supplies to sports balls to art supplies. I will then begin going to camp each day next week and am looking forward to the time that I will spend there with the children.

I know that in my last email I mentioned that I was planning on attending seminary this fall, but I am beginning to think that I might be headed in another direction! A group of people from the organization that I visited in Romania in January, called Word Made Flesh, came to Chişinău this past month for a visit. I spent a weekend with them showing them the city and what I've been doing here. Toward the end of the weekend, the group reminded me of how their organization is very interested in what God is doing in Moldova and how they might be involved in expanding their work into this country. They invited me to fill out an application to be an intern at their site in Galaţi, Romania in order to pray and discern with them in regards to what God is doing, as well as to observe and participate in their work with the children there. It took me a long time to get used to this idea, as in my mind I had been intending on returning to North America in the fall, but the more I pray about this, the more I feel the Lord leading in this direction. My application for the internship is currently being evaluated, so please pray that the Lord would lead as He pleases. I am still holding my place at two different seminaries and have not yet thrown out the idea of going, but I will be making a concrete decision within the next month. Thank you all for your support in this area!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

1) Ask God to give me wisdom as I live daily life with Denis and Iurie and as I think of how to show them necessary life skills. Pray that God would continue to work in their hearts, drawing them to Himself.

2) Pray that I would live this summer with purpose at camp and that God would use me as He pleases. I am still not exactly sure what my role there will look like, so I need to continue to listen to His voice. I have several ideas outside of teaching English, music, and Bible, so pray that He would be present in their formation.

3) Continue to pray that the Lord would guide me in my plans and thoughts for the future.

Finally, please visit my blog, http://moldova-john.blogspot.com , where I have posted several pictures from this past week.

"Voi binecuvânta pe Domnul în orice vreme; lauda Lui va fi totdeauna în gura mea" (Psalm 34:1).

"I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips" (Psalm 34:1).

Har şi pace,
John

overdue picture post

Here are some pictures from my host family's adopted daughter's baptism on Sunday:

Nastea (Denis' sister), Maria (host family's adopted daughter), Irina (host family's daugher), and Ina (host family's daughter).

Maria coming out of the water!

Maria with my host family's parents, Lucia and Sasha.