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