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“Behold, I am doing a new thing . . .” These are wonderful, hopeful, encouraging words for Israel to hear in Isaiah 43, yet they do not see it; they are overwhelmed with the wilderness. I sympathize with the Israelites. I, too, have felt God saying that He is doing a new thing in opening the door to serve Him in Romania, and I, too, have felt the “wilderness” of my current situation in the waiting.
Waiting is not always easy. It is like using an old manual water pump, pumping up and down and exercising patience for the water to surface. Thankfully, God has brought some water to the surface in terms of prayer and financial support. Thank you to all of you individuals and churches who have come alongside to support us.
Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Graci.
So how are we currently doing at our “manual pump” of preparing for missions? Slowly trickling along. We have been distracted by our kids growing up and preparing them to “leave the nest.” Graci graduated high school two years ago and completed an associate degree in psychology last December. She and Jeni are driving to California in a week to finish her bachelor’s in psychology at California Baptist University in Riverside, California. Her goal is to become a mental health counselor. Isaiah graduated high school in June and enrolled at Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York, to study International Business. He then plans to get a degree in languages that will propel him toward translating for businesses in Europe. Ezekiel has two more years of high school and time to decide what course to take. His current interest is in banking or finance of some sort. To celebrate all their graduations in one fell swoop, we took a two-week trip to Costa Rica as a family.
Our understanding of what role we will play in Romania is still from the outside looking in. We know that the plan is for me to disciple men and help train up leadership for the Hungarian church in the Transylvania region of Romania. (To help prepare for this, I plan on pursuing a Doctor of Ministry beginning this fall.)
Jeni’s gift of hospitality will complement well. She also sees herself as discipling women and teaching children as the opportunities arise.
We are very excited to learn more about what our roles will be when we travel to Romania a few weeks from now. There, we will get to meet fellow team members and gain a clearer picture of where we will live and distinctives of our roles in service to God. We look forward to having a lot more to share when we return, feeling better prepared for the journey of inviting people to join our support team.
If you are not yet a part of our support team and are looking for ways to invest in missions, we would love to have you join us. We are so thankful for your prayers and willingness to give toward the glory of God and His worship among the nations.
“Behold, I am doing a new thing . . .” Give us patience and persistence in the waiting, Heavenly Father. Help us to look up and recognize your rivers in the desert.
In Christ and for His Glory,