DIARY 1 July 24 Tuesday 09/07/2012
Hello to you all from Romania - it' Rose here.
It is the evening of Tuesday 24 July and I have had a lovely day which I view as being real privilege. (to be honest the first part of what I will share about the day will be of particular interest to those of you who pray for Mustard Seed but I hope all will read about my day, as it has been good).
I arrived in Romania yesterday evening and am staying with Ken and Florence from the Vineyard church and charitable outreach.
Today I went to AGAPE an outreach to Romanian orphans who have left state orphanages and are now needing to make their own way in the world. Agape help with education and training in life skills. They have one floor in their house where some of the orphans live, another floor which is communal and where they run their card making business ( which employs some of the orphans) and the top floor is where the houseparents live. They are a Christian charity and teach the girls the importance of prayer and Bible study and living a life pleasing to God.
At lunch time each day they have a short devotional time someone sharing a Bible verse and what it means to them.
They asked if I would share in their devotional time today which I agreed. I spoke briefly about Jeremiah 29 verses 10-14 where God promises a new good purpose filled life to the exiles after their exile is over. We mentioned consequences of our actions how sometimes we make wrong choices but always we have the chance to return to God's way. I then shared how the last year has been for me a very tough time following Phil's death, how I had often felt exiled from joy and hope and any purpose. I said how that promise in Jeremiah had helped me to know God has a good plan for me as I work through the grief and loss I feel and wait to discover the next step.
I offered to pray with the girls if any of them were trying to work out God's purpose for their lives, and all of them asked for prayer, which was such a privilege for me to pray with them. Afterwards I asked them if they would pray for me to know what God's plan and purpose is for me. For me what was beautiful was to hear of them then praying for me, as Andreea translated.
Later in the evening I heard the Mustard seed lorry has arrived safely at the border early this evening. We hope for a speedy clearing of customs tomorrow morning and equally safe and successful unloading in the afternoon tomorrow.
The weather is cooler than it has been I am told - it is still very hot compared to Jersey!
Some sad news - Rody Stroie's father died today- while not entirely unexpected it was a shock as nobody expected him to die so soon. May he rest in peace and rise in glory. Many members of Rody's family are very involved in Mustard Seed so if you are one of the people who prays for Mustard Seed please remember the family.