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2003 Team Chronicles
Days 11-12

Written By Team Member Ramona Lewis

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JUNE 19, 2003

     It is hard to believe that it was just a week ago today that we left the good ole USA . There is nothing that makes home more appreciated than being away from its comfort and sense of security. But don’t you believe that as Americans we can’t learn from people of other cultures and nationalities. This group of American believers can affirm that. Before we left on this venture, I tried not to have any preconceived ideas about what to expect but I guess that deep down I really did have some expectations...most of them low. Never in a million years did I dream what God had in mind. I came to teach, He had me come to learn. I came in hope of meeting someone’s need. He had me come to meet my need for healing. I came to love and share God’s love. Little did I know that He would expect me to give my heart away.

      Our interpreters are incredible! We are already trying to figure out how we can take them home with us. I ‘m not sure of all of their ages but all of them are young, intelligent and mature in their faith. Two of them are daughters of Tico and Dana. Adella is 17 and will be a senior in high school in the fall. She speaks 4 languages fluently. Daria is 16 and Linda Batson told her that when she left Romania , she would be leaving part of her heart behind. Daria said “That’s ok. You will be taking a part of mine in its place.” Wasn’t that sweet?

     It rained this morning until about noon . Not hard but enough to keep the children from going outside at Camp Joy . Patty Lawton said that she knew that the area needs rain badly, and she was grateful for it on behalf of the people but she would have been more grateful for it if God had waited till she didn’t have 40 excited children cooped up in one small room!

     Wednesday was Claudia’s birthday. She told me on our first day here that she would have a birthday on Wednesday and she would be thirty. On Monday she reminded me that Wednesday was her birthday. I sort guessed this was important to her so we celebrated Claudia’s birthday at the end of Bible Study with refreshments, a “Happy Birthday” song, a small gift and a prayer thanking God for Claudia. The gift was a watch that I had bought at Wal-Mart and brought with me. Janet Wright gave me a gift bag with pretty colored tissue that she just happened to have brought with her with a Father’s Day gift for David in it. So I put it together and gave it to Claudia. You would have thought that Fort Knox was in the bag. She was trembling so she could hardly search in the tissue for the gift. Her lovely face was glowing and she cried when she found the watch. At evening service she walked in carrying the gift bag. She was using it to carry her Bible. Claudia would be lovely in any culture. Before she knew Jesus she made a bad choice in her life. Even though God has forgiven her, she hasn’t forgiven herself and feels undeserving of kindness. Of coarse I didn’t know any of this before I planned the party. I didn’t know about Claudia’s need to be affirmed ….but God did!

     Jeni is a sister to Monti. Both of them have not missed a day in Bible study. Monti is a believer but Jeni had not accepted Christ in her heart. Here, all consider themselves as Christian but the born again believers are called “repenters”. Jeni told me on the first day we met that she was not a repenter because in the church people had to read the Bible and write things and she doesn’t know how to read and write. The orthodox priest doesn’t ask her to do those things; all she has to do is go and sit there. She said “I like to come here but if I have to read I will just go back to the Orthodox.”. We had our three day study on the name of God’s Son, Lord Jesus Christ and how and why God the Father gave Him that name. I rejoiced last night after service when Jeni came to me and told me that she would see me in Heaven now because she was a repenter. I asked her had she asked Jesus to come into her heart and be her Savior; she excitedly nodded her head and said “da, da.” (yes, yes) Jeni is not young. It is hard to determine the correct age of the people here, especially those over thirty. But I would guess she is in her sixties. Praise the Lord! He let me see one fruit of the harvest of our time here.

     And, yes, I did assure Jeni that being able to read or write was not a conditional requirement to be loved by God or by me. And I assured her that if Jesus lived in her heart she could worship Him in any church she wanted .

     The days are long and tiring, and two-hour revival services don’t sound very appealing before we get there. However, that is just what they are – revivals! Each night it gets better and better. The crowd gets bigger and bigger. Tonight we ran out of chairs and people were standing around the walls. Pastor Tico had to go to Bucharest to take an exam at seminary. So Victor and Danni led the service and Doug preached. What a powerful message!! What a powerful service. Mac Lawton gave his testimony. I promise, it was the shortest two hours I have lived in a while and every minute was on Holy Ground.!

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

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