romania to this point

this is really weird....everything on this blog is written in Romanian...it's very strange..but if you are used to being on here, then you kind of recognize what the words mean.
i finally got out last night to experience the city. it's very cool at night time and it was quite chilly. we went to this coffee shop near union square..the coffee here is AWESOME!!! it gives starbucks a run for its money. anyway, i am not used to being in places that allow smoking, so i felt a little off this morning when I woke up. then we went and saw union square, which is where we are putting on the concert this thursday. we prayed over it after we got stopped by police for being too loud...HA! the people here are friendly, but they will cheat you out of money. anyway, i will try to write more later.

Spiritual Warfare

is not a good feeling.....Satan is downright NASTY MEAN!!! I am sure he thinks he has won this battle and defeated me, but he is WRONG!!!! I am not defeated because I am a child of God and GOD has won this battle. I am claiming it!! The last thing Satan wants is me going to Romania and talking about Jesus of all people. But God has a specifice purpose for me over there and I am not about to let a conversation stop me from fulfilling GOD's purpose over there.

7 Days Till Take Off

this time one week from tomorrow i will be packing up my stuff for the adventure of a lifetime. i know it's going to be weird for me to be checking in at the international terminal. if this is the only time i ever get to go off US soil, it will be totally worth it. i am just excited to see what God is going to accomplish. there's just no understanding really. i will have to admit that i haven't spent as much time with the Lord as i should have preparing for this trip. it's kind of taken a back seat to the rest of my life. but i know that He is very present and next to me leading me down the right road. only He knows what's at the end of this path.

2 weeks and counting

I am starting to really feel nervous about this trip...it's an excited nervous though. I feel there has been a little of spiritual warfare, but I can't really tell. The past few weeks have been busy for me, especially with work and God/quiet time has taken a backseat...once again. I think everyone in my group is feeling some sort of warfare going on. it's been interesting.
anyway, this time 3 weeks from today I will be in Romania..

Weekend Retreat

Romania Concert Mission Trip 2007 team..Aren't we a lovely bunch?

This was at our weekend get-to-know you retreat this past weekend. It was completely awesome and I love this group so much. All of them have hearts of gold and are just so talented in a lot of ways. I am so excited to see what God is going to do in each of our hearts in about 4 weeks. He is definitely up to something good!

This is from Romans 15:5-9

5May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 8For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews[a]on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs 9so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name."

5 weeks and counting

well....it's down to the last 5 weeks before my trip. I don't think that I am emotionally and spiritually prepared for this adventure. Sometimes I almost want to back out, but then I remember how God has provided finances and a passport way too early for me to do that.
I am taking some lessons that I learned over Labor Day....to actually get to know these people and their stories and just let Christ shine THROUGH ME...not just be out to fulfill an agenda.

Praises continued

well, a week after I sent my last blog about the money, my passport came...8 weeks early. Now I am starting to get a little nervous..
I am not sure if I am qualified to be in the leadership positions i have been assigned, since I know that leadership is not one of my strongest spiritual gifts. I have no clue what am going to be doing over there...NONE!!! I need some help.

Praises

God is completely awesome! After sending out 20 something letters, I have received 8 responses which in turn has caused me to raise all $1800 and more! It's just great to see God work...Now if He can get my passport here on time...

I am excited to get to know everyone on the trip and to know the people of Romania. My world is about to get shaken up like a Boggle game...

12 weeks left before departure

just sent out my letters for my mission trip and I have already received half of what I am supposed to raise....well the parents are pledging $500, but they haven't written the check yet. I have a feeling that God is up to something great and amazing as He always is.

I am so excited about this trip. I just read a devotional about having "Great Commission" eyes. To see the world and know that you or another Christian are going to the farthest parts to fulfill Jesus' word. Can you imagine when every heart has heard the Gospel of Jesus? Can you? I can't. There are over 7 billion people in the world (I think). That's 7 Billion hearts yearning for a saviour and some of them do not know it...But God does.

Letter

this is my letter of support that I am sending out to friends and family:

Dear Friends & Family,

I would like to start this letter by saying that God has been very real in my life over the past 5 years. A long time ago I knew I could call myself a Christian because I felt like I was a good person. I was saved when I was 19, but I really wasn’t sure what that meant, so I just kept doing what I was doing the next few years. I had heard about NorthPoint Community Church from my mom and contemplated going. It wasn’t until New Year’s Eve 2002 when I heard about it from some guy at a bar that I decided to check it out. Two weeks after that is where my journey began. I have been apart of NorthPoint/Buckhead Church since 2003 beginning with a Starting Point Group and a Ladies Small Group, all at the same time. Now I volunteer in Waumba Land with 4 year olds..something I never thought I would do. The past 5 years, God has proved His faithfulness by providing a church where I belong, friends that I connect with, and mostly learning how to have a relationship with Jesus. It’s time to start a new journey.
My journey is taking me on a short-term mission trip to Timisoara, Romania October 20-29. Timisoara is in Western Romania with a population of about 340,000 people. I will be going with a team from Buckhead Church and we will be working with Vox Domini, a church in Timisoara. Our primary focus is to assist in developing and providing additional training for service programs. We will also be apart of an outreach concert to encourage those believers in Romania and to serve the non-believers.
I am writing this letter to ask for your support. You can support our team in two ways:
Financially. I need to raise $1800. I will be using some of my own savings for this trip. If you felt lead to contribute financially, please make checks payable to “Buckhead Church” and in the memo line write Romania SPD Mission Trip. Please mail them to the address below. All contributions are tax deductible and are due by Friday, August 31, 2007.
Prayerfully. During our preparation for this trip, our team would like you to lift up the following prayers:
Pray for God to unite our team together for Christ, for one another and for the people in Romania
Pray that we get permits to use the square in a timely manner
Pray that God will provide the right band to perform

Thank you in advance for your prayers and contributions.

In His Holy & Precious Name,

I can't believe that took me almost half and hour to write. I can't wait to see what God does before, during and after this trip.

Preparation

how do I prepare to be part of such an event? i know that i have to get my heart ready to be open to anything and everything. I am not leaving for another 14 weeks, but there is a lot of stuff to get done.

where do I begin?