A story of impact and kindness

A screenshot from a very special video. Scroll down to view...after you read my post, of course!

This post is a long time coming, as you'll understand in a minute. I don't know why I haven't posted it until now...other than life just being busy and distracting and what not. But last night, I dreamt that I posted it and it feels like maybe now is the time.

As many of you know, I was in the States this past spring to see family and friends, share about Romania in various places, recruit students for internships, and so much more. On my second Sunday back at my home church, they announced that they had a video to show, which I was eager to see because they're usually related to missions or hearing about someone's story. Well, guess what...the video was about about a piece of my story in missions!

Before I give you any other information, let's back up a few weeks. Before I left Romania to spend a few months in the States, one of the teens in the It Takes Courage 2.0 program asked me what I say when I talk about Romania. I told her that I try to talk about all of the different programs I'm involved in like It Takes Courage, the children's program in Tigmandru, the Romanian Studies Program, etc. I also try to share about the beauty and diversity of Romania and it's people and culture, among other things.

After saying all of that, she asked me a question that left me kind of stunned. She asked, "But don't you tell you them about the impact that you've had on us (and others)?" and honestly, I didn't really know what to say to that. I think I said something to the effect of, "Well, I mean, yeah...I think that kind of comes out when I'm describing the different things that I do." We said a few other things, and that was the end of the conversation...or so I thought.

Now, let's fast forward back to that Sunday morning at my home church. The video began, and I knew instantly what it was. It was full of kind words shared by some of my closest people in Romania. I was surprised, humbled, encouraged...and about a billion other things. A few of the teens in the 2.0 program had secretly worked on this video right after I left in order to finish it time for me to use it as I shared about what I do in Romania.

So...as I spoke in churches, I made sure to honor them (and their hard work) by showing this video. And, even though it's almost 6 months later, I want to share it with all of you.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to give you the opportunity to support (or continue to support) my work in Romania. I still feel very strongly that this is the place that I'm meant to be...and I continue to see the ways that God has equipped me for the work that I do here.

There are a few different ways that you can support me, if you feel led to do so...

Mission support: You can click here to give through the Church of the Nazarene for living and ministry expenses. One of the best ways to support me in this way is to select the monthly giving option as it allows me to plan better for the long term of my ministry here in Romania.

Personal support: Another way that you can support me is by giving to me personally via PayPal, which covers expenses such as food, toiletries, student loan payments, etc. As many of you know, I came onto the mission field with student loan debt, and God continues to provide for me...through your generosity...so that I can make those payments.

Prayer support: One of the biggest ways that you can support me is through prayer. As we all know, fall is a time of new beginnings, and here in Romania, it's no different. Please pray for a smooth start/transition back into a "new year" of ministries, programs, students, etc. Pray that I'll be able to find a new routine and rhythm that includes both service and rest.

A few more things before I end this post...

Timea - I cannot thank you enough for the kindness you've shown me in creating this video. I still get teary-eyed every single time I watch it. It truly was (and is) one of the best gifts I've ever been given.

Adela, Larisa, Caroline, Emi, Sheri, Raul, Roberta, Betina - Even though I've already talked to each of you, I have to thank you, yet again, for your kind words. You'll never know just how much they mean to me.

YOU: Go tell someone about the impact that they've had on your life today. Send a text message, write a letter, make a phone call, invite someone out for a coffee...or whatever way is most comfortable to you. But just go and do it...spread some kindness. You'll both feel better because of it.

If we were having coffee...v4

I miss my "usual" coffee order at the International Cafe at home (my Romanian home).

You know what to do...grab your favorite mug full of coffee (or tea, if you'd prefer) and let's chat!

If we were having coffee...I'd probably talk the whole time because I have SO much to say. I've actually been avoiding blogging for awhile because I've been so full of thoughts lately and I don't know what to share! Not only have the last few months been a bit of a whirlwind, but I also feel like I've been learning so much and taking in so much information (books, podcasts, music, conversations, etc).

As you all know, the last two months, specifically, were a bit more than a whirlwind. While I thoroughly enjoyed being home, I felt like I was all over the place (physically and mentally). I traveled to Grand Rapids, Kansas City (MO), Lenexa (KS), Indianapolis and St. Louis. In Illinois, I made my way to Lewistown, Smithfield, Galesburg, Bourbonnais, Rosemont, Lena, Ashton, Shannon, Dakota, Rockford, Madison (WI)...and I'm sure a few other places that I can't remember at this moment.

I spent quality time with family and friends, met lots of new people and even reconnected with a few people I haven't seen in years! Overall, it was a very successful and enjoyable visit but if I'm honest, it's no surprise that this introverted homebody is ready to be back in her apartment with her "normal" routine. For those of you who have been following #CBtakesRomania for three years now, you know that I tend to put normal in quotes because even my "normal" routine is far from normal!

If we were having coffee...You might like to know that I'm not back to my apartment in Sighisoara just yet. I arrived back in Romania yesterday (Saturday) evening, but I'm staying in Bucharest until tomorrow morning. I'm going to a conference in Hungary for a week so rather than taking a 5 hour bus ride from Bucharest to Sighisoara twice in 24 hours, it worked out for me to stay in Bucharest.

The conference that I'm going to is called Reaching Europe's Children so although I'll be a bit tired, I'm looking forward to it! I'm a bit of a conference/workshop nerd. I love taking notes and observing people so I'm usually pretty content at conferences!

If we were having coffee...I'd definitely be recommending the last few books and podcasts that I've
been reading and listening to lately. So here's your list...

- 100 Days to Brave by Annie F. Downs...I started this devotional at the beginning of the year and finished around mid-April. And let me tell ya, it's literally the best. It serves as an encouragement, but it also comes with lots of practical challenges. The subtitle is "Devotions for Unlocking Your Most Courageous Self", which I think we all need. I want to start it over already, but I'm going to lend it to others first because it needs to be shared!

- Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis...If you're not already on this train, get on it. The subtitle for this one is "Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Are Meant to Be", which is spot on. It's a quick read, and yet you'll want to read it slowly to really take it all in! Sadly, this book didn't make the cut when I was packing so if anyone at home (America) wants to borrow it, it's on my shelf. But, just as a warning, I underlined A LOT of stuff so if that type of thing distracts you then you might want to check it out at your local library :)

- For the Love podcast with Jen Hatmaker - Never Leave the Gospel Behind: Lisa Sharon Harper...I don't even know where to begin with this one. This is the first episode of Jen's new series called For the Love of Exploring our Faith, which follows another great series called For the Love of Women Who Built It. Anyways, this episode talks about race, the gospel, and so so so much more. Honestly, if you only take one thing away from this blog post, let it be this podcast episode! 

If we were having coffee...I'd probably stop while I was ahead because neither of us currently have time for me to go on and on. And I might stop because I have to get up at 6:00 am to catch my flight to Budapest. So, until next time...enjoy your coffee :)

Currently: American Edition Part V

So I've had a lot to say for awhile, but every time I open my blog to write something...everything freezes (referring to me, not the computer...thankfully). I want to blog more. I want to share more about what's going on with my life. I want to write. But I get so stuck. Maybe now that I'm home for a bit, I'll have a little more time to process and think through all of these things that I want to share. To ease back into the blogosphere, I'll give you yet another Currently post. Enjoy.  

Reading: What am I NOT reading? That'd be a better question. Sunday morning, Jessica and I spent a few hours at Barnes and Noble in Bourbonnais (I was there for the Compassion Conference, which I need to blog about too!). Let me tell you, I had forgotten how much I LOVE bookstores. I could spend hours and hours looking around and perusing through each section. I definitely need a few more bookstore visits before I return to Romania. 

As you'll see in the photo, I collected a nice stack of books while at Barnes. I started reading a few that I've had my eye on for awhile...and I was hooked. Now, this is troublesome because books are flippin' expensive. When I got home, I ended up looking a bunch of these titles up on my library's website. I have six books on hold! Update: four of them have arrived! I know you care about these small details :) 

A few that I'd like to highlight...

1. When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor...and Yourself by Steve Corbett

Steve was supposed to be one of the speakers at the Compassion Conference, but he ended up not being able to attend due to health issues. However, the person who spoke in his place was delightful, and shared so much good info related to this topic, all while referencing the book of course. I ended up going to both of his sessions and scribbling down lots and lots and lots of notes. I haven't finished the book yet, but here is one of the quotes that really grabs me...

By showing low-income people through our words, our actions, and most importantly our ears that they are people with unique gifts and abilities, we can be part of helping them to recover their sense of dignity, even as we recover from our sense of pride. 

2. Looking for Lovely: Collecting the Moments that Matter by Annie Downs 

I've been familiar with Annie's writing for awhile, but never picked up one of her books. Let me tell ya, I should've picked one up sooner. I started reading this one at Barnes and knew I had to buy it (on Amazon though...much cheaper). It's one of those books where I find myself nodding and saying "yes, that's it!" while I read. I try to avoid buying books these days, but when I can't resist the urge to underline, then I know I have to buy it. A quote about the book from Goodreads...

In Looking for Lovely, Annie F. Downs shares personal stories, biblical truth, and examples of how others have courageously walked the path God paved for their lives by remembering all God had done, loving what was right in front of them, and seeing God in the everyday—whether that be nature, friends, or the face they see in the mirror.

3. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown

This one was recommended during another session at the Compassion Conference. I seriously need to blog about this conference. Anyways, I started reading this one while I was at Barnes too, and it is SO DANG GOOD. Like Annie Downs, I've been familiar with Brené Brown for awhile and read some of her stuff (none of her books though). I've always enjoyed her insight, but when I found out that she's a social worker (from reading the intro of this book), I almost died. It all makes sense now. But seriously, even not having finished this book, I recommend it already. I'm not far enough in to give you a quote so I'm going to use another Goodreads line...

Dr. Brown challenges everything we think we know about vulnerability. Based on twelve years of research, she argues that vulnerability is not weakness, but rather our clearest path to courage, engagement, and meaningful connection. 

Get out of here. Too good.

Chicken burrito bowl. White rice. Black beans. Mild and corn salsa. Guac. YES!

Eating: American food. I had Chipotle for the first time in 10.5 months and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT. I can't begin to explain my deep, deep love for Chipotle...so I'll stop there. I also made a Greek salad for lunch today, with spices from Greece (that I bought for my mom), and it was DIVINE. All of the veggies came from the farmer's market and it just tasted so dang fresh. I plan on having it for dinner tonight too...it's that good. Oh, and I can't cook so that's why I'm bragging so much about this salad. I'm proud of myself. Yes, I realize that all I had to do was cut the veggies and add some spices, but you seriously don't know how bad I am at cooking/preparing food. 

Thinking about: Oh man...I should just show you a photo of my to-do list. I'm thinking about A LOT of things. Here's a sneak peek...

• All of the incredible information that I gained at the Compassion Conference (yes, mentioning it again)

• Arranging times to spend with family and friends while I'm home

• ROMANIA. My kids at Veritas. The teens from It Takes Courage and English Camp. My friends and coworkers. The scenery. 

• Raising support for my return to Romania in the fall (yes, I'm going back...duh!)

• The refugee situation, my experiences, my new friends...this one has been difficult to think about and process ever since I returned from my second trip to Greece

Seriously, this is a majorly abbreviated list, but these are the things taking up the most space in my brain these days. 

Listening: Lots of different things, as usual. Most days, my taste in music is all over the place. Acoustic, singer-songwriter stuff...pop hits...rap and hip-hop...worship music...it really depends on my mood. I will share one artist that I stumbled upon a few months ago. His name is Dermot Kennedy and his voice is absolutely incredible. He doesn't have a ton of music out there (YET, I hope), but I love love love what he does have out. I'm one of those people who finds a song and listens to it over and over and over again. I've done that with almost all of his songs. I'll share two of my favorites with you, a cover and an original. Enjoy.

Watching: I should just remove this one. You know the answer. Gilmore Girls. I just sat here trying to make up something else that I've been watching, but I literally haven't watched anything. Granted, I don't watch Gilmore Girls that often, but if and when I watch something, that's what I choose. I guess I've been watching The Today Show, despite the fact that it drives me crazy. 

Loving: The opportunities that life brings. I'm constantly amazed by various people and experiences that come my way. I don't always understand why things happen the way that they do, but I've come to realize that that's okay. I've become more of a "live in the moment" type of person (at least I like to think), which is kind of a big deal for a chronic over-analyzer :)

I first saw the "Currently" feature on Sometimes Sweet, which is one my absolute favorite blogs. Just giving credit where credit is due. 

Currently: American Edition Part III

Coffee + Gilmore Girls = PERFECTION

Reading: No surprise here, but I am reading Jen Hatmaker's newest book. It is called For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards...and it is fabulous. I'm only like two chapters in, but the things that woman has to say...just so good. She always makes me think about things differently and gives me another perspective. Here's a quick blurb that really struck me...

"There is a biblical benchmark I now use. We will refer to this criterion for every hard question, big idea, topic, assessment of our own obedience, every “should” or “should not” and “will” or “will not” we ascribe to God, every theological sound bite. Here it is: If it isn’t also true for a poor single Christian mom in Haiti, it isn’t true."

Maybe that seems super basic and very "duh" worthy...but I think sometimes doctrine, theology, teachings, Bible studies, etc. can twist things. Just some food for thought. Also, go borrow this book from the library, buy it, read it...you get the point. 

Eating: Also no surprise here, but I am eating American food. Surprisingly, my hometown has some must-stop restaurants and I've tried to visit some of them while I've been home. Just finished eating some leftover chicken fried rice from Imperial Palace...my hometown folks know how important Imperial is. 

On the downside, my stomach has hated me after EVERY SINGLE MEAL I've eaten while at home. Sadly, that is not an exaggeration. I've had issues for awhile now, but Romania was truly good for the stomach. I'm pretty excited to eat some delicious Romanian food again...and not feel miserable after every meal. 

Thinking about: Packing...since that's what I'm currently doing. Technically, I'm writing this blog post instead of packing, but there are folded/rolled clothes sitting all around me. Trust me, that is progress! Procrastinator for life. 

I'm also thinking about how hard it's going to be to say goodbye to Raegan and my family on Monday...yes, this coming Monday, September 7th. I'd like to think it'd be easier to leave her if she understood, but it would probably still be awful. One of the things that helps is thinking about telling her all about Romania when she's older...and hopefully traveling there with her at some point. I've been trying to teach her some of the Romanian language, but we haven't gotten very far. She is stuck on the thought that "buna" is a name. I try to explain to her that it means "hello", but her reply is always the same, "I'm not that name!"

Listening: Music! I have a good pal who is constantly referring new music and I cannot get enough. My tastes are all over the place...as you'll hear in this playlist. I've included my current on-repeat playlist below. I tend to create a "favs" playlist, listen to it until I cannot stand to hear the songs anymore, create a new one, lather, rinse, repeat... 

Some of my top favorites right now include...everything James Bay has available, City and Colour's new stuff, The Weeknd's new album, Childish Gambino, Hillsong United's new Empires album, and so on. There's so much good music out there. It gets a little overwhelming sometimes, but in the best way possible. 

Watching: I feel like I should just take this category out because it's kind of embarrassing...I'm literally ALWAYS watching Gilmore Girls. Just finished season 2 again...JESS IS BACK! I can't handle it. 

Loving: Spending so much good, quality time with my family and friends. Seriously, these last six weeks have FLOWN BY, but they've been so so so good. I cannot complain. I wish I had a little bit more time, but I'm also super excited to head back to my other home, Romania. This weekend has a lot of quality time in store, and I'm beyond thrilled. 

I first saw the "Currently" feature on Sometimes Sweet, which is one my absolute favorite blogs. Just giving credit where credit is due.