Some Updates

Okay, here are some quick updates on life right now!

1. Program at Casa Alba still hasn't begun yet. I know - I'm sorry! Some unexpected things happened this week and I found out some new knowledge that prevented me from starting.
These are :
A. I planned on doing the Casa Alba program 3X in the mornings and 1 afternoon per week this week. I found out though that only 5 children will be there in the mornings this year - many more are starting kindergarten this year than I anticipated. So, a change in schedule is needed - unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to do as many afternoons as mornings. Praying about this this week I happened to be at the volunteer house while the Handicapped School Team was meeting. They expressed a desire to have a Bible program some during the week with the kids they work with. Immediately I heard the Lord speak to my heart that I was to offer one of my mornings to do this. These children will come to Casa Alba and I will divide the 5 Casa Alba kids into 2 smaller groups. I will then do the older kids - who are now going to school - 1 afternoon a week.

B. We have a warehouse with donations from Sweden and Scotland. This week about 150 packages were needed to be put together for the poor families that we provide assistance to. Our volunteer who runs the "depot" was desperate for help in putting together these clothing packages. I felt that I was needed there and so have spent 3 days helping put together these packages. Just for some understanding in what it takes to put these packages together, it took me about 2 1/2 hours to do 1 package for a family of 13 today. Not as easy or quick as you might think - and with 150 to do...the help is needed!

C. There were more problems concerning my residency, more than what I described in the update I sent a couple of weeks ago. This has required me to go to Oradea 3X this week to try and work out these problems. Lots of people to re-explain my story to, lots of papers that were expired and needed to be re-done, computer systems not working etc...
I started laughing yesterday after some more of these because God is really doing something crazy with all of this! I am fighting disappointment and sadness with my armor as much as I can and God is blessing that, I feel, with a hope that I could not 'make up' on my own.
Monday morning we will make more calls and *hopefully* they will finally send my request and file to Bucuresti.

D. Barbro, (she and her husband lead the work here), will be gone for 3 weeks. Her, a pastor and I - along with some of our older orphans, make up the ministry team that goes to the local old people's home every Thursday. This past week the pastor and his wife decided to move to Oradea. With him gone and Barbro gone, that leaves me to lead this team. So, I need to work on finding people to come and lead the worship and the Bible studies for those weeks. I will be doing some of that so preparing Bible studies in Romanian takes a lot more work than English (go figure) : )

E. I will be leading the next 3 Friday worship/Bible study nights at our Clubhouse. Those that come are our orphan youth and young adults. Those of you who know what "Connexion" is think of a mini-version of that. These nights are in a transitional period with no one to take leadership of them. Last spring I began praying about perhaps playing a larger role with these Friday nights and approached leadership in late July. Their answer was vague and more discouraging than 'yes' so I figured they had another plan with some other people.
What's interesting though is that my boss, for the past 3 weeks, has been sharing with our team a need for someone to do this and how great it would be if some from our team of missionaries wanted to do some parts of it. The next morning as I was making breakfast the Spirit started going crazy with a 3 part series, skits, worship ideas...the whole shibang! I wasn't praying for it - He just started speaking. I grabbed a piece of paper and starting jotting notes as fast as I could. That day I approached leadership about doing it for the next 3 weeks and they were really excited about it. (Note: I put together one of these nights this past spring and it was incredible! I know I have giftings in this area and it was awesome for God to use me that way.)
But because they weren't at that night in the spring they thought all I was going to do was stand on the stage and just 'preach' for an hour. Heck no! Hopefully the leadership will come to the worship nights and see something very different...
Anyway, preparing for these next 3 Friday nights will be a lot. Part of the responsibility is working with 3 new worship team groups, made up of our youth and young adults. I was told that the groups were formed this week and that they should be included in each Friday - awesome! So cool...very excited.
All this to say that this extra stuff also made going to Casa Alba a little impossible this week.

To Sum it All Up :
Please pray for all this planning and prep that I would be listening to God and not myself : )
Please pray that the Casa Alba program starts smoothly this next coming week and that I am able to adjust to the different groups of children!
Please pray for the Thursday services at Ciutelec and Friday nights with our teens!
Aaaaaghghgh! Lots to pray about! Lots to be excited about! Go Jesus!