Very Unusual Day

So Caleb woke up shortly after 6am...again. I've done the baby and toddler waking up early deal already. We've gone through those days - now it's been 7ish for Caleb for about a year now.
I love that. I wake up somewhere between 6 and 6:30, have some Bible time and then he comes scampering out with that little smile on his face between 7 and 7:30am.
Ever since we've moved into the new apartment it's been 6. Our bedroom window faces the east now so we get blasted by the sun really early. Which, is why, I believe he is waking up so early.
The thing is, I have curtains up. Then I put mattresses over the windows. They didn't cover it all and the curtains were too thin. So i added 4 more curtains. Still still didn't work. I added another 2 curtains last night. And, well, we can all see how succesful that was.
Do you know what I did tonight...it's so ghetto. I put cardboard all over the windows now. I could barely see to tuck him into bed tonight. This had better work, that's all I've got to say.

So back to today. When he woke up I was not a happy camper Mommy. Oh, come on, all you other Moms reading this can just admit that once in a while you do not greet your little one in the morning with smiles. There, I've said it. I've taken one for the team - I've admitted our early-morning once in a while sin. The reason why I was not a happy camper Mommy is because as soon as he woke me up I knew I was sick - really sick. I felt so horrible. And, I knew it was only about 6am. On top of that I could tell that he wasn't feeling well either.

I tried to get him to go back to sleep - he wasn't interested. We ate breakfast and after that had some snuggle time in one of the 'comfy chairs' that came with the new apartment. We were reading his Bible and he FELL ASLEEP in my arms. Caleb? You fell asleep at 8am? Really weird. I got him into his own bed and realized that I could barely walk. The cold medicine I took an hour earlier had kicked in and I was reacting quite strongly to it. I think by accident I took Benadryl...which, I never take because it literally puts me to sleep. At 9am I honestly couldn't even stay standing and it made me feel so sick. So, I climbed into bed and Caleb and I slept until 11:20am! Once the Benadryl wore off (not until this afternoon I think) I started thinking, when was the last time I took a nap in the morning? I can't remember...in my adult life I don't think I ever have. So, a very unusual day for sure.

I had to cancel Casa Alba programs today (with 3 rooms! bummer!) because we were sick. I will, instead, do those programs on Saturday. So, the kids are still gettin' some Jesus learnin' in...just a few days later!

The administrator for this apartment bloc came pounding on my door tonight, of course 5 minutes after I put Caleb down for the night. FYI : All apartments are individually owned. The administrator divides up the costs for the building itself and divides it between each person in each apartment. For instance, heating - garbage - water, etc...
I was going to start asking around who the administrator was but hadn't had time yet.
Women are not always so respected here in Romania. My conversation with this man tonight reflected that. What is funny is that I was trying to introduce myself to him and although he did shake my hand he refused to tell me his name. And, he doesn't like how I write my number "1", after I wrote down the numbers from the water meters and gave it to him. "You haven't done this right!!" Then he tried to add them together, couldn't (great - and this is the money guy for the building??)...and blamed it on how my numbers were. So, I added them together for him and wished him a nice evening. He did tell me that he lived in Apt. 4. Interesting. Just this afternoon I found a credit card on the ground, matched the name to Apt. 4 and returned it to them. I didn't run into this guy though when I returned it.

More benefits...

of the new apartment.

* No horrible smell of sewage everytime my neighbors above me flush their toilets. I have no neighbors above me now.

* The stove and oven combo. The entire kitchen. Now I for real can fulfill my dream of becoming the Romanian version of Betty Crocker! Do you know that I get to pick on my oven if I want it to heat up normally or to heat up with hot air blowing around? How is an oven like this even in an apartment in Marghita? Seriously though...

* The steps. When my prayer group came over tonight they told me they had decided I was going to have the nicest butt on the team soon. Having to climb all of these steps multiple times per day and all that. I guess we'll find out soon. No, I'm not putting up before and after pictures, too bad. But, I am REALLY glad for the extra exercise. No, I'm not being sarcastic.

* The kitchen table is...huge. 8 people can fit around it. Hello people can COME OVER for dinner now!

* The ants. Yes, I have ants everywhere in this apartment. Why are these a benefit? Because, it means I have to sweep and mop all the time. God is helping me keep my apartment cleaner!
True, I already went out and bought poison. But, I'm pretending that the poison didn't work so I'm still sweeping like crazy all day long.

More to come...

Kids and Electric Toothbrushes

One of the greatest pairings of all time...

Moving In

77 Steps. In case you are wondering it is exactly 77 steps up to the fifth floor where my new apartment is located. Let me tell you my legs and butt are feeling the additional exercise. And, after move - in day yesterday... I lost count of the amount of times I climbed the steps with boxes in my hands. A bunch of my team members showed up to help me move as well. I was so thankful for their help; I was so thankful for their attitudes. You know, I don't think I heard anyone complain about the stairs at all! And, there were not a "few" boxes to move either. I came to Romania 3 1/2 years ago with 2 suitcases and 1 book bag of things. Ha ha ha...if you could see the amount of boxes and bags that I'm sitting in the middle of right now you would probably laugh. There is certainly a lot more than what I came with!

Caleb went to sleep quickly tonight and I am very grateful for that. I wasn't sure if it was going to be difficult for him to fall asleep in the new room. He told me tonight on our way up the stairs for about the 5th time, "Mommy my legs are SO tired!" We are still sharing a bedroom but maybe next year he will move into his own room. For now though we will take changes 1 at a time. We have the move now, then Romanian kindergarten in the fall...so, I think I'll wait till next spring for him to have his own room. I'm okay with that extra room being the play room for now! Something fun, all day long Caleb has been saying these little prayers out loud at the most random times. Riding in the car to each lunch with our team : "Jesus, thank You for the new apartment!" Walking down the street : "Thank You Jesus so much for the new apartment!" On and on it went today. And, very interesting, on our way home tonight he saw a little girl and her mom coming home from the park. He went up to her and told her that we lived "up there" and "where do you live?" Her mom immediately went into a long conversation with Caleb. It was so neat to see. I told her that we had just moved and he was so excited about telling everyone. He asked what the girl's name was and then proceeded to say that his name was Caleb. And, he said Caleb with an English pronunciations - not how the Hungarians and Romanians say it. The mom right away said "You have a name from the Bible! It's very beautiful!" With a face of shock I said to her "No one EVER knows that!" Usually people make me repeat a million times how to pronounce his name and I really don't think that EVER someone has known where the name came from. I always tell them hoping that it will help them remember his name easier. I really hope that we run into this woman and her daughter again...see what God wants to do with this beginning!

I thought I'd list some of the benefits of the new apartment for you all, as I'm just discovering today as the "first day" in the apartment.

1. The toilet flushes. For real flushes. No more pulling a chain from the ceiling that is broken so it never flushes anything down. No more filling bucket after bucket with water from the tap to try and get the toilet to flush! Now, I just lift a button thing and it flushes. Woohoo!

2. The front balcony, facing the west, is a perfect spot for me to put my laundry rack to dry clothes. No more putting the laundry rack in the living room, which took up the entire living room, and having no living room space at all until the clothes are dry! YAY!

3. Okay, so I sort of knew this already but...INCREDIBLE VIEW OF THE SUNSET. Being on the 5th floor with no taller buildings in front of me means I can see just the hills and fields in the distance...and the sun setting over them each evening.

4. Hot Water for showers and baths. Yes, anytime now I want to take a shower or give Caleb a bath I'll have hot water. No more letting the water run for 20 minutes to only have luke warm water. Then, running and boiling water on the stove to add to his bath to make it warm enough for him to stay in it long enough to get him clean! I have my own heating system in this apartment and that includes water as well...ohhhh yeah!

That's it for tonight! I'll get some pictures once I remember to take my camera out of my old apartment and bring it to the new apartment : )

New laws, no explanations.

That seems to happen a lot in Romania. Or, maybe I should say, in the area of Romania where I live. Once EU *bliss*, along with the specific size that each cucumber needs to be, came to town it seems to have created more confusion than ever before. I know, I know, it's been well over a year but I was thinking about this a lot today.
What the EU seems to have overlooked is that the EU rights have not been explained through laws clearly enough. For example, all EU residents have the right to residency in any other EU country. So, every person on my team here who is from Sweden and the UK has received Romanian residency, no questions asked, within 30 days of applying. Now, if you were to ask ANY of the police chiefs in Oradea (the city closest to us) what this residency actually means...NO ONE can tell you. And, I really mean that, NO ONE. For us, we want to know if that means these people can adopt. Which, would mean, that Romania has sort of opened up international adoptions...to a point that is. They are handing out these EU residency documents left and right like candy at a parade but no one knows what they are and what they really mean. You would think, that if they were handing out residency that they would also know the rights that this level of residency allows. You would think that the EU would have done a proper job of explaining and training the Romanian Police that work with foreigners what the heck they were giving out. Yes, you would think... Of course, this isn't the case. Now the question has gone 12 hours by train to Bucuresti where we are all waiting now for "Bucuresti to write some laws concerning this and then we'll all know what exactly is and isn't allowed with this level of residency."
Huh.
The laws have to be written already because other Europeans have been doing this in other European countries for years now. One thing I do know about the EU is that they pride themselves on everything being exactly the same. As I mentioned before this involves cucumbers, the size of strawberries and residency.
So, how did Romania get left out of the loop? And, honestly, what are these poor rural farmers going to do when the laws on fruit and vegetable sizes start being enforced at our Friday outdoor market?

Wednesday

I'd just like to share some fun things and praises from this week so far!

Monday I took Olimpia and Cristina to a small, local lake. It's man-made and the sides are cement but it still was beautiful to go to. You should have seen their excitement!
We sat down and I talked about the time the disciples were in the boat and the storm came. How Jesus saw them as he walked down the hill and then walked on water towards them. The disciples reaction? Ghost!
When I got to that part these girls started dying laughing. They could not believe that the disciples thought that Jesus was a ghost. And, at first, they thought Jesus just walked through the water...no, he walked ON the water girls. Their faces broke out into complete awe.
The story should do the same for us, yeah? Their innocence lets them see the greatness of Jesus and react to it as it merits, I think.

Tuesday I met with my new renters. They showed me the ins and outs of the new apartment. They are FIXING the things wrong with the apartment before they leave. They are having the kitchen and living room ceilings repainted. Maybe this should be normal but let me tell you, in Marghita it's not! When you rent an apartment you *maybe* will get the renters to repaint but most times you don't get to pick the new color. And, to have the things fixed that are broken - never! As I went to leave she says "Oh, by the way, we decided to LOWER the rent."

Excuse me?
Lower the rent?
Kelsey starts crying.

We had decided on 80 Euros/month and then in the summer when I'm not using the heat I will pay extra on top of that. No, now they ONLY WANT 70 Euros/month and they don't want extra in the summer. A year from now they will raise it to 75 Euros and continue to raise it 5 Euros/month each year.

I said to them : "Why, why did you give me this apartment?" (I know it was God's favor and love but I wanted to hear their reasoning...you know?)
They replied : "It's a miracle!"

On my way to church last night I got pulled over. It was hilarious. Outside of the villages you can go 70 KM and inside the villages it's 50KM. I saw a police car ahead, at the entrance to a village, and - as usual - I began slowing down anyway. Let me say that he was OUTSIDE of the village limit. I drove past him, slowing down, and continued to slow down to 50 KM. Well in the NEXT village there is a group of 3 police cars at an intersection and they wave me over. I'm so glad it takes 3 police cars full of officers to work a speed trap. Honestly.
He says "They clocked you at 67 entering that last village."
"I reply, I'm really sorry because I always slow down. I know it's 50KM in the villages and I was slowing down to 50. You can see that I had just begun slowing down when he clocked me. I always slow down, I'm really sorry."

He says "Oh, it's no problem." He takes my info and comes back in 5 minutes and says "Just a warning today and 2 points on your license have a good evening!"

Ohhhh yeah. : )

Before Church I stopped at the European Home Depot in Oradea (called Praktiker). I bought paint because ALL of the money I need for paint has been PROVIDED! And, the paint was SO MUCH cheaper than what it is in Marghita that I will now be able to buy screens for the windows of the apartment. There are special thermopan windows so they require special screeen. I just can't go buy screen and tack it up which, is what I've always done. Each screen is about 10 Euros so I'll be able to at least get 1 in each room. Mosquitos and flies are ruthless in Marghita. They'll begin dumping white powder all over town from an airplane soon. And, they'll come and fumigate the apartments about 2-3X each. I always feel sick for some days after they do that...I don't think it's done in the safest way....
Anyway, I can get screens up - I will be thankful for that mosquito/fly free breeze this summer!

I got home safely last night in the rain and on one of the most terrible roads in our county. I don't think I even hit a pot hole at all!

This morning Caleb sneezed twice. He always has done that...when he sneezes it's always twice in a row. I love it, it's so cute. Now he's sitting on our newly donated trampoline and taking apart his "fast cars" while trying to repeat the words to "Count Your Blessings" (a song on a new kids Worship CD we got.) I love him, I love being his Mom, I love being a Mom.

So much to smile about today....

Moving In Needs

Hey, just wanted to update you all on which of the financial needs I'm still in need of and which have been provided for already! So, scroll on down to the post below and check it out, IN RED!

What financial needs are you talking about there Kelsey?

Scrolllll on down to find out! : )

WEDNESDAY UPDATE : ALL OF THE FINANCIAL NEEDS COVERED! PRAISE THE LORD!

Apartment Awesome-ness

My new renters, although I don't think they realize it, are allowing God to work through them in incredible ways. I have been thinking about how God told Moses, before he went to Pharoh, that Pharoh's heart was going to be hardened. What was the point then? I think because God needed Moses to step it up as a leader big time and this was the way he was going to accomplish that.
Then, you think about God being able to do that - harden hearts. Which, means, that he can soften hearts too...right? I don't think I will ever be able to accurately describe just how STRANGE and completely impossible this new apartment is working out to be. I believe that God has PURPOSELY softened their hearts for Him to show me His power, His love for me and that He has everything under control. Something, I needed to really know today as I received word from Bucuresti that I WILL NOT receive early residency. The renters created a rental contract for me today allowing me to live there for an UNLIMITED period of time (something that I'll HAVE to have once I do get around to adoption time.) The thing is, it is impossible to make an unlimited contract while charging rent. It has to be a free agreement. This means the renters are willing to trust me on our verbal agreement for rent. Which, is at 70 Euros/month.
Now, onto that. 70 Euros per month - are they crazy!? No, God softened their hearts once again. I GUARANTEE you will NEVER find someone in this country allowing to live in this type of apartment for 70 Euros/month. The going rate for this apartment in Marghita per month is 250 Euros...in Oradea it would be close to 400 Euros per month.
I know, can God make Himself shown even more?
Yes, He can...because He did. Get this. The renters tell me today that, "We'll set up a bank account in town for you to deposit the money in each month. You just put in whatever you can pay. If you don't have enough money one month, just put in what you have. If, in the summer, when your utilities are lower you can pay more...then just put more in. Whatever you can pay we want you to pay."

Stunned. Stunned. Stunned.

Thank You Jesus...

If any of you are thinking you might want to give up ice-creams for the month or something : ) there are a few expenses that I have with moving into the new apartment.

It's kind of tight this month with only receiving 40% of what I needed for the month so I would be extremely grateful for your prayerful consideration of helping in the following areas below...

1. The rental contract was $30.
As of Sunday, TAKEN OFF THE LIST - THIS NEED HAS NOW BEEN MET!
YAY!


2. I have to cancel the current utilities for the apartment I'm in now and make new utility contracts for the new apartment. Both of these will cost money. I am estimating about $50 needed for this.
As of Saturday, TAKEN OFF THE LIST - THIS NEED HAS NOW BEEN MET!
YAY!

3.STILL NEED Paint...the apartment hasn't been painted in about 8 years. If you understood painting cement walls, and the *quality* of paint here you would understand why it needs to be done.
I need about $300 NO ONLY $200 NOW! AS OF MONDAY! YAY! for the paint. Yes, it is expensive here AND I have an apartment now triple the size of what I've been used to moving into and painting.

Maybe a group of you at your workplace are interested in helping out with one of these, or your small group Bible Study. Just send me an e-mail (kelsey.winters@gmail.com) and we can work out the details.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Signing the Contract Tomorrow!

That's right. I guess God decided He wanted me in this apartment because they called me at 9:15pm tonight saying "When can we sign the contract?"

God is GREAT!

Now, for a name. "Winters Wonderland Suite"... something like that. I'll send a nice Romanian chocolate bar to whichever of you can come up with the best name. I'm the very last apartment on the very top floor - I can put a sign on the door and no one is going to care.
Believe me, you get me a good name and it'll be there for all to see. That is, all who are willing to climb the 4 flights to see it : )

A little peek into our Sunday worship services...

Click on the link just below...

WORSHIP AT SALEM VIDEO CLIP

At 1min. 07 seconds you'll see a girl in a white shirt, mainly her arm, clapping and jumping up and down. Yup, that's me. Thank you sir, for standing near me that morning video taping with your camera. Ha, ha, ha.

I love this song though, here is the translation :

With You all things are possible
With You all things are possible
I believe in Your Word
I will believe in You forever

I am Yours
You are mine
You are my God
Nothing will separate us
I will always love you

Apartment!

Okay, so in a post a few days ago I said that God had been speaking to me a lot about Noah.
Well, today He pulled a "Noah" on me.
My renters called this morning and said "We're kicking you out. We don't care that we made a contract with you - we'll go to court to overturn that contract. You have 30-40 days to leave."

I was quite upset - not just about moving but moving away from the ministry that God has started with my neighbors here in this apartment building.

A few hours later I was finished at Casa Alba orphanage and I headed home to put Caleb in bed for his rest time. I thought, okay I'm going to spend a lot of time praying now that my owners just call and say that I can stay here.

I walk up to my apartment and there are my neighbors whom I'm closest to and they say "Hey, just a question for you. What is your situation with your apartment?"
They had no knowledge whatsoever of the phone call I got that morning.
They go on to tell me of an apartment in the building ATTACHED to my current building that is free. As she started describing it, I thought "Lord, I still don't want to move because I also had wanted that when I moved next it would be a more 'permanent' move. I don't want to make a temporary move again." Well, God I think was having a little laugh at Kelsey's lack of understanding in this entire situation. Let me give you a run down of this new apartment.

1. THREE BEDROOMS, 1 LIVING ROOM, HUGE KITCHEN AND DINING ROOM, 2 CLOSETS, 1 BATHROOM
2. The owners live in France, earn a nice wad of cash each month so they DON'T CARE about HOW MUCH RENT I PAY OR DON'T PAY. They'll let me have it for the same amount I am paying now for my 2 room apartment.
3. Whatever furniture that is in their apartment now that I don't want, they'll take out.
4. There is NO SMELL in this apartment whatsoever.
5. They'll install internet.
6. They'll make a long term rental contract for me.
7. They don't care how long I want to live there because they "don't want to have to come back to Marghita when they have vacation time and even if we do we'll stay with our many relatives or friends in town."
8. The FURNITURE in the apartment is SO NICE that I won't have to take "my" furniture that I have borrowed from the foundation up the 4 flights of stairs when I move : )
9. The kitchen is BRAND NEW...I love to cook and I love the fact that I'll have this kitchen that actually has CUPBOARDS!!! and a DINING ROOM TABLE for people to eat at!
10. As soon as I walked in I heard the Holy Spirit say "This is your home Kelsey."

I am pumped, very pumped. As the husband showed me around the apartment all I could think was "God - all I need is a husband now and another kid or 2 to fill out this apartment!"

On a side note - this is hilarious. This block in which the apartment is located has a special name in town here. It's called the "Millionaire's Block"...apparently everyone who lives in it is extremely rich.
Ha! Well, I guess me and my income will be changing that. I am on the TOP FLOOR - last apartment so I guess I'm "out of their hair" enough up there. Well, actually I hope Jesus starts putting me "in their hair" some : )

And, another praise...my really good friends from Scotland are here for 2 weeks. (I went to their wedding in July if you remember any of my posts about Scotland.) I swear you have never seen a guy in your life who can lift heavy things like my friends can. When I called them today to let them know she said "You have to have my husband move the heavy things while we are here!!"
I totally agree. Perfect timing!

Back to Noah. How does any of this apply? God had this apartment planned out for so long...apparently this couple hasn't been able to find anyone to stay in it. And today, when I had no idea what I would do, He just BROUGHT it to me...literally. Just like those animals. You know those 2X2's were heading toward that boat weeks, if not months before hand, and then one day they just started showing up. Animals. Apartments. God can do it all.

Speaking Romanian when You are Sick

This, can be an interesting task! The cold that put me on my couch most of last week has continued to hang around, dang it. Today is cooking day so I headed off to buy chicken.
YOU CAN BUY DEFROSTED CHICKEN BREASTS IN MARGHITA NOW!
Let me tell you, I am grateful!
Anyway, I bought a ton of chicken...enough for 40 people. The lady asked me what I was doing with all of this chicken. I thought she said "how is your child doing?"
The verb "a face" means "to make" or "to do." So, it's used as a greeting, asking someone how they are, asking what they are doing. I know, it can be confusing at times.
Then, on top of that, if you don't listen closely the word "puiul" and "copilul" can sound similar. They really aren't similar words but I was so tired, and still sick, this morning that I turned her sentence into "How is your child doing?" When I answered "Oh, he's good...he's in the car right there.", I got a really strange expression as a response.
Then she said CHICKEN! CHICKEN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH ALL OF THIS CHICKEN!
Boy, did I feel like an idiot or what. Then, she wanted to know what we were making with it. Try to explain a tortilla to someone who has never even heard of one, let alone eaten one before. I didn't even try to explain "enchilada" because I crashed and bombed on describing what the heck a tortilla is. Yeah, you try it before giving me a hard time : )

Driving Home from Church...

"Look girls, you must look!!"

This was said by a woman from our team, Josefina, who came with us in the car this morning to church. She is a woman who truly delights in God's creation and comments on it about every other sentence. Her love for God seems grows and grows when she is able to delight in His creation.
To hear her speak about what was outside of our car windows was a bringing alive of God's word where He speaks of His creation so often.
A few times I think I swerved the car, in the wrong direction - whoops!, in order to see where she was pointing her finger at! When she yelled in excitement "Look girls, you must look" (said to my good friend, Helena, and I) it was over a small tree on a hill that was just beginning to bloom. There are many, many of these trees on the way home from church but Josefina seems to see each one as an individual creation...which, they are. Her same delight and softness of heart carries with her also as she spends each day holding the abandoned little ones in the local hospital.
Watching how God shines through her is like being in school again...learning, learning, learning.
She's in her late 60's and I pray that as I work my way up to the "later half" of life that I will be as active about Jesus as she is!

It's Chicken Time!

Due to E.U. laws, poultry is no longer allowed inside the gates of the every Friday outdoor market. So, they line the sidewalk going into the market instead. Last Friday some of the ladies fell in love with Caleb and his joy over seeing the baby chickens and ducks. One of them scooped up a chick and put it in his hands. I wish you could have been there - the pictures don't do his pure delight justice!

Discouragement and Praise

There have been many discouragements this week...

1. I received my April financial support and it was only 40% of what I need financially to get through this month.
2. I got really sick.
3. Had to cancel Casa Alba group times because I was so sick.
4. My toilet still isn't flushing at all - have to bucket flush each time.
5. I dropped a full glass bottle of syrup on my foot and have a nice bloody, bruised toe to show for it.
6. Being sick, being single mom, trying to plan for the 5 million programs and activities for CA is proving a difficult task.
7. My apartment owners called me at 10pm last night and said that it was urgent that "we discuss the apartment." I think that means "We need you out of the apartment." I don't want to move, I really don't.
9. The bathroom sink is now leaking in a 3rd spot but there is no room for a 3rd bucket under it.
10. The foundation I work with here in Marghita is in a major financial crisis...you can see the burden on all of the leaders that the bank accounts are empty. There is enough money to last through April 20th (if I remember correctly). It costs $50,000 USD to run this foundation each month. (Yes, the foundation is that big).

PRAISES from this Week! PRAISES TO OVERCOME THE DISCOURAGEMENTS!

1. The Lord's leading was especially present during our worship and Bible study on Monday night. Everyone really connected with what the Lord had put on my heart to share and it was SUCH an encouragement to all of us!
2. We got a trampoline from some good friends of mine who were just here - Caleb loves it. His laughter is contagious when he is on it!
3. Yesterday morning God poured His ideas through me for a "Kids Church" that I'll begin at our Club for all the kids in Marghita. Seems that me being sick was the perfect time for Him to speak! I was really stressing out about not having this first Saturday planned...we've been discussing it for some months now and I keep switching the first date that it'll be because I didn't have it planned yet. Now, good to go!
4. My friend took Caleb yesterday so I could lie on the couch all afternoon. Which, was pretty much all I could do yesterday afternoon.
5. The Lord has been speaking and revealing longer term plans for me in Romania...I am SO EXCITED.
6. NOAH. You know, God BROUGHT the animals 2X2 to Noah. He didn't go out looking for them, he didn't have to try and catch them, he didn't have to worry a thing about that. God BROUGHT the animals to him. This was really encouraging to me as I consider my financial situation.
7. "Streams in the Desert" : "Glorify ye the Lord in the fires." (Isaiah 24:15)
During the conversation with my landlord today I will GLORIFY God, if they kick me out I will GLORIFY God because "We are to believe that out of this is coming something more for His praise than could have come but for this fiery trial."
8. My toe did not break when I dropped the syrup filled glass bottle on it!
9. I slept the whole night through even though this cold fever deal that I had should have kept me awake!
10. God has shown me how within the Christian body it really is a community. A friend of mine needed something a little pricey for her upcoming move to overseas missions. I e-mailed someone close to me, who doesn't know this person, and asked them if they would buy the item. Without even blinking an eye they ordered it. All of God's resources are His! If He wants to move those resources to another 'part of the body' we should be willing. It was an awesome example for me to see!
11. The Casa Alba kids are working their way into their 3rd memory verse...and, not only that, they are EXCITED about learning each verse each month!
12. My good friends were just here (we met during their visits to Marghita) and they are praying about moving here! Not only that, their presence here was a great encouragement to me.

So. There you go. Feels good to battle those discouragements with praises! AMIN!