Zalau, Brasov, and Bibarcfalva Romania were once again the destinations of our team of three American women ready to be used by the Lord to encourage women into a deeper relationship with the Lord. God was gracious and allowed us to see some of what He has been doing in the lives of the women we encountered when last we visited in May of 2006.
The focus of this year's teaching was King David and the lessons for us today through the life of the man called "a man after God's own heart."
In Zalau, we were encouraged by the number of young women seeking spiritual growth and were finding it in fellowship and Bible study with others the same age. Our dear friend and pastor's wife, Evodia, once again led the team in outreaches among the women in and around the Zalau area. It was a blessing to be able to reconnect with many we've met with before and see the reality of their growth and depth of knowledge since we started these outreaches over 5 years ago. This year we were able to once again, meet with a group of pastor's wives and encourage them in their capacity as wives and leaders of the women in their congregations.
Mama, better known as Irma Pa'pai, once again opened her home, her kitchen, and her heart to us. Even though we are all about the same age, Mama takes care of us like we are her children, lavishing us with love by her servant's heart. Needless to say, it is always hard to leave this warm and nurturing place of refuge.
For the second year, we were able to visit with and minister longside Adina, also a pastor's wife, in Brasov. After our first visit, Adina reported that more women were attending the women's functions and becoming a larger part of the behind the scenes work within the church. The first group we met with were those interested in a discipling group aimed at pairing up older women with younger women. Adina took us to a village where we were able to minister to a group of handicapped people who attend the small village church.
For the second time, we were blessed to be able to stay with our friend and sister in Christ, Ili who is always so gracious to feed and house us. This year Ili was excited because their water was working so we could take showers and even do a load of laundry at the half-way point in our trip.
The next and last stop on our journey this year was in Bibarcfalva, a small village of dirt roads, hard working people, and lots of cows and goats that we watched come home each evening. It is so amazing to us city girls that each cow or goat knows which street to turn down when heading for home.
Staying in the mission house is a little like camp, with two sets of bunk beds and the question, who's on top. Once again Erzsi our beloved translator and Linda Marsic volunteered for the "honor", allowing the two Carols to have the lower bunks. Could it perhaps be a bow to our "advanced" ages??
Our hosts, Pastor Barna and his wife Leona along with their son Peter and daugher "little" Leona went out of their way to see that we were well taken care of.
This particular stop is always special for us. This year was the 5th time we have come to this little village to hold a Women's Conference which is now attended by women from all faiths and walks of life. We've been told it is unheard of for people from different faiths to meet together like this so we know our heavenly Father has orchestrated it as an example that we shouldn't be divided by denominations. It is also an example of how truly godly women can meet together with people of different ethnicity, i.e., Hungarians, Romanians, and Gypsy.
Now that our trip is over, we are praying for all the lovely people we've just met, those we've reconnected with, and those who came to know Jesus for the first time. It is our prayer in the year ahead, that God will become their closest and most trusted friend.
The focus of this year's teaching was King David and the lessons for us today through the life of the man called "a man after God's own heart."
In Zalau, we were encouraged by the number of young women seeking spiritual growth and were finding it in fellowship and Bible study with others the same age. Our dear friend and pastor's wife, Evodia, once again led the team in outreaches among the women in and around the Zalau area. It was a blessing to be able to reconnect with many we've met with before and see the reality of their growth and depth of knowledge since we started these outreaches over 5 years ago. This year we were able to once again, meet with a group of pastor's wives and encourage them in their capacity as wives and leaders of the women in their congregations.
Mama, better known as Irma Pa'pai, once again opened her home, her kitchen, and her heart to us. Even though we are all about the same age, Mama takes care of us like we are her children, lavishing us with love by her servant's heart. Needless to say, it is always hard to leave this warm and nurturing place of refuge.
For the second year, we were able to visit with and minister longside Adina, also a pastor's wife, in Brasov. After our first visit, Adina reported that more women were attending the women's functions and becoming a larger part of the behind the scenes work within the church. The first group we met with were those interested in a discipling group aimed at pairing up older women with younger women. Adina took us to a village where we were able to minister to a group of handicapped people who attend the small village church.
For the second time, we were blessed to be able to stay with our friend and sister in Christ, Ili who is always so gracious to feed and house us. This year Ili was excited because their water was working so we could take showers and even do a load of laundry at the half-way point in our trip.
The next and last stop on our journey this year was in Bibarcfalva, a small village of dirt roads, hard working people, and lots of cows and goats that we watched come home each evening. It is so amazing to us city girls that each cow or goat knows which street to turn down when heading for home.
Staying in the mission house is a little like camp, with two sets of bunk beds and the question, who's on top. Once again Erzsi our beloved translator and Linda Marsic volunteered for the "honor", allowing the two Carols to have the lower bunks. Could it perhaps be a bow to our "advanced" ages??
Our hosts, Pastor Barna and his wife Leona along with their son Peter and daugher "little" Leona went out of their way to see that we were well taken care of.
This particular stop is always special for us. This year was the 5th time we have come to this little village to hold a Women's Conference which is now attended by women from all faiths and walks of life. We've been told it is unheard of for people from different faiths to meet together like this so we know our heavenly Father has orchestrated it as an example that we shouldn't be divided by denominations. It is also an example of how truly godly women can meet together with people of different ethnicity, i.e., Hungarians, Romanians, and Gypsy.
Now that our trip is over, we are praying for all the lovely people we've just met, those we've reconnected with, and those who came to know Jesus for the first time. It is our prayer in the year ahead, that God will become their closest and most trusted friend.
