Reflections from Straseni

All glory to our God! I am still in awe at what our God allowed us to experience last week in Straseni! I am so grateful for our amazing team - everyone worked so hard and loved so well. It was such a joy to serve alongside each partner in ministry and to watch each team member use their God-given gifts for the glory of the Lord. Also, I continue to marvel at God's protection and His provision for each one of us. In every detail God was present. From no sickness to all our luggage arriving and, especially, to all the "divine appointments" our God specifically scheduled for each one of us. What a joy and what a blessing! However, above all, I continue to marvel at God's Sovereign will to take us all the way from Nashville in the States to intersect these specific precious orphan children. I still think about their faces. I think about the change in their disposition from the first day we all met until the last day we were all together. The coldness that turned to warmth. The sadness that slowly morphed into smiles. The distance that became glue-like attachment. To think about the change in these kids continues to draw me back to the grace and the mercy of Christ!

Straseni, in so many ways, reminds me of our first year at Internat II. The kids were so unsure of us at first. They did not know the songs, much less the Bible. They were leery of our reason for being there. And, yet, as the Spirit of God descended, lives were changed. Smiles appeared, Jesus became visible, and lives were literally changed before our very eyes. God again worked a miracle. I can't believe that God would allow us, or choose to use us, in the lives of these precious children. Yet, He does. And, He continues to call. I rejoice in the lives of the children of Straseni who came to know Jesus as their personal Savior. I celebrate the way this orphanage, the second largest in all of Moldova, will look after years of us going to serve, to love and to invest for the glory of God. Each and every child - from the 40 preschoolers to the 110 six to fifteen year olds - God loves them all! Praise God for all the orphans lives that have been changed at Internat II, the largest orphanage in Moldova, and I can't wait to see what God, their Heavenly Father, has in store for each precious orphan child of Straseni.

I am so proud to be a part of this church - Rolling Hills! I am so proud to serve alongside such amazing people who truly invest in what our God is most passionate. It was amazing to see an entire country being touched. As we stood at the opening of the Transitional Living Home last Friday, I looked out at the faces - the faces of fellow church servants, the faces of Moldovan church leaders, the faces of orphanage directors, the faces of translators whom we have come to love, and the faces of precious orphan girls who now have a place to live. I was overcome with a sense of God's Presence and His Delight! This is what I want my life to be about - introducing people to their Heavenly Father who loves them so much and then connecting them to precious lives whom they can touch with the love of Christ. Praise God for the lives that have been changed over now six years of ministry in Moldova, and I truly believe our God is just getting started. What an incredible time, but there is still so much more to do. God has called us to this entire country, as well as to the rest of the orphans in this world, so please continue to pray, to love, to go and to give all for the global glory of our great God! Great job, team Straseni! I love and appreciate each of you very much! And, thank you to everyone for your faithful prayers and encouragement. God blessed, and we all are changed! All glory to our God!

In Christ,

jeff