Last Day in Romania

My time in Romania is almost over, and it’s been a blast eating pretzels and venturing around Craiova. At first, there were many relentless 100 degree summer days, and now I’ve been relishing chilly fall mornings with warm afternoons. It’s cool to see how fast seasons change here! This weekend, I’m headed to the Black Sea, and I can’t wait to experience this part of Romania.

Well, about a week ago, I posted about how God was getting me started with street evangelism. He’s been the best teacher, and you can read about some of my first encounters in A Quick Reflection on Romania So Far.

Since then, God has given me even more revelation about evangelism, and He’s brought me into SO MUCH freedom with sharing Him to strangers.

Every Seed Counts, Even When It’s Kinda Lame

God has shown me that there are no limits to how he wants to share his heart with people. He can use something small like a smile or a free poster, and He can even use my awkward, sometimes lame attempts to plant seeds. Better yet, he can take my lame seeds and turn them into giant trees that produce fruit and offer refuge to those around.

I’ve also learned to remain steadfast in sowing seeds and to have faith a harvest is coming…even when I won’t be part of it.

Getting the Soil Ready

Lastly, I’ve learned there is no point in sowing seeds if the soil isn’t ready. Before planting seeds, the soil needs to be plowed and fertilized. And let’s face it, plowing dirt is hard work that requires grit, blood, and sweat. It is not easy. Well, interceding and fighting for a city is not easy either. It is exhausting, long, and emotionally draining. BUT it is worth it. And I know God used fasting and intercession to heal the soil of people’s hearts in Romania, and that the seeds my squad and I sowed were planted and will grow into a beautiful harvest.
Not only did I get a more realistic picture of the cost involved and the labor it takes to win a city for Jesus, but I also see how crucial prayer is, and that it needs to be the first thing I do before anything else. For me personally, I’ve come to a deep resolve that any labor done outside of prayer is in vain. After all, if you don’t take the time to get soil ready, any seed you plant will die, be taken away or choked up. I don’t want that!

So this is some of what God has been working in me this last month. I sort of feel like I went through an evangelism conditioning camp with God, like God was getting all of my evangelism muscles strong and ready for the season ahead. I’m a little terrified, but also excited and honored for what He has in store.

 

What’s Next

Next week I’m headed to Albania! I’ll spend a couple weeks learning how to evangelize to Muslims and debriefing how this last month went. After those two week, we’re doing what’s called “Ask the Lord” or ATL. It’s where we literally ask the Lord for every step we need to take: where we go, what we do, where we stay, and more. I am SO excited. I know this will be a special time of becoming more intimate with Holy Spirit and hearing his voice. And I can’t wait to see what God does when we give Him so much freedom.

Please pray that I hear Holy Spirit clearly during this time and that he reveals some new ways for me to listen to him. It would also be great if you could pray for unity among my team, and that they too, would grow in hearing Holy Spirit.