It is always amazing how summer ministry seems to fly by. This summer was no exception, for nearly two months we put on camps and a VBS for all of the kids that we work with and more. Now that it is over we can look back and see what a fun and fruitful summer it was and that God was at work in everything that took place.
We started with a mountain camp that turned into a Black Sea camp because of rain and cold weather in the mountains. We had a lot of fun with the young adults that came with us. We focused on experiencing God since most of them know about God already but have trouble believing or puting their faith into action. Through many lessons and testimonies we learned what it means to have a relationship with God and to go deeper in our faith.
With the younger kids we taught about the fruits of the spirit and did lots of crafts and games that helped them learn more about God. We had a lot of fun with them especially on the days when we went to the transition house where we have a zipline and wide open spaces for them to play. At the end of the summer we did a VBS program with them at the church which we all really enjoyed. Many kids accepted Christ and will continue to go to church there, praise the Lord!
We also were glad to attend the baptism of four of the kids that we have been working with. God has been very good to us by letting us share in the harvest even as we continue to plant and water in lots of other kids. Being able to see kids come to Christ and be baptized is so exciting for us!
At the same time we have been feeling our time here slip away quickly and it is hard to believe that we have under one month left here. Last week we sold our car to an organization in northern Romania that was looking to upsize but didn’t have a lot of money to buy another car. We felt like God was leading us to bless them by selling it at a price they could afford just as it was provided for us in the first place. We movined out of our apartment and gave most of our furniture to H2H. We hope that others will be blessed by it just as we have been blessed and well provided for by God.
We have already said some goodbyes and have found that this is and will be the hardest part of leaving. Seeing the kids for the last time (until we come back and visit) is hard and emotional and this is just the beginning of a hard transition for us. We will fly home on September 26 into Chicago and get picked up from there so that we can have more baggage. Then the next adventure begins, we are looking forward to seeing what God has in store with adopting from foster care. Thank you for being such amazing supporters in prayer and finance. We could not have served here these five years without you and we hope that you will continue with us in this next chapter!
Please join us in praying...
-for God to reveal his plan to us and to lead and provide for us once we arrive home.
-for God to prepare a child for us to adopt through foster care and for him to prepare us for the child.
-for God to take care of the kids here that we are leaving behind. Pray for them to be comforted and to come to know him. Pray for seeds that have been planted to grow and mature.
Praise God for his providence and blessings on us and our ministry for these last five years. Praise him for all of our faithful supporters and pray that we can continue this journey together.
In Him, Mark & Rebecca
You can click on this picture to download the PDF version of the update.
1 comment:
we are praying here.... and yes, leaving is very hard. God be with you and guide you.
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