These are the final few days of preparations before the team from the United States makes its way to Romania. We on this side of the ocean are preparing for the team’s arrival as well: transferring boxes of supplies from city to city, making final reservations and confirming schedules. I know the team is motivated and ready to participate in the long-awaited VBS 2009. Because of the complications with last year’s trip, I believe the excitement has had a long time to build up!

Things that need prayer in these “countdown days”:

That God will give each team member peace and freshness of spirit.
For smooth and uninterrupted travel (can be difficult these days!)
For the churches the team will visit: the sermons to be spoken and the fellowship to be made.
For the Roma villages, that the people will be ready.
For health! It has not been uncommon in the past for a team member to fall ill, which can be frightening in a foreign country.

Thank you for staying up to date on our prayer lists! Updates on the happenings of the team’s stay in Romania will be more frequent. Prayer lists will be updated as well.

Faithfully,
Tasha Muresan

Good morning from Romania!

I arrived here two days ago, after a long and grueling day of delayed and cancelled flights. But once I stepped foot onto Eastern European soil, it was all worth it. I am here, and my heart is full.

When I come, I look around with a sense of familiarity amongst the drastic changes that seem to have happened over a year. This country is advancing at a rapid rate, and yet there are instances when you come face to face with those who are not benefiting from this “improvement”. A beggar on the street waved off by a preoccupied young man, Decaying buildings and skyrocketing prices of the essentials.

Amidst all these things, there is such a draw to this place. I am absorbed by the way of life and by the people. I think hope exists here, and there is great room for a movement of God. This is part of what makes Romania so beloved to me.

I am here doing an internship with a ministry for previously at-risk girls who have found family at a place called Deborah House, where they are guided through their future and given the skills and means to accomplish their goals. These girls are learning their worth in God’s eyes, and reinventing what makes them beautiful. It is an incredible opportunity, and I am excited to start on Monday.

I will also be joining the VBS team for a short while in the village of Archita. While I am here, I hope to learn more about the need in Romania and where I fit in God’s plan for the country. I hope, by the end of my two months, to acquire a handful of projects for Reach Out to Romania.

More updates soon!

Faithfully,
Tasha Muresan

“The winter will ask what we did all summer.”

This is an old Gypsy proverb referring to the value of hard work. I read it as, “You reap what you sow”. When I think about it in terms of our ministry in Romania, it gives me a sense of urgency. How will I reflect on my summer when in the winter, months after being in Romania and back to the hustle of everyday life? I hope I remember faces and names and stories, and the way God moved in the hearts of the people. I hope I can recall with confidence my part in the action–that I was open and receptive to God’s voice.

The implications regarding our contact with the village of Pusta Vale are huge. This is a more traditional Roma village, and Christianity is somewhat new. Ideas and traditions are passed down generationally, so entire generations can be influenced by one point of impact. These people have new, open hearts for God, and I believe this summer we will see incredible things.

Thank you, dear sponsors and prayer partners, for making this possible. It is truly your support that keeps us going. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we are preparing to depart.

Thank you,
Tasha Muresan