GreaThings: Answered Prayers

If I should start and talk about answered prayers, than I will have to write tens and hundreds of pages. In fact, you can just go back and read my blog to be able to read some of God's answers to my prayers.

For now, I will just share something that He has done for me this week. Last week I decided that I need to put aside some special time for God and fast and pray for 21 days (even though the fast might not mean to go completely without food). The Lord kept showing me, among many other things, how important fasting is. So, I decided to start on Monday. There are many things I was praying for, but one of them that needed immediate answer was about going to Pine Springs Ranch ARME Bible Camp in January. I did not dare to put my hopes up, but I was somehow excited about seeing my ARME family and also meeting Melody, one of my best friends and prayer partners.

First day of fasting. No answer. I could not say that I was troubled, but I also was not totally at peace about going.

Second day of fasting. I did what I usually do. Spend time in prayer. Though I did not have any answer, I was at peace. Than spend time in His Word and praying again. Go confirmed me though His Word that I needed to fast and pray when I read Matthew 17:14-21. Right as I was ending my time with God, I told Him: "Lord, from what I understand, the only reason why You would not have me go to the US is that You want me somewhere else. So, please, send me an invitation today to go somewhere else when I am supposed to go to the ARME Bible Camp." 

I should tell you that after I prayed, before I opened the Word and prayed again, I checked my email. 0 new messages. After I prayed the above prayer, I went to my email again. 1 new messages. The subject of the email: Invitation! 

Need I say more? I won't. I will tell you later on where I am going after God arranges all the details. I just want you to know that, when you surrender a dream to God, He gives you something much better. I am really excited!!! And if you knew the doors that God is opening for me, you will be, too. :)

GreaThings 2011: R is for the Capacity to Reflect and to Remember

Today, I am thankful in a special way that God gave us the capacity to reflect and remember. Life is not always a bed of roses and it does not seem to give us the best. But, as we go also through the valley of shadows, reflecting on what He did for us and remembering how He led us in the past gives us the power to hang in there and wait on Him. And it also give us the assurance that He will come through for us.

Someone once said: "We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history."

So I praise the Lord that I can reflect on His mercy and goodness and love toward me, and this gives me great joy and hope for the future. And I also thank Him that I can remember the countless times He parted the Red Sea for me. I know that He will do it again in His own time!

EUD Annual Council

Euro-Africa Division Annual Council is over and all I can say is: Praise God for our leaders who understand the need of prayer and united prayer. We were able to lead the EUD council in united prayer all the mornings except for one.

I know that those of you who read my blog are wondering why I am talking about EUD Annual Council? I should be talking about GYC Indonesia. Yes, it is true that I was supposed to go there, it is true that I have bought my ticket. But a few weeks after I bought my ticket I have received an invitation to go to EUD Annual Council and lead united prayer there. I have prayed about it and after wrestling with the Lord for a day and a half, I finally gave in and accepted to cancel my ticket. It was not easy to give up to my dream to go back to SE Asia, to the jungle, to the tropics, but I know that God knows very well why He asked me to give up on my dream. And I gladly accepted His plan knowing that He knows the end from the beginning and that He wants what is best for me. 

I found it very interesing that EUD talked at this annual council about Adventist Mission. Elder Maurer, the Executive Secretary of the EUD, told us that it is for the first time in 17 years since he started to take part in these annual councils when they talk extensively about mission work. Elder Gary Krause was one of the three invitees from GC and he talked about the Global Mission. In fact, they dedicated 2 days to the Global Mission.

On Sabbath, the delegations from two unions came to the prayer room. The first one was the Romanian Union (yes, I am proud of them!!!) and the second was the Bulgarian Union. Though there were no more organized groups, we had many other individuals who came to pray with us. Most of the leader from EUD came and spent time in the prayer room. EUD President and Treasurer came and pray once or twice. Elder Maurer came almost every day and spent some time in the prayer room. Another leader who came a few times to pray with us is Paolo Benini, the Sabbath School and Ministerial Association Director from EUD. He even asked if we would be available to go to Italy for a Women Ministry retreat and to another Italian SDA church from Switzerland.

The EUD Annual Council also opened doors here in Romania. The President of the Adventist Theological Institute asked me if we can meet to talk about united prayer and see what can they do in their university. Another Conference President asked me if I can train young people to lead united prayer in the churches from his conference. 

We were able to give away a lot of United Prayer Handbooks. Elder Barna Magyarosi, EUD Education Director, told me that many union presidents told him that they are determined to take united prayer back to their countries.

As we were there, we managed to meet some people we had previously met at GYC France. It was a blessing to be able to reconnect and pray with them. I had especially prayed that I would meet a girl I met a certain girl. She gave me her email address and phone no, but I somehow lost them. She was living in Collognes, but she never stopped by to say hi. I prayed that God will bring her again my way so we could pray more together, but it seemed that the days were passing by and I still did not meet her. On Friday night I saw her in the back of the meeting hall, but she left before I could tell her hi. Sunday morning, as I was going to eat with a girl who is a missionary in Congo (we had also met at GYC France), I finally met her. She was going home from a Bible study. So, I praise God for being able to reconnect with her. It was a miracle that we met. 

I was so happy when I found out that two of the translator we had at ASI Spain and another girl who had been in the prayer room hosted at AMiCUS Congress in Paris hosted a prayer room at a Youth Meeting in a Spanish church from Madrid. It is so interesting that, one of our translators from ASI Spain told my friend who organized the schedule of the translators that she does not want to spend too much time in the prayer room because she paid and she wants to be able to listen to the workshops and sermons. But she ended up loving the prayer room and spending more time than she said she would. Now, she was one of the united prayer facilitators. Another girl who facilitated united prayer has been in the prayer room but did not pray. She only listened. Now, she was a prayer facilitator, as well.

So, praise God for all the divine appointments! It is no greater joy than to see Him at work and to see Him changing lives!

GreaThings 2011: Gratitude is...

I have accepted the challenge to write for a few days about things I am grateful for. (For more information click on the picture above)

Gratitude is a heavenly attitude. It is the music of the soul that sings when the sun shines and also in the darkness.

It is the ingredient that makes life so much sweeter.

Gratitude means to be to be humble and to give some one else the credit for your happiness and welfare.

Gratitude is a heavenly language that we need to learn here on earth in order to be able to sing it up there.

GYC France, a Spirit Filled Conference

GYC France is over. Though it was a small conference (around 160-180 people) God has really blessed again. We were so blessed to meet young people from all over Europe who seek God with all their hearts. We could see God's Spirit poured out in a great measure and this is enough to makes us more than happy.  GJC leadership was also really supportive and we were happy to see many of them come to the prayer room even though they were just a handful of people and had so many responsabilities on their shoulders.

We saw many lives changed, many people who were broken before the Lord and who found peace and happiness because of united prayer. There were people who came to the prayer room and who were looking for a purpose in life. Others came to pray because they wanted to understand how they can serve God at their best. Others came looking for peace. We even had somebody come and pray because he found it hard to believe that God exists. Many people came and cried before the Lord because they sensed their need for Him. We had many people come to us with tears in their eyes to thank us for bringing united prayer to GYC France.

An elderly lady from Clermont-Ferrand, the town where GYC took place, told us that she prayed for a long time for revival and when she received the letter that GYC is going to take place in her town, she praised God because she knew that this is the answer. She was also recently elected as the prayer leader and she is determined to take united prayer to her church which is quite small (20-30 members).

The more I travel, the more I realize that there are so many people who are searching for God with all their hearts and I feel so blessed to be able to meet such people.

God had also a wonderful surprize for us at the end of the convention, when we least expected it.

The last day the devotional was held by Jonathan Zita. He preached with so much power. Everyone could feel God's presence there. After his altar call and after the prayer, one of the GYC leaders suggested that those who want could fast for breakfast so that we could have a season of united prayer. We did not expect to have another season of united prayer, but God opened the door for us and this was the most wonderful moment from the entire convention. Though a lot of people left on Sunday evening and there were only around 70-80 people left, we were so surprised to see around 30 people who stayed behind to seal their decision with prayer. I really appreciate that Jonathan Zita, Jeffery Rosario, Daniel Pel and his wife (all GYC speakers) and some of the GYC leaders who joined us for this season of united prayer. There were not too many dry eyes in the room as we all poured out our hearts before God. I told the leaders of GYC France that if it was only for this devotional and season of united prayer and GYC was worth the effort and all their sleepless nights. It was simply beautiful to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit.

I thought that most of the attendees will be from France, but it turned out that only 60-70 % were from France. The rest were from Switzerland, Holland, Norway, Germany, England, Portugal. Isn't that wonderful? And what is even more wonderful is that a lot of them are determined to take united prayer back to their countries. Some young people from Holland are going to have a youth conference this very next weekend and they want to have united prayer and a prayer room. A leader from GYC Portugal (that is going to take place in February) is also determined to talk to the rest of the team and have united prayer at GYC Portugal. Daniel Pel, a young evangelist and one of the speakers who is also teacher for Matteson Mission School and European Bible Institute was happy to discover the power of united prayer and wants to take it wherever he goes. Jonathan Zita said that he will take united prayer back to Canada to his canvassing program. We praise God for all this dedicated leaders who understand the need for united prayer.

So, what else can I say... I feel that words are not enough to describe how much God has blessed at GYC France. Every one agreed that this was a spirit filled youth conferece. And I guess this says it all.