His Purpose For Marriage

I read the title of the book and I think that I forgot to breath for a second: Sacred Marriage: What If God Designed Marriage to Make Us Holy More Than to Make Us Happy. I could not believe my eyes that someone finally wrote a book and expressed my own thoughts. 

So many people think that marriage is a purpose, a destination. That marriage is a plateau where one needs to arrive in order to be happy and fulfilled. Marriage for many equals eternal happiness and bliss. It is the place where our needs are fulfilled. No wonder there are so many marriages falling apart. And while there is happiness in marriage and the needs are fulfilled, this is not the whole purpose of it.  

For me marriage is a mean. A tool God uses to shape the character, to make us more like Him, to restore His image in us. A tool that He uses to make us better persons, better witnesses, more effective workers for God. A mean that He uses to teach us about grace, love, forgiveness, mercy, compassion, faithfulness. So marriage is not a destination. It is only a mean through which God accomplishes His purpose in and through us and prepares us for the life to come. 

So, what if my character can be better shaped by being single? What if I can serve Him better if I am not married? What if I can learn better what means grace and love and forgiveness? What if I can be a better witness? What if He allows me to be single in order to save me and and use me to save others?

I know what you are thinking. It is more likely that He can teach me these things by being married. I know. And I agree with you. It is more likely. And I would rather have Him do it this way. 

And still, what if?

Than let me be single.

Did I just hear a hearty AMEN? 

I think I did!

GYC Portugal 2013 - Until the End

The more I travel and meet wonderful people, the more I see the pieces of the big puzzle coming together. And I simply love it! Knowing that not even one person God places in my life is there by chance and seeing how God uses each one of them to teach me more about Him, His love and His grace is enough to make me feel blessed beyond measure.

I eagerly waited for the moment to board the plane and be back in the country with warm and wonderful people (read about it here), to meet old friends and make new ones, to see the divine appointments He had for me there, to see how He changes lives and brings hope. Portugal is not a strange place for me. Their hospitality and warmth made me feel at home right away. Actually, I somehow feel part of GYC Portugal. I was there from the beginning, from their first conference and we share many memories. 

Honored to be singing with some wonderful people

I knew God has special plans for Portugal because I have seen Him at work even before I went there. I decided to try and get together a prayer team. So I prayed and approached a couple of ladies I met last year who left a deep impression on my heart and who were really committed to the Lord. Debora's answer really warmed my heart and made me see more clearly that God is in control and has a plan:

Dear Raluca,

My heart is so filled with joy and gratefulness today, I can't even explain it, words are not enough to describe what God has done for me and in me today. Praise the Lord! God chose this day to answer my prayers, and your proposition to be part of the prayer room is one of them :') I can't even hold back my tears dear Raluca. God is so good! My answer is: yes, yes and yes! I need God to work me in me and my character and I want to serve Him in anyway He asks me too. I think He just asked me through you to be part of this, so He can transform me as I serve Him. Your invitation was an incredible answer to my prayers of this last weeks.

What is Debora's story? A few days before I sent her the invitation to help in the prayer room, she had asked God to use her to reach out to others. First God placed her in a group of Christian young people from her university to study the Bible and pray with them. Than He sent her my invitation. Her answer to my invitation left me speechless and flooded my heart with joy. Needless to say, God put together a wonderful prayer team and I was blessed to have each one of them help with leading united prayer.

Last appeal made by pastor Jay Rosario

GYC Portugal was blessed with powerful speakers who challenged the young people to give their life to the Lord and serve Him. We were thrilled when 35 people decided for baptism after Jan Cabungcal's appeal. And almost everybody went upfront at the dedication service when Jay Rosario challenged us to be like the four lepers who could not be quiet, but had to share the good news with others. I know that many young people made some life changing decisions for Christ at this GYC. The many emails and FB messages I get are only confirming this. I happen to know just some of these people, but I know many more lives were changed. Just to give you an example, I heard that a young man decided to break off his engagement to a non-Adventist lady because God spoke to his heart. I am convinced more than ever that this is what we need: speakers to challenge the young people to make decisions for Him.

The morning united prayer sessions were a huge blessing for the many attendees who decided to join us every morning for prayer. Seeing (actually hearing) people pour out their hearts to God and seeking Him with all their hearts will always be one of my favorite things to do. 

United prayer session in the morning

Seeing people hungry and thirsty for God is what floods my heart with joy. Here are only some examples. 

GYC started on Friday evening. Since the next day was Sabbath, the united meeting prayer room was not open until after lunch. So I was very puzzled when I received a note Sabbath morning during Sabbath School and was asked to go to the prayer room. I did not want to leave the Sabbath School, but I decided to go and see what is going on only to find people in tears in need of prayer. 

Than there was this couple who pulled me out of a meeting because they wanted to start praying together and wanted some practical advice. 

I was thrilled when, upon coming back home I got a FB message from a stranger. An evangelist from Brazil who listened to the radio transmission of GYC Portugal and heard me promoting the united prayer sessions. Since the workshop was not streamed, He wanted to know how to pray with His church. 

GYC Portugal made me see again that there are so many people in need of Him, so many looking for healing. I remember that, as I was standing and talking in my workshop I spotted a young lady and I felt impressed to go and talk to her after the workshop. I did not know why. I did not know what to talk to her about. I just knew that the Holy Spirit is prompting me to go and talk to her. At the end, by the time I finished talking to other people who came to see me, she was gone. What to do now? Well, this is His work and He was the one who impressed on my heart to go and talk to her, so I asked the Lord to bring her in my way. Not long after that, as I was in the hallway going to a workshop, I met her. So I stopped and talked to her. At the end of our long conversation I had no doubt that it was the Holy Spirit who prompted me to talk to her. It was just one of the many divine appointments He had for me there. Who cared that I missed the workshop (btw, I missed all the other workshops because God kept bringing to me people who wanted to talk to me) when I knew God used me to bring hope to someone?

It is such a blessing to know that God uses united prayer and the workshop to bring answers to people. One of the young ladies I talked to after my workshop told me that a few weeks ago she had asked the Lord to teach her to pray. The following week she was asked by the leaders of a interdenominational group of students from her university to be the prayer leader. Now she was confused. She asked the Lord to teach her to pray and He is sending her an invitation to lead prayer? How could that be His answer? But His answer came a couple of weeks later. She came to GYC and attended the United Prayer workshop. And this is exactly what she needed.

Another divine appointment God had for me there was with a young lady that has been emotionally and physically abused by her father for more than 30 years. Sandra* has been hoping and praying for many years that God will place in her life people to help her start a new and normal life. She wanted to leave the home many times, but her salary did not allow her to have a decent life. She sought for help to some pastors, but it seems that no one dared to pull her out of the lion's mouth.  After a while, she gave up hope. She was drained emotionally, sick and exhausted. She stopped fighting. I have to admit that I was wondering how in the world was she still sane. My heart was so heavy as I listened to her telling me some of the horrible abuses she had to endure. Listening to her it was like listening to horror stories from another world. We talked and prayed together. As I was praying and begging God to do something for her the next morning, the name of a pastor came to my mind. Later on God just confirmed that this was from Him when my translator and another speaker told me that we need to talk to this pastor. And when I talked to Sandra, she confessed that she had been wondering if she should talk to him, as well. God is still working to set her free from this abusive home, but it seems that someone found a job for her and the pastor is determined to do anything he can to help her have a fresh new start. Praise God for pastors who care for people more than for their own life and safety!

Last prayer after the dedication service

You see, all these divine appointments make worth all the struggle of the endless hours spent in front of the computer trying to finish my workload for Hope Channel. This is what keeps me going. This is what makes me feel that I am alive, that my life is worth living for Him. It is Him shining through me that makes the difference. 

Speakers of GYC Portugal 2013 

We had a full house on Sabbath

I left Portugal so thankful for all the wonderful people God brought me in contact with, for all those who went home determined to start a new life, for those who expressed their desire to start a prayer group back home. This is what makes me determined to pour my life into His service more than ever. There is one thing that I desire more than anything else: that He will continue to shine through me and that people will see Him in me. I have to admit that I have never done so much one-to-one counseling before, but I immensely enjoyed it. Even though the pain of the people seems to crush me at times, I am thankful because it drives me to my knees. My prayer list gets bigger and bigger with each place I go to, but I can't complain. It is an honor to intercede on behalf of my brothers and sisters. I may never know the answer to my prayers in this life, but I a looking forward to seeing them in the life to come. What a day that will be! 

*Sandra's name has been changed in order to protect the identity of the individual. 

Wounded Healer

I packed reluctantly. Than I boarded a plane that I did not want to board. I simply did not want to go, but a promise is a promise. What could I offer to people when my soul was so dry? How could I be a channel for healing when I was wounded? How could I speak to them of the joy of salvation, about His peace when I did not have either one of them? How could I talk to people about surrender when there was something that I found so hard to give up to? I had nothing to offer. I was wounded and hurting. I was afraid that He will not pour out His blessings because my heart was not ready to be a channel of His love, because there was something that I found hard to surrender that kept the wound open and did not allow it to heal.

But I went. I met people. I talked to them. I prayed with them. I listen to their stories. I had my workshop. It was the first time I had a workshop all by myself. And while pouring my life into serving others I totally forgot about my wound. At the end of the 5 days it was all gone. Not even the smallest scar left. It was as if I had never had it. There were always people in the prayer room. The workshop was packed. People kept telling me that they were blessed. I was overwhelmed. They had no clue that I was the one who experienced the greatest blessing. They had no clue that I was a wounded healer. It was than that I understood more of what Paul meant when he said that God's power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Cor. 12:9)

I am gladly packing right now. I am about to board a plane I have been waiting to board for a long time. The same destination, but one year later. This time I am bursting with excitement because I know Him more and I trust more His power. I have seen more of what He can do in spite of my weakness. I have learned more that it is not about me. It is not about what I can do. It is all about Him and what He can do through me. It is not about being worthy, but being willing. It is all about learning to walk with Him and constantly growing. Growing while serving. It is through service that I find solutions to my own struggles and I know that He is about to heal more of my wounds.

Yes, it is all about being a wounded healer. This is what I am. And I will be. Until He comes.

Heaven Cannot Come Soon Enough

It was only yesterday that I prayed for her as I was going through my prayer list and I came to Matteson Mission School. Today, as I came to the same place, I know that prayers for her are of no use. I can only pray for her friends and loved ones who mourn her loss. 

It was only yesterday that I was looking forward to meeting her and singing with her in a month and a half when I will be going to Germany to teach Josia Missionsschule and Matteson Mission School's students. Today, I have one more reason to look forward to heaven to meet her and sing with her . I can only pray that I will be there to keep my promise. 

I met her a little over a month ago in Sweden at IMPACT Scandinavia. I don't think that we talked for more than 30 minutes. Time is always an issue at such conferences. But those few minutes that we talked have left a deep impression on my heart. It was enough to make me realize what a special person she is and make me want to meet her again and get to know her more. It was enough to make me see that she loved God and people.

She served God. She loved people. She loved music. And she touched lives. I have no doubt about that because she touched mine in the few minutes we spent together. This is how I will always remember Vivian. I do not think that there are better things to be remembered for. 

As I sit here and ponder over the fragility of life I cannot help but wonder, if I were to die tomorrow, what will I be remembered for?

Today I have one more reason to look forward to heaven. Oh, heaven cannot come soon enough! Even so, come Lord Jesus! 

It Is Better to Give Than to Receive

It's been a while since I promised myself to try and blog more about what He has been teaching me, but as you see, I did not find the time to do it. So I am thankful for Friday nights when I can spend time with the Lord and try to write down some of his blessings.

One of the things God keept showing me it is that it is better to give than toreceive. A little more than a month ago He reminded me again that He can do much more than I think if I give Him everything I have. It was a month and a half ago that I was talking to a friend. I was telling her how excited I was that I saw her on the list of the attendees of IMPACT Scandinavia (Sweden, December 2012). She told me that she registered, but she cannot come. She did not have the money. "I will pray that God will provide the money for the trip!" was my answer. But as soon as I said it, God reminded me: "Raluca, you have money in your bank account."

You see, two months prior to that, I went to a congress. They could not pay for the plane ticket so someone offered to pay for it. A month after I came back home, the leadership decided that they had the money to pay for my plane ticket, so they sent me the money. This is why I had money in my bank account, but I was planning on saving it for the next time when people could not pay for my trip. 

"Raluca, you have money in your bank account." 
"But, Lord, what if someone cannot pay for my trip?"
"Don't you think that I can take care of that when the time comes? Remember how I paid your way to Portugal, to Germany, to the US?"
"Yes, Lord, I remember."

So, I gave in. I went online, searched for a plane ticket and bought it. The amount of money needed was exactly what I had in the bank account. 

Two weeks later I was in Sweden. One evening, I checked my email before going to my room for the night. I was surprised to see an email from someone I respect. Both he and his wife have been a huge inspiration to me. I had volunteered and helped them with some projects because I was passionate about those things. I was really shocked when I read "We all appreciate so very much all you have done this year to help with "such and such projects"!  We want to send you a very small love gift for all your hard work..." It had never crossed my mind that I could ever be paid for my work. I did it simply because I loved it. And the amazing thing is that the amount of money that they sent me was double the amount of money I paid for my friend's plane ticket. Tell me that God is not amazing! 

Well God, You won again... You showed me again that you can do exceedingly abundantly above all I can think or ask. I just pray that next time I will not hesitate to share the blessings You have given me. 

Everything...

Sometimes I wonder how would our lives look like if we gave Him everything?

What if we gave Him all our gifts?

What if we give Him all our words and actions?

What if we gave Him our worst fears?

What if we gave Him those things we have been holding on and fighting for?

What if we give them the things that we want the most in this world?

What if we asked Him to take full control of our lives?

What if we allowed Him to do anything He wants with our lives?

What if we gave Him the things that we love the most?

What if we gave Him our singleness or marriages?

What if we allowed Him to be glorified through everything we are and have?

We all know that He is LOVE. He would never do anything to hurt us.

He loves us more than we love ourselves.

And He is wiser than us.

Than, why is it that we find so hard to give Him everything?

Is it because we do not know Him? Or we do not trust Him?

Or because we do not believe that He is real?

You see, God has a plan for our lives that is part of a bigger plan.

A plan that is not of this world, that is much bigger than us. A plan that is part of eternity.

And when we give Him all that we have, our lives become part of this bigger plan. A part of a plan more wonderful than our wildest dreams. A part of eternity.

Oh, when we will realize that by holding on to our lives we are missing a fuller and richer life?

We are actually missing the best parts.

God, You have my life. You have my everything. I give You my joys and my worst fears.

I give You the things that I want the most. I give You my singleness. I give You my plans. I give You my desires. I give You my dreams. I give You my words and actions.

I give You my all...

You can do anything You want with my life.

It is all Yours.

IMPACT Scandinavia - It Is Time...

Have you ever been so blessed that you feel it is hard to take everything in and you are simply overwhelmed? As I sit here and ponder over the last week and half, I can only say that God is amazing. And even though I know that my words will fall short in describing how awesome He is and how blessed I have been, I am still going to try to convey through words His goodness and blessings.

It all started with a group of dreamers who though they can get together over 300 young people in Scandinavia. Some thought they are nuts. Never in the Scandinavian history there has been something like this, but they managed to make history in Scandinavia as God used them to bring together more than 400 young people from 23 countries. I can only say that God is really raising up an army of youth in Europe to finish the work. At least 3/4th of the attendees came up front deciding to serve God, to go to a mission school or in a mission trip when Jesse Zwiker (one of the main speakers and Director of Wildwood College of Health Evangelism) made the appeal at the commitment service.

I knew that God was going to do mighty things because, as soon as I accepted to go coordinate the prayer room and have the workshop at this event, Satan attacked me and I started doubting that the decision to go there was the right one. But I trusted His leading. It is so interesting that Derek Morris was spiritually attacked, as well. But God got the victory!

I have attended many conferences all over Europe in the last year and a half, but I have to admit that none of them was so centered around mission work and finishing God's work. It was such a blessing to see all the speakers and organizer having the same mindset and the same goal. It only confirmed that there is so much power in working together in unity. 

I was so blessed to have a wonderful prayer team with people from Romania, Germany, UK and Sweden. Though the united meeting prayer room was in another building from the main meetings, I was amazed to see that many people came to pray with us. The presence of Elder Derek Morris was a blessing. I was pleasantly surprised to see people flocking to the prayer room after his workshop on radical prayer. They decided that they need the practice, as well. 

We also had united prayer every morning in the main hall and I praise God for the people who attended every morning. The group was bigger than I expected and people were really blessed. After the first morning I told to some attendees that we are thinking to make small groups and give more people the opportunity to pray, but they begged me not to. So we had united prayer every morning. Many told me that they have never experienced something like this before and they were moved to tears. I praise God for leaders (Derek Morris, Reidar Kvinge - the President of the Norwegian Union and other pastors and speakers) who joined us every morning. We stayed until late on New Years Eve (most people went to sleep after 1-2 AM) so I expected that we will have a small group praying on Tuesday morning. But it was not so. The number of the people did not decrease, but increased New Year’s morning for the united prayer session.

God not only blessed people at this conference, but opened new opportunities for united prayer. The Health Ministries Director from the Finish Conference decided that he wants to start an IMPACT project in his country and he asked me to come as a speaker and coordinate the prayer room. I talked to him about translating the United Prayer booklet into Finish language and he told me to talk to the Editor for the Signs of the Times who also attended the conference. I did and it seems that we will have it in Finish, as well. Than, I talked to the President of the Norwegian Union about doing the translation into Norwegian and he said that they want to have it in Norwegian and will translate it. Someone from the workshop also promised to translate it into Estonian. So, we will soon have more translations of the booklet. Praise God that the united prayer is spreading!

God provided an unexpected opportunity to share about united prayer with a non-adventist audience. I was asked to record a program for an ecumenical radio from Estonia. So I got to talk around 45 minutes about united prayer.

I have been very blessed by praying and talking to people, hearing their stories and passion for God. It is simply wonderful to see God lifting the burdens from people's shoulders. A mother came praying and crying before the Lord for her children and she left having peace in her heart. Another young man came to pray because he had just been informed that his 20 year old girlfriend  had cancer. It was a great blessing to be able to meet again people I met in other parts of Europe. Many of them are thankful for a second chance to come to the prayer room and pray with us. And it is also a blessing to know that I will meet some of them in the next few months at different conferences in Europe. I count it as a huge blessing to meet new people and make new friends. It is very encouraging to see many other young people with the same passion for God and God's work. 

One thing that God has been doing lately and He did it at IMPACT, also, is to rekindle my passion for education - true education as we find it in the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy, the education that prepares people not only for this life, but for the life to come. It was such an inspiration to meet people with the same passion. It's been 3 years since I have not been directly involved in the work of education, but God keeps reminding me about the importance of true education and I know that He is doing it with a purpose. I am eagerly waiting to see what He has in mind and why is He reminding me all these things. 

I keep thinking again and again how thankful I am to be able to work with ARME. I feel so alive as I get to share with people about my passion for prayer, as I talk with them, listen to them speaking about their challenges and then see God answer their prayers, and bring revival in their lives. It is what keeps me going and makes me feel that I am really able to make a difference for God. This life is worth living just for Him. Actually, ARME is the BEST THING that has ever happened to me. I simply cannot imagine myself having to be in an office full-time, like I use to be with HOPE TV. I am so thankful that God knew what I needed and He opened the opportunity for me to be able to work and travel with ARME to spread these Revival concepts through Europe. 

I believe with all my heart that today more than ever it is high time we pour our lives out for Jesus Christ. It is high time we live our lives for Him and Him alone. It is time we put everything aside and allow Him to lead our lives and use us in His service. It is time we make Him and His work a priority in our lives. 

I know that many decision have been made at IMPACT Scandinavia. So join with me in prayers for all those who have attended and decided to make a change in their lives and give their lives to Jesus. Pray for those six precious souls who have been baptized. I have no doubt that Satan will try to hinder them from allowing God to take full control of their lives, but I know that our prayers can make a difference. Let's keep praying for the work in Europe. I know that many doors are opening, but there is so much more work to be done. May we all press together forward on our knees.