I'm in the Lord's ARME

Some of you may think I have made a mistake. No, there is not a spelling mistake... I'm in the Lord's ARME.

If you read my blog entry A Call to Prayer you remember that I have written about God tapping on my shoulder and telling me that He wants me back into full time ministry, He wants me to have a fervent prayer life, to be a prayer warrior. My life has been changed as I realised things I have been missing all along and as I allowed Him to take full control of my life.

Than, if you read my blog entry In His Presence, you remember that God made me give up my plans for this summer (going with my youth group to the seaside) so that I do something meaningful. When God asked me to change my plans, I thought He wants me to go to Upper Colombia ARME Bible Camp. So, I started praying and talking to my friend Melody about it. I was really excited since I have wanted to be part of an ARME Bible Camp for a long time. But, as we were making plans and praying about it, I simply did not have peace in my heart regarding this decision and I did not understand why. Since I know my Lord and since I know that He does that every time I am about to make a wrong decision, we decided to wait and continue to pray until I understand what I need to do.

It was in this period of time that I found out about the GYC Convention that they are going to organize in Romania. I remember telling Melody: "Wish I could organize a Prayer Room there!" But I knew that I could not do that since I did not to do it alone and there was nobody to help. You see, after being in the mission field for 5 years and being alone most of the time, I told the Lord that, if He ever wants me to do something for Him, He has to give me a team or at least one more person I can work with, dedicated people who share my values and desire to work for Him. So Mel and I started to pray about it. I did not tell anybody else about my desire and I did not know anybody who had a burden for prayer. So, I have to admit that I did not believe that God will send someone.

I was one day talking to Rita, Melody's "adopted" Romanian sister who had just come to visit her Romanian family. I had just met her (Melody introduced us) but felt that I have known her for a long time. I do not know why but I mentioned the GYC Convention and asked her is she is not interested in coming. "Maybe we can organize a prayer room there ," she told me. I was shocked even though I did not show it to her. Could it be this God's answer to my prayers? Could it be this why He did not want me to go to the Upper Colombia ARME Bible Camp? (Btw, both GYC and the ARME Bible Camp will take place in the last week of July). I had not told her anything about my desire to oganize a prayer room and that I had been praying about it. We decided to take a week to pray and make a decision whether we want to do that or not. As we finished the conversation and as I got on my knees to pray, I knew that I did not have to pray about it. I knew that this was God's answer to my prayers. He made it possible despite my lack of faith.

The rest is history... I wrote Rita right away that I believe that she is an answer to my prayers and that I know God wants us to do that. Than, we wrote the GYC committee about it and waited for their feedback. A week ago they let us know that they will be more than happy to have United Prayer and a Prayer Room open for a few hours a day.

So, here we are, getting ready to lead United Prayer and a Prayer Room in a month. Though I am excited, I realize what a responsibility lays on our shoulders. I do not know why God chose to trust us so much, but I sulrely feel the need to abide in Him and to give myself up to the control of the Holy Spirit. And I realize more and more that this is His work, not mine. So, I just want to make sure that I am fully surrendered so that my sins do not block the way for His blessings and for His power to be manfested in people's lives.

I know that I have said it many times, but I am more and more amazed at the ways God is working and at the plans He has for my life. And I am more amazed of how He choses to answer prayers. I am also thankful for godly friends like Mel and Rita whom I have not known for a long time but whom I feel like I have known for years because of our love for God and mutual desire to abide in Him and to serve Him.

So, I'm in the Lord's ARME and I am so humbled by His calling!

God's Strange Ways 2

I have written about God's strange ways a couple of weeks ago... how I lost my Bible and how God replaced it right away.

Oh well, there are a few things that I haven't told you and the time has come that I share them with you.

I have to admit that, when I got the Bible, I was a little bewildered. Why? First, because it reached me so fast. It usually takes 2 weeks for a parcel to get here from the US. Than, it has been brought to my work place. Normally in Romania, parcels sent through the regular mailing sistem are not delieved. One receives a notice from the post office and has to go there to take it. And there is only once postal office where one can get the parcels coming from other countries. Then, the third strange thing is that the guy who brought it has not asked to open the parcel and check it. Parcels sent from foregin countries pass through customs.

Another thing that was strange was the fact that I got only one parcel. Melody told me that she sent me two of them. She posted both of them in the same day, at the same post office. Hmmm... strange... So I waited and waited and kind of lost my hope to get the other parcel. I thought it simply got lost.

I was working at home yesteday when the secretary called me to tell me that I received a notice from the postal office. I have to go and pick my parcel. This is a little over two weeks after I got the first one. So I went and picked it...

God definitely knew that I need a Bible and I need it soon. So He worked on that. I got it 5 days after is had been posted and it has been delievered to me. There is no logical explanations for that. Two parcels sent by the same person, in the same day, from the same post office get here at different times and in different ways. Aren't God's ways strange? Yes, they are. And that is why God is God. He can do the impossible. He can do irrational things when you expect Him the least and even when you do not ask Him to. He loves to surprise us and give us gifts. I love surprises! But I love God more.

I am wondering what is going to be His next surprise.

Pressing on!

I have been challenged this week to think about my passions. What is it that I put all my power and energy into? When people look at my life, what passions do they see there? Do they see my passion for traveling? For mission in isolated places? For music? For education? For translation?

Yeah, I might me known for the things I have just mentioned but I know that I want that to change. Not because these things are wrong but because the focus should be different. I want people to look at my life and say: This person has a passion not for ministry, not for missions, not for evanghelism, not for education but for God. Yes, I want people to see that I am passionate about God. I want people to see my desire to abide in Him and be His and only His. I want people to see that He is everything to me. That He is my first and only love.

And this is what He has been working on in my life lately. I know that He wants me to focus on Him and to press on! I asked Him to do everything it takes to make me passionate about Him and He promised to do so. Sometimes He has to take from me things He has given me, just to change my focus on Him. Mission work has been one of those things, but there are many more. And even though it hurts and it is hard to let go of all those good things, I know it is Him who's asking me to give them away. So, I am ready to give them away because I want Him more than anything. I may walk through the vally of loneliness and darkness, I may have to give away the dearest things to me, I may have to face waiting seasons, I may have to drag my bleeding feet, I my get wounded in the fight, I may stumble and fall, but I want to press on. Because I want Him to be my first and only passion.

Press On by Selah has been helping me a lot in my journey...

Press on

When the valley is deep

When the mountain is steep

When the body is weary

When we stumble and fall

When the choices are hard

When we're battered and scarred

When we've spent our resources

When we've given our all

Chorus:

In Jesus' name, we press on

In Jesus' name, we press on

Dear Lord, with the prize

Clear before our eyes
We find the strength to press on.

God's Strange Ways

Be careful what you ask for, cause God might answer in a way you have never thought He would.

I have started to pray some time ago that He will use me where I am now. Three weeks ago I decided to stay at home and spend the Sabbath with the Lord. I took my Bible, diary and the book of Education and I went in the park where I enjoyed my time with my Father. Since I really liked it, the following day I went again in the park in the morning for my appointment with the King. I have fully enjoyed the time there. No one bothered me.

Monday morning I woke up, spent time in prayer and than wanted to pick my Bible to read from it. But my Bible was nowhere to be found. I search my backpack, the bookselves, and all other possible places. No trace of my Bible. I remembered that, on Sabbath I double checked to see if I forgot something on the bench but I could not remember if I did the same thing on Sunday. (Obviously I didn't since my Bible was missing.)

So, Monday morning, before I went to the office, I decided to go and check in the park to see if I can find it. While I was heading that direction, the Lord told me: "Haven't you asked me to use you?" "Yes, Lord, I did! But you know, that is my Bible. I have underlined the important verses, I have the date under those verses that You used to answer my prayers." "I know, but you have asked Me to use you and I did!" So, I turned back and headed to my office.

That evening, when I came back home, I went to the park just in case... But I knew I would not find it. And I didn't.

Fast forward 2 weeks. I got a parcel. A friend of mine sent me a Remnant Study Bible which I have enjoyed a lot for the past few days. Though I miss my Bible, I am happy to know that God gave it to someone who needed it more than I did. And even though I am used to read my Bible in Romanian language, I am learning to appreciate the English translation. "I am sure God has a purpose in this" a friend told me refering to the fact that I need to read the Bible in English.

I can only say: "Surely the Lord knows what He is doing." So I am just enjoying the strange ways He answers prayers.

A Call to Prayer

I had just started to get comfortable - a job, a decent salary, a social life, friends and fun - when God tapped me on the shoulder. I can't remember very well how it all started even though it has been less than a month ago, but I have felt Him tapping on my shoulder harder and harder. And when He taps, one cannot simply ignore Him.

It was enough to see an example of someone who trusts Him and is led by Him, so, I told the Lord: "Lord, I want that!" "You can have it," He told me. It was as if scales fell off my eyes one more time and I understood again that His plans for me are big, bigger than I can imagine. It was as if His sweet soft voice wishpered in my ears: "What you are doing now is only temporarily. It is just a transition. I have bigger plans for you." I didn't argue with Him because I have suddenly started to feel tired of sitting in an office, but I have to admit that I thought in my mind: Bigger? What can be bigger than working for a christian television network and reaching millions of people?

"I have bigger plans for you!"
"Ok, I am fine with that! Just tell me what that is!"
"Tust Me!" that's all He told me.
"Lord, I have to admit that I am so afraid to step again on waters. I have been there for 5 years. I am also afraid that you will take me to places that I do not want to go to and ask me to do what I do not like to do. Just show me what you have for me and I will trust You!"
"Tust Me!" That is all He kept telling me.
And I kept telling Him of my fears until I decided it is of no use to go on and on like that.
"OK, Lord, I give in. I want to trust You, but fear keeps creeping in my heart. You have to take it away!"
It was all He was waiting for.

So, He started to show me a little of those bigger plans. First, He started to work again on my prayer life. Between hours spent on my knees and on prayer calls, listening to powerful sermons and studying the Word, I have realized once again that there are many things He needs to change in me. So, fear has crept in again in my heart. I started bargaining again with God:
"Lord, I want to be changed but I am afaid of the radical changes You might do in my heart."
"Will you trust Me?" was His question.
"Lord, I want to trust You, but You have to understand that I am already odd. I am already different. I already have different values. I already cannot find my place among young people of my age because we do not have too many things in common. I am simply afraid that these changes will make me be even more odd."
"Will you trust Me?" He asked again.
"I want to but I can't! I am afaid!"
So He kept asking for an answer until I gave in again: "Lord, I know I cannot trust You but I want to. Take away my fear!"
That is all He was waiting for. And then, peace and joy flooded my heart.

So, this is what I believe, the beginning of a new chapter of my life. I do not know where He is leading me, I do not know what the future holds. I just know that, for now, I am called to rededicate my life to Him, to stay on my knees and hold on to Him until He blesses me and those I am praying for, and to do my best as translator. I just know that prayer, the exemple of strangers who are men of prayer and the friendship of godly people who are prayer warriors has changed my life and have challenged me to become a woman of prayer. No wonder why I lately felt the need to spend a lot of time alone with the Lord and why I am not looking anymore to my friends and my social life for fulfilment.

So, I believe that I would never be the same again! I know that He is faithful and will finished the work that He has started in me.

In His Presence...

I have to admit that is has been a while since He spoke to me in such a direct manner. But He did it again, as He always does when I need Him to. Not that I wanted an answer from Him, not that I was asking Him to show me the way... I just asked Him to let me know that He is near.

So, He came to meet me, and to give me answers I was not looking for. But I know now that I needed them so much. He was here and I could feel His presence. That is why tears were present. Because, whenever He is there, my eyes cannot be dry. Looking back, I realize that lately I haven't cried because I was heart broken. Every time I cried it was because He met me. His love is simply too wonderful and too amazing and my eyes cannot remain dry.

Anything is a blessing, which makes us pray! (Charles Spurgeon). This is one of the things that He told me Sunday morning. Such a message... for such a time... So, He made me be thankful for my trials. And I really am. I do not feel comfortable in the midst of turbulences, but I am so thankful for them. 'Cause they bring me on my knees.

And I am also thankful for the great people He is using to talk to me and to touch my heart. I was challenged to reevaluate my priorities this week. Oh, how I needed this... Living in the civilized world, being surrounded mostly by people who do not share my values can make me forget what I am living for. That's why He is so nice as to remind me that life is more than being surrounded by friends, feeling good and enjoying my time. And that is why He needs to remind me that I am still a missionary. Listening to Martin Kim sermon: Lord, Teach Us How to Pray is what I needed the most last Sunday morning. Wish my words could express the blessings I have received through it and what has really meant for me. But I guess that only my heart knows the joy and blessings it brought to my soul.

I had great plans for this summer... Taking a trip with my youth group and enjoying my time by the seaside was the highlight of the summer. What is better than being with friends and enjoying your time? Yet, He reminded me that there are better things. That is why He made me give my plans up, so I can do something meaningful. What is that? I am not very sure right now, but I know that it is going to be something great.

I am really excited for what He has in store for me. His plans are simply great.

Eric Ludy - Made Excellent for Marriage

I have just listened to this sermon that is so inspiring. It came again right at the right time. I know that God used it to tell me again: Do not settle for less than my very best for you! Hope you will be blessed by it!

Eric Ludy - Made Excellent For Marriage from Ellerslie Mission Society on Vimeo.