Here we are, in the middle of a fantastic Fall season–isn’t this just a great time of the year? I don’t know how all of you enjoy the season, but growing up in MN I always enjoyed going to apple orchards & pumpkin patches, having bonfires & hayrides, apple cider and pumpkin muffins. What’s not to love about that?
This year, the Fall season in Romania is different but just this week has brought the same joy and excitement as I’ve had in many past years. Over the past month my visa situation which would enable me to stay has been on rocky ground–we first compiled all the paperwork necessary and paid all the required fees, only to discover that the type of visa I was applying for was unavailable to me! What a blow! So we went back to ground zero. There were only 30 days left until I would have to leave the country unless we could find another avenue for a visa. To make a long story short, we dived into the track of a religious workers visa, found a church that would sponsor me, did another round of paperwork & fees and then waited….and waited….and waited…..and then! We got a response. The officials in Bucharest approved my visa request, and then all I’d have to do is apply through immigration—and their machines were down. This happened on the last day of my 30 days! Normally if this happens, you have to pay a large fine, etc. etc. but thankfully we found someone at immigration who had compassion and mercy, and let me off with only a warning (since it wasn’t my fault the machines were down and I couldn’t move forward). So for a few days I went around town with all my paperwork in hand incase I was approached by the “troops” and asked to leave. Then on Friday, we got a call that the machines were working and I could go and finally get my visa! I was approved for five years! This means that I’ll be able to stay in Romania for five years, with the ability to come in and out without having to reapply for another few years!
Wow.
So here I am, this has been the best week—I got hot water back (after a month without it), I received not only a visa but a five year visa, and the Vikings beat the Packers. I mean. Come on. God is GOOD!
So please be praying with me about what this means for my future….where to spend more of my time, how to really invest here, etc. Pray for continued open doors and open hearts for deeper relationships. Pray also for my language comprehension…I’ve been learning a lot, but it seems that when I learn something new, I realize how little I really know at all. It’ll all come in time.
Also, a big blessing for me recently was a visit from two very good friends! We were able to spend two nights in Vienna, a morning in Bratislava and then see the place where I’m staying now and the people I’ve been in community with. It was so good to not only take a few days away but to spend those few days with friends from home who I miss terribly. I’ll include a few photos from our excursions!
Last but certainly not least, I was able to get back in touch with all three of the kids that I previously was caring for in Timisoara! It was an overwhelming joy to be able to see them, talk with them, hug them and know that they’re doing ok. It just cannot be conveyed in words the blessing this was for my heart. Hopefully this will just be the beginning of a renewed relationship with them.
This is “all” for now. Please keep praying, and let me know that you are, it’s really an encouragement when people write or say hi! I pray God would bless you where you are, and that He would speak to you in new ways as this beautiful season reminds us of the death that shrouds the earth for now–but that God can take every situation and bring beauty from it. Amen? Amen!
Undaunted 