pointed east

Our car and brains are pointed to the East. Today we are visiting with Andy's brother's family. Tomorrow we'll be in the house we'll live in for the next year. We've had a wonderful summer visiting with friends and churches but we are so ready to unpack the van and settle into our home.

I have found in our missionary career that when the car is pointed for home, my stress really picks up. This seems opposite of what should be true. But when you are on the road you are not living a real life. There is no house to clean, meals to prepare or kids to get to school. Only laundry is our traveling companion.

Please pray for us in this next week as we settle in: to a new town, to a new church and to new friends. Pray as the girls begin school next Tuesday, September 5. Natalie is the most nervous about this new experience, but I'm sure Elissa feels it too.

We feel so blessed with the summer and all that God has done for us. Thanks for your continued prayers.

Living Out of a Suitcase

There's an old Phil Keaggy song that comes to mind right now. "Living out of a suitcase, Traveling on with the band from town to town." I have the Raatz version of that--it starts the same but ends "traveling on in the van from town to town."

We've been traveling since landing in America in June. We packed the car at my parents and left on July 6, and have been on the road ever since. It is great and it is awful.

I love meeting and reconnecting. The services have been great and it is so fun telling others about what we are doing in Moldova. We've reconnected with great friends. It is wonderful and painful. We have great moments with some really wonderful friends. And it is painful leaving these friends after a very short visit.

But we are also ready to unpack a very crowded van and settle into a house and routine for the year.

Please continue to keep us in prayer as we finish up this summer's travels. We'll end up back in Minnesota at the end of August and settle there for the year.

Thanks.

Back in the Saddle

Our life has been wild in the past month or so. Wild and exciting. Thanks to those who have written. We landed in Minnesota June 14 and haven't stopped to breathe since! It is good to see family and begin to connect with our friends and supporters in the states.

I'm sorry I didn't blog at all before we left. Some have asked and we did buy the house that we will use in our ministry to women. That is exciting. That went through just before we left Moldova. It still needs to be finished, but we know that it is going to be an exciting place of ministry.

Today I have a few prayer requests for you.

1. Pray for our transition. We are making it,but it is hard to readjust. This summer we are constantly on the road until the very end of August. Please pray for us. We'd like to just settle in, but it won't happen and it is fine and good. I love to be home and right now don't have that, so pray God helps us.

2. We have a missions house to live in in Cold Spring, MN. We are very excited to connected with the great church there and are blessed that they have opened their lives to us. We have gone there, met some of the church people and visited the local school. The prayer request here is that there will be room for the girls at the elementary school in Cold Spring. The girls were excited to see the school. They want to go with other kids and not be home schooled. The school is not guarenteeing a place for the girls. If there isn't a space they'd have to go to the next city for schooling, but they really want to go locally with the kids that they have met from the church and school.

3. My dad has many health issues. He has been in the hospital this week and has had a pace maker/defibulator put in on Tuesday. He is home and recovering well, but pray for him and my mom also. It is tough on her.

4. Pray for safe summer travels. We are going by car and plane to many places this summer. We will be connecting with many people and churches and we need God's protection as we go.

Thanks for being faithful in prayer.

God's Goodness

I looked and saw the goodness of the Lord...

Let's celebrate some of the great things God has done!

Ludmila is still at the Christian Rehab center and she is doing great. Continue to pray for her, but we are seeing God change her.

The house is purchased for our future Home of Hope. It only took 5 months to go through, but God has provided. (This is the original home we picked).

We have a place to live when we get back to the states. A few weeks ago Andy called a pastor about a service. The pastor asked if we had a place to live and said their church has just finished a home to use for missionaries. It is beautiful and perfect for us. We are excited about having a place to stay and a church to connect to. It is not far from our family. God is so good!

The girls decided they want to attend the public school here also and we hear great reports about the school and the Supt. of Schools goes to the church. They are all really excited to go to school with other English speaking kids next year.

I ask you to keep us in prayer as we finish our packing here and say good-byes. The stress is high!

Pray that the girls would adjust well to life in America. Our youngest still doesn't understand going for a year. The other day she asked me why I was packing so many of our things!

Pray that God would go before the girls in giving them friends for the next year.

Pray God's protection for travel. Our entire summer is moving between car and airplane travel. Pray that God goes before us and we have no problems there.

We will still need to get a vehicle and a lot of things set up our first week in the states. Please pray this goes smoothly.

Transition is always a difficult time, but we have a wonderful God who will help us in all things.

If I only knew then....

No one told me it'd be like this. Would I have signed on the line anyway? Would I still have committed my life to missions? Yes, I'm sure I would have, but it is still painful.

Last week my oldest daughter had some wonderful times playing with friends. At the end of a long day we tucked her into bed, but she didn't go to sleep. Many times she came down looking for us. Sadness shown on her face. Finally I told her that it is okay to cry. For over an hour she cried, already missing the friends that she'd leave behind. Some she may never see again.

God has blessed her with some wonderful friends, but with wonderful friends comes the pain of separation.

Today would you remember to pray for Elissa, Natalie and Lauren as they prepare to make a transition back to the states for our year of itineration? Natalie and Lauren really don't remember life in the states and to Elissa, Moldova has clearly become home. Thanks.

Keep Praying

Today I spent the day driving on bumpy roads and sitting, praying and hoping that Ludmila would respond to the help we wanted to give to her. Tonight I'm exhausted. A spiritual battle has truly been fought.

We talked with her at the home of the pastor from her village. Then, with her mother, we went to the women's rehab center in another city. There the women and director of the center worked to convince her of her need to stay. I'm not sure she was convinced, but she stayed. They said that it is this way with every person that comes to them.

Please continue to pray for her. Nearly 100% of the victims of trafficking which return to Moldova are diagnosed with pyschological disorders. Today Ludmila told us all the medications she is on for those disorders. She is quite doped up by the medical community. Please pray for the days ahead and for the women who will stand around her and pray for her as she come off of the many perscription drugs she is on. Pray that God will make her mind clear. Pray that she will see the hope that Jesus can give and that she can find new life in Christ.

Thanks for standing with us in prayer.

These things

Jesus said, "These things come out only by prayer and fasting." The Lord has called me to fast and prayer for the meeting with Ludmila tomorrow and for the purchase of our Home of Hope. This is not something I'd normally shout from the rooftops (a blog is a modern day version of that!), but I feel challenged to ask you to do so with me.

It will be a difficult day tomorrow, confronting the forces of evil in the hope of Ludmila's freedom. It needs to be entered into with prayer and fasting. (See last blog).

We also need to agree for our Home of Hope purchase. It has been totally bogged down and we are getting no where with it. We would love to have this happen before we leave in June.

So if you can fast and pray a day or a meal with me. Ask God to break through in these areas and give the freedom to Ludmila through the rehab center and new life in Christ. Ask him to help us in the purchase of a place for Home of Hope Moldova.

Time to Help

Over a month ago I wrote about a young woman, Ludmila, who I met in a pyschiatric ward. She had been a victim of trafficking. Together, with a Moldovan friend, we tried to encourage her to enter a Christian rehab center not far from her village, but she refused to go.

Now she is ready to look at it. The home she returned to is led by an abusive alcholic step-father. At this point she wants to get out. We will pick her up and take her to the rehab center to see what it is about.

Pray for us this week as we try to bring hope and healing into Ludmila's life. Pray that she will be willing to stay at the women's rehab center. Pray that the women at the center will be able to minister love and healing to her and that she will find hope and peace in Jesus.

Pray also for our friends who will accompany us. Edward runs a ministry to police and military. He will go along and try to talk to the step-father, who is a policeman. (There is no law in Moldova against abuse at this time.) Pray that Edward can effectively talk to this man and that, through Christ, we can see a change in the entire family.

Thanks for your prayers this week. This can only happen through prayer.

Transitions

I'm packing. I'm dreaming. I'm dreaming of packing.

In my dreams it never gets done. I'm always late for the airport and there is more to do.

Yes, I'm in a time of transition. We are praying to leave the field after our first term for our year of stateside assignment. We are in the midst of packing our belongings to leave here in about a month. Today we hit the toys together and try to get them packed. AHHH....

Transition is hard. In the dreams I have, we are never here packing. In fact, I don't know where I have ever been in the dreams. They are just unfamiliar places. I think it is my subconscience taking over. For the next year we will have a place to live, but we will be traveling a lot. I'll be packign a lot!

Today I just ask you to pray for us as we make transition. We need to have everything packed in the next few weeks. Ministry is winding down, but we still have commitments for the month. Pray that God gives us his strength and help in this time.

We are very excited to go to America, see friends and family and visit churches. But good-byes are never easy. We have dear friends here that we will miss. This summer we miss 3 weddings of young Moldovans who we love dearly. Leaving is never easy. So please keep us in your prayers. Thanks.

Forever Goodbye

As missionaries we have the great priviledge of hosting people in our country for ministry. The month of April we were busy with teams from America. They brought great blessings to our churches in building and ministry.

Our Florida group of women left today. We had a great time with them. They ministered in two conferences for women in two locations in Moldova. It was incredible how blessed the MOldovan women were. One woman commented that she'd been praying for over a year that the four churches in her city would have a time that the women could all come together for services. This was her answer to prayer!

The joy in meeting new faces at the airport is balanced by the fact that then a week or so later, we must again say goodbye. We are forever saying goodbye to loved ones and friends, both old and new. We have the joy of getting to know new friends and then a sadness when those new friends must again leave. But we know that we are the ones blessed and we are touched in a greater way because we have again met another new brother or sister in Christ. Today I felt a sense of sadness when the group left. A few of the ladies were my age and I knew that if I lived in their area of the country, we'd be good friends! This is forever the pull a missionary feels.

Thanks for your prayers this past month.

Please pray that now as we begin to seriously pack our house and prepare to transition to the USA for a year, things will go smoothly.

Teams

Teams that come from America are a huge blessing to us and the churches in Moldova. They make for some busy weeks, but the time with them is so worth it.

Today I simply ask you to pray for the week ahead. Right now we have a team here from Ireland. They have already blessed the church abundantly where they are working.

Friday, April 21 a team of 20 ladies from Florida arrive. They will spend time praying for Moldova, ministering in the villages and in 2 conferences for women. Please pray they arrive safely and that their time of ministry is abundant.

Tonight a new part of our team arrives, Terri Griswold. She will help us in realizing the goal of Project Rescue in Moldova. She is an appointed missionary with the A/G and we are excited to have here here. Her first year will be spent in language study. Pray for a smooth transition time for Terri.

And Sunday is our Easter. We celebrate with the Eastern calendar. Please pray that God would pour out his blessing on this holy time.

Thanks for your prayers in this coming week for the ministry happening here.

Something better

We've been dealing and trying to buy this house for 3 months now. A week ago the owner agreed to a price with us. It was a bit higher than what she originally said, but decent. Yesterday she called and said now she wants more still. So we have decided that the deal is off and we will begin to look elsewhere.

Please pray for us that we can find another property. It is easy to get discouraged, but we know that this must mean that God has something better on the market. Perhaps it is something not listed a few months ago when we begin to look. We don't know, but we do know that God has all things in control and that He loves the women tremendously.

1. Pray that we find a house to finish.
2. Pray that a fair deal can be made easily and quickly.
3. Pray that all things can be settled before we leave Moldova in June for our year in the states.

Thanks for your prayers and faithfulness in walking with us to see this ministry happen.

Hold ups

I come today asking you to pray for the house we are continuing to try to buy for House of Hope. The woman who is selling, still is trying to say the price is higher than originally agreed on. There are no buyers and sellers contracts here. A price needs to be agreed on and then a lawyer does the paperwork.

Now this woman is dragging her feet and saying other things. It really is a matter of greed and we want to be the best stewards of God's money that is entrusted to us.

1. Please pray that this woman would honor her original price so we can get this home bought.
2. Please pray for wisdom for Andy and Victor, the MOldovan believer helping us make this deal.
3. Please pray that the purchase of this house can happen in the next few weeks.

Thanks

someone hurting

I had the opportunity to meet with a girl in a pyschiatric hospital a few times in the last few weeks. This young woman, Ludmila, had been a victim of trafficking. Now her mind doesn't think clearly, she is sad and without hope. She is exactly why we have the burden to build this home to help women just like her.

Today I just ask you to pray for Ludmila. She is going home to her mother's house, but she is not well. I have gone with a few Moldovan friends and we have ministered to her about the love and hope of Jesus. She really doesn't understand this. We have found a place for her in a Christian rehabilitation center near her mother's home, but she is not yet willing to go there. Please pray that her heart is opened to going and that her mother will see that she needs more help and really only the healing that Jesus can give.

Thanks for your prayers today.

To Kiss the Word

Last summer I asked God to give me more opportunities with non-Christians in Moldova. It is so easy when we work in a Christian world to be isolated from non-Christians. The day I prayed this prayer we took a walk into center with the girls and stopped for ice cream at a favorite restaurant. As we went to leave, a young waitress we know, Nastia, asked if I'd start meeting with her to speak English so she could improve her English. I saw an immediate answer to the prayer I prayed that morning.

So we have been meeting since that time and a friendship has grown. Nastia began to ask questions about who we are and what we do here. We have talked with her about the Lord and she wanted to come see our church. Today she came to church and loved it. After church she came to our house for lunch. She said the service made her feel so good. Before she left our house we gave her some discipleship books and I asked her if she had a Bible. She didn't and I gave her my Romanian Bible. She took it with a smile and kissed it.

To her this used Bible is a most precious gift. I'm not sure I've ever kissed my Bible.

Would you please pray with me for Nastia? Pray that she comes to a true understanding of the need of Christ in her life. Pray that as she reads the Word, it would be alive and real to her and it would speak to her life.

Thanks. Now I need to go kiss my most precious Book.

I really did come back

By now some may be wondering if I really came back from India or went at all. I did! But a week away gives me two weeks to play catch up. I'm getting there.

The trip was incredible. I really know that the prayers of others held me up that week away. We were constantly busy, constantly going and constantly having our emotions pulled.

I traveled with a group of six people from America. We were also joined by different M's while there and also national workers.

Last night I invited the women from the Moldovan church we call home to come to my home and hear about my trip. They had all been praying for me. I served them Indian tea (Darjeeling), wore my Indian clothes, showed them the pictures and spoke for over and hour and then we discussed for another hour. This is to say that there is no way to really put down about this trip on a blog SPOT.

So what I will share with you is something I wrote in my journal as we flew one evening to Calcutta.

How do I discribe the poverty, filth and squalor of a slum in Mumbai?
How do I even understand this?
How do I discribe a child's kiss on my cheek, her longing for my arms and a few minutes of love, touch and peace?
How do I discribe the joy & beauty of a home where children live in cleanliness and health, away from the flith of the streets, the life in a brothel?
How do I discribe the prayers of girls who surround me (girls who were trafficked themselves and are finding healing), crying out to God on behalf of me; but not just on my behalf--really not me at all. They are praying for every girl who is trafficked from Moldova, every girl who will come through our home-praying for rescue and praying for restoration and hope.
I'm not sure that I can....

I left India with an incredible sense and knowledge that we serve a God who is able to bring live and HOPE to the broken. I saw what he is doing in India and know he will do the same in Moldova.

Last night at the close of our meeting, our pastor's wife said to the women that if girls in India are praying for our Moldovan girls, then we should be praying daily too.

God is doing a great work. Thanks for your prayers and please continue to pray for this growing ministry.

A Passage to India

I leave in the morning for India. Please be in prayer for me as I go. Right now we have a lot of fog and the airport was closed this morning. Please pray that the weather is good and my flights all go smoothly tomorrow. Pray also for my time in India. There is so much that I need to learn in this trip.

Blessings!

Pastor's Conference

My trip to Bucharest went great and I obtained the visa to India, so I'm set to go next week. Thanks for your prayers.

This week Andy is in another part of Moldova for the annual Pastor's Conference. He'll be speaking on Wednesday afternoon. Please pray for him as he speaks. Pray also for all the pastors so they would be encouraged and pray for the different speakers that they'd be used of God to touch them.

We also have a team here from West Monroe, Louisiana. The pastor is also sharing in the conference and the team is ministering in different areas of ministry (children, rehab, churches) during the days. Please keep this team in your prayers also.

And pray for the girls and I as we are home without Andy. We need a touch of healing. Colds have invaded our heads. Pray also for safety for us in these days.

Have a blessed day.

visa granted

This is just a quick post to say that my visa for India has been granted. PTL. I will travel by overnight train on Tuesday (with a friend--safety in numbers) to Bucharest, Romania to pick it up from the Indian embassy on Wednesday and come back on the Wednesday overnight train. Please pray for safety in travel and no kinks in the process when I get there. Thanks!

Rising costs

Today I come to you asking you to pray for the house we have looked at and want to buy for our Home of Hope. We are having a typical crazy Molodvan situation right now with it.

Two weeks ago we looked at the house and they asked one price. Then yesterday they told the Moldovan that is looking at it for us (we stay out of it) that it is worth more and now they are advertising it for 15,000 Euro more. The add for it with the raised price goes in the paper tomorrow.

It could make us laugh that only in Moldova will they see a bit of interest and then be convinced the price is too low and ask more!

Would you specifically pray with us that they get ABSOLUTELY NO interest on this house in the next week or two. Pray that no one calls and that no one wants to see the house. This is a wonderful house and a wonderful location and we believe it is what God has for us, but we don't want to pay 15,000 Euro (about $20,000) more than they first asked since it will already take enough to finish the house.