Nate and Noah to Romania

Just a couple of days ago, I set a countdown in my phone. September 6th is our target date for departure, and so as it stands, we are looking at just over two months until we leave the United States for Oradea, Romania.

Insert exclamatory phrase of choice here.

Two months. It is incredible to both Noah and I to think that in a mere two months, we will finally be embarking on a journey that will be the culmination of a vision that began almost four years ago, separately, while we were both at PBC.  Never could we as caffeine-ridden, sleep-deprived college students imagine that by 2023 the two of us would be partnered together to minister and live in a foreign country.  Never would we have imagined that we’d see so many people we love and care about gathering around us in support, championing us, and proving God’s goodness to us in their kindness, encouragement, and partnership.  Never would we have imagined that we would be building websites, preaching at churches, and building ministry strategies in the way we have been called upon to do now.  All we can say is that God is so incredibly good, and to say that we’re excited would be a great understatement.  

As July comes near, we find ourselves in the fullest stage of preparation yet. The conclusion of the school year at Mannahouse Christian Academy has brought with it a new freedom to commit myself full-time to formulating ministry strategies, researching, fundraising, learning Romanian, and of course, writing!  Noah has also hit the gas in a new capacity, often coming home from work with stories of meetings that he’s had with new vision partners earlier in the day or offering up new pieces of information or pertinent topics to discuss or investigate.  Life certainly feels full as we are learning to balance the rhythms of “regular life” (especially in the summer) with the exciting and anticipation-filled preparation pieces required for ministry in a foreign context, but around every corner, we are met by God’s faithfulness.  We have often found ourselves sitting in a moment in which we are both simply overwhelmed by how kind He’s been to us and how wonderfully He provides.  

Such a moment came a couple of weeks ago when we had the privilege to speak at Living Water Fellowship, a church that has been like a second home to me for the past couple of years.  Pastors Justin and Erin McMahan graciously invited us to speak and present our mission to their congregation there in Tillamook, and as we departed, Noah’s voice began to give out.  Upon arriving in Tillamook on Saturday night, Noah could barely speak, and we wondered how we would proceed the following morning.  We prayed fervently that God would heal Noah’s voice, and as we prayed, the feeling of apprehension in the room began to dissipate and instead gave way to profound awe and gratitude.  As the Lord met both of us, we began to see and realize how incredible it was to be in such a position in the first place.  We thanked God for the people He had placed in our path, the ways that we had already seen Him provide and care for us, and for everything that lay ahead of us that we had not yet seen.  To make a long story short, Noah still woke up with a vocal projection akin to that of Christian Bale’s Batman, but there was no sense of desperation or worry.  Noah stepped up and spoke along with me that morning, and while having no voice was not the ideal situation, we were both able to proceed with confidence that despite our hindrances or shortcomings, God would be faithful to bring fruit to the message and make us effective if we would be faithful to trust Him and act in obedience. 

The next step in our preparation process is to travel to my hometown of Kalispell, Montana where we will be looking to raise support and get some rest as well.  Noah and I have both been looking forward to this trip a great deal, as it will give me an opportunity to spend time with family and friends and will allow Noah to see where I grew up.  We will be taking a similar trip to California later in the summer.  As we proceed into this trip and into the coming months, there are a few pieces that we would greatly appreciate prayer for:

1. Pray for our connections in Romania as we meet with people virtually.  For several months, we have already been meeting with Pastor Ted Ciuciui to help form the basis for how we will best be able to serve Salem Christian Center, and we have also been meeting with a member of the church to learn Romanian.  Starting next week, we will begin regular virtual meetings with the current youth small group leaders, and soon after we will begin meeting with some of the core students from these small groups.  Pray that we would be able to build rapport and connections with each individual that would allow these relationships to be fruitful even before we land in Oradea.
2. Pray for us as we continue to learn the language. This is a big one for us.  We know that overcoming the language barrier is going to be one of the biggest keys to connecting with the people of Oradea.  While many of the younger people speak some English, we are hoping to go into September with enough proficiency to be able to “meet halfway” with those who would speak English and be able to hold a decent conversation with those who do not.  Pray that we continue to make progress in this area and would find accelerated success as the immersion process begins first over Zoom and eventually in Oradea.
3. Pray for us as we build our support team.  We have been blown away by how God has brought the right people at the right times to support us in the areas of mentorship, prayer, and finances.  Pray that He continues to do this!  Noah and I are currently setting up appointments to meet with individuals and couples in person to present our vision and invite them to join us financially and in prayer.  Pray that God would be leading us in this area as we set up appointments, meet with people, and trust Him to provide for every need.

We are so incredibly excited to see what God will do in the next couple of months, and we cannot wait to hop on that plane on September 6th!  Thank you for your love and your prayers; we could not do this without you!  More updates to come soon!

– Nate