May has been… eventful. Some things you plan for, and some things you most certainly do not. We’ve certainly had our share of both! In every situation, the Lord continues to be so incredibly good, and we are perhaps more excited, energized, and active than at any point in our journey thus far.
What we have been up to this month:
May began very pleasantly with something of an unexpected (pleasant) surprise. The First of May is a national holiday in Romania, much similar to Labor Day in the United States (we learned this days before the start of the month, hence the surprise!). People get together, enjoy a nice barbecue, and celebrate the loveliness of spring by spending the day outdoors. We felt fortunate enough to enjoy the day with the Hurrelbrinks at their camp in Laz with many friends. We ate, set up our hammocks for the first time (we knew those would come in handy eventually), and played plenty of outdoor sports. They were even kind enough to indulge us in tossing around an American football. It was indeed a lovely day, and a an excellent start to the month of May!
May 1st set the stage for a very festive week, as Easter was celebrated the following weekend on May 5th. If you’re wondering what accounts for the difference in celebration dates between Romania and the United States, I’ll direct your attention to the Great Schism of 1054 and the Protestant Reformation. You aren’t reading this post for a history lesson, so the summary is this: the Protestant tradition is to celebrate Easter according to the Gregorian Calendar, which placed Easter on March 31st this year, while the Orthodox Church’s preferred use of the Julian Calendar in this instance set Easter for May 5th. The Orthodox Church has many traditions around Easter that were new to us, the coolest of which (in Noah and I’s opinion) was the ringing of the church bells throughout the city from 11:45 pm to 12:15 am on Easter’s Eve. What a way to celebrate the day of the Lord’s resurrection! It was a lovely day as we celebrated as a church family at SALEM and then proceeded to lunch with a few of the young couples and families from the church. We were delighted to celebrate with the community we’re coming to know and love more with each week!
The following day was somewhat somber for us personally, as we said goodbye to a dear friend of ours. Jaco was a medical student who lived in the dorms at Salem, and he has been a constant friend, support, and guide to us since the first week we arrived. He returned home to South Africa for a couple of months, and we are hoping to be able to see him before we return home ourselves.
One of the less pleasant surprises came the following day. On Monday, Noah began to feel some abdominal pain that slowly got worse throughout the night. By early morning on Tuesday, he was in an ambulance and I was following behind in a taxi as we zoomed to the hospital. We feared that Noah was experiencing appendicitis and would soon have to be operated on. Our friends Katy and Iulia were quick to respond, and they arrived at the hospital soon after the two of us did, all of us waiting for news. Fortunately, Noah’s body was not poisoning itself, rather, it was producing wee little pebbles in his kidney that suddenly were very eager to make their presence known. It was still quite unfortunate, but much better than having to go under the scalpel first thing on a Tuesday morning at 7:30 am (I think that’s an accurate statement… feel free to ask Noah and fact-check me on that one, though). Thankfully, the kidney stone has quieted down since, and our hope is that it has dissolved. Keep praying that the Holy Spirit would come against Noah’s kidney stones with the full might of His vengeful wrath. We’d appreciate that very much. In the meantime, Noah will be drinking plenty of water and cranberry juice.
May 12th was a much better and more exciting day. Firstly, we had the honor and privilege of celebrating our first student baptism since our arrival, as Miriam decided to make this public declaration of her faith along with another young woman in the church. It was a wonderful day of celebration, and we could not have been more proud to see Miriam take this step in her journey with the Lord! We have loved seeing her heart for worship, service, and deep friendships with others blossom in these past months!
Additionally, May 12th marked the first meeting of our High School Boys Small Group. As we’ve mentioned before, the high school guys have shown a true heart for taking next steps in growing closer to the Lord, deeper in their faith, and stronger in each area of their lives. Thus, we began utilizing Portland Bible College’s summer internship material (PRIME) to hold a weekly meeting to discuss ways to apply all of Christ to all of our life, become men of faithfulness, and be ready to defend and share our faith boldly and clearly in every situation. The first couple meetings have been promising, and we’re excited to continue to grow together in the coming summer months!
Things we are excited about moving into the summer:
Summer is going to be a big time for us! There will still be work to do around the church (especially outdoors), students will be out of school, and there will be events left and right! The youth team, Noah, and I are preparing an Oxygen Youth Camp for the end of August, and in addition to that camp, there are numerous camps that we will be involved with in a supporting role. As far as our weekly schedule, we will be looking to add additional community events to the youth agenda to maximize the time with our students and the openness and flexibility that summer brings to their lives. It’s going to be a great summer!
Beyond the events, we are also looking at summer as a critical point in this year-long process. The beginning of June will place us only three months away from our departure from Romania to return to the United States. Naturally, there comes a need to be strategic about how these last three months are utilized. Especially because….
…we’re planning to come back.
This post is our first official announcement that this is the direction that we are pursuing in obedience to what we believe the Lord is leading us to do next! While nothing is yet official and there are plenty of steps still to be taken, Noah and I have met with our contacts at Mannahouse and have submitted individual proposals that detail how we would seek to return to Romania for an additional period of service beginning in early 2025. While there is much more to come and to determine, we are so excited to be working with Mannahouse and Salem to chart out this next chapter!
Of course, while we continue to take steps toward returning, we also are shifting our strategy for Oxygen Youth. While it previously looked as though these next months would be spent preparing a trajectory for the ministry in our absence, we are now preparing a new plan for Oxygen Youth that will still account for our temporary absence, but will allow us to continue to be involved for the foreseeable future. We are incredibly excited about the months ahead, and we believe that the Lord will use this time to springboard Oxygen Youth into a new level of fruitfulness and Kingdom impact in the coming year(s)!
Things to be praying with us for:
Making the most of summer: We can’t wait for the summer, and we are excited to embrace and enjoy a new and deeper level of community with our students as we pursue new levels of spiritual growth and friendship. Pray that in this time, the Holy Spirit would be helping to foster a community with the same heart to know God in a deeper way and reach the city. As Paul says, we are of the same Body and the same Spirit! Pray that this would be our reality in an even greater capacity this summer.
Preparing Oxygen Youth for transition: No matter what the next 6-8 months look like, one thing is certain: there will be transition in Oxygen Youth and the expression of our gatherings will look different. Transition has the capacity to generate new momentum and greater vision when it is led by the Holy Spirit and executed faithfully. We are praying and planning for nothing less for our students and our team as we look to set Oxygen Youth up for success in the coming season. Pray with us that the Holy Spirit would be speaking to us as a leadership team, casting His vision and showing us His heart for our students and for the church as a whole.
Preparing for a return to Romania in 2025: As mentioned, Noah and I have begun the initial steps toward making a return to Romania following a four-month stint at home. We believe that God is leading us to continue serving Salem and Oradea as a whole, and we are incredibly excited to be moving forward to see this come to pass! Pray with us that in the midst of all that is going on this summer, we will be able to look ahead and begin to put the pieces together with the Holy Spirit, walking with confidence as He leads us forward.
It is an amazing and exciting time here, and we are so thankful to watch the Lord’s hand move and work in each day! Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and support of us over these past months. We are constantly reminded of the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness because of you all, and we can’t wait to bring you more news of what He is doing here in Oradea!
Blessings and love,
Nate and Noah
Nate and Noah to Romania 
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