Nate and Noah to Romania

The first newsletter of the second stint in Romania! What a blessing it is to get to write out those words! Truth be told, it hardly feels like it’s the “second stint”. In many ways, it almost feels as though Noah and I never left! We are both so overjoyed to be back in Romania, and we have been shown great kindness in our return, both from the Lord and from our church family here. That said, allow me to review the events of the past month, beginning with our arrival at the beginning of February.

Noah and I departed from Portland in the closing hours of January and arrived on Romanian soil on the first of February. Given all the hullabaloo of our last intercontinental journey and the chaos surrounding the devastating crash in Washington DC, we anticipated that our trip might find itself riddled with hiccups. Fortunately, this did not end up being the case, and our travels were swift and smooth. We arrived in Timisoara to the familiar, friendly face of our friend Dan who generously drove two hours from Sebis to greet us at the airport and take us back with him. It was wonderful to be greeted by our friends in Sebis and get some rest before greeting the church that Sunday.

That Sunday was a wonderful day as we were reunited with the SALEM church family. Stepping into the sanctuary to begin worship, it felt almost as though we had never left. Being together again with our Romanian brothers, sisters, parents, and grandparents in the faith was such a sweet and wonderful feeling! We were greeted generously, and amid all the hugs and handshakes, we felt very much that we were indeed home.

Noah and I spent the following days getting moved into our apartment here at the church and getting reacquainted with the flow of life here. We immediately began filing for our residency permits, and we even started to return to some of our work around the church. The wood that we had chopped and set aside for this winter was mostly spent during our time away, so within the first week, we were back to chopping and stacking truckloads of wood to ensure that the church and dormitories would remain heated for the duration of the winter. I had missed this chore a great deal, and it was a joy to dust off the ol’ axes and get swinging again. Additionally, we resumed our duties of maintaining the wood furnace. For as much of a pain as he can be, we had missed Bobby (the name I have affectionately assigned to the furnace) very much, and though he is the strong, silent type, I suspect he was just as thrilled as we were to be reunited once again.

It wasn’t long before we had been reacquainted with just about every aspect of our lives from the first year. Our first Thursday night youth meeting was a night of special importance to us. Just as it had been so significant to be back with the whole church on the previous Sunday, it was a wonderful moment to meet again with our youth and our team. They of course had been meeting for the past five months in our absence, and we were so proud to return and have the pleasure to simply sit and take in what they had put together. We enjoyed worship with a three-person band, followed by small group time initiated and facilitated entirely by our team: something we had never had the opportunity to see before. I am so proud of this group of leaders and students, and seeing how they have progressed continues to remind me that the Lord is doing a very intentional work among them, and it is a joy and an honor to join in His work!

We also had the pleasure of taking a day trip with Ted to the mountains of Arieseni to check in on the building project on the church’s plot of land, and we were astonished to see the first cabin up and well in the works! We will continue to make trips to help the work along, and we are excited to see how it comes together. This “business trip” preceded a four-day church retreat into the same mountains. It was a wonderful time to spend with a handful of families from the church, enjoying outdoor activities during the day and chapel-type meetings in the evenings… and great food all day long!!

Interspersed with these events were plenty of other wonderful moments, from hanging out with friends to sharing meals, from doing odd jobs around the church to returning to our favorite European grocery stores, and everything in between. All the way along, Noah and I have remarked to each other about how “unsettlingly normal” it feels to be back. We were gone a full five months, and yet, as we returned to our “normal Romanian lives”, it felt so natural, almost as if we had only left for a weekend! I can’t help but feel incredibly grateful for this, as it serves as yet another proof to us that the Lord has called us to this place for this time. His hand has so clearly been on each step of the process!

As far as things going forward, the task is now turned to finding ways to implement the vision that began to take shape both last year and during the time in the United States. The Lord has been incredibly faithful and generous in providing a foundation for the coming years, and it is time to build upon it. On a youth level, this means developing both our students and our team to continue to become deep, enduring disciples of Christ who will have a lasting impact in the Church, in their families, and in their city for years to come. There is much growth set to take place in youth, both in the organization and infrastructure, but also in us: the people! Our focus will start within, but make no mistake, this generation is coming with the Gospel for Oradea, and for all of Romania!

In these first months, some key pieces will play a role in setting things up for the coming years, and I would love it if you would pray with me into them!

Prayer Points:

Completing the adjustment in youth: While we are all very excited to be back together, a change in the dynamic always takes some adjusting to, and our situation now is no exception. Please pray that as our youth adjust to a new format of meeting and our team adjusts to the return of central leadership, the Lord would bless this time of reshuffling and help to bring to light and deal with any frustrations.

Personal endeavors: I am presently in the middle of two processes that will be key moving forward. The first is the process of obtaining a residency permit. We have submitted our information to a legal expert who will aid us in obtaining the permit. Pray that we receive word from him soon regarding our process. The second is the process of obtaining a vehicle. The hope is to find a car that can be useful both for personal and ministry uses. Pray that the Lord provides just the right vehicle for these purposes!

This week – Gather25: This weekend, we will be taking some of our youth to a one-day meeting in Cluj called Gather25. This is a worldwide event to bring attention to stories of the Church around the globe and pray for all believers in this year. Pray for safety as we travel and that this would be a faith-growing experience for our youth and our team!

Thank you so much for your continued support and prayers. Without your financial and spiritual investment in this mission, I would not be here! I cannot wait to continually tell the stories of all that God is doing here in Romania as we seek to serve His Kingdom faithfully together!!

Blessings,

Nathan