Nate and Noah to Romania

I worked decently hard to think of a catchy, witty title for this post, but the words “back again” pretty much express it all. Writing this post from the church apartment in Romania, I am awestruck at the faithfulness of God and His wonderful provision. To watch chaos and uncertainty be worked brilliantly in the hands of the Lord for good is a process I never get tired of watching; it is truly one of the marvelous joys of being a follower of Christ! I will take some time to recount here the month spent in the States and the process that allowed for my return to Oradea. Thankfully, the future is looking much more stable than it did only a few weeks ago, and that outlook will be presented here as well. What a joy to tell yet another story of our wonder-working God!

Noah and I’s return to the United States was obviously unexpected and certainly hit us both with a fair degree of surprise. The previous post to this newsletter gives a comprehensive breakdown of the circumstances surrounding our sudden departure if you haven’t had the chance to catch the full story. In short, we had yet to receive one of the necessary documents (a recommendation from the State Secretariat of Religious Affairs) for our application for a living permit, and given that our 90 days of visa-free travel were almost spent, we had to rush to leave before we overstayed. At the time, we had no true sense of what was holding up the documentation, and so once we arrived in the United States, the process of trying to find solutions was murky and disorienting. I remember one particularly difficult day in the first weeks of May spent calling, emailing, and researching. Each step only seemed to complicate things further, and my frustration and disappointment were mounting. As I lay in bed that night, I remember praying that we might hear something definitive regarding our recommendation that week, and that the Lord would provide an avenue to return to Romania by the end of the month. As it happened, later that week, Pastor Ted was able to get in direct contact with a representative at the State Secretariat, who was a great help to us. She explained that an email had previously been sent to our lawyer requesting some additional documentation from us, yet the email and the information it contained had not been forwarded to us. Upon realizing this situation, we were able to compile the needed documentation and submit it for processing, and our recommendation came only a week later. I was able to purchase return tickets shortly thereafter, and I returned to Romania with all necessary documents in hand a single day into the month of June. God is so good, and He certainly answers prayer! The day after I returned, I was able to go to the Immigration Office here in Oradea and submit my application for a two-year Religious Volunteer Residency Permit, which has since been approved! I am so thankful for all those who prayed throughout this process! The Lord moves on the prayers of His people!

The month spent at home, while unexpected, was truly a blessing and a time of refreshing for me. I had the wonderful privilege of being the Best Man in my longtime friend’s wedding, which was an incredible joy. Throughout the month, I had the opportunity to be in Oregon, Montana, and Colorado, making various visits to see family and friends. It was special to see everyone, especially considering it may be a couple of years before I would get an opportunity to be back in the US again for any significant amount of time. While this time away from Romania felt at first like an interruption, I found that, as in all things, the Lord had great intention in it, and the opportunity to step back, take time away, and enjoy valuable fellowship and counsel was a blessing I didn’t know that I needed, and one I am indeed very thankful for.

Returning again to Romania was obviously a very significant moment. It was extremely difficult to stand before my students at the end of April and announce to them that we would be leaving the country for an uncertain amount of time. At the beginning of the process, we did not know whether it would be a few weeks or several months until we would be able to return, so saying goodbye was quite difficult. Returning a month later was a relief, both for me and for our church family. The reception of the people here was incredibly generous and deeply touching. Truly, now that both Noah and myself are back after two trips away, it feels as though we are now going to be able to settle in with the expectation of being rooted for a sure and significant period of time, which feels incredibly meaningful. Since returning, there has been no shortage of work to be done! I have returned to leading Oxygen Youth, and we are currently focused on walking students through the discipline of Bible study and the importance of understanding scripture for oneself. This has been a wonderful journey together, and our students are growing tremendously! In general, summer is certainly the most active time of the year for us, and there are a great many camps and events to plan and prepare for, and there are plenty of projects that require attention. Thus far, I have had the pleasure of helping put a new roof on one of the houses at the Barnabas Ministries camp in Laz over the course of a couple of Saturdays, and Noah and I have spent several hours tending to the SALEM Church property that sorely missed us while we were away. On the administrative side of things, I cam currently preparing to assist in SALEM’s Kids Camp, the SALEM Summer Retreat, the arrival of a Mannahouse STORM Team, a camp for orphans in Ukraine, and our own Oxygen Youth Summer Camp. It is most definitely an exciting time, and there are plenty of great things in store!

With the approval of the Residency Permit and what can now be numbered as the third venture into Romania, it is exciting to look to these next two years. The continuing mission is to invest in developing Oxygen Youth and discipling these students into strong, passionate, devoted followers of Jesus who are not only being discipled, but are discipling others as well. The ultimate goal continues to be the development of a local youth pastor and youth team who can take the reins of leadership for years to come. While that process grows to fruition, I will continue serving SALEM Christian Center wherever I can, including kid’s ministry, administration and groundskeeping, and hosting teams. I feel indescribably grateful to have my feet on Romanian soil with eyes fixed on the years ahead! The Lord has established this work, and I believe that this is still just the beginning!

In this returning period as we launch into summer, here are some things that you can be partnering in prayer for:

Planning and facilitation of summer activities: As previously mentioned, there is a lot going on this summer, from camps and retreats to hosting ministry teams, and that’s not to mention the standard weekly meetings. These are all tremendous and exciting opportunities, but it is a great deal to take on all at once. Please pray that the planning and organization comes along smoothly for each of these events, and pray that the Lord would be moving mightily in each of them!

The future of Oxygen Youth Leadership: This summer, the Oxygen Youth Leadership Team will be experiencing some transitions, with some leaders moving into a new season after an extended period of faithful service, and some new, young leaders stepping in to take on new responsibility in discipleship. Pray that the Lord would bless our outgoing leaders for their faithfulness, and pray also that the Lord would reveal the proper steps in the development of our new student leaders and prosper them as they serve in this new capacity!

Personal health and fatigue: Since I have arrived again in Romania, I have been experiencing cold symptoms (namely severe nasal congestion) and fatigue. Additionally, I have not been sleeping very well or consistently, and my body still has not fully made the necessary adjustment. While this situation is far from debilitating, it is certainly less than ideal and makes work difficult some days. Pray that these symptoms would subside and that sleep would come more easily and fully.

As always, I cannot thank you enough for your continued support and prayer. This return would certainly not be possible without the prayers of faithful people, and it has been a wonderful encouragement to see the strength and support that comes from all directions in the moments of greatest need! The future feels unquestionably bright, and I can’t wait to bring more stories of what the Lord is doing through the concerted efforts of His people! Blessings, and more will come soon!

– Nate