Krazy Kim's Summer Kapors

Well the middle of August is here and I'm wondering where the summer went. As I look back at my calendar, I can see that the Lord has allowed me to experience many things that have helped me to make contacts, deepen relationships, and strengthen my Romanian.

I have attended a weekend retreat, a village youth group reunion, a small Rom (gypsy) wedding, sang in two choir concerts, gone to a few baptisms, a 3 day camp, and snuck in Romanian classes in between. My normal crazy life schedule has returned and I'm loving it!

My church here in Timisoara has provided opportunities for me to sing in a choir and attend a Singles retreat both helping me to use my Romanian in different contexts and to deepen relationships with other believers. I really found out how well my language skills were when I tried to understand jokes told around the campfire at 2 a.m. in the morning. (I didn't do so well J) I also got to observe Romanian Christians putting God's word into practice. I was thrilled to see a true desire to serve the Lord in my peers. One girl even asked if she could come visit the Rom (Gypsy) kids ministry in the future. Two Romanian friends have already visited the Rom church I help out with here in Timisoara and I am constantly inviting more. My dream is to see a church of Romanian and Rom people worshipping God together, but the cultures are so combative that most consider it an unobtainable goal. The Lord has used these Singles to strengthen me and give me many strong Christian friends so now I pray the Lord will use me to help these Romanians reach out to the despised Rom people around them.

Through other church activities like camp, baptisms and the reunion, the Lord has allowed me to meet many people in other Rom ministries as well as make business contacts near where I want to live and work. I had a crazy 3 days of Rom camp where 8 other girls and myself slept on a king-size foam mattress in a tent on the side of a mountain. Definitely rustic conditions, but I had the joy of really connecting with these girls, meeting Rom pastors I had not met yet as well as hearing Romany (the Gypsy language) spoken all around me. We even had a Sinti Christian brother come down from Germany for camp (Sinti is a different Gypsy tribe). So in all we had 5 languages (Romanian, Romany, English, German, and Sinti) that were used at some point in time during the services. What an experience!

Each day I'm here, despite the daily frustrations of miscommunication or endless paperwork to do a "simple" task, I am provoked to praise God for it all. As I continue study Romanian, now at an advanced level, I am excited at the glimpse of my future ministry. Last week, I was signed a contract for a beautiful apartment in Salonta, exactly equal distance from 5 Rom churches. (Still hoping for a December move) The first week in September, I will teach for the first time during a few days of VBS. In the upcoming months, I also am planning to visit more of the Rom churches and get to know the people and their needs. Praise the Lord for His daily sustenance, the gift of rapid language learning, and the privilege to work with His people in another land. I pray only that I may be a usable instrument for His service.

Prayer Requests
*Wisdom in the research and planning process for my ministry with the Rom children and women *Gypsy church leadership-Integrity and Faithfulness *Permanent resident's visa-wisdom and patience in dealing with the many offices and minute details *Continued language learning progress-grammar and communication clarity *Strategic planning for our whole Romanian team

Praises
*5 souls surrendered to Jesus Christ and 11 others baptized into the church *Language progress allowing me to comfortable live bi-lingual (most of the time)
*Constant language and cultural help from loving co-workers and friends here.
*Constant love, prayers and financial support from those in the States.
*Most of all, a merciful loving ever-faithful Savior that never leaves me or forsakes me!

Do you know what happened on that day,
when burdened for souls you tried to pray?
Did you think you'd fail to reach God's throne
when your lips were dumb, your prayer a groan?
Over the Sea in hot, dry land,
A sower sowed with a faltering hand.
But lo, in that hour refreshing came.
God's servant found new strength again.
And souls long held in the grip of sin
Turned from despair to new life in Him.
Away from their bondage they turned to God,
And found their peace through Jesus' blood.
For our faith had touched God's mighty hand.
And the rains came down in a desert land.
Author Unknown

A Smuggler for God?
It's not unusual for unexpected visitors to stroll up my co-workers drive-way on a Saturday morning, but last Saturday we were all in for a surprise. As I came down the stairs to greet our guests, Felicia was heading up the stairs to get her husband Eugen. I casually said, "So who are these people?" And she replied, "This is the man who smuggled Eugen over the Romanian-Hungarian border 18 years ago!" Eugen Oana was an underground Baptist pastor during the Communist regime in Romania. Felicia, being 9 months pregnant, had escaped to Greece some time before, but Eugen and their 3 year old son Eugen Emanuel were also in danger. Brother Mihai, a fellow Romanian Christian who lived in Hungary, helped the two escape.

It didn't take long that morning for the whole Oana family to gather to meet this man of God and his family. I sat in awe as I heard these two men tell the story of that amazing night. How God directed a disoriented Eugen to the exact meeting place and how He prevented the border guards from questioning them about the muddy man and child in the backseat of the car. Then Brother Mihai and his wife went on to describe how hundreds of Bibles and study materials were stashed in vans or dragged across the Romanian border in burlap sacks attached to meters of rope. They eagerly shared how God protected them and worked miracles and never once hinting at their personal sacrifice. Here were two humble people serving their God the best way they knew how. Oh Lord, thank you for the many men and women who have put their lives on the line to further Your work! Help me to be willing to NOT count the cost, but serve you the best way I know how, even if it does mean being a smuggler for You.

Oops! I Didn't Mean That!
It happened so quickly that I had no idea what a huge mistake I had made. The Oana family and I were sitting in their dining room talking with a older senile neighbor lady. Now the village Romanian is very difficult to understand because of the heavy accent, but after a few days there I thought I was doing pretty well. So when the woman asked me if she could visit me after I moved to my new place, I straight forwardly said, "I don't believe so." The whole Oana family burst out laughing at the reaction on the woman's face for she really had asked me if I believed that she would still be living when I moved. Oops! Keep studying that Romanian!