Nearly 40 children ages (approximately) 4-12 and a half dozen mothers gathered in the gymnasium of a small Romanian village on Monday morning. They waited for our team with a mix of excitement and curiosity. Who are these foreigners, and why are they coming here? One of the four career missionaries with whom we’ve… [ read more ]
Posts Tagged: mission trips
6 Things Not To Do On A Short-Term Missions Trip
Our team has shared some hearty laughs over the past nine days. They began at London’s Heathrow airport when going through security. That started me thinking about what not to do on short-term missions. Here’s a very partial list taken from actual experiences: Ladies—do not pack an over-sized tube of leg tanning cream… [ read more ]
Summer Ministry in Romania
Anna—a senior Romanian woman I met on three occasions—wasn’t sitting on the bench outside her home today as I’d hoped. The bench was gone, and her door was tied shut. I suspect she’s passed away since our last visit on July 9, 2012. I’d like to think that our meeting was an example of… [ read more ]
God Hears Our Prayers
Before we left for Romania, a friend of mine gave me several Scriptures written on recipe cards. “Maybe read one a day and repeat them if you like. They are given with much love and prayers,” she wrote on an attached note. What a thoughtful bon voyage gift! The ones I’ve read have already… [ read more ]
Keeping First Things First When Life’s Busyness Consumes Us
Later today I’ll board a Boeing 747 and fly to Budapest via London. Nearly 30 hours will pass before our team finally reaches a hotel where we can sleep before driving into Romania. Once there, we’ll join four career missionaries to host a camp for teens and young adults facing significant challenges. When that… [ read more ]
A Mind-Boggling Answer to Prayer
I want to give God a praise shout-out this morning. Here’s why: As national co-directors of International Messengers Canada, one of the most difficult tasks Gene and I face every year is finding volunteers to minister with us among Romanian teens living with life-threatening illnesses. We believe cost is the factor. Volunteers must raise… [ read more ]
A Week in the Life and Mind of a Writer/Speaker
What a wild, whirlwind (and thankfully, unusual) week it’s been. And it’s not over yet. I’ve traveled several thousand miles, slept in many hotel rooms, interviewed for several TV shows, and spent time with individual women in person and online. At times my brainwaves must have resembled a roller coaster on steroids. Some people… [ read more ]
Overcoming Fear in a Sometimes Scary World
When people hear about our overseas ministry travels, they sometimes ask us, “Aren’t you afraid?” They refer to our traveling in countries where we don’t understand the language, we (as obvious foreigners) must be alert to the risk of pickpockets in trains and train stations, and driving on narrow tree-lined highways where passing slower vehicles… [ read more ]
God Uses Ordinary People
Gene and I left home two weeks ago and have been traveling through Alberta ever since. The weather’s been cold—down to minus 33(Celsius)—but the hearts of those with whom we’ve met have been warm and inviting. Our trip’s purpose has been to connect with churches, pastors, small groups, and individuals wanting to learn more… [ read more ]
The Beauty of Unselfishness
I recently came across this Chuck Swindoll quote: “Being unselfish in attitude strikes at the very core of our being. It means we are willing to forego our own comfort, our own preferences, our own schedule or own desires for another’s benefit. And that brings us back to Christ. Perhaps you never realized that… [ read more ]
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