Stories of Hope
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Embracing God’s Love: A Missionary’s Journey in Romania
What a wild ride we have had! My husband and I never dreamed of moving across the world to Romania leaving our beach town and our family at the ages of 49. But God had a plan and we were open vessels to see what He would do. So we packed up two suitcases each and moved.
God showed us that He wanted the orphaned, abandoned, and marginalized children and adults to know how much He truly loved them. He wanted us to be His hands and feet.
The past seven years have been such an incredible journey. We have had joy- we have had heartaches- but it has all been worth following Jesus in all He has asked us to do.
When God said He loves those we serve, He wasn’t lying! We have asked God to give us His heart for others and it has broken us. We have seen a Jesus who desires a relationship with us and all those we have met and served.
It is one thing knowing that Jesus loves them because He gave His life for them, but another thing to FEEL what He feels for them. His heart breaks when any one of us turn away from Him and when we reject Him. But oh, how He stills loves us.
When I knew I was to make a website and blog about our story and others whom God loves, I felt so inadequate. And yet I know God is with me even if my writing isn’t perfect (and the fact that writing in probably the absolute least amount of talent I have), but the goal is to share stories of those whom God loves and will never forget.
I pray that YOU know that God loves you and will not forget YOU. He loves you and if you let Him, He will write your life story and bring beauty from the ashes. You are loved. You are remembered.
Hard Hearted on the Outside, but Longing for Love on the Inside
M. My dearest M. This broken, bruised young lady came to our house longing for something different than the usual beatings she received. She desired hope for something better. A better life for her and her child.
We knew a synopsis of her story about growing up in the orphanage, but when she came, we saw the incredible pain all over her face and the face of her child. The story from her perspective would come out slowly through time. She wanted something better but she didn’t know how to allow the love of Christ to enter her heart.
We saw a hardness come over her. Instead of being grateful for being provided for, loved, and cherished, she decided to run. And the choices she had made before came full circle with more bad choices.
Our hearts were broken because we knew the choices she was making again, were from her pain of the past. She didn’t allow her heart to heal. We prayed hard for her and her little child, and God answered. She came back. She had another child in tow, but she was back.
The hardness on the outside was still there, but we saw a softening of her heart on a few occasions, but when the feelings overwhelmed her, the hardness came back. And as we have seen so many times, the abandoned and orphaned child does not know how to receive a pure, unconditional love. They see it, realize it, want it, and then run away from it.
We are still praying for M. We love her so much. If we love her so much as humans, can you imagine the love Jesus has for her? He knows everything about her and loves her and wants a relationship with her.
Jesus is waiting for her. She is not forgotten.