youth day

okay so i am very sorry that i did not type more last night... i did not feel well... and i went to sleep on a couch while curran was talking on the phone... then i woke up around 10pm and the others came back and talked with them for a while and then went to bed... my sinuses are just being annoying... however God says he can give us wings like eagles and tongues of fire... I know He can give me oxygen through my nostrils when i need it to preach...
yesterday was amazing... there were about 30 students from three different villages that came to the youth service... i know that may not sound like a lot, but it is... they do not usually get that amount of kids from the three villages... the main goal was to equip and encourage the students that were in the churches... the guys that i was talking about in my last post... were with us... they played music and the magic tricks... they were great... we challenged them to change Romania... to be a generation that takes the spirit that God has given them and to throw away fear... to live life like God intended it to be lived... I don't know it that last sentence was grammatically correct but hopefully you get my drift...
to not let the separation of villages get in the way... to not let being born in a small village get in the way... to not let language or how rich or poor you are to get in the way...

curran met another friend Raul... he helped me translate with some of the kids... Raul is 12... we met Christian who is 11, evicu who was 14... gabbi 11... and many others... curran was able to talk with Raul since he knew some english... i played soccer with about 6 of the boys... we actually got in trouble(some things never change)... we were playing soccer using a gate as one of the goals... after playing for a while the grandmother who lived there opend the smaller gate and started to yell at us... i was literally scared... i was think back home when my next door neighbor came out of her house with a gun... I ran and left the guys hanging... I know how noble of me... they wanted to keep playing and there was no way i was going back... the lady apologized lady, but I was still scared when i saw here and apologized to her... hey youth ministry is the same everywhere... we always get in trouble either too loud, too crazy... to messy, or something...

there were several of the students we were able to connect with and several that Ovidiu and his wife Adina mentor... or disciple... they are trying to strengthen these kids so they can in turn strengthen others... sounds familiar??? if there are any students reading this... please know that this is our goal... we want to strengthen students through our small groups so that you can teach and help others... so that you can be mentors to others... our lives are meant to be a gift to others, not to be spent all on ourselves...

it is beautiful here today... still around 38 i am guessing, but blue skies... we are about to eat lunch, and then off to recita for a baptism service!!! i am excited... i have never been to a baptism service in Romania... have so much i would love to share with you about conversations with friends here, but there is not enough time right now... i hope i can right them later... i am praying for Shift tonight... it is 1pm here which means it is 7am there...

i am praying that students will go out of there way today to invite their friends and others they meet at southpoint and in their negighborhoods... i am praying that they will wait expectantly and welcome them wholeheartedly... i pray that the leaders come ready to love on kids, and to have conversations with them, not just hi how are you... i am praying that students will be challenged to love like Jesus, and to meet God tonight...

thanks again for everyone who made this possible and for those of you who are leading are ministry at southpoint...