I want to start out by apologizing for how long it has been since I have posted an update. Camp season can get very busy and the last few weeks of moving into the city have been full and overwhelming! Also, often when it takes me a long time to post, it is because I don't know how to adequately put my thoughts into words. From now on, I am hoping to post a blog post every month to give an overview of what I have been doing and how God is working here in Romania in me and through me. This blog will be some random updates and anecdotes that I want to tell you! I'm sorry if it doesn't flow naturally or sound very eloquent.
So I'll start out by giving an overview of camp! We had seven weeks of camp (during three of those we had two locations running at the same time, so really ten weeks of camp) this summer and God worked tremendously in the hearts of the campers and the counselors. We had 724 campers come to our camps this summer and 328 made decisions to follow Christ with their whole hearts. It was an incredible sight to see so many lives changed.
My role this summer consisted of me managing the American teams that came to serve with us by giving them a point person to direct questions to, and running some logistics in the background like making sure snacks were prepared, making assignments for the weekly schedules, and ensuring people were where they needed to be. It is definitely my personality to be in the background so I enjoy these roles to allow the counselors to fully focus on pouring into campers. However, God always challenges and stretches me. I was able to give my testimony three times this summer and even take on roles like assisting the Media team in taking photos, helping run the sound booth (emphasis on helping!), and even planning and taking videos. God continued to show me that as Christ followers, we are called to serve Him. This serving Him sometimes looks like being in our "sweet spot" and doing what we love to do and when this happens, it is a beautiful thing to see God using our gifts and passions to glorify Him. However, we don't always get to serve Him in these specific areas. I think it can be even more beautiful when He calls us to serve Him in the areas that aren't as fun (like washing one hundred peaches or individually printing quiet time handouts one at a time because the printer broke). This is where true growth takes place, and where we are humbled. I found that these hard tasks that were either mundane and tedious, or challenging and new all helped push me towards relying on God every minute and asking Him for strength to get through the day.
This summer God led me to reflect and define my motivations. After the first few weeks of camp, I kept feeling extremely discouraged and frustrated with myself and others. I kept failing in little ways and was letting people down. I kept telling myself that I needed to stay up later and wake up earlier to plan and think through every possible thing that could go wrong in the day and to prepare for it. However, during a conversation with a friend, God revealed to me that my motivations were askew. I was motivated by man to make sure everything was going smoothly and that my job was taken care of perfectly. But if man was my motivation, I would always fail. No matter what, I will fail because I am sinful, fallen, and broken. If my motivation is on God and glorifying Him with everything I do, I will still fail but I can boast in my Savior and that He has given me grace. This is a simple idea that I have known for a long time, but it feels very different when you approach every day by praying in the morning that God would give you grace and that you are doing everything for Him and through Him. There were days when I felt Satan attacking me, and this was my cornerstone and Truth that I clung to.
Since camp, I have moved to Bucharest and spent the first week working in the office doing follow up. Follow up for me looks like writing hundreds of letters to supporters of our ministry. The Romanians were working on letters as well, but they also called every single camper that came to camp to follow up and if they were new believers, ask if they would like to take part in our 12 Steps of Discipleship program. This season of our ministry is hard because of how tedious the work can get, but we all agree that it is one of the most important. Follow up is what allows us to disciple the campers and develop these young believers.
During that week of work, I went apartment hunting and found an apartment! It is in the perfect area with it being a 3 minute walk to the grocery store, a 5 minute walk to my tram stop, and a 10 minute walk to two of my friends' apartment. I moved in last Saturday and have had this last week off from work for the most part. Pretty much all my friends who live in Bucharest left last weekend to visit family outside of the city so it was a good first push out of the nest for me to become more independent. I did some shopping for my apartment at stores nearby and traveled an hour by bus to IKEA. One of the hardest differences of living here in the city than what I am used to is not having a car! I am not used to having to worry about what all I am buying or how big the items are. I have bought too many things a few too many times and have struggled to walk home with the extremely heavy bags on each shoulder. Today I was heading to the checkout lane nervously looking at my too-full basket and trying to think of which items I could put back when I ran into two friends of mine (a very rare thing since i can count the number of people I know in Bucharest on two hands). They were extremely kind to me and helped me all the way home with my groceries. I was so thankful for them and for God's provision! I am learning how to navigate the public transportation system, thanks to my amazing app called Moovit which tells me the best way to get anywhere using public transportation. I would be LOST without it!
I cannot begin to describe how thankful I am for the friends I have here in Bucharest and how they have helped me so much these last weeks. From taking me apartment hunting and communicating with the real estate agent, to telling me the best way to travel places, to being my handyman at my apartment, to answering my annoying random "how does Romania do this" questions, to merely inviting me to hang out with them...they have been the BIGGEST BLESSING from God. I am naturally introverted and hate asking people for help so I am thankful God blessed me with these great friends who are so willing to help me in all things.
Last December I received this beautiful print of my sweet home of four years, Waco. When I received it, I knew it would be perfect in my Romanian apartment. I decided to write myself a letter because I knew that at some point I would be unpacking it in my new apartment in Bucharest and it would be at a point where the scary newness of the city would be really close and real. I totally forgot about this until I was unpacking this print this week. I proceeded to BAWL reading this encouraging note from 6-month ago Elizabeth. In it I encouraged myself that this is my calling and to walk forward in boldness. Walk forward through the fear, anxiety, and loneliness. I even said that I couldn't believe I had seen Andrew and Blake's baby and asked if it was a boy or girl! I can't believe I didn't know Camden at this point! This note was such an encouragement to myself and I am so thankful I wrote it to myself eight months ago!
God is teaching me and edifying me daily here. I am leaning into my "word of the year": BOLD. I am proud of myself and my boldness in living in a different country and figuring things out on my own, but at the same time I am so painfully aware of my dependence on God. He is near me always and on days when I am lonely or missing home and comfort, He is closer still. He is my constant and who I am running towards, which makes every struggle or pain pale in comparison!
A few prayer requests:
Please pray that I will develop more friendships here in Bucharest, especially some deep edifying relationships with some girls my age!
I will be visiting an International Church this Sunday and the introvert in me is TERRIFIED. Pray that I will have boldness and that I will find a church family where I will be filled spiritually.
I begin language classes next week. Twice a week for two hours each session. Please pray that I will be able to learn the language easily and quickly. Pray that I will be able to develop friendships with my fellow classmates and that God would provide opportunities for me to share the Gospel with them.
Pray for LifeRomania during this time of follow-up and as we begin the busy year of Sports Tournaments.
Thank you all for making it this far! I am beyond encouraged by everyone who has reached out to me to tell me they are praying for me or thinking of me. Please pray that God will do a work through me and stretch me.
Lastly, many people have asked for my address here in Romania...so here it is!
Elizabeth Petersen
Str. Topolovăț Nr. 8
Bl. TD20, Sc. 1, Ap. 48
Sector 6, București
Romania