1Thessalonians 3:9-13

How can we thank God enough for Romania in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of Romania? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see Romania  again and supply what is lacking in Romania's faith. Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to Romania. May the Lord make Romania's love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for Romania. May he strengthen Romania's hearts so that Romania will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

Praying! (Week 2)

Thank you ALL, again, for your continued support! As we enter the second week leading up to our trip, we are focusing our prayers on the individuals in our country (Acts16:6-10, Colossians1:9-11). 


There are three main points we are focusing on:
o For God to continue prepare our hearts for this Mission Trip, to open up His Word to us, what He wants to teach us on this trip, over flowing Love for Romania (Continuing last weeks prayers!)
o To give us specific vision of what we will be doing

o Colossians1:9-11 for the missionaries we will be working with and for ourselves


If you are reading this, please just take a few minutes to join with us in prayer for these things. The Georgia Southern ReachEurope team will be meeting Thursday at 7pm to pray -- we would love for you to join us in prayer wherever you are during that time!! 


Thank you all again for your support!

Join us in PRAYER! (Week 1)

To our many wonderful supporters:

Thank you all for your support thus far! We would love for you to continue to support us with your prayers! In these four weeks leading up to our trip, we are praying for specific things. We would love for you to join us in praying for these things! 

During week 1 (which technically ends today, but nonetheless), we have been praying for our specific countries (Romania in our case). 

We have been praying for these specific things and focusing on 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13:

o For God to Prepare our hearts for this Mission Trip

o To Open Up His Word to us

o To give us specific vision of what we will be doing

o To begin to reveal to us what He wants to teach us on this trip

o Our love for Romania would OVERFLOW like Paul’s for Thessalonica (vs.12)

If you're reading this, would you take just a few minutes to pray for each of those things? Thank you! We cannot do this without your prayers!!

Rachel P and the rest of the ReachEurope Team!!

Awsome Supporters

So I guess I forgot the whole introduction portion of my last post. :) sorry about that. (I wrote So Exciting!!!!!)

My name is Stephanie Holder. I would like to give a shout out to Trinity Temple (whoop whoop)! Thanks for all your support and for all your guidence throughout the years. Without your support I would not be able to be apart of this awsome experience I believe (and apparently you do too) that God has planned for my life.

Thank You to everyone who helped to support the ReachEurope Romania. Its nice to know that everyone has become involved in  one way or another. Now that the team has raised its budget I would like everyone to start praying. Please pray for us, for the children in the hospital, for the mothers there, for the families there, and for the workers there.

Wowzerzzzz

So I just got done reading the some of the "Important Stuff" for our trip to Romania. I honestly almost starting crying while I was reading the "Why children are abandoned" section. The mind set of their culture is so different from ours its amazing. I almost cannot comprehend some of the aspects of their life. If I had to live over their and follow every cultural outline of life I really don't think I could make it. I have all new respect for our missionaries and the situations they face. I KNOW that I will forever be changed after this trip. It will bring a brand new perspective to my life.


Thank you missionaries for all you do. And to ours in Romania, the Hagar Home, and all those who take care of the abandoned children a special thank you!!! God will definitely bless you for all you have done and in everything you will continue to do.

Thank You!

                                                             I am Bailey and I am Blessed.

It is hard to not be thankful when I think about how blessed I am. I am overwhelmed with the thought of how gracious my Father has been as I have prepared for this mission trip to Romania! I am thankful for the worderful supporters you have all been; you helped me raise over $3,000 in just a few weeks! By supporting me you are giving a contribution to the hands of Christ reaching out to Europe. I will continue to pray that I will be a useful servant as I travel to a new world as well as pray that many blessings will be sent to those who helped me get there in the first place.

I cannot comprehend His great love because it is uncontainable. I cannot count all my blessings because they are unimaginable.  I cannot express my gratitude because it is indescribable.

2 Corinthians 9:15
Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! 

About me!

Hey Guys! I'm Bailey Ann Floyd and I'm from Statesboro Georgia. I go to Georgia Southern University and i'm a Nutrition Major. I'm 20 years old and am going on my second mission trip to ROMANIA!!! So excited to do God's work with the little babies along my awesome team of laddiieesssss. WOOT!

Thank You!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[ or in Romanian: Multumesc]

Your kindness, generosity, and support has been overwhelming. Through this experience of raising 3,000 dollars, God has shown me that anything is possible through Him. If it is His will, it will be done! Because you gave your donation, I will be able to go to the part of the world that is the most spiritually dead and I will love on them and show them the love that God has for them. I couldn't do it without your donation!

You should expect to hear from me after the trip with lots of pictures and testimonies! 

Thanks again!

Jenna Secrist

Numbers 6:24-26
The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Hey, I'm Lili

Hi,
I know i'm far behind on this blogging process but my semester has been pretty hectic. so here i go:
My full name is Liliana Saucedo but i like to go by Lili (its easier to keep track of). I'm a sophomore at Columbus State University, a psychology major and business minor. I was born and raised in a Spanish A/G church. i speak fluent spanish but people never assume that i'm Spanish.

This will be my first missions trip ever, and i am so excited to see what God is going to do not only in the lives of those children but also in ours! I don't know about you guys but I've been under a constant attack from the enemy, just as soon as i feel like i can breathe something new comes up. But i'm trusting that its because God has such a great purpose for us over there that the devil is just trying to stop me now.

I'm praying for each of you and i can't wait for us to go and do God's will.

p.s. i'm working an a thank you video that i'll probably post the link to later

God Bless :)

The Start of Something New! :)

Hello EVERYONE!!! 


Thank you for checking out our blog. I am another privileged lady going to do God's work. My name is Melissa Williams and I love God with all my heart. I am an Army child who has been all over the United States but have now settled in Columbus and calling it home. I go to Columbus State University and am currently a freshman growing through the Chi Alpha ministry located there. I am very happy to have been able to get involved with Chi Alpha. It has been amazing meeting new people and doing new things.


I am so excited to be going on this trip. I love missions and going out to reach others whether in America or Romania. I went to Africa last summer and saw miracles happen. I am expecting HUGE things to happen on this trip. I believe children will be healed and families saved.


Sincerely,
Melissa

Changing the Future, Changing History

Hey Gang,

It's Ouida, Chi Alpha Director at CSU. Just wanted you all to know that we spent time praying for the trips at our leadership meeting last night. As we were praying, I thought about the legacy of pain, torture, cynicism, and ultimately evil that Europe has inherited. Those seeds sown all throughout the past have sprung up in countless ways in the lives you will encounter there.

I kept finding myself praying that God would change history. Now if history is in the past it is unchangeable, right? Well I believe that what God can and will do through you will change the future and ultimately change the course of Europe's history....through the students in Berlin and the children in Romania.

For so many Europeans, the story seems to have been written already. Our God is a God who wipes the slate clean as if that history never happened.

God, will you change history through reachEUROPE? Will you use us to do it?

An Inspiring Story

Hi everyone!
A friend posted this Ted Talk on her wall, and it just touched me so much that I figured I would share it with you all! It's amazing to see how God can work wonders through a single person... changing someone's life forever. Enjoy!

http://www.ted.com/talks/rick_smolan_tells_the_story_of_a_girl.html


April Lovering

April!

Hi everyone!!
I'm April Lovering, and I was, unfortunately not able to go on the Collide trip (I was in a wedding!), but I am so excited to meet everyone SOON! :) Here's a little about myself...
I am a second-year student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and am a Business Administration and Biology double major. I am super excited about going to Romania this summer. I knew I was meant to go when I made the connection that my mom went there a few years ago. She actually went to the same center that we will be working in. All of her experiences sounded so great, and now I will be able to continue God's work that she did! I'm so thrilled to see what wonderful ways God will work through us all! :)

April :)

So EXCITING!!!!

So one night I was hanging out with Katie Mayo at Barnes and Noble and we happened to glide by this interesting section. Perfect for entertaining children. There's books on how to do origami, I'm learning how to play a couple of nursery rhymes on the harmonica (London Bridge would be a fun game to play and Jesus loves me would be cool, trying to look up the words in Romanian if anyone would like to try and help), shadow puppets and balloon animals (funny how we were talking about that at Collide). If any of these sound like good ideas let me know so I can try and perfect more on others. We can tell a story through shadow puppets or something like that. Any suggestions? Let me know. Can't Wait!

Introduction -- Rachel P

Hello! Thanks for checking out our blog :)


I've been asked to introduce myself, so here goes! My name is Rachel. I am a student at Georgia Southern University, studying Special Education. I want to one day teach students with severe and profound intellectual disabilities. I have been involved with Chi Alpha at GSU since the very first Plug service my freshman year. I came on leadership my sophomore now, and at the beginning of this year I began to serve as the President of XAGSU. 


I'm very excited and very nervous about this trip! I know that is going to be life-changing, and I cannot wait to see what God has in store for us!

Rachel P

“God never intended for us to simply be the objects of His love, but also to be the instruments of that love in the lives of others.” ~Paul David Tripp

Thank You!

In November of 2010, I made the decision to go to Romania. 5 months and over $3000 dollars later, this is really happening! I absolutely could not have done it without my supporters (and God of course). Thank you SO much to those of you who have supported me along the way, whether it was through prayers, finances, volunteering at one of Chi Alpha GSU's many fundraisers, or just encouraging me not to give up, THANK YOU!!!!! The lives of the people I will encounter in Romania, as well as my own, are forever changed because of you. THANK YOU!

Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we prepare to leave in one month!!

Rachel P. 

P.S. The pictures at the beginning of this post are my hands signing "Thank You" in ASL. 

Thanks!

A glimpse...

let your love be known

                                                                           Source: hillsongunited.com via Jenna on Pinterest

Wow, only 32 days until we leave for Europe!

Today, while teaching, it dawned on me that one month from today I will walk across the stage and receive my college diploma. Yikes. I mean, what am I supposed to do with my life? It's not like they are just handing out teaching jobs. Where does God want me to be?

Of coarse, my ever so faithful God responded to my prayers. Almost instantly. I was just killing time before one of my lessons and decided to read to my students a book called The Oak Inside the Acorn by Max Lucado. If you have never read this book...do it. now. I had never read the book before and was not even aware that it was a Christian children's book. Well, let's just say, it took everything inside of me not to drop to my knees and give praise to my Lord right there in front of my kids. 

"Little Acorn sees himself as very small and he's unsure of what he's supposed to do in life. Eventually, he grows into Big Oak, but he still wonders about his purpose. Though he tries as hard as he can, he can't grow oranges like his friends the orange trees, or produce beautiful flowers like his friends Pink Petunia or Rosie. But finally, he discovers that his mighty branches were created for a very special purpose! He heard his mother's voice say,"Just be the tree God made you to be."

Throughout the whole book I couldn't help but relate it to my own life. For as long as I can remember I have compared myself to other people--family, friends, peers. And nearing graduation, I'm not sure if I'm ready to grow up! 

One thing I do know is that God spoke to me today. Yep, he spoke to me through a children's book in the middle of a lesson in front of 20 curious children. He calmed my nervous heart and reassured me of my purpose--to bring glory to Him. No matter where I am--whether it is Statesboro, Atlanta, or Romania--God granted me this life for a purpose:  to glorifying His name, continue to seek His heart, and spread the gospel to His people. 

*

I have never been on a mission trip before and I have no idea what to expect. Lord, I just pray that you prepare my heart. Prepare us all for what You have in store for us. Open up our hearts, give us visions of the things You want us to do and share with the women and children, place specific scriptures on our hearts for us to share with them.  We do this for You. Only You God and for Your Glory. We love You. We praise You. 

Ramblings on Healing, Romania, and How Awesome My God Is

**I wrote this back in January on my blog. Now that we started this blog for the trip, I thought I'd share it here. Since this blog was written, I (along with the other members of the Romania team) have raised all of my money for the trip! Enjoy!**

I don't know about you, but I believe in a God who heals. Heals our bodies, heals our hearts, heals our minds, but most especially heals our souls. Lately I've heard of a lot of sickness and disease. And my heart is burdened with grief for those people, those families. But then I remember how in Luke 1:37, it says that with God nothing is impossible. And I believe that. My God is a Healer. He reminds us of this in Exodus 15:26 when he says "I AM THE LORD YOUR HEALER."

So believe with me now that He can heal us. From whatever is afflicting us.

Sometimes it's comforting to just rest in knowing that God is who He says He is. Always. Forever.

My God is who He says He is.

And He likes to continuously prove this to me.

A few months ago I made the decision that I was going on a trip. A mission trip to be exact. To Romania. To play with babies all day long. I signed up knowing that my heart will be broken at the end of this trip. I was excited to do what God had called me to do.

And then I needed to come up with 100 addresses to send support letters to. (Thanks to all of you who have donated as a result of these!! And if you didn't get a letter and want one, let me know!)

100 letters! Can you think of 100 people you want to send a letter to, much less asking them for money??

But once again, my God, my Provider, came through. In the months of November and December I raised over $1000!

At the beginning of December, we had a Chicken Dinner Fundraiser (Again – thanks to those of you who supported this in various ways!). Some awesome people from my church donated everything. So all sales were going towards the trips!! This also meant I was in charge of this event. And every time I would begin to get stressed out, my God of Comfort would remind me that this was for His Glory, and that I just needed to calm the heck down (yeah, I think God says things like heck…don't you?). The night of the chicken dinners was a complete whirlwind for me. But in the end, I had over $400 for my mission trip! Overall, we raised over $800! And we even had some chicken dinners leftover to donate to a local ministry that did a food bank. He is who He says He is.

Now we are getting ready to run a 5K in February. Now, if you know me, the idea of me running a 5K is pretty outrageous. I'm not much of a runner (although I did complete Day 1 of my "4 Weeks to a 5K" training!). And needless to say, I was less than thrilled at the idea of this fundraiser. But I decided to give it a shot. I signed up for the 5K, and was skeptical I was going to raise the "required" $150 for this event. And in a matter of a day, I've had people commit $165 to sponsor me in this race, with several more saying they would. I sat tonight having my quiet time in absolute awe of my God. How could I ever doubt Him? By my human nature, I do. But He ALWAYS comes through! It's amazing how that works. It was as if He said, "Oh, you have doubts? Well watch this."

So maybe this was yet another rambly blog from me. But it's my blog J I can do what I want.

If you really read this whole thing, thanks. It means a lot. And I hope it meant something to you as well.

And if you want to sponsor me for the race, just support my trip in general, or know more about my trip, feel free to ask!!

‎"Let's believe that if we all stand together we're a force that can shake the whole world." - A Day to Remember

About Romania

Romania is a country located in Eastern Europe. It has a population of over 21 million, almost 90% of which are Romanian. They speak Romanian and the adult literacy rate is 97%.

Romania has the highest number of orphaned children in Europe. In the year 2010, there were 62,000 children in the care of the state. 19,000 were in orphanages.

In the year 2008, 2 children were adopted from Romania.

In the year 2010, 0 children were adopted from Romania. ZERO.

19,000 orphans and not ONE was adopted. Not because no one wanted them. But because the Romanian government has closed off international adoptions.

19,000 sweet children of God, trapped in these horrible institutions. Orphanages in Eastern Europe look nothing like orphanages in the US. (This is not to say any orphanage is a great place to be.) There are so many children, that by the time each child is fed and changed, there is little to no time to hold them, stimulate them, love on them. This is why I’m going. To share love with these babies. To hold them. To make them feel like they are important.

So I guess what I’m asking is for you to pray and to believe with me. I believe in a God who loves and saves His children. I’m asking you to pray and believe with me that the Romanian government will open up their doors to international adoption, that those children might find a home.

First Prayer Meeting Last Night!

Last night at 7pm the Reach Europe Team from Georgia Southern (both Berlin and Romania) got together for our first prayer meeting!  We are so excited about the trip (especially since we are done support raising!)  Please partner with us every Thursday at 7pm to pray for this trip!