Yup Yup

This will be short and sweet.

I'm certainly tired, and I know our group is all exhausted from all of the work we've been doing. We've been painting fences, painting apartments, sorting clothes, sorting toys, cleaning toys, teaching the kids in the Roma village about Noah's Ark and God's hope through Jesus, and playing with kids at the village and at the Isaiah Center. And I honestly can say that this group is serving with positive attitudes and humble hearts. It's a privilege to have 10 great students (plus Chels & Breanne of course!!!) here who are willing to serve in whatever way they're asked. We don't have any complainers, and I don't expect that to change. Tonight we awarded 3 girls who have been exemplary models of humility, creativity, willingness to serve, compassion, encouragement, and positivity. They got the "yup yup" award...which is a Romanian candy/cookie sort of treat.

As the week goes on I'm sure we'll become more and more exhausted and that might give Satan a foothold to tear down whatever work God is trying to do through us and among us. Pray that we'll continue to serve in the same way and to grow as a team.

I'm sure I'll write more about specific stories again at another time, but please continue to keep praying for the Roma people here. Their culture is one that could take years for someone to understand, and thankfully Rachel is beginning to gain their trust in her ministry and is understanding fully how to work in each specific child's situation. Each of the kids at the center not only comes from poverty but from homes of different types of abuse that aren't viewed as extreme in the way that we would see it in America. This impacts their growth physically, tears them down emotionally, builds walls up mentally, but praise GOD helps them become stronger spiritually through individualized attention from the Isaiah Center. We can only pray that the dream for the Isaiah Center becomes a reality and we'll see the future generations change and break this cycle of life as they know it.