Ten days ago I got on a train in Drăgănești and headed 7
hours to Timișoara, a large city in western Romania, for 2-3 months of language
learning.
I made the decision to come to Timișoara before I even
arrived in Romania. Many experienced missionaries recommended focused time for
language learning, in a location away from ministry. I had missionary
connections to Areopagus, a Christian center here in Timișoara that offers
language classes to foreigners.
However, this move has been harder than I expected.
Last week I experienced serious homesickness – for Drăgănești-Olt.
God called me to Romania – but specifically Drăgănești. He has knitted my heart
to that place and those people. I missed my church, my friends, my ministry, my
space… basically everything. I struggled with a lot of negative thoughts: “Was
this the right choice?” “How soon can I return?” and “Lord – I don’t want to be
here!”
So why didn’t I get on a train and just go back?
Because language learning is going well, and that is
my main purpose here. Logically I know I need to be in Timișoara. I like
spending 6+ hours a week with an experienced teacher and having plenty of time
to do homework. The people here speak slower, which is helping to build my
confidence in listening and understanding. God has provided people around me
with whom I can practice.
But what do you do when your heart is in another place?
You have to make a
choice. I can choose my attitude. I can choose to be thankful. I can choose
to be present. I can choose to see the beauty around me. I can choose to make
the most of the opportunity I have been given. So for the next couple months I
am choosing to trust the Lord and His purposes for me here in Timișoara. I don’t
know exactly how long I will stay. I don’t know exactly how I will spend all my
time or who I will spend it with. But I know God wants me to be present here,
not wishing and wasting all my time away. He doesn’t want me to give up. So I
will take things one day at a time, choosing the Lord and His direction. And
for now that is enough.
P.S. To my friends in Drăgănești – I still miss you. You
still have my heart. ;)
You are doing what you need to, which is not always what you would like to. That is the way you grow. Love
ReplyDeleteDad
Spending some time in Timisoara really learning the language will make your return home to Draganesti so much sweeter. And you'll be able to connect with more people. Hang in there. God has this.
ReplyDeleteLove, Mom
i have a bulletin board full of sayings and i thought of 2 to share with you after reading your blog. "I hold 2 natures close to my breast. one i love and one i hate. the one i feed will dominate!" "our toughest challenges are simple oil changes for God"you hit it on the head- you said you are going to trust God and not give up. you are a very talented and gifted person naomi. God is using you right where you are. kim
ReplyDeletePraying for you, Naomi. Just imagine how much better you will be able to communicate with those you love when you return! God has this!
ReplyDeleteWe pray for you Naomi! We miss you. We know how precious you are for our lives and for the ministry here. Raul Costea - Hope Church Romania
ReplyDeleteNaomi, I so admire your willingness to follow God and to do whatever it takes to be successful for Christ, so that God can get Glory from what you are doing for Him. Hosea 4:6a says My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Ezekiel 36:26-27 says (paraphrased) that God gives us a new heart - with His desires. Then Ps 37: 4-5 says (paraphrased) that when we delight in God, commit our ways to Him, trust, rely on, are fully confident in Him, He will give us the desires of our heart (which He put there).
ReplyDeleteRev 3:7-8 says (paraphrased) that God opens doors that no man can close and shuts doors that no man can open and that He will do this for us because we keep (follow) His Word. So put this all together, you know God put this desire in your heart and you desire to follow God. He has opened this door and all other doors necessary for you to succeed which includes learning the language. And know that He is pleased with you for sticking it out there (even though it is uncomfortable and even though you really want to go back to the kids). He will just bless you even more. You are gaining the additional knowledge (Romanian language) so as not to be destroyed. Praise the Lord. You rock.
(PS: He will NEVER leave us NOR forsake us. - Deut 31:6, Deut. 31:8, Josh 1:5, 1 Chron 28:20, Ps 94:14, Is 42:16)
and Col 3:16 says He will not allow His Word to return to Him void.
So go forth knowing that God is with you always, in all your endeavors, will lead, guide, and protect you, and will always work His Word on your behalf. Just trust it and speak The Word over everything. Love, Therese Kelly
I know I'm responding to this blog really late, but isn't it wonderful how in such a short time Draganesti has become your home? The same skills and strategies you used to cope when you first moved to Romania are now being honed and sharpened in Timisoara. I believe you are experiencing James 1:2-4 in your day-to-day life. You will look back someday, Naomi, and the actual things you did during your seven months in Timisoara will be a faint memory, but it is the way that God deepened your understanding and the friendships you made that will endure in your memory. Look toward the finish line, my friend!
ReplyDeletePeggy Jones