This month we partnered with Hope Church in Draganesti-Olt, Romania. Raul Costea is the pastor, and their mission is to plant churches in every village in Oltenia (Southwestern Romania). This area is economically disadvantaged, as well as very unreached. Romanian Orthodoxy is the primary religion, but it is more culture and tradition based than a relationship with God.
We were with team Happy Feet for the entire month, and we served the missionaries that live in the surrounding villages. Every day opened with two hours of worship and intercession, which was so refreshing and a great way to center ourselves on the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
Our squad in prayer for Hope Church and what God is doing in Romania.
RJ and Meg leading worship for our squad
Each day, ministry looked different, based on the missionaries’ needs. Here is a sample of what we did:
RJ, Alli, and Tori went with Marian, a missionary in Daneasa, to hand out groceries to elderly people and pray with them.
We led several kids’ activities – where we would share a skit, sing songs and dance, and play soccer and games with the kids. It’s a time for the kids to hear about Jesus and just have fun and be kids!
RJ and Alli painted these poles for Marian and his family one day. Even though painting for five hours can be mundane, Alli and RJ got the chance to engage in awesome conversation!
One day, ministry for Kayla looked like writing lesson plans for a summer English camp. It was fun to use skills and gifts from before the Race to bless the missionaries in Romania!
RJ and Sam dug up this entire yard to make a tomato garden for George, a missionary in Stoenesti, while Kayla weeded his flower garden.
One morning, we joined several missionaries from Hope Church to unload a tractor trailer filled with clothes, furniture, and other items donated all the way from Holland!
We visited a Roma (gypsy) community in Craiova and ministered to the children while the parents received donated clothes. The Roma are a people group who are often poor and misplaced, where abuse and neglect are rampant. Many Romanians do not even consider them Romanian, and ignore them at best. These kids lit up when we started singing, and were starved for physical touch and attention.
Kayla helped at an after-school program for elementary age students. Students come to get help with homework, and it is a safe place for them to be while their parents are at work.
RJ walked around with Alecs and Christi in Coteana, handing out New Testaments and testimonies. This sparked several conversations with the help of Google Translate.
We were so blessed this month to learn from Raul. He is on fire for God and has such a heart for the Romanian people. His goal is to reach all of Romania for the Kingdom. He is a visionary, and never stops working and dreaming. Here is a video that my wonderful squadmates, Miranda and Jen, made for Raul to thank him for all he taught us this month.
To partner with Hope Church Romania – visit http://www.hoperomania.org/ or their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/hopechurchromania/) to learn more about their mission and donate!
To see other videos that Miranda and Jen made this month for Hope Church, visit and like their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/leahhardtproductions/
What a joy to spend this month with you both. I love getting to go through this journey with you two. Love you guys!
WOw! This is an awesome blog! So many great pics and vids and it does such a good job of giving people a big picture of your time there! Thanks for taking the time to put it all together and sharing!