Romania - Project hope
Reflections on our 10th Anniversary Visit by Liz Simpson
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"The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when the reaper will be overtaken by the ploughman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills.” Amos 9:13
As always being back in Romania with our dear friends, and wandering round Podari was like coming home. There is something very healing being in a place where so many people have so little of the things we take for granted.
Lizzie and Louise taking time out
For me, the most exciting aspect of our week was the way in which God, by His Spirit, opened up the heavens and showed us what He has been doing over the years since we have been ministering in Podari. It’s so easy in our “instant” world to expect things to happen immediately, if not sooner, and we forget that as Christians we are often called to walk by faith and not by sight.
All week as we met and prayed and walked the streets we “accidentally” met
up with folk who had been part of our story from the beginning and it was humbling and moving to find that in most cases although we have not been in touch for years, they are still going on with the Lord. Several of the folk from “the old days” are now leading churches of their own. Praise God for His faithfulness.
At worship with local pastor Marcel and his wife Emilia, Marcel spoke of the
faithfulness of those who had been coming to Romania year upon year, and
of faith and perseverance. He commented that when Noah was building the
ark he had no way of knowing the reason why, other than that God had told him to build it. Those of us involved in Project Hope have often felt very much like that, and I for one have found it difficult to explain sufficiently back home at St Peter’s and St Paul’s just what it is about the Project which has captured my heart.
But, as Marcel pointed out, when the flood came, it came quickly and Noah needed to be ready.
For me, going back on the streets, evangelising and praying for healing, meeting up with and encouraging brothers and sisters from other fellowships and seeing one of “our” young men finally giving his heart to Jesus under our walnut tree during the evening service, was like God opening heaven and showing us not only what He has already accomplished through the Project, but the first-fruits of the next phase, as he pours out his living water and brings life and healing in Jesus’ name.
At New Wine this year I went to a seminar called “Revival from the Rubbish”
led, coincidentally, by Ray’s successor at the Good Shepherd, the gist of which was that revival will come when Christians are found among the
lowest of the low ministering healing and salvation in Jesus’ name.
I thank God for all that He has accomplished thus far; for giving us the property and land; for giving us Marian—now a much-loved and valued member of the Project—for the children, once toddlers and pre-schoolers,
who still come around and are mentored and encouraged by Costica and Gabi, but I realised this week just how much God loves the people of Podari and how much more he has for them, and I am so grateful for His graciousness in showing us just a little of what He wants to accomplish through Project Hope.
Liz Simpson
Florin (on left) and a group of our gypsy friends. Some of the young mums
were babes in arms themselves seventeen years ago
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