Training update & Departure

Hello Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and encouragement in the past few weeks. I have truly felt strengthened through the love and prayer you've offered. The past two weeks have been a great time for preparation. 


Last week, each member of our team practiced sharing our testimony through an interpreter. This is something that we will do often while we are in Moldova. The church planting ministry we will be working with has strong connections with individual families in the villages where we will be running VBS camps. After running camps in the morning we will have the opportunity to visit with families in the villages and share our testimonies and listen to their stories. Please pray that the Spirit will speak through us in these conversations and give us hearts of humility as we speak and listen. 


Another part of our training last week included serving together in a nursing home. This outreach involved singing worship songs and sharing the meaning behind the lyrics with the members of this nursing home. It was such a beautiful thing to sing, "Nothing But the Blood of Jesus" and have half the room of elderly people join us in worship. I know that the ministry I am traveling with (REAL Ministries) does this outreach regularly, and I hope it is something I can join them in again someday. 


This past Sunday we sat down and finished gather materials for the curriculum we will use for the VBS camps. We had a goal to make sure that there was a Gospel presentation in every lesson we gave, and thankfully God provided us with a curriculum that accomplishes that goal. The curriculum we will be using is from a ministry called CEF.  Please pray that the Spirit would already be working on the hearts of the students who will be participating in these lessons and that they might walk away with a clearer understanding and love for Jesus. Pray also for the interpreters and that the Lord would bless them with clarity in their interpretation of the message. 


So, the time of departure has finally come. I will be taking a bus to NYC and then the subway to the airport to meet my dad tomorrow. Please pray that the Lord protects our travels and brings us to Kiev safely. I hope to find internet cafes to update as we travel as well. However, in case I can't update please keep my team in prayer as they will arrive and meet us in Chisinau, Moldova on the 6th of August. 


Thank you again for all of your love and support. I will miss you all greatly, but look forward to sharing the experiences the Lord has for my team with you. 

In Christ,
Natalie