Well I suppose I should start by apologizing for the delay in blog posts. I hope none of you are getting too worried about me giving up on blogging. I'm not I promise! Well quite a bit has happened this week, but wording it is going to be tough because so much has happened involving the new van that it is all starting to run together in my mind. I will try to summarize it as well as I can.
Before I get into the van I guess I should tell you all that I got to preach last Sunday here at Pucioasa Baptist Church! It was an experience I will never forget! How did it go you ask? Well, it was different. If you have ever had to speak in front of people with a translator you know what I'm talking about. It isn't hard to make statements and get your points across, but what is tough is still maintaining your own input, or "style" as many of us like to call it. But nonetheless, it went fairly well I suppose!
Before I attempt to explain the van situation just know that I personally will never complain again for having to sit at the DMV for any amount of time whatsoever. I have never personally bought a car in the states, but I know that it is not difficult and might take 24 hours at most to have everything finalized. That is not the case at all here. We picked up the Van a week ago tomorrow and it is still not completely ready to go. We only have one more thing to do, but it has taken all week just to be able to drive it legally on the roads. We stated Monday and honestly we have been so many places I don't even remember where we started. But I know one day we went back to this one guys office I think 3 or 4 times. I should know what he does but I can't remember. Yesterday we got to the DMV to pick up the new plates (which say Luke 4:8, look it up) and we were informed of a new law stating the owner of the address where the van will be has to sign and give permission before the plates can be given. So we come back to Pucioasa and get the owner of the house where Dave lives (only Romanian citizens can own property) and go to another office where this form is made. This office has never even heard of the form. So once we finally get it made and signed by whoever that was we are then able to go back to Targoviste to the DMV and order the plates. That is just one example of what happened every single day this week. We had to go pay this tax, or get this inspection done, or do this so it's insured. It is literally a rat race and this paragraph does not do it justice.
After reading that you may be thinking, Lawson that does not sound fun, are you sure you are enjoying your time there. And my answer to you is ABSOLUTELY. I love it here. While going place to place and not understanding a word that is said may get tiring from time to time I always enjoy coming home to an awesome family. No, I am not just saying this because I know they read my blog. They are so much fun and truly a blessing to me. It is pretty much a nightly occurrence that before the kids go to bed me and Bubba are trying to get in as many games on the wii as possible. And I love coming home and watching a movie with Bubba and the girls (even if I did nap during Sleeping Beauty). I am loving every second here.
Shifting gears a tad bit, I want to mention to you the book I am reading. It's titled "The Holy Wild" by Mark Buchanan. If you have a reading list put it on there. My youth pastor Jonathan gave it to me telling me how awesome it was but warning me that it might not be for me because the author can be a tad bit wordy at times. I didn't like that much at first but now I am so into it that I don't even notice. To put the book in a nutshell every chapter is about a different characteristic of God. Some of the ones I've read were about his love, wrath, creativity, mercy, and wisdom just to name a few. I just finished the chapter on wisdom tonight and read something that really hit home with me that I wanted to share.
"God didn't consult our wisdom. God said, "This is how I will save them. I will come Myself, in disguise. I'll be born to an unmarried couple. I will live in obscurity for thirty years, then wander like a vagabond, slum around with a ragtag group of men who are rash one minute, timid the next. I will live in poverty. I will make enemies of the powerful and the influential. I will go to Jerusalem, straight into their snare, and be beaten. I will be killed like a criminal."
This really put things into perspective for me and I hope it does the same for you. God is so wise. I would have never thought to do the things He did so that I could enjoy eternity with him. If you are reading this and are one of the many gracious individuals, couples, or families that help make this trip possible financially I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. God is showing me so much. Please continue to pray for me as well as the entire Manary family and their church. I love you all.
In Him,
Lawson Albey
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Orphanage
This is one of the things I was probably looking forward to the most when I was planning on coming to Romania to be with the Manary's. Going to the orphanage today was something that touched my heart so much that I can not truly explain with words. We weren't there long, but I tried to take advantage of every second I was able to see those kids.
When we got there we went into a room of two little ones. I got to hold a little boy that was around a year old, maybe a few months older. He was very small because he had been born premature. He was the sweetest thing. He did nothing but smile and giggle when I would play with him. In the next room there was a little boy with epilepsy. We would kneel by his bed and just give him some attention. He absolutely loved it.
My favorite (yes I had a favorite, so what?) was a little boy I met in the hall way. He was about 14 months old and was as cute as could be. He had a big water bottle that he was carrying around and playing with. He would throw it or give it to me and we would play. It was like a never ending game of keep away. The smile on his face said it all. I wanted to take him home. He seemed like a completely normal 14 month old boy. I later found out he had AIDS. I was heart broken and wanted to go back and just love on him some more.
Please keep the Manary's in your prayers so that doors will continue to open and they will be able to reach out to these precious children. I wish I had more to say about today, but the feelings I felt simply had no words.
In Him,
Lawson Albey
When we got there we went into a room of two little ones. I got to hold a little boy that was around a year old, maybe a few months older. He was very small because he had been born premature. He was the sweetest thing. He did nothing but smile and giggle when I would play with him. In the next room there was a little boy with epilepsy. We would kneel by his bed and just give him some attention. He absolutely loved it.
My favorite (yes I had a favorite, so what?) was a little boy I met in the hall way. He was about 14 months old and was as cute as could be. He had a big water bottle that he was carrying around and playing with. He would throw it or give it to me and we would play. It was like a never ending game of keep away. The smile on his face said it all. I wanted to take him home. He seemed like a completely normal 14 month old boy. I later found out he had AIDS. I was heart broken and wanted to go back and just love on him some more.
Please keep the Manary's in your prayers so that doors will continue to open and they will be able to reach out to these precious children. I wish I had more to say about today, but the feelings I felt simply had no words.
In Him,
Lawson Albey
Friday, June 24, 2011
I'm here!!!
Well I am finally using this blog for what it was originally created for! I hope my previous blogs have entertained you until now...I arrived in Romania around mid night Tuesday (4 pm tues in Ar). I was greeted at the airport by Bro. Dave, his wife Melissa, Drew Foot, and Joy Wilson. Drew and Joy had stayed with Dave a couple weeks ago and were back with him for a few days.
The trip over was interesting and did not go as planned. My flight to Chicago was great. Got to chat with some other guys from Sheridan headed on a mission trip to India. This was very encouraging. After arriving in Chicago, things got rather, boring. I had about a 4-5 hour layover there which consisted of dinner (alone of course) and a lot of sitting around and reading. When I finally left Chicago and headed to London I was thinking sleep. This was the first part that did not go as planned. I only got 2 maybe 3 hours of sleep on the almost 8 hour flight. When I got off this plane my plan was to spend my 6 hour layover in London out exploring. This happened to be more complicated than I expected and I really wasn't feeling like it after little sleep anyway. I napped in the London air port somehow, and also got a lot of reading done.
After arriving in Bucharest it was a 2 hour drive back to Puchoiasa where the Manary's live. It was so good just to be in the car with them and Drew and Joy because I hadn't had a single conversation with anyone since the guy from Sheridan on the plane to Chicago. When we arrived at the house it was about 2:30 am here and it was time for bed. So my thoughts were, I haven't slept hardly at all, I'm about to crash. Wrong. I lied awake until about 6 am here (10 pm AR) and finally fell asleep.
Wednesday we took it easy until later that afternoon. Dave, Drew, Joy, Jessica (oldest Manary daughter), and I loaded up and headed 2 hours across Romania to the Brasov area where their church camp is. I got to drive all the way there! Oh, did I mention this route was tons of hills and hair-pin turns? AND I drove a stick shift(Thanks Michael Clark for teaching me how!) Here we met up with Bro. Jim Black and his daughter Hannah. Needless to say I crashed early knowing we had a day of work the next day. That work was mainly made up of moving a fallen tree (no small tree) as well as some mowing/weed eating that needed to be done. We ended up staying 2 nights there before heading back to Puchoiasa this morning.
This afternoon Bro. Dave's long time prayer of owning a 15 passenger van finally came thru! We went and picked one up today! It was such a blessing to him and his family. There is nothing better than being here and seeing God supply their needs on His timing. The faith of this family is shown in everything they have done thus far.
Tonight was awesome! My first of many Manary Family Nights! It was filled of prayer, singing, and reading the Word. Oh and topped off with some Banana Splits and "The Empire Strikes Back"!!! It is such a blessing to immediately feel apart of this wonderful family. I can already see that when my 5 weeks is up it is going to be extremely hard to leave.
Hope this post helps clear up where I have been the past few days! I am sure I will be updating again in a few days! Thank you all for your prayers. They mean more than I can ever express! God bless you all!
John 3:30
In Him,
Lawson Albey
The trip over was interesting and did not go as planned. My flight to Chicago was great. Got to chat with some other guys from Sheridan headed on a mission trip to India. This was very encouraging. After arriving in Chicago, things got rather, boring. I had about a 4-5 hour layover there which consisted of dinner (alone of course) and a lot of sitting around and reading. When I finally left Chicago and headed to London I was thinking sleep. This was the first part that did not go as planned. I only got 2 maybe 3 hours of sleep on the almost 8 hour flight. When I got off this plane my plan was to spend my 6 hour layover in London out exploring. This happened to be more complicated than I expected and I really wasn't feeling like it after little sleep anyway. I napped in the London air port somehow, and also got a lot of reading done.
After arriving in Bucharest it was a 2 hour drive back to Puchoiasa where the Manary's live. It was so good just to be in the car with them and Drew and Joy because I hadn't had a single conversation with anyone since the guy from Sheridan on the plane to Chicago. When we arrived at the house it was about 2:30 am here and it was time for bed. So my thoughts were, I haven't slept hardly at all, I'm about to crash. Wrong. I lied awake until about 6 am here (10 pm AR) and finally fell asleep.
Wednesday we took it easy until later that afternoon. Dave, Drew, Joy, Jessica (oldest Manary daughter), and I loaded up and headed 2 hours across Romania to the Brasov area where their church camp is. I got to drive all the way there! Oh, did I mention this route was tons of hills and hair-pin turns? AND I drove a stick shift(Thanks Michael Clark for teaching me how!) Here we met up with Bro. Jim Black and his daughter Hannah. Needless to say I crashed early knowing we had a day of work the next day. That work was mainly made up of moving a fallen tree (no small tree) as well as some mowing/weed eating that needed to be done. We ended up staying 2 nights there before heading back to Puchoiasa this morning.
This afternoon Bro. Dave's long time prayer of owning a 15 passenger van finally came thru! We went and picked one up today! It was such a blessing to him and his family. There is nothing better than being here and seeing God supply their needs on His timing. The faith of this family is shown in everything they have done thus far.
Tonight was awesome! My first of many Manary Family Nights! It was filled of prayer, singing, and reading the Word. Oh and topped off with some Banana Splits and "The Empire Strikes Back"!!! It is such a blessing to immediately feel apart of this wonderful family. I can already see that when my 5 weeks is up it is going to be extremely hard to leave.
Hope this post helps clear up where I have been the past few days! I am sure I will be updating again in a few days! Thank you all for your prayers. They mean more than I can ever express! God bless you all!
John 3:30
In Him,
Lawson Albey
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Joplin
Yesterday was a day that I will never forget. Ever.
When I heard last week that Cityreach was going to be headed to Joplin for a day I was so pumped. Cityreach is an awesome thing to begin with, but when I found out they were substituting going to Joplin for a day into their usual team building activities I was ecstatic. But, I am not writing this post to tell you about Cityreach, that will probably come at the end of the week. Cityreach did what we were supposed to do, what God calls us to do. This post is about what God showed me and what God gave me the opportunity to be apart of yesterday. To Him be the glory!
While working in Joplin yesterday I was humbled like I have never been humbled before. You see footage on the news when a disaster happens and you think they are just showing you the worst part and it doesn't look like that everywhere else. Well that's not the case. When we were driving through the parts of Joplin that were hit you saw nothing but piles of debris in all directions. Homes, businesses, schools, you name it; they were leveled. I cannot imagine what it would be like to survive something like that, by the grace of God, and then have to completely start over the next day with nothing but the clothes on your back. I do not think that has ever truly hit me until yesterday.
While driving through the worst part I would catch myself praying without even realizing it. Asking God to be with the people that were in that home or in that business when this happened. I would try and imagine what it would be like to be next to them huddled in a small room so vulnerable compared to these powerful winds that were moving cars right outside their windows. What would I do? I don't think I would be able to do anything. Hopefully I would be crying out to my creator for safety; what more can you do? I cannot wrap my mind around what those people were thinking, feeling, seeing, or saying to each other. As we drove and it just got worse and I began to get a sick feeling in my stomach. These people were just like me. They had a nice home with a closet full of clothes and a car in the garage. And that was taken; in a matter of minutes. That was humbling.
I know this isn't easy to talk about but this town experienced death after death. When I saw all of these homes completely destroyed I would ask myself "how did these people survive?" And when I thought about it I just continued praying for the families that lost mom, or dad, or a child. I asked God to give this city hope, and strength to move forward and keep going. Then God brought to my mind all the people that lived to tell about this event, first hand. All the people that He is going to use through this as part of their testimony to share Christ with others. This brought me joy.
While reflecting on this event and this day I know I have questioned God about events like these, and I am sure there are tons of people that ask "Why would a loving God allow this to happen?" This is something that I have been thinking about a lot lately. And the best answer I have come up with is, I don't know. I'm not supposed to know. Does it make sense to me? No. How can it? Who am I to ask the creator why he allows what happens to happen? I talked about this same topic two post's down but I think it applies here just as much as it does there. Francis Chan put it this way, "it is like one piece of clay trying to explain to the other piece of clay what the potter is like." I think this is a great analogy. We cannot know. We can only trust that He has a purpose and he has a plan.
Do not stop praying for this city. I feel like when these type things happen we pray for them and we ask our church to pray for them, but then the next Sunday or even the next day we have completely forgotten about it. I promise you that if you get the chance to see it first hand you will not forget and you will not stop praying anytime soon. I am going to leave you with the same scripture as I left you with two post's ago because I can not think of any more fitting.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher that the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts your thoughts" - Isaiah 55:8-9
In Him,
Lawson Albey
When I heard last week that Cityreach was going to be headed to Joplin for a day I was so pumped. Cityreach is an awesome thing to begin with, but when I found out they were substituting going to Joplin for a day into their usual team building activities I was ecstatic. But, I am not writing this post to tell you about Cityreach, that will probably come at the end of the week. Cityreach did what we were supposed to do, what God calls us to do. This post is about what God showed me and what God gave me the opportunity to be apart of yesterday. To Him be the glory!
While working in Joplin yesterday I was humbled like I have never been humbled before. You see footage on the news when a disaster happens and you think they are just showing you the worst part and it doesn't look like that everywhere else. Well that's not the case. When we were driving through the parts of Joplin that were hit you saw nothing but piles of debris in all directions. Homes, businesses, schools, you name it; they were leveled. I cannot imagine what it would be like to survive something like that, by the grace of God, and then have to completely start over the next day with nothing but the clothes on your back. I do not think that has ever truly hit me until yesterday.
While driving through the worst part I would catch myself praying without even realizing it. Asking God to be with the people that were in that home or in that business when this happened. I would try and imagine what it would be like to be next to them huddled in a small room so vulnerable compared to these powerful winds that were moving cars right outside their windows. What would I do? I don't think I would be able to do anything. Hopefully I would be crying out to my creator for safety; what more can you do? I cannot wrap my mind around what those people were thinking, feeling, seeing, or saying to each other. As we drove and it just got worse and I began to get a sick feeling in my stomach. These people were just like me. They had a nice home with a closet full of clothes and a car in the garage. And that was taken; in a matter of minutes. That was humbling.
I know this isn't easy to talk about but this town experienced death after death. When I saw all of these homes completely destroyed I would ask myself "how did these people survive?" And when I thought about it I just continued praying for the families that lost mom, or dad, or a child. I asked God to give this city hope, and strength to move forward and keep going. Then God brought to my mind all the people that lived to tell about this event, first hand. All the people that He is going to use through this as part of their testimony to share Christ with others. This brought me joy.
While reflecting on this event and this day I know I have questioned God about events like these, and I am sure there are tons of people that ask "Why would a loving God allow this to happen?" This is something that I have been thinking about a lot lately. And the best answer I have come up with is, I don't know. I'm not supposed to know. Does it make sense to me? No. How can it? Who am I to ask the creator why he allows what happens to happen? I talked about this same topic two post's down but I think it applies here just as much as it does there. Francis Chan put it this way, "it is like one piece of clay trying to explain to the other piece of clay what the potter is like." I think this is a great analogy. We cannot know. We can only trust that He has a purpose and he has a plan.
Do not stop praying for this city. I feel like when these type things happen we pray for them and we ask our church to pray for them, but then the next Sunday or even the next day we have completely forgotten about it. I promise you that if you get the chance to see it first hand you will not forget and you will not stop praying anytime soon. I am going to leave you with the same scripture as I left you with two post's ago because I can not think of any more fitting.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher that the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts your thoughts" - Isaiah 55:8-9
In Him,
Lawson Albey
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