Journey to Romania. Part 4: Settling In

Spring came and I was able to get my own apartment.  The children in my neighborhood were blessings.  They helped me with Romanian and I helped them with English.  Thus, a Bible Study began in my house.  The children and many older siblings began coming to the church regularly.

My personal, final breaking point came one day when I went to the baby orphanage and discovered my “favorite” baby had been taken home by his parents, and this was not a good thing.  I talked with the LORD the entire time of my forty minute walk home.  I was at my rope’s end…this grief…the increasing gossip about me spread by a couple of girls in the church…living here was not easy…and another winter was approaching.  As I talked with Him, He gave me the first two verses from Psalm 121 (I read the whole Psalm when I got home).  It was a worship song and my heart began to sing it:

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains–
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.”

When I arrived home at my apartment, there was a letter in the mailbox from my aunt (I had no phone, no internet access, no television, etc.).  My grandmother was seriously ill and would likely be passing soon.  She wanted to prepare me as I was soon to return to the U.S. for a Christmas visit.

Enough was enough, I told the LORD.  “I did not sign up for all of this!”  His gentle reply was

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”  Matthew 12:24

I grabbed my Bible and saw the following verses as well:

“He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.” Matthew 12:25-26

A few weeks later, I went home for the holidays.  When I arrived in Southern California I learned my grandmother had only a month or two left to live.  Cancer had been discovered when she was being treated following a fall.  I had a wonderful time with her and was there when she “went to Glory.”

My heart was heavy with her loss and I ended up staying in California a few weeks longer than I had planned.  I knew in my heart that the LORD wanted me to return to Romania,

While I was still home the pastor in Romania contacted me to see if I would sell the large house I had purchased and was then having repaired prior to moving in.  It was located down in the gypsy colony right between two homes of the Senior Pastors, a site safe enough to do what I wanted to do with it.  I was planning on using it to help orphan teen girls.  The church wanted to buy it as they thought it was the perfect church building.  I prayed, the LORD told me to do it, so I did.  On my return to Romania I would continue living in my apartment.

by Coleen Jejeran, Missionary to Romania

(Look for Part 5 of Coleen’s story soon)