Taking to the Streets with Lola

Lola is my new Miniature Schnauzer. She is almost three months old. Because I live in an apartment Lola can't just go play in the back yard. So we go out onto the street almost seven times a day for her to go potty. She is learning and doing great! In the process, I am meeting people.

My neighbor kids love her, though a few are afraid of the six pound, tail wagging, nose licking beast! And the adult neighbors think I am crazy to keep a dog in the house. Dogs are for the streets and for backyards. Not many dogs live inside here; it is a new concept. That is why I am surprised at how many people stop, stare, ask questions or pet the puppy.

I have talked to grannies and their grandchildren, Jehovah's Witnesses, and business men. I had a long discussion about the Bible with the neighbor while he was cleaning out the garage. I talked to a college girl working on her thesis and we were joined by a lonely old woman who rambled for fifteen minutes without a breath. I was chased down the street by a man trying to over stuff Lola with some sausages he had in his bag. I kept telling him no, but he was very insistent.

But mostly I am stopped by people who want to tell me that I am not raising my puppy correctly. She is too fat, too thin, too young or too small to be outside. It is great fun to be lectured by those who have never owned a pet in their lives! Lola is a great tool and certainly a great way to interact with the world.

And she likes to bark at the hair dryer...which is really funny!

Home of Hope Container

Home of Hope

The Home of Hope is a home for women who have survived human trafficking. These women are often repatriated to Moldova and have are left with no options and no future. The trauma of the slavery alone has left many of them mentally unstable. There is a stigma in Moldova of women who have returned from such a lifestyle and many of them are rejected by family and friends. Some have children, some have HIV and all of them need Jesus.

The Home of Hope offers just that: Hope. This is a place of safety, recovery, medical care and job training. The women are offered a place for one to two years and are gently loved by workers and friends with the love of Jesus Christ.

I am excited and blessed to be a part of this home. It has been in the making for five years and in finally coming to fruition. Please pray for us at the Home of Hope, for the American and Moldovan workers and for the women.

Ministry

I wish I could sit here and report amazing things. It would be amazing to be able to tell my readers that I preached a sermon and thousands came to know the Lord. Or that everywhere I go, people just come up to me and ask me how they can know Jesus too. Or maybe every time I saw a man or woman on the street with a deformity, my shadow could simply pass by and that person could be healed.

That simply is not the case. But God is growing me and as I grow, my ministry grows. He is working in me and through me, teaching me that it is not the things I do, but the character of who I am. As I am here trying to navigate my way as a minister of God's freedom, I have committed to a few basic principles.

1. Glorify God and exalt his name! I know God's word and what he asks of his followers. I need to evaluate my actions every step and continue to grow in relationship, obedience and the Holy Spirit.
2. To be a learner. I am young and haven't been in ministry for very long. But I can watch and learn from the Americans and Moldovans here.
3. To be faithful in the small things. It is my job to take the tasks given me, however simple they may be, and complete them to the best of my ability. Whether it is teaching Missionary kids, going through inventory or helping schedule interns. With each task I am faithful in, God gives me more responsibility.
4. Know that God called me. I know I am in Moldova for a reason. My work and relationships are not without fruit.

So praise God. I will keep moving through life in Moldova knowing that God is ultimately in control. Your prayers are cherished.