I finally arrived in Bucharest, Romania on April 30! Raegan greeted me at the airport and took me back to the Touched Romania Ministry House where I will be living with her and her roommate Ellena for the next year. Ellena is back in the States but will be joining us in a few weeks hopefully!
Thank you to all of you who have been so incredibly supportive and have been praying for me. In the weeks before I arrived I was feeling nervous for the plane ride. I am a very nervous flier, but thankfully God just gave me an overwhelming peace and I was able to sleep for most of the trip. It literally flew!
The weekend was spent settling in, shopping, and getting my room arranged. Its so strange to think I will be in this house for a year. It still doesn't seem real. My first night I was praying and I said, "Ok God, now that you have me here, what are you going to do with me?" I know beyond a shadow of a doubt it will be more than I anticipated before actually getting here. I already know there will be challenges along the way, but that's because God really took me seriously when I asked him to loosen the grip I had on my life. He's going to break me in such a way that I am completely and totally dependent on him, while molding me into the servant he wants me to be.
Wednesday was my first day at Casa Agar, the maternal center that houses women who may have been at risk to abandon their babies. Casa Agar is not only housing young mother's with new borns now, but also mother's and their children who have fallen victim to domestic abuse. Currently the center houses 4 moms. 2 of which have small babies, and the other 2 have children between the ages of 2-6. It was such an experience beginning to work with and spend time with these moms and their children. They are a handful, but so incredibly sweet! One of the mom's has twin girls that are 2 years old.
Emilia and her twin sister are two of the children staying at Casa Agar. She started warming up to me once I let her steal my sunglasses :) Her sister's name is Danica and they have an older brother Collin who is in school most of the day.
I fell absolutely in love with baby Eliza! She is the sweetest baby, and I was watching her most of my time at Casa Agar. The workers there are great women who really love Jesus.
I got to see this first hand on Tuesday before I even started working on Wednesday. Reagan hosted a staff prayer meeting where I met most of the women I will be working with. Thankfully some of them speak English and all of them received me with open arms.
If you could remember to pray for me this week, here a list of things to pray for-
- That I would quickly learn the language. It has truly been the most frustrating thing not being able to communicate with the adults and children that I'm working with. I should be starting lessons in a week or so!
-Safe travels to a missionary retreat for all European A/G missionaries in Spain! At the moment the volcano that has been erupting in Iceland is once again disrupting travel. Pray that we would all be able to get there safely and on time.
- Pray that my time here in Romania would be spent being able to bless Romanians, and that God would keep me effective, no matter what obstacles or challenges I may face.
Thanks to all my friends, family, and supporters for being there for me the few days before I left! It meant the world to me to see the outpouring of love from people I know will be there for me throughout this entire year. Keep in touch! You can e-mail me at Gabrielle.Rizzuto@ma.agmd.org!
Love and blessings,
Gabrielle xoxo
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