​I vividly remember putting these verses as the “signature” on my emails back in 2015 when I received my email address with ReachGlobal because of the way that God was rocking my world and just OVERWHELMING me with His gifts.

God brought me to Romania in a miraculous way. God prepared so many of you readers to partner with me on this journey. God gave me new life spiritually over a decade ago then gave me new physical life a few years ago (after a scare that turned out to be celiac disease). God’s given me wonderful friends and family in the US, Romania, and around the world. God’s brought me into my dream job, etc etc.

And you know what’s awesome? God continues to give me more than I could ever ask or imagine. For instance, this past week I was able to go on what may go down as the most memorable trip ever! A trip to Iceland to celebrate a friend’s birthday.

Here’s a few examples..

We all saw the weather forecast before we went..colder temps and rain almost everyday that we were going to be there. But we were ok with that..we were going to Iceland! But then we get there and we realize..hey, wait. We get a day of sunshine before the rain comes. Woot!
Then the next day comes, oh sweet. Another day of sunshine and then that rain will for sure be here.

But you know what? The rain never came. All week. I should take that back because at one point, the most light and beautiful rain sprinkled on our car as we were driving from one majestic sight to the other. And it was perfect. A friend pointed out just how perfect the light rain was in that moment and we all just marveled at God.

Isn’t He wonderful? As the days went on in our trip, we realized with greater depth just how much of a blessing this trip was to all of us and how God loves us all so much. One blessing after another after another.

I readily found gluten free and dairy free food. I mean.. I was overjoyed at a vegan restaurant on the first day. Then vegan cheese and gluten free bread to make sandwiches..golden. Then a few days later I could have gravy on mashed potatoes from a restaurant..?!! And then I could have a gluten free cone with dairy free ice cream inside..what?!?

I’m telling you, blessing after blessing.

And I haven't even mentioned getting to see parts of God's creation that I've never seen before..craters, glaciers, waterfalls (and even getting to walk behind a waterfall), hiking to a geothermal river where we got to swim and be refreshed, geysirs, hanging out with dear friends and just being together. 

Even on my way to the airport, I received a message that was an even greater blessing to me. Something that I hadn’t even asked for, but God knew that I would be blessed by.

We know these things, right? That God, our Heavenly Father, knows how to give good gifts and delights to give them to His children (Matthew 7:9-12). But man, after a week of IMMEASURABLE and out of this world kind of blessings, the only thing I can do is share about it!
​
May we continue to be open to the gifts that God desires to give us. Notice His handprints and His gifts. Acknowledge Him and share with others what He’s given you- eternal life and earthly blessings galore.

13 For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be. 
Psalm 139:13-16

God has created each of us with unique characteristics, quirks, and gifts that make us who we are. We are all lovingly created and have been given an invitation for a greater purpose on this earth, to be a part of God's Larger Story.

God has placed on my heart a desire to work with those that are often cast out on the margins of society. Those that society has deemed as "less than". In today's world, two of these populations of people are abandoned children and people with disabilities. Often times it seems that if someone cannot contribute in a way that society deems as meaningful.. the society then determines that the person themself is meaningless. 

However, this line of thinking is exactly opposite of what God tells us is True. Each person has a purpose in this world..and they are so loved by the Creator. In fact, in Luke 14, Jesus tells a story of a master who has prepared a beautiful feast and tells his servant to invite people to the feast. The first people that the servant invites have all of these excuses why they can't come to the feast. The Master than tells the servant to "go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame." The servant did this and then there was still more room at the feast! So the master then said "Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full."

I was recently at a conference where we took this story and dissected it a bit. Back in Jesus' time, most feasts were given in honor of someone that society deemed as important. A big meal was made, everyone drank a lot..and when people were drunk, they would then go out and get people with disabilities to come into the party and dance for them. They would become a source of laughter and mockery for the guests of the feast.

However, the parable from Jesus in Luke 14 once again TURNS THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN. 

Jesus is being very direct with who we are to invite to the feast. We are to go out and invite those with disabilities to the feast. Go out specifically to those that society sees as meaningless, and show them how meaningful they are. 

Paul, in 1 Corinthians 12, talks about the members of the body of Christ. When we think of our own body, we may think that there are certain parts of our body that aren't quite as needed. WRONG. We often times think of our body parts as eyes, ears, legs, arms, etc. We forget about our knuckles, fingernails, and elbows. Yikes, imagine if we didn't have these body parts! 

Paul tells us that each part of the Body of Christ is valuable, and "in fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary" (verse 22). As a society, we often times see people with disabilities as less than, less important, and weak. But if we are looking at them in that way, and looking at what Paul says, than in fact, the people with disabilities are the most necessary in the Body of Christ, in our churches!

So, if we don't have people with disabilities in our church, we are missing the most important members of our body! We are missing body parts. And..we, as a church, are in fact disabled if we are missing parts of our body. Did you catch that? If we don't have people with disabilities in our churches, our church isn't a whole body- we are missing members- and we are in fact disabled. This is a bold statement I know, but man, it resonates deep within me and within Scripture. 

I recently read an article that Iceland has almost 100% eradicated down syndrome through abortion. This disgusts me. 

On the other side of the pond, in America, Frank Stephens recently stood up for down syndrome and advocated for more research to be done. Some of his quotes include: "I don't feel I should have to justify my existence..is there really no place for us in the world..let's make our goal to be Alzheimer's free, not Down Syndrome free." Click here if you would like to hear his testimony to the courts. 

Almost everytime I watch this video, tears come into my eyes. 

​

God has created us all in unique ways. We are all important. And if we're looking at what Paul says with the Body of Christ, those with disabilities are a vital part of our churches. 

Let us all seek to be a body, seek to be a church, that goes out to the streets and the alleys, and then to the countryside to bring those with disabilities to the feast. A feast in their honor. A feast where we experience Fellowship together. Lord, use us and may your Kingdom come!

Catch up on the past few months: As most of you know, I have been dealing with some health issues for a few months now. I did not feel like myself at different points during the summer and then the month of September was a tough one. I spent the month of September lying on my teammate's couch and seeing doctor after doctor. I wasn't able to do much of anything- feeling exhausted all the time, feeling like I was going to faint, having hot spells, feeling light headed, "brain fog", and difficulty concentrating. It was difficult to stand and shower, let alone cook for myself or get around on public transportation to the doctors offices. My dear friend and teammate, Rhonda, took loving care of me and my other teammates helped out as they could. After a month of no answers in Romania, my dad flew out to Romania and brought me back to the states to seek out medical help here. 

My dad and I arrived in Iowa on October 6th. God then provided a cancellation at a doctor in Marion, IA so I was able to see her on October 10th. After some rounds of blood tests, I found out I have celiac disease. 

What is celiac disease?- Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that is triggered by consuming gluten. When someone with celiac disease consumes gluten, the body attacks itself and destroys the villi lining the small intestine. Over time, the villi are destroyed and the person's body is not able to absorb vitamins and minerals, which leads to malnutrition. If left untreated, people with celiac disease are at risk for more autoimmune diseases. 

What have I found out in the states so far?- The doctors that I have seen are not 100% sure about the damage that was done inside my body by the gluten I consumed, but they told me that it may be months before I heal up completely. As you read above, celiac destroys the villi in your intestine which means you can't absorb nutrients and are essentially starving your body of what it needs to keep going. And for me, I was training for a marathon this summer so not only was I not able to absorb nutrients from the gluten, but I also was straining myself by the training I was doing. So we think that my body was preserving itself as much as it could but shutting down in other ways. I couldn't believe how limited I was in my physical abilities towards the end of August and all of September. 

What has my healing process looked like so far? I have been on a gluten free and dairy free diet since the beginning of October. On October 10th, I went to the doctor in Marion and by mid October I knew I had celiac. I also found out that I had leaky gut syndrome and candida overgrowth which means even more damage to my gut. At the end of October I started an autoimmune diet to help heal the damage that was done to my gut by taking away all the foods that are hard to digest. The diet that I was on meant no sugar, no egg, no dairy, no gluten, no beans, no nuts, no corn, and no rice. Basically I have been only eating organic meats, low sugar organic fruits, and some organic vegetables. At the beginning of December, I started slowly reintroducing some foods and now I have beans, rice, and nuts back in my diet. Woot! I hope to add corn back into my diet within the next week. 

At the end of October I began meeting with a chiropractor who specializes in auto immune disorders and other issues. He has helped me with the supplements I take and also administers electromagnetic pulse therapy on my whole body while also focusing on my stomach for 1 hour, 2 times a week. Since working with him, I am amazed at the progress I have made in the past month and a half.

How am I doing now? Overall, I am doing better each day. I am excited that my diet includes more things now, I can drive myself 30 minutes to the chiropractor each time, I can do normal household chores, and I can participate in most family activities. However, in the past 10 days, I have had two episodes where I felt really weak, got really hot, and my legs felt like jello for hours. Both times I spent time on the couch until I regained my strength. These times remind me that I am not 100% healthy yet.

Am I going back to Romania? Yes, I am going back to Romania! However, I do not have a return date yet. ReachGlobal graciously told me to enjoy the holidays with family and to take the necessary time to heal and head back after the new year sometime.  

What is God teaching me during this time? God has been teaching me that He is in absolute control and that His ways are far greater, and far above my ways. I was initially very confused as to why I was so sick and needed to be medically evacuated from Romania, but now that I am in Iowa and healing, I see everyday why I am here right now.

What do I miss most about Romania? I miss the language. I love the Romanian language and I miss learning it. I miss the children I worked with and I miss my teammates and the Romanians I was getting to know.

Where did I live and will that be there when I get back? I lived in an apartment on my own and my teammates have graciously been paying my bills and taking care of it for me. I will move back in once I return to Bucharest. 

These past few months have been difficult on me physically, but then again, I know that things could be so much worse. I am thankful that the Lord guided my time in Romania with Rhonda. The Lord provided just what we needed, when we needed it. We even saw an incredibly kind ER doctor two times who ended up helping me get medically evacuated out of Romania. My dad was able to come over and get me. I was in no condition to fly by myself and having my dad there to bring me home was incredible. The Lord provided a doctor's appointment immediately after we got back to Iowa and immediate answers as to what was going on in my body. The Lord then provided a doctor 30 minutes down the road who has dealt with patients like me before! I am able to buy food locally and we even make some rather tasty dishes with the limited foods I can eat :) 

Thank you for your support, encouragement, and prayers for me and my family over these past few months. We are so grateful for you lifting us up. I ask for your continued prayers for wisdom as we determine where to go from here with my healing process. I need guidance on how to push and challenge myself, while not overdoing it. Please also praise God with me for His provision!

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

What if Jesus asked you: "what do you want me to do for you?". Do you know what your answer to that would be? Would you be dumbfounded at this question and stumble over your words?

I think our prayer life would be dramatically changed if we could answer this question.

The story of the two blind men on the roadside can be found in Matthew 20:29-34. The two blind men are sitting along the roadside and they hear Jesus coming. The men call out to Him, and acknowledge Him as the Son of David. "Son of David, have mercy on us," they say. The crowds try to quiet the men. Jesus doesn't need to be bothered by a couple blind men on the roadside. But the men shout all the louder, "LORD, Son of David, have mercy on us." And Jesus stops. He doesn't keep going, he doesn't get impatient. He stops and asks the men- "what do you want me to do for you?"  

What would I have done if I was in that situation? What would I do if that happened to me today? Jesus asking me, Mandi, what do you want me to do for you? 

The men asked for sight. Jesus restored their sight, but more importantly, the men followed Jesus.

I think God is waiting for us. I think God has made Himself known to us throughout the Bible. God has promised us many things, and He desires to be asked to provide for His children. God is waiting for us to tell Him our deepest desires.

God desires for me, for you, for us.. to talk with Him and set our requests before Him.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6

___________________________________________________________________________________________

I just started a book called The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. 

Here are a few of the quotes/paraphrases that I have appreciated thus far:

• "God honors bold prayers. Bold prayers honor God."
• When we pray vague prayers, it's hard to know if God answered the prayer or if it was just a coincidence. But, with bold prayers come bold answers that cannot be denied.
• "The more specific your prayers are, the more glory God receives."

         I know a child who was recently encouraged to pray a big prayer. She hesitated, not                knowing if she could say what her biggest request was now that she lived in a big city. A          friend encouraged her to pray boldly and specifically. What did the girl pray for? A                    horse. To have her own horse. And you know what? God answered her prayer! Soon                  after she prayed, her grandfather (without knowing that this was her prayer request)                informed her that he had bought a horse for her. Incredible! In this case, the child and            her family (and anyone who heard this story!) praised God! The specific request from              this girl was answered and God received all the glory for this child's very own horse!

I believe that God loves to hear our prayers. God loves to be with us in our prayers as we pour out to Him our heart, all that we are thankful for, how we are seeing Him work, and then come before Him and boldly ask. 

Let us pray. Let us pray boldly. Let us pray with confidence that the Lord of Lords can provide for us in ways that we cannot even fathom.

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the Church and in Jesus Christ throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” Ephesians 3:20-21

​Hello my dear friends and family!

What a year this has been! I started the year in Iowa, and I am finishing the year in Romania..with many more years to come in this country that has become my home. Thank you so much for the ways that you have supported, encouraged, and prayed for me this past year.

​I want to update you all on a few things that have been happening recently. As you may know, I volunteer at the Ruth School 2x/week at their after-school program. If you're interested in seeing what we have been up to recently at the Ruth School, you can click here to be taken to Project Ruth's Facebook page with pictures and stories of recent events.  

​One of my favorite times at the Ruth School was last Wednesday, which was the last day of school before Christmas break. The children performed the Christmas play in the morning (which was so adorable!) and we spent the afternoon talking with the children about being a light in the community. The neighborhoods where these children live can be seen as such dark and evil places. As an example of the darkness, click here to read an article that was published in November that describes the Livezilor street which is 2 blocks away from the Ruth School. 

As you read in the article, these neighborhoods are "dark". But the Ruth School exists to change the cycle of darkness in these communities. The Ruth School provides education for these children and tells them about the good news of Jesus Christ in their lives.

So on the Wednesday before Christmas break, we talked to the children about what it looks like to be a light in their family and in their community. And as a symbol of that light, we brought in "make your own" candles from Asociate Ateliere Protejate and talked with the children about the people with special needs that make these beautiful candles. We then let the children decorate their own symbols of light to use as a reminder of the light that they can be in their home. The children were so proud of their creations, and we are thrilled that the children went home with a new sense of purpose in their families. 

"The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:5

During the Christmas message yesterday, the pastor talked about the examples we have in scripture of the angels coming to Joseph, Mary, Zechariah, and the shepards with similar messages.. do not be afraid for Jesus is coming. Immanuel, God with us, is coming. The long awaited, promised Messiah is coming!

What a gift we have in Jesus. The promised Messiah is here and has come to bring light into a dark world. 

As 2015 is about to end, and 2016 is about to begin, let us remember Immanuel, God is with us. We do not need to be afraid.

And as we more fully understand what Immanuel means in our lives, may we seek to go out and tell others of this great message as well.

Sending you so much love and prayers of peace,
Mandi