Romania was amazing! There's really no other way to descibe it. It was so special to watch the Lord at work with the young adults we worked with. There was one particular girl who captured my heart. Her name is Teo and she is 16 years old. Her zeal for life was truly inspirational. She took on every obstacle at camp with such determination. But Teo was very quiet. She seemed closed off. I later learned that this was commen among the Romanians, as they did not trust people very easily. I met Teo on the train ride into camp. 6 hours of playing cards, talking, and trying to pass the time. And I felt God tugging on my heart that she was the one I was supposed to focus on that week. God used our long, seemingly never ending train ride to accelerate relationships, and by the end of day 2 at camp, Teo and I had become friends.
I feverently prayed for Teo the entire week at camp. Whenever I had a spare moment, I would stop and pray that Teo would come to know Christ this week. I braided her hair every day, which gave us along time to chat. The language barrier was difficult with Teo because she did not think her English was very good. She would hesitate to talk, and often go seek a translator. Despite this, I learned about her likes, and her dislikes. I learned a little bit about her family and friends. And I learned that she did not attend a church. It was difficult to peel back the layers of Teo. And often when I brought up the message from the night before, Teo would leave. At Wednesday night's service, I just cried and prayed for Teo. I prayed God would break down her barriers. I prayed that God would touch her and she would experience God like she never had before. I prayed she would accept Christ. I found out Wednesday night after service that she had.
I cannot begin to describe the joy I felt with this news! But when I tried to talk with Teo on Thursday, she didn't want to talk about Jesus or the message or the night before. But Teo was so joyful on Thursday, and throughout the rest of the camp. Her persona was so different from the previous days. Teo had been changed. Teo was no longer shy and closed off, but would seek us out to talk to us. Teo and I continue to talk online. I sometimes feel discouraged because she avoids any questions I have about attending a church, or if she has prayer requests. But I am persistent in praying for Teo. I know God did tremendous work in her heart at camp. And I just know he has such great things in store for this remarkable girl.
