Posted in General Posts by Carly Cronin on 9/9/2011
Month 1 WR: Philippines
We are driving, swerving back and forth going fast through small alleys that seem as though they may close in on us at any moment. I smell the trash and hear kids playing, I see poverty all around in the form of tin roofs nailed to pieces of wood created to shelter families.
I feel overwhelmed at the amount of need in this place, overwhelmed that I cant help every child running around with no shoes, every mom who looks desperately in my eyes as if to plead, PLEASE be the one that saves my children from living as I have lived.
then I remember...Lord you're in charge, its not me that can save, its not me that can make a difference, its YOU...it's ONLY YOU....only you can clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and give HOPE to the hopeless. Only YOU have brought me here, not to feel overwhelmed- but rather to be awakened...that there are needs that you want me to respond to...not EVERY need, not to "save" the Philippino people, but instead to listen to your voice and respond when you call.
We were still driving, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes go by and still we're driving through trash and mud and children playing half clothed in the streets. I start recording our drive with my camera, trying to document what I see, but in another way I think trying to create a barrier between me and the poor, making it easier to look away instead of enter into the reality of the situations I was seeing.
then I remember....Lord you have a task for me and my team today...its not to feel defeated or sad, but instead to know our role which is to respond to your call with obedience, no matter how scary or risky it may seem. Today we have the PRIVILEGE of driving out to a village, a village where our good friend, fellow lover of Jesus, and very helpful translator was from many years ago. She was taking us to meet Baby Jason.
A previous WR team in Manila had originally heard about Jason and eventually went to meet his family and introduce themselves. They'd heard that he had a severe cleft pallet, and cleft lip and was not doing very well physically. He was unable to receive the nutrition he needed desperately because his mom could not breast feed him due to his condition and could not afford highly priced formulas. The team at that time worked with the local missionary organization and figured out a way to arrange for Jason to receive the nutrition he so desperately needed.
Months later...here I am with Team Liberators, we were asked to check in on Baby Jason, see how his family is doing, and also ask if it would be okay for us to take Jason to a very exciting opportunity in the city of Manila. Operation Smile which is an international organization which offers free medical operations to very needy children in 3rd world countries, they were hosting an event that weekend in Manila. We felt that Jason would be the perfect candidate for these services and we wanted to be his advocates!
During our time in Manila my team was able to visit Jason and his family, pray for them and over their home, the Lord allowed for us to take Jason to the Operation Smile testing site, miraculously HE WAS ACCEPTED for surgery, we then had the incredible blessing of dropping him off for his surgery and being able to pick him back up after he was released. As far as I know to this day he is growing and healthy and going to live a beautiful life thanks to this awesome opportunity that the Lord opened up and my team was allowed to enter into while in Manila.
This memory reminds me that no matter how dark or grim things seem, no matter what kinds of circumstances we may be going through, God is present, He is still working. Instead of trying to separate ourselves from those very real situations, try entering into them hand in hand with your Savior, He will NEVER let you down..AND He may just have an incredible ministry opportunity waiting just around the bend!
*Still no update on a job yet, just continuing to pray and ask the Lord to provide whatever opportunity He has for me! Keep praying!*
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Posted in General Posts by Carly Cronin on 9/2/2011
I've been avoiding doing this...it's hard, I feel overwhelmed with all that God has done this past year and I feel as though I have no words to give other than it was a truly life changing, unique, and challenging year. What an experience....so rather than avoid processing like I've been doing for the past few weeks...I've decided to just JUMP IN and just DO IT...just start writing, start putting words on a page and see what picture God creates from it all. I apologize if it's a bit random and messy but I'm trusting that as I process out loud that God will begin to clarify what He wants to say to my heart as well as to all of you who end up reading this page.....He's the one truly painting the beautiful picture out of my life's messiness.....so here it goes :)
 my fav' little man Elijah in NY
Alrighty so its now September 2nd, 2011....a few weeks shy of my launch date on The World Race (R-squad) which was September 11th from LAX. I've been home for about a month now back in America. I initially spent some time with a close friend and mentor in NY and then traveled down to Florida to visit my younger brother and retrieve my car (which he'd been driving all year). Side note: so funny story- my close friend Mallorie traveled to FL with me to get my car, we flew down and drove my car back up to Ohio. On the way home we had a few crazy experiences. In Kentucky on the highway my front right tire BLEW OUT. So we thought okay no problem...we'll change the tire and be on our way, well we got the spare on no problem and lowered the car back down....realizing quickly that THE SPARE WAS FLAT TOO! Soooo by this time we're feeling a bit frustrated and out of ideas, just about this time a VERY NICE black shiny expensive camero drives up with a license plate that reads "BLCKPEPPR'" and a very large football player type of man steps out of the car. He offers to help us and we explain the situation... long story short he ends up driving us to WalMart, buys us bottled water and takes very good care of us, so we now have a guardian angel named "black pepper" which honestly is just super cool. So you might think...alright good story get to the point...well the story is not over. So we by this time have gotten pretty shaken up, even though Black Pepper ended up being very nice we were very scared to be by ourselves and receiving help from a complete stranger. It was an exhausting and nerve wracking experience. We get back on the road and honestly not 10 miles down we feel the RIGHT front tire BLOW OUT on the highway.... ok miracle that we were in the right lane and that there was no traffic! So now we have no spare tire and another flat tire and no more black pepper to help us out. Mallorie decides to try and call AAA even though it was not her car we were driving and they were kind enough to send a tow truck to help us out anyway. So all worked out in the end. A few other mishaps happened along the way as well and our intended 11 hour drive turned into a 15 hour story we will be telling our grandchildren someday! I say all this to say that its been quite an interesting journey being back in America, at times like the one just described it felt like another day on The Race. I was in completely unpredictable situations which caused my faith to be stretched (reminded me of the time our jeep in Kenya ran out of gas 3 times in one day!) As I am readjusting to life in America I'm realizing that I truly am different now than i was before I left. My faith has been grown, my experiences have been expanded, my testimonies are many, and my love of Jesus is intense. I am praying that as I transition back home that I am still able to live with a Kingdom mindset and not loose perspective of what God has for Ashland, Ohio. I know that the Lord has called me to be in this town for this next season, however long that ends up being. I know that I'm a vessel he wants to use to Ashland for His GOOD. I know I'm supposed to share testimonies so that I'm constantly reminded of what He's done and therefore my faith and others' faith can be multiplied. I know I'm supposed to take it easy and rest, give myself a break since its been an amazing but exhausting year. In order to remember as well as process all that God did this past year. I will be blogging every week at least once a week. Next week I think I will begin thinking back to Month 1 on The Race and reflecting all that God did in and through me in Manila, Philippines! Thanks again everyone who has so diligently followed my crazy travels this year, I hope that you'll continue to pray with me as I transition at home, and that you'll continue reading this blog and be challenged by the things I'm learning in this awesome new season in Ashland, Ohio.  Me at the St. Augustine Lighthouse  Mal and I loving FL
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Posted in General Posts by Carly Cronin on 7/28/2011
Quick update since I'm ready for our final debrief dinner about an hour early in order to avoid the chaos of potentially the most talked about event of Final Debrief. My last post was about how I was tad bit under in my fund raising...well PRAISE THE LORD He is so so so good and His love ENDURES forever! The Lord provided an anonymous donor and now I really and truly am FULLY FUNDED!! Just one more example of how the Lord has been so incredibly faithful in providing all that I need exactly when it's needed and I'm so so so thankful! Final Debrief has been going amazing, we're so incredibly blessed to be in L'viv and have such an amazing squad of gifted and anointed people. I am overwhelmed every time I think about how truly fortunate I am to have 29 family members who are the R-squad Sept 2010 (2) :) I love you all so very much and am so thankful for every single one of you and how you have impacted me and the nations for eternity! OK this pic is from MONTH TWO:  Final Debrief Squad Dinner pictures to come soon..... | |
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Posted in General Posts by Carly Cronin on 7/21/2011
 Me and Chris- We LOVE public buses....
Hey everyone this blog is just an update on how incredible God has been in providing after I wrote my initial "help" blog about personal finances. The Lord has been pouring in help and its been amazing to see how God has been using friends and family to both help me feel confident in my Savior's love and provision as well as SOO blessed to have the community and family that I have!! God is so good! Unfortunately I just got word from the Adventures in Missions organization that all of my monthly supporters amounts have been paid this month and I'm still a tad bit short on my funding. Turns out that due to credit card donations, the credit card companies automatically take out a percentage of the donations so my account is still in need of exactly: $48.20 in order to be fully funded for the year. Now in comparison to the $14,300 amount that I had to raise from the beginning of this journey...this seems like nothing, however ever little bit matters living on a missionary budget, so if you feel the Lord nudging you to help out with that expense it'd be a HUGE blessing! Take a minute if you would and rejoice with me though for the amount of provision that the Lord has already provided, not just for me but for entire squad! Praise the Lord that His words are TRUE, He says that those He CALLS He EQUIPS and readily he equipped our entire squad and we are so thankful for the blessings He has freely bestowed on each one of us. "Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him."
Psalm 34:8Thank you so much everyone who has so willingly contributed to helping me transition home, sending in checks and encouragement, I've been overwhelmed with the supporting community that I have and I cannot wait to see you all in person VERY SOON and tell you all that your contributions have helped accomplish for the Lord's Kingdom around the world!  Me & Kate (one of the awesome girls we've become friends with here in L'viv) | |
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Posted in General Posts by Carly Cronin on 7/18/2011
Let me begin by saying God is SO SO good and His plans are
perfect. In my last blog I referenced a fantastic book written by Bill Hybels
and told how it has challenged me to listen more closely to the Holy Spirit's
whispers in my life and then obey it 100% without hesitation. In this blog I
want to share a quick story about what God has challenged me to give up
recently. I share this story not as a “hey look at me I'm so great” story but
simply to show a real life nudging from the Holy Spirit that happened in my
life. Many times I've seen that when God asks us to give, it's not always easy
and its not always fun to follow through.
Last month in Romania I was listening to a sermon podcast
about giving. I've heard many sermons about giving before but for some reason
this sermon spoke directly to my heart in a very specific way. As I was
listening the speaker said, “sometimes God will ask you to give your most prized
possessions and it will hurt”…she went on to explain that it's worth giving up
our most treasured things to edify the body of Christ and love God's people. I
realized at that moment that when I got back to America I was supposed to give
my teammate Chelsea Hoffman my Macbook Pro Laptop….ok you might think I'm nuts
but hear me out. As I continued listening to this sermon I felt the Holy Spirit
speaking directly to me about how much in that moment I was loving my laptop
more than God and his people. (sidenote: if you know me back home you'll know
how much I LOVE this laptop, I left it in America so that it would not be
stolen this year and countless times I have talked about how much I miss it and
can't wait to get home and back to use it…might sound dumb but yes, it really
is that great of a computer).
So…when I heard the Holy Spirit saying this I immediately
was like..haha yeah right God you wouldn't ask me to give up my computer, I
love that computer, it is SO expensive never in my entire life will I ever be
able to afford another one, the first time I received it was a gift straight
from you, are you kidding me Lord, seriously, this is like the only thing in my
entire life other than my car worth any dollar amount that is substantial,
you're crazy God no way (all the while feeling very sick to my stomach and very
frustrated at my response).
Well, I finally settled down and was able to really press
in, Ok Lord, are you really asking me to give my teammate this computer? Really
Lord Really? Over and over I heard Him in my heart saying YES Carly this is exactly
what I want you to do, if you believe that I truly am a God of abundance and
hold the keys to the entire storehouse in heaven, I gave you the computer in
the first place so isn't it really mine to give anyway? Do not worry child I'll
take care of you, love your sister in this way, bless her in this incredible
way, and I will take care of ALL of your needs. (My family is going to think
I'm CRAZY Lord!) Don't worry about your family's hearts, I will take care of
it, all you need to do is obey and extravagantly give this gift. Do not worry
about tomorrow, I will take care of you.
Sometimes living a life of radical faith requires difficult
sacrifice. It may not be a computer, it may be letting a child go live on the
mission field, or giving up your own comforts at home, whatever it may be it's
worth letting go of and watching God's amazingly plans unfold before your eyes.
Blessing others with what you have is SO much better than selfishly holding on
to your “stuff”.
(A little more info- Chelsea was a graphic design major in
college, she's incredibly talented and loves the Lord with all her heart, soul,
mind, and strength, she's been in need of a computer that would be perfect for
her design capabilities when she returns to America so she can pursue jobs and
the Lord's amazing plans for her life. I KNOW that she will use this computer
to bring God the glory)
Long story short, I went and told Chelsea who refused it at
first but with even more resolve I knew it was what God wanted me to do so I
insisted, so when I get home I will be taking my treasured Macbook with me to
Florida and giving it to Chels to use it however God tells her to use it and I
anticipate amazing stories of God's provision in the future.
Again I'm not telling this story to make myself look good,
because honestly its been one of the hardest things to do with a cheerful heart
and spirit, but deep down I feel at peace because I know this is God's will and
I love to obey when He speaks, He has NEVER failed me in the past and I KNOW He
NEVER will in my future. This is just one very real example of obeying even
when it's not the most fun thing for me to do. I love the Lord with all of my
heart and if that means living without a computer to use, so be it, He'll
provide, all I need to do is just keep trusting and obeying His voice in my
life.
One last side note, God has a great sense of humor and
obviously some great plans head I haven't been allowed to see yet, anyway in
Kenya (Month 6 on The Race) I was speaking online with Joy (a girl whom I
connected with in only a God ordained way- go back and read the blog if you
want a reminder of who she is). She was explaining to me that school would be
starting up again soon at the Seminary and she was in dire need of a computer
so that she could complete her assignments this next year. She simply asked me
to pray that God would provide her a computer and I promised I'd pray. The next
day I felt God say, send her your HPmini computer. Turns out the timing would
work out perfect, she needed the computer around the same time I'd be arriving
back in America after The Race. In my head at that time I knew I was coming
home to an incredible Macbook and wouldn't be needing my small HP mini computer
that I'd purchased simply for The Race. I wrote her and said Hey I'd love to
send you my computer so that you can use it this year at school. She was elated
and eagerly anticipates the arrival of her computer which will help her
continue her biblical training at the Seminary and I'm so excited to bless her
in this way. She along with Chelsea loves the Lord will all that she is and I
know the computer will be a HUGE blessing to her.
So anyway lol I have full confidence that the Lord will
provide however He sees fit in His perfect plan. If you know anyone with a
laptop they don't need, let me know!  Love my team...this is from India Debrief Mo.8
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Posted in General Posts by Carly Cronin on 7/18/2011
Recently I just finished a book entitled, “The Power of a
Whisper” by Bill Hybels. It's a fantastic book that really challenged me to
tune my ear to heaven and strive to live each day listening and responding to
the Holy Spirit's whispers in my life. If you get a chance I highly recommend
picking up the book and giving it a read.
In the book he uses many stories to illustrate how listening
to God's whispers can be life changing, and even life saving for marriages,
parent-child relationships, church successes, avoiding financial ruin etc… every
story he shared struck a chord in me, but this next one was especially moving.
On a trip to a poverty stricken area of the world he recalls
seeing a food line of children and one particular boy caught his eye. He was
smaller than the rest and evidenced by his bloated belly and discolored hair he
was in dire need of food. He gradually would inch his way forward in the line,
only to reach the front and be pushed away by the bigger kids, so he would
obediently get back in line and begin toddling towards the front once again. Hybels
says that in that moment he was struck with the reality of this child's
situation, and how greatly it contrasted with his comfortable hotel room, the
suburban home full of food that he had waiting for him upon his return home. He
thought to himself, “What would it take for ME to voluntarily live in that
kid's skin for a YEAR?”
The reality of his honest answer was there wasn't enough
money in the world to make him do that. As I read these words it started
sinking into my mind, neither would I, yes I just spent a year living out of a
backpack, bathing with a bucket, and going to the bathroom on the side of buses
while being incredible uncomfortable due to cultural differences and living
with a team that now knows me better than I know myself, however, I always had
clothing, I always had food (be it very little or gross tasting- it was always
there), I was almost always treated with respect and hospitality…I had it GOOD
this year, seriously!
Hybels goes on with an even more sobering thought that cut
straight through my heart and soul. He said, “Jesus Chris willingly and
willfully wrapped himself in human skin and walked this planet- no for ONE year
but for THIRTY THREE years. He was scorned, misunderstood, rebuked, and
routinely wronged. And yet he chose to do it anyway. He relinquished the
adoration of the angels in order to accomplish his Father's purpose in his
life.”(Philippians 2:6-8)
The reason this resonated to deeply in me today I believe is
because my Race is coming to a close. I've been processing what it will be like
to go home and try to describe all of my experiences and stories with those I
love in America. I've found myself thinking they'll never get how “difficult”
it was this year, how many living situations were tough, and food gross…and
then Hybels throws this curve ball, and I hear the Holy Spirit whisper, “so
what?! You gave a year of your life to live in abandonment, the story is not
over my dear, you do not need to paint the picture for those at home, simply
share of my goodness and I'll take care of the rest.” My heart is restless, I
want more. Christ didn't just give a year to trade places with an orphan, he
set aside his “rights” as God of universe, and lived as a MAN, then he became
obedient to DEATH, the worst kind of death, death on a CROSS. If my heart's cry
truly is to live as Jesus lived then this year is simply the beginning, I'm not
saying I'm supposed to sell all I have and live the same as an orphan in
Africa, but I am saying that the lifestyle of service and selflessness that
I've had engrained in me this year is going to continue even when I step on
American soil. My hearts desire is to chase after God's heart, listen for the
whispers from His Spirit, and obediently follow whatever they say. I challenge
anyone reading this to do the same, what do you have to lose? Matthew 16:24 (The Message)
Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. "Anyone who intends to
come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am.
Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how.
Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to
finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get
everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for? God's call on each of our lives is so uniquely and
individually diverse, I love it! God could be asking you today to simply send a
note of encouragement to a boss or co-worker, to tell your kids that you love
them and are proud of them today, or it could be to listen to his voice that
you are supposed to become a foster parent or adopt an orphan who desperately
needs you, maybe its so support a compassion child or send a care package to a
college student…whatever the Holy Spirit lays on your heart, listen and obey
immediately. As I've been reminded in this book over and over again, the
adventure God has in store is 1,000,000 times better than anything we could
ever dream up ourselves!
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Posted in General Posts by Carly Cronin on 7/18/2011
As I sit here in Ukraine trying to think of what updates to
tell you I keep hearing, “NEPAL, NEPAL, NEPAL, NEPAL” ringing in my ears, it's
rainy season again, my kids in the village of DungDunge, are they okay, do they
have rafts to keep them safe in the rivers? Are they getting enough to eat,
what about my family in Kathmandu, is Rita still working on her English, is
Real still as rambunctious as ever, and Rosanne still as cheerful and giggly as
I remember? How are their hearts doing, do they have the funding keep their
ministries going supporting the widows and children they encounter, how are the
ChurchBoy's Football team doing? Are more boys coming to know Christ through
Reuben's incredible ministry? I miss them all so very much I cant quite put it
into words, I feel as though a part of my heart is still there with them and I
simply cannot wait to go back and feel it beating once again. Continue praying
for their ministry please.
My teammate Bethany's family has funded building a
school in the rural Dungdunge village where we travelled. The children there
had to walk 3hrs one way to school and then 3 hrs back home daily, crossing the
river up to 14 times. God has amazingly provided a way for a school to begin
being built in the area and the ground breaking has already begun- praise the
Lord!
Reuben has his hands in many other projects that need prayer as well
including building an orphanage as well as starting regular Bible and computer
classes for locals in Kathmandu. Pray for the finances needed to keep these
ministries going and for strength and endurance for Reuben, his family, and his
ministry partners. The Joy of the Lord truly is Reuben's strength and we felt
it in an overwhelming way when we were there with him. If you want any more
information about Reuben, his family, or his specific ministry needs please
feel free to contact me or Reuben himself at: reubenrita@yahoo.com
All that said, Ukraine is still a very incredible place
where Gods needs are very prevalent and God has been doing amazing things in
L'viv while we've been here. English night last Thursday went better than any
of us could have anticipated, more visitors came and we had an amazing dialogue
centered around our theme of “transformations”. It was awesome to see how God
directed the conversations naturally turned and after the night was complete.
I
had a mind boggling conversation with a man who desperately needs the Lord. For
the man's privacy I'll call him Bob. Bob came up and directly asked me, “so you
said that each of you on your team had experienced radical transformations in
your lives through the work of Jesus, tell me about yours” Basically he said
give me your testimony- so for the next 1.5hrs I got to share with this man
about who Jesus is in my life and the truth of His Word. This man had many
things confused about the Bible and was not convinced that it truly was the
Word of God and could be trusted. He believed there was a God but that Jesus'
salvation story was way too tragic to be true. The entire conversation was an
interesting one and took many twists and turns as I poured out all the truth I
could over this man in the time that I had. At the end of the conversation
another man approached our group who spoke very little English, so naturally
Bob stepped in to help translate between me and this new individual. Turns out
his other man was having breathing problems so I asked if it would be okay for
me to pray for him that God would heal his breathing problems. He said yes and
that he also needed prayer for God to provide a job for him because he was
jobless. I said absolutely I'd love to pray for you. While this interaction was
going on Bob stopped me and said, “I'm sorry can I tell you something” I said
Yes of course, Bob said, “Do not pray for me, I do not want you to pray for
me.” I was very taken aback and asked him why and he said, “I want to think for
myself about what I believe, I do not need your prayers, I do not want you to
pray for me.”
Wow I had no idea how to respond to this, never in my life have I
had someone so directly look me in the eye and say “do not pray for me”. I
simply said that's your choice and went back to the conversation with the other
man we had been speaking to. In my mind I was thinking…..wow there's obviously
a HUGE spiritual battle going on inside of this man, the enemy does not want
him to know the TRUTH of the gospel, but Jesus clearly wants him in the
Kingdom. We did not coerce this man to come to our English night, he came on
his own accord and I believe and will continue to believe that God has HUGE
plans for this man who now professes no need for God or prayer, but in the near
future WILL profess God's unfathomable Love and how desperately Bob needs Him
in his life.
Will you partner with me to pray for Bob and for Nepal and for the
other Ukrainians we encounter this week, and for our two Vietnamese friends who
currently profess Buddhism but I believe they will also come to know the Lord
as their Savior soon??? Please pray with me right now for these requests….your
prayers are important and make a difference.
OK I was about to post this blog but checked my facebook
really fast before I did, one of the most amazing girls we've met on The Race
wrote this blog (Her name is Lina)…and as I read it I'm in tears…if there was
any doubt as to why we do what we do on The World Race…this blog IS THE REASON….read
it…and pray J
Lina if you're reading this we love you so much more than you can imagine, and
amazingly God loves you even more than that!! So SO So thankful that we met
you.
love,joy,happiness
Every person on the Earth has his(her) own guardian angel. It might be
one angel or even a group of cool awesome angels like mine. Some of us
just don't see them 'cause of stereotypical way of thinking. World gives
it's own standarts, you know. They don't believe in such amazing things.
Materialists would ask " The real angels with wings? Oh, come on!", and
I agree. Sounds really weird. Most of modern people believe only in
real things. But angels are real. You can feel their warmth and energy
through their hug. Their smiles make you smile and bring the real calm
in your soul. You start feeling needed. Without any doubts. My angels
inspire and fill me with a fresh air of hope and love.
Till the day we've met I used to think the only guardian for me is my
family. Even not every member of it. There were just two people I could
honestly call "my guardians". My mom and grandma. They always care and
give me wise advice, but still sometimes I've had a feeling of an empty
soul. I've never had a truly understanding person. The one who'll
understand every single part of me. Most of people I know say I have
lots of problems and minds in my little orange head so I can hardly open
to someone new now. To show my real face, every mind-insect of my head.
But let's return to angels. Now I have way more guardians. There're
six of them in my life now and each of them is real. Few weeks ago I've
met some superpeople with super-mega-huge hearts and extremely warm
souls. Bethany, Carly, Chelsea and Chris. I'm extremely grateful for
you. Since
I've met them I start feeling full of happiness. There are some special
people who'll live forever in my head whatever happens. Even though, we
are from different parts of the world, I always keep you in my heart. Angels are real.
P.S. Though, I'm not a believer yet, I'm gonna thank all the possible gods and powers for meeting you.  Me & Lina :)
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Posted in General Posts by Carly Cronin on 7/12/2011
As The Race quickly comes to a close I'm going through tons of thoughts and emotions by the second. Recently I decided to read back through the Gospels starting in Matthew, I'm reading a chapter a day and really focusing in on Christ's life. Its been really eye opening, even though I grew up in the church, went to a Christian school, there's A LOT of stuff I never noticed before reading it now, I love how God's word is "living and active" and never ceases bringing new revelation of who Jesus is every day! Anyway, I've been reading through Matthew and today I read Matthew 14: 25-33 25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It's a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.” 28 “Lord, if it's you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” 32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
This story really spoke to me in this season that I'm currently walking through. This year has stirred up so many things inside of me, I've experienced the lame getting up and walking, food multiplying before our eyes, I've seen the poorest of the poor and held the brokenhearted while speaking God's truth and life over them. I've known first hand the difference Christ's love can make in a person's life who has completely lost hope. So what now? I come back home....over and over I've seen God move this year....but theres another need and that is the one I know is in America...a place where I KNOW the culture, I SPEAK the language, I don't have to be briefed on the needs we have, I KNOW first hand the things that plague our country where the enemy seems to run free (broken families, depression, teen pregnancy, etc...etc...) So what do I do? I've been praying Lord show me where I'm supposed to serve you, where am I supposed to pour myself out? I no longer have the luxury of showing up in a country and having ministry laid out before me, Lord anything is possible....where do you want me? Please call me out into the water as you did Peter...I WANT to follow you, I WANT to serve you.... So far the Lord hasn't given me the specifics, only that when I do walk out of the boat, he WILL be there, it is risky, its scary but I know it's RIGHT. I trust my Lord and Savior and like Peter when I get home I'm not going to just sit comfortably in my boat, I'm going to step out when He calls to me. I believe I came on this Race for a reason, and I know that once I reach America it doesn't end. My life will be forever changed, ruined for Christ for eternity, and honestly I couldn't think of a better way to be! It's hard not knowing the specifics, but my comfort no longer comes from being in control of having a plan, my comfort comes from knowing my Savior, who is always faithful and is with me ALWAYS, "even to the end of the age". So partner with me to pray for the future, I dont know what it'll hold yet but I do know it'll be living radically, not settling for what the world defines as "comfortable" but instead walking out of the boat onto the waves with Faith in my Best Friend: Jesus. 
Christian gypsy family we met at the train station, so encouraged to meet believers!
Me and some of the boys at VBS camp, Ukrainian style :) I love that instead of the peace sign my young friend is making the "I love you" symbol with his hand! Continue to pray for our ministry this week, Thursday we host another English learning night at the church (last week we had a great turn out and got to share with many non Christians about our hope in Christ it was awesome!) This Wednesday is the last day for VBS, it'll be hard to say goodbye to the kids we've gotten attached to so quickly! We've met several college students from the area and are building relationships with them, so pray for awesome conversations seasoned with His SALT every day! :)
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Posted in General Posts by Carly Cronin on 7/8/2011
Updates from Ukraine It's incredibly hard to believe it but Team Pleres is in MONTH 11 of The World Race. Our Race will conclude in the city of L'viv, Ukraine. L'viv is an 755 year old city soaked in history and full of a young generation of college students eager to hear the gospel and encounter Jesus in a real relationship that is not bound by old traditions.  We arrived in L'viv to meet our ministry contact Mike Pratt and his right hand man David. David is a full time missionary here and has been incredibly helpful in showing us around the city, helping us translate with locals, and setting us up with ministry in a variety of settings. So far this week, we've had the awesome opportunity to paint one more MURAL yay!! Chelsea has been very happy to use her amazing talents and we've all jumped in to help transform the children's ministry room at the church into an underwater playground. Pictures will be posted once it's complete :) We also have had the cool opportunity to help plan and host a weekly English discussion night. The vision is to encourage locals who want to improve their English to come to the church and watch a variety of video clips (most from YouTube), discuss them, practice speaking English through a question and answer session, and then have fun playing games. Last night was the first week that our team got to participate and it was incredible! We had about 15 people show up and all but 1 were non believers. All came eager to talk English and make new friends, it was amazing the conversations which came from the short time we spent together. Please pray as we continue to nurture the friendships which were formed. Our heart's desire is that every single person that walks into the church will experience the love and joy of knowing Christ. We will have the privilege of helping with English nights every Thursday until the end of the month. Tomorrow we will meet up at the park to hang out and talk more with several of our new friends from English night. Pray that our lips will be seasoned with holy Salt and that our conversations will be fruitful. Every Friday the church hosts a prayer night, we participated tonight and it was awesome to have a specific time set apart to pray for however the Holy Spirit led. Two of our friends from English night (neither one was a believer) showed up unannounced and stayed for half our our prayer time. They sat and listened as we worshiped for 30min about how much God loves us. We're praying that seeds were planted and that these men will be back soon wanting to know more about the Lord :) Every evening from 3-5pm this week we are helping out with games at a kid's VBS camp in another part of L'viv. Today was our first day helping out and about 60 neighborhood kids showed up. It was such an awesome time getting to play and love on all those children. Pray that the joy of the Lord will be our strength as we pour all of ourselves out loving on these kids this week. (We are all very tired after 11 months of travel- praying for God to refill our cups that we can give all that we have to this month's ministry) Pictures and more updates to come soon. Thanks again for reading the blogs and your continued prayers! | |
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Posted in General Posts by Carly Cronin on 6/29/2011
There once was a maiden who traveled the world spreading JOY and HOPE wherever she roamed...
She loved to bless all that she met, but she had very little to carry on her back...
One day she ran out of money for food, her housing in Romania had cost more than she bargained, she prayed and she prayed and then she prayed some more, and lo and behold a miracle occurred!
She walked to the market wondering what to do, when she passed a young woman who said "may I help you?". The maiden said "yes I need to find lettuce", and the woman said "Great! follow me to my dwelling and I will show you..." So they walked and they walked until finally approaching, a beautiful garden and cozy abode, she began weeding and digging and pulling and throwing, and sooner than later a HUGE pile of vegetables was present.
The maiden was surprised and overwhelmed at the least, she said, "but wait!?! how much will this cost?" The young woman laughed and said with a giggle, "nothing of course take all of our best!"
From that day forward until the end of the month, the young woman lavished the maiden with gifts, there were onions and lettuce and carrots galore, a feast full of goulash and chicken a plenty, everyone was stuffed till they felt they would pop!
The Lord PROVIDES was on everyone's lips, they sang and they danced and they chattered with glee, at this story they'd tell to their friends and family.
Now you may start to wonder if this story is true, but don't fret if you do, simply ask Team Pleres to share and they will tell you!
The truth of the matter, our Hungarian angels' name was Ibola and she
blessed us more than words can express, the Lord used her to provide day
in and day out, we were overwhelmed by His blessings...so much more
than we could count!
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