The Finite Mind

I have been home from Moldova for about two weeks now, and the reality of that continually shocks me. I will never forget the time God allowed us to spend there, the friends He gave, and the opportunities to share God's word with people who may have never heard it.

What I would like to testify to now is God's sovereignty and the way He has been faithfully working in a particular area of my life.  As mentioned in some of my previous posts, I have the amazing opportunity to write for a magazine titled Embolden Magazine on a ministry in Moldova called Stella's Voice. Their vision is to "...provide a home for poverty-ridden girls in Moldova after they are aged out of the state-run orphanages at the young age of 16. The ministry also has the only Christian orphanage in the country, as well as a separate home for boys...Stella's Voice is more than a cry for help and rescue. It is also a beacon of help and hope, making an eternal difference for desperate children." 

Stella's Voice is special to me because God has laid on my heart fighting against human trafficking and when I found out about this ministry in November 2012 I knew there was something deeply special about it. However, it wasn't until February that the doors "opened" for me to write an article on them. Excited and eager I began to form questions, to email the connections we had and I began developing a vision for the story. I prayed and prayed that God would bless this process, that it would go smoothly, etc. but I just kept waiting and waiting. No answers, no follow up emails, no encouraging words until eventually I had no more passion for the story. I wanted to give up. But the editor, April Newell, stepped in and reminded me that God was in control and in His timing everything would be made perfect and she started to do all she could to help. Yet with a crazy summer school schedule and getting ready to go out of the country I felt like it was still the end. I left for Moldova not expecting to hear about the article at all. Once in Moldova however, emails began arriving from April, "Okay Grace the magazine got approval!" "Its okay to write an article on them!" "Ask the questions!" And God began to fill my heart with excitement again. Amidst the emails, I got confirmation from my leader in Moldova that we would actually be visiting Stella's House while we were there. This was the most amazing news, because everything was being made perfect in God's timing. We got the okay from Andrew Cameron, and now I was going to get to visit and interview in person. Nothing could get any better!

Except it does...

As I walked through the doors of the house where some of the girls live I was overwhelmed with the peace and love radiating around us. Stella, a girl who has been there for four years, began showing us around and graciously answering our questions as well as raising new ones. I learned that this ministry is the product of many years of God calling Philip Cameron to build houses to house boys and girls, I learned that not only are they physically taken care of, but while they stay at these houses they find hope in God and they grow to call Him their Father. They have approximately 55 girls with two houses provided for them, 15 boys with one house for them and 48 boys and girls staying in the orphanage called Providence. There are two more houses for girls in construction and a church in construction, called Speranta. Vitalie Cucos, one of the spiritual leaders of Stella's Voice states, "Speranta is a ministry that was started by girls and boys that live in the Stella's house... they started their own church meetings at one of the houses of Stella’s Voice. We do worship services, small groups and youth nights and want to be a blessing for the youth that come to live in Stella’s house and for the community." God has already done so many amazing things for this ministry, lives have been changed, people are hearing the gospel, families are being put back together, church buildings are going up, and I have a feeling this is just the beginning of what God will continue to do.

It still gets better...

While I was there I had the chance to sit down with a few of the people involved in that ministry, namely the daughter of the founder, a volunteer staying there for the summer, one of the house moms and Stela (Remember her?) and as I was interviewing them the presence of the Holy Spirit was incredibly powerful. He gave me visions that I wouldn't have been able to see on my own, he opened my eyes to the truth that was around me. Each and every one of those girls was an orphan, hopeless, alone and petrified of the world. They were headed down an alluring road of despair and betrayal but now they are God's children, He calls them by name and has redeemed them. He has given them a hope and a future that will be nothing short of incredible.
As I was talking with Melody Chalk, daughter of Philip Cameron, on the topic of the change the girls go through when they come to the house and from the other room (where there was a worship service going on) the words to a song titled "Closer" came streaming to our ears, the lyrics are as followed:

"Your love has ravished my heart
And taken me over
Taken me over
And all I want is to be
With you forever
With you forever

So pull me a little closer
Take me a little deeper
I want to know you heart...I want to know your heart

Because Your love is so much sweeter
Than anything I've tasted
I want to know your heart...I want to know your heart"

And when the reality of the situation sank into my heart and mind, I knew it was God just showing me His heart for the girls. The fact that girls who were once orphans, with nothing in their name, no hope, no future, were saved and singing about the love God has for them and about how they want to know more of God's love was breathtaking. I was so overwhelmed in my spirit that I didn't know what to do, I don't even have the words to describe the power behind the entire situation. It was such a special moment that I would not trade anything in the world for. Even after the worship session, my team got to share our testimonies with them and we got to play games and just have a great time for a few hours. Afterwards I talked with a few more girls and it was literally story after story of how God saved them, what He was doing in their lives and how He was proving Himself again and again in being faithful.

And that is why I had struggled for months with getting information for my article. In God's sovereignty (which my human finite mind couldn't comprehend) He wasn't allowing things to work out because He knew the impact it would make for me to be alongside the girls, worshipping our Father together with them, and to see in their eyes the answers to my questions and the change God has brought directly into their lives. As soon as those words to that song came flooding into our ears Melody and I, overwhelmed and in awe of the power that Jesus saves, began crying tears of joy. I know without a shadow of a doubt this story is the direct product of God's faithfulness and He has worked in every aspect of it. May He continue to bless Stella's Voice and continue to change and bring revival to Moldova!

To check out Stella's Voice, here is a link to their website http://www.stellasvoice.org/