Surrounded

The beautiful story of Gina is that God is using a girl who was often overlooked in her village and has transformed her to be the girl who is constantly sought out and surrounded by people asking her to tell them her story.  What's more beautiful is that Geicha uses each opportunity to share God's story and man do people listen to that beautiful girl! ("Geicha" is her nickname)

This week God sent a team from Louisiana to help assist launch the very first UNA club in Bulgaria.  Geicha came to work with us and train in soon leading a club on her own.  On Sunday we took everyone to a monastery and while visiting, a monk asked Geicha to tell him her story.  He sat and listened intently and gave her a gift at the end. Her contagious smile and obvious joy open so many doors for her to tell of God's powerful love in her life.

God is using Gina and her story to tell people "God is powerful!" "God can be trusted!" "God is good and doesn't forgot us!" "God does miracles!" The amazing thing is that when she talks it's like the world stops and everyone is listening and God is using her in amazing ways.
I personally love working with the children and Cameron leads adult Bible studies but often the mothers of the children I work with are standing in the background unengaged.  Gina is exactly who God is using to engage them.  While I have children surrounding me, Gina has mothers surrounding her.  God is building a beautiful team around us and answering our prayers to send us workers.

On the last day of the UNA club festival we were all taking pictures with the community and a precious little girl said "I want a picture with you" but she was holding both Gina and my hands.  We asked her who she wanted a picture with and it turned into a fun game of who she likes more.  She yelled "Gina!" and gave her a huge hug.  Soon all the kids were declaring their love for Gina over their love for me.  It's was fun and later Gina said in surprise "I can't believe the children loved me so much.  I thought you would win when we asked who they loved more but they said my name."  I said "I'm not surprised at all Gina.  You are part of them.  I will always be a nice American woman who comes and loves on them and works with them but I'll always be just that, an American but you can be their role model. You are one of them."  Gina's eyes lit up and said "Yes! I know their road and I can still say 'You can trust God, He loves you' I understand them and they know that and I can show them a roma woman who loves God. They need good roma role models who love God."

AMEN!

This is when Gina won the game "who do the children love most" :)