Clothes are strewn about the room, attempting to hide under beds. My Bible and journal sit to my right, a pen, some papers and my sketchbook are close by. I sit, typing this blog on my bed, baffled that it is our final day in Arad, Romania. That tonight I have to pack up my backpack and tomorrow we leave on a night train, beginning our journey to Moldova. It's difficult for my mind to compute that Month 10 is basically over.

Didn't I just start the World Race? How is it that I'm heading into Month 11?

I feel like it was just yesterday that we were at Training Camp. That was one year ago.

Africa seems like it was so recent. That was seven months ago.

Our five months in Asia flew by like a speeding rocket bound for the moon.

Back then, it seemed like Month 11 was so distant, so far away, just some distant day that would eventually come around. And here it is, one twist of the doorknob away.

Our month in Romania has been a good one, full of stretching and personal growth for me, especially as a leader. God has met me time and time again, picking me up off of my knees, holding my arms up when I felt I couldn't hold them on my own. It has been a month of learning the beauty in a day of hard work, and what a satisfying feeling it is to go to bed, exhausted and spent because you worked hard with your hands and body that day.

There are things I will miss about this place. I love the beautiful simplicity here. Seeing rows of white sheets drying in the warm sun, a breeze gently rushing through them, a green bed beneath and blue skies above. The beauty in the people here, their joy and smiles. Seeing sheep dot the hills, and watching the cows come home at the end of the day. Life is full of satisfaction and contentment, and simple beauty. The kind of simple beauty that just makes you sigh and close your eyes, soaking it all in.

I'll miss it, but I can't wait to incorporate that simple beauty into my own life.

And I'm excited to walk through that unknown door of Month 11 in Moldova, and beyond.

In two days we'll be in Moldova.

In 10 days, I'll celebrate my 24^th birthday.

In 31 days, our squad will head for our final debreif.

In 37 days, I will set foot on U.S. Soil.

In 65 days, I will set foot in my home state of Arizona and see my family and friends.

And today, I will praise God for every step He's taken me through, and see what His plan and purpose is for me today. Who I can love, who I can pray for, how I can lead, what images He wants me to draw. He has my tomorrows, but He also has my today. And I am so blessed.

He is everything that I need to know.



 

On time.

No waste.

High standards.

With joy!

To most people, these four phrases wouldn't mean much, other than what is taken at face value. To myself plus the six others on my team, these phrases hold a whole new meaning. While we were in Ukraine, we had the privilege of sitting in on a farming seminar that taught a method of growing corn in a very effective way, and would help benefit the people in the community.

Now personally, where I call “home,” there isn't much I could do to plant a 6 meter by 6 meter plot of corn in rock hard clay soil, or in a backyard full of gravel that masquerades as landscaping. And while the seminar was six hours long, and went over basic principles of farming as well as detailed descriptions of how to plant and grow the corn most effectively, I wasn't sure what I would personally gain out of this seminar, as did many of my team mates.

Let me tell you though, some things stuck.

Some things took root.

And some things began to grow in our own lives.

Namely, those four principles.

On time.

No waste.

High standards.

With joy!

While we joked about it after the seminar, reminding each other to do things to a “high standard,” the truth and principle in it at the core began to settle inside of us. Those four principles, while they were applied to farming (and aptly so) for that seminar, found their way to our own lives, and took root at applying themselves there.

I mean really, these are principles for our lives. On time, whether that is being on time, doing things on time, saying a word when we need to in a moment, being on time is a good principle to stand on.

No waste. Also a good principle to stand on, an encouragement to be resourceful and be the best steward that you can be with what God has blessed you with. Because really, none of this is our own. We are stewards, and we should wisely act in accordance to that.

High standards. This is the one that has gotten me the most this month in Romania. Having a high standard for the work, and anything, that I do. Doing it all for the name and glory of Christ, and doing it the absolute best that I can, so that He gets the most praise and glory to His name for it. Not for me, but for Him. Whether that is washing my thousandth tile square, sweeping the spiral staircase for the third time, washing endless sheets and hanging them out to dry, or pulling up weeds, having a high standard is worth it. Because we are called to do everything in the name of the Lord, and isn't His name worth far more than even our highest standard?

And finally, with joy. Because really, what is life with no joy? Why would you want to live with anything other than joy? Yes, there are serious moments in life. There is a time to laugh, a time to cry. A time for everything, as we find over and over in Ecclesiastes. But the deep, everlasting joy of Christ rests in you, and in me. Why not let that settle into the very core of who we are and pour that out into everything that we do? That's real beauty. Finding joy in the simplest things, knowing that for that moment, this is what Christ has called us to do, so we might as well do it with joy and bring glory and honor to His name.

So now, I pass these four principles on to you to mull over. Think them over for yourself and how you can apply them to your own life.

On time. No waste. High standards. With joy!

Wooly white sheep dot a distant hill across the valley, looking like tiny cotton puffs against the vivid green backdrop. A twirling wisp of smoke rises grey from a pile of wood, burning in the morning haze. The sun rises with its golden, warm rays, chasing away the chilly dew from its resting place on each blade of fresh grass. A valley below is lightly veiled in a quiet fog, waiting to be revealed by the warmth of the suns rays, ready for the day.

Slowly and softly I walk across the back patio, soaking it all in with my eyes, drinking it deep down into my soul, careful not to disturb this moment in time. I find my familiar place of peace, sit down, and let my back rest against the rock wall behind me. There is a peace that washes over me, and the 23^rd Psalm seems to jump into life in this place, with green pastures, quiet streams, and the calmness that only the Lord can truly bring.

It has been a blessing to be here in Arad, Romania, or well, near it. We are actually outside of the bigger city of Arad, near a village called Sistrovat, or the Sixth Spring in English. The camp that we are staying at is appropriately named Seventh Spring. It sits boldly upon the hill, our very own “castle” of sorts, that looks down upon the small but beautiful village below. A truly breathtaking and captivating place to behold, especially in the early golden, misty light of the sun's morning rays.

Seventh Spring was started by an American family, and is now run by Romanians, and they offer a place for conferences throughout the year, and the summer months hold a busy schedule as over 800 Romanian children come in and out of the camp. Our contact shared with us that their vision is to see the camp continue because so many young people experience God and come to him through camp experiences.

While our team and two other teams from our squad are here, we are preparing the camp for the summer months ahead. We will not be able to see the children come in, unfortunately, but we are able to be the hands of feet of Christ to the staff here and help them prepare for the busy summer ahead. This has meant sweeping out the place, deep cleaning, cleaning countless carpet squares by hand (oh the list of things you become on the World Race), doing many loads of laundry, weeding, and basically doing whatever they need us to do to help get ready for the summer.

While this kind of work is not always what you expect would make the most impact, I know that it truly is. We are being the hands and feet of Christ in a very tangible way, though it may not seem as glamorous as working directly with orphans or in hospitals as we have done before in the past.

Sometimes, a lot of times, there is immense beauty in the simple. Mundane things may be often passed over, but they hold a certain steadiness. Their beauty is quiet, but strong. I never thought I would enjoy cleaning like I have this month, but I have found myself smiling in the work that my hands set out to do. There is something beautifully simple in the every day tasks of life. Look for the beauty in the simple things of life today, and sit in wonder at your Father's feet, as He has created this all, and holds great purpose in it for each of us.  



























The simple, beautiful things of life that make me smile.

Fire curls up into the air, hungrily grabbing for oxygen. It spits out vibrant orange ashes that look more like majestic stars doing a rhythmic dance against the night sky. Someone strums the guitar, and voices are lifted up. The fire grows stronger, higher, hotter. It is spinning, twisting, all consuming. It is hypnotizing to watch it dance around the wood against the night sky. My mind settles into thanksgiving and rejoicing, loving this beautiful dance that my Creator placed before my eyes tonight.

It's the little things in life like a bon fire in Romania that count. That make life sweet.

The past nine months have been such a beautiful culmination of these such little things, little moments. Moments that fill my heart with joy and love. With laughter. With life, inspiration, tears, joy, growth, stretching, uncomfortably that moves me beyond myself. Moments that words and pictures can never fully capture, but moments that make it all worth it.

Today marks the two month mark, which really is blowing my mind. It's got me thinking, where in the world did the past nine months go? It seems like so long, and yet not long at all since we first arrived in Kenya. Moments like these make me say, “How in the world did I end up here, traveling the world for eleven months? How is this even my life?”

Two months from today I will be on United States of America soil.

Two months. It seems like nothing at all. Yet, it is a long time. It is time that I get to spend furthering the Kingdom in Eastern Europe, and I am so excited about that.

Our team is now in Arad, Romania, which is close to the Hungarian border (the west side of Romania). It took us about 40 hours by train to get to Budapest, Hungary, and another four by van to get to our site for the month. We are working with a camp, helping them prepare for their summer months just around the corner.

It is a gorgeous place, and I cannot wait to share more pictures and stories with you about this special place!  
St. Stephen's Basilica in Budapest


















 

God has grown me in a lot of different ways on this journey.

He's stretched me.

Molded me.

Opened my eyes.

Shaped me.

Filled me with His Spirit and confidence.

One thing that God has specifically laid on my heart over and over again has been the lesson of asking. It started in Rwanda when he told me that He wanted me to ask Him how He was. That led to countless conversations that He took my breath away with His words to my heart. He challenged me, and spoke personally to me in those times.

The past few months He has built on this concept again and again in my heart. Revealing to me how much He delights in me asking him. Not only about how He is, and who He is, but He began to tell me to ask Him for things. Which honestly was kind of weird at first.

God you want me to ask? Don't you already know?

Yes, but I want you to ask.

He told me that He is good, that He does know what I need, and what I am going to ask. But He still calls me to place my heart and my desires in His hands and ask. To allow myself to be vulnerable and ask Him, and let Him delight my heart. Sometimes he answers right away, sometimes later, and sometimes in ways that I do not expect. But He has taught me that He does answer, and that He has a perfect will.

So this brings me to where I am now. I asked Him a question, and He told me to ask you. So here I am, presenting my request to you.

As we approach our final two months of the World Race, we all are charged with the responsibility of making arrangements for traveling home from New York City at the end of June. It's an exciting yet terrifying thought, to think about going home. I am so excited and looking forward to seeing all of you, my family and friends in a few months! I will be honest, it is sometimes terrifying to think about home, and the transition that is ahead. But mostly there is just excitement resting in my heart for the reunions to come! I cannot wait to share this experience with you all in person soon.

With that said, here is my request. I am in need of $300 to help offset the costs of transportation home after I arrive in the United States. Would you prayerfully consider donating to help bring me all the way home to Arizona? You would be donating to me personally, so it is not tax deductible. But it would be a great blessing to me, and if you are trying to think of any good birthday present for me (May 30^th), this is the perfect thing!

To donate, this is what you do:

1. Send me a message! Let me know that you are donating, and also ask if you have any questions!

2. Log into your Paypal account, and find the tab “Send Money.”

3. Enter in my address, sfcroaker@gmail.com as the recipient of the money.

4. Please send me your address so I can send you a Thank You note!

Thank you all so much for how you have supported me, prayed for me, and loved me through this amazing journey and process. Please consider supporting me in getting me home after the Race! I cannot wait to share this with you in person. 











 

Light is streaming into the kitchen through the window over the sink. I'm sitting at the table, pen in hand, journal and Bible open in front of me. Water begins to turn over inside the kettle on the stove and a slight whistle escapes the pot as I get up to take it off of the flame. Quietly I pour myself a glass of hot water and slip a small tea bag inside, taking it back to my position at the table. I sink back down into the chair and let my mind wander before my pen touches the page.

How has a month passed already? It seems like yesterday that we were getting off of a plane in Kiev, boarding our nineteen hour train to Lugansk. It's hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that it is almost May of 2012. But these are things that pass quickly through my mind, and I let my mind settle on processing through the fact that we're actually leaving this place today.

We are leaving Eastern Ukraine today, beginning our long journey to Arad, Romania.

A lot has happened in one month.

It has been my first month as team leader...which is weird, because it feels so normal. I love this team, and I have been so blessed by them, and by the opportunity to lead them.

This country has been the first country on the World Race that God has truly gripped my heart for a people group...the Eastern Ukrainians.

This is also the first country that I could see myself being here long term (though I have no idea what that looks like yet). The first time that I have felt the intense desire and longing to learn the language and immerse myself in the culture.

God opened so many doors through the ministry we were able to do. Through a few of our presentations about our trip, there may be an opportunity for our contact to hold an English translator's school, we were able to visit a school that has only ever had one group of Americans before us visit them (we signed a lot of autographs), and we had the chance to do a presentation at a school that was hesitant to have us at first, but they gladly want more groups to come in the future.

It was a month of new beginnings and heart awakenings.

So as I sit at the kitchen table in the morning light, my heart is sad to say goodbye to Ukraine. The people have captured my heart in a very special way, and I feel the weight of God's heart for them. He has revealed to me that my story is similar to theirs. That they are chosen. Appointed. Set apart to bear fruit- fruit that will last.

And so while I am sad to say goodbye to this place, these people, and this month, I know that God has more for me here. So, I look forward to the next two months of our race, and I look forward to seeing what God has in store for me and Ukraine in the future.

See you later, Ukraine!
Team TUFF!


Revival Church in Pervomaysk


Special Easter service!


Leah and I in Antratsit, Ukraine


At a school in Antratsit after our presentation


Olivia, Peggy and myself at the mine in Antratsit. Antratsit coal is a pretty big deal, apparently!


Some of the team at a museum in Antratsit


Crocheted Ukrainian Easter cakes and eggs


WWII Tank


WWII Memorial


WWII Memorial


Game time! Playing futbol with some of the kids in Antratsit


More futbol!


The team we played/helped...they were getting ready for a tournament, so we were their practice..hah!