BUNA ZIUA!!
These are the peaks we climed over going from right to left...this is before the decent probably about 7hrs in.
Some of the girls on the hike
Looking at the peak, theres a valley that goes all the way down to the city next to where they are standing. They are at about 2,000 meters.
On the way to the cross, by the way...that thing is waaaaaayyyy further away than it apears and by that I mean it is on the peak of a different mountain.
On one peak...about 1/3 of the way there...about 5hrs inHey frieennnddsssss,
Boy, oh boy do I have news for yall. So, I have been praying that the Lord would sanctify me through the situations that I encounter here in Romania. Let me be the first to tell you, he will be faithful to sanctify those he has justified. With that being said, I have grown more in this past year more than I have in my entire life...this includes the times in Oxford, Brandon, and now Romania.
I have learned so much (so much) about relating to people, understanding the purpose in suffering, and finding the promise of the gospel and the peace we can have when we rest in the fished work on the cross.
I will post later about all the things I have learned through our book studies and our interactions with people but for the sake of this post I want to tell you about the hike I took.
Click on the link to get the full story on the Bucegi Mountains the southern part of the Carpathians.
What started out as a planned 6 and a half hour hike turned out to be a 14 hour hike. That's right...14 hours. We had no idea what we were getting ourself into. We went to be around 2am and woke up at 4am to catch the 5:20 train to Sinaia. We began our hike at 7am.
I took 3 sandwiches, some train mix, 3 liters of water, a rainjacket, a pair of long pants, a button down, and my backpack full of other random necessities. I will spare you all the details of the hike (at least until I can tell you in person) but this was waaaaay out of my league. Two of the girls went on the hike for 6 hours then they took the lift down...you have no idea how badly I wanted to go down with them. In my video I think I even mention taking the cable car down. Part of the way we were hiking to this giant metal cross at the peak of one of the highest mountains in Bucegi. At one point I started tearing up because I genuinely LONGED to be at that cross and to be finished with that section of the hike. What a parallel to our longing to be at home with christ and to rest in the cleft of the Rock of Ages forever. That thought took over my body and I have never had the gospel made more beautiful to me than in that moment, in that moment of pain, misery, exhaustion, sadness, I wanted to be at the foot of the cross. The beautiful thing is...one day I will be, only he wont be on the cross, he will be on the throne in the redeemed world in the new heaven and the new earth wiping away every tear from our eyes.
I finished the hike at 14hrs putting us on the 9:30 train back to Brasov. I have never felt so weary in my life. The hike was about 15-20 miles, not flat of course, but up and down the sides of the Bucegi mountains. We had 26 people with us and 24 made the whole trip. I was one of them and that blows my mind.
I tell you all of this to say that I have never felt such a concentraited time of sanctification in my life. I prayed the entire hour before I feel asleep the night before, I prayed the whole way up, I prayed the whole way over the peaks and valleys, and I prayed the whole way down. I continually saw how the Lord was showing me my weakness and his strength. I finally started saying to myself over and over, "The Lord is my strength and my salvation." I know this might seem silly or extreme but I know for a fact that if the Lord had not moved my legs to hike the mountain I would still be up there right now. I wanted to cry but I found myself laughing. I wanted to quit but I kept picking up flowers to remind me of God's goodness, mercy, and redemption. I wanted to get angry at people but I found myself being an encourager. THAT WAS CHRIST AT WORK WITHIN ME...I know this because I know Anna Davis and I know that she would never do any of that.
Katherine-remember that little orange book of Bible verses you gave me? Yep, I read through them the entire time. Providence.
To the rest of you, y'all are my happy thought and I miss you more than you know. I praise God for his goodness in giving me you.
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