October-December 2024 Newsletter

It is always a joy to sit back and realize how God has given me the exact ministries I have wanted to do on the mission field. In my last newsletter, I let you know that my roommate Sarah and I had finished our English teaching course and were making preparations for our first class. We set them up how other language schools do in the country with 6-week intervals, so our first set was from October to November. We had a few hiccups with getting in all of the materials needed, but we were still able to work around it and the students were appreciative of this new course. It has also been amazing to see some of these students attend church, and we were so happy to see them also show up for special services during the holidays. Our two biggest prayer requests for this area is that we will have wisdom in how to utilize each class period well and for more opportunities to share the gospel with them.
The college semester went very well, and we ended with a shorter choir tour through a weekend with churches in Romania and Budapest, Hungary. There were several highlights for me personally from this trip. One of the churches in Romania asked us to host one of their youth nights. So even though it was a different type of service then we usually sing to, it was fun getting to connect with them through the games we had also prepared, and even a form of soccer keep-away before the service. They realized, of course, that I couldn’t play very well and were gracious to keep me out of the middle. One of the churches in Budapest was such a blessing to be a part of because a lot of their congregation was deaf. Having been a part of these services during college and back when I attended the Bill Rice Ranch, I was only able to get a few words out, as much as to then remember they weren’t using ASL of course. During each of the choir tours, I love every time during a service where God shows us how no matter what country we are from, we have a point of connection through Him and it is such a joy to have that kind of fellowship and worship. Another blessing during the tour was being able to hear the college students give two types of testimonies, their salvation testimony and how God led them to the college.
In December, I got to welcome my parents in for Christmas! They had never done an international flight before, and even though it did not treat them well, we had a wonderful time together exploring a few of the castles here in Romania and simple family time at home together.
A few prayer requests for the upcoming months: Sarah and I will be starting our second 6-week English course at the end of January. The spring college semester starts the first week of February. I have 3 classes this semester: English Composition, Teaching Methods, and Typing. We will also be starting our semester with a modular course on spiritual gifts. The church will be restarting our evening small groups hopefully in February and I would like to do a book study in Proverbs. So if you have any recommendations, feel free to send them my way.
Thank you so much for your continued support and prayer!
In Christ,
Olivia West
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