A Day in the Life as a RevivEE Missionary
I can’t believe I’m already twelve weeks into my missionary experience! In many ways it feels like I’ve been in Bucharest for years—and San Diego now feels like a distant memory. I’ve settled in, I feel at home, and I truly love this city. The architecture is beautiful, the people are kind and respectful, it’s walkable and convenient, and it has all the comforts of a modern U.S. city. Life feels “normal” now, especially with the rhythm of our RevivEE schedule (a future post will break down all forty hours of our weekly rhythm!).
In Bucharest, we’re a team of 14—eight young disciples in our 20s and six wiser disciples in their 50s and 60s. We meet six days a week for trainings, devotionals, planning, and a whole lot of encouragement. We share our faith daily, serve foster youth on the weekends, and host community events like game days and karaoke nights. Every day looks a little different, but the video above shows a snapshot of an average Tuesday.
A Typical Tuesday on RevivEE
5:00 a.m. — An Early Start
I woke up at 5:00 a.m., made breakfast, and talked with my mom for about 45 minutes. She shared that my grandparents have now entered hospice care—please keep all three of them in your prayers.
From 6–7 a.m., I spent time with God. I’m currently reading The Pursuit of Holiness, a book rooted in Hebrews 12:14 (“pursue holiness… without holiness no one will see the Lord”). It’s structured, convicting, and deeply spiritual—but what I love most is how it continually brings the focus back to God’s character. Holiness isn’t about me—it’s about Him.
7:30 a.m. — Immigration Office
I left home to pick up my one-year volunteer visa. Americans can only stay in Romania (a Schengen country) for up to 90 days without one, so this was a big milestone!
But typically on Tuesday mornings I meet with Barb, our elder’s wife, who is incredibly wise and spiritual. Our conversations always leave me grounded and inspired.
Late Morning — Coffee & Outreach
After my visa appointment, I traveled across the city to meet up with the team. With an hour to spare, I stopped at a café to warm up (the definitely getting cold here!) and caught up on unread messages. I also read more from Tulsi Gabbard’s For Love of Country, which I can’t recommend—not for political reasons, but because the tone feels unresolved and bitter, which is neither inspiring nor constructive.
Before outreach, our team gathers to pray and encourage one another. Then Ioana—my team leader, roommate, and sharing partner—and I headed to our first Bible study of the day. It was our first time meeting this young woman, and her openness and desire to learn God’s Word were so refreshing.
1:00 p.m. — Weekly Team Lunch
Every Tuesday, we gather at the Wootens’ home (our ministry leaders) for a RevivEE-sponsored lunch. It’s one of the best parts of the week (but I completely forgot to film it). It’s just time to rest, talk, laugh, and enjoy being together.
2:00 p.m. — Faith Building + RevivEE Training
After lunch, we join all the RevivEE teams across Eastern Europe—Budapest, Chisinau, Sofia, and Zagreb—for our weekly “Faith Building” time. Hearing how God is moving across five countries is one of my weekly highlights. It reminds me that we’re not alone; 59 other missionaries are living the same vision, the same mission, and the same gospel.
We then transition into our bi-weekly (every Tuesday and Thursday) training. These classes strengthen our understanding of Scripture, evangelism, discipleship, and the heart behind ministry. This week we studied Philippians 2:12–18, which emphasizes obedience as an expression of our love for God. The Greek word for “work” here is energeō—meaning it is God who energizes us to will and to act. He transforms our desires so obedience flows from the heart, and the byproducts—joy, peace, contentment—replace grumbling and arguing. When we tap into God’s energeō, we become blameless, pure, and shine like light.
4:30 p.m. — Evening Bible Study
Ioana and I traveled to meet with a young professional who is quickly becoming a dear friend. She is genuine, thoughtful, and loves deep conversations. But getting there was… an adventure. We took the wrong bus. Twice. A 45-minute commute stretched into two hours.
During long commutes, I usually pray, practice Romanian, or read.
The study itself was beautiful—even though it was entirely in Romanian. My Romanian is still very basic, so following along through Google Translate is exhausting. But amen! It’s not about me—it’s about helping someone draw closer to God.
9:30 p.m. — Finally Home
After 14 hours in the cold and on public transport, I was worn out. But this is honestly a very typical Tuesday.
Why We Do What We Do
You may be wondering why RevivEE is structured this way. The purpose of the program is to revive struggling churches across Eastern Europe. These are faithful, devoted disciples who simply need support—spiritually, practically, and generationally.
The retired “Caleb couples” strengthen the older church members, while we younger missionaries—called “globe changers”—focus on reaching and discipling the youth.
RevivEE is intentional, spiritual, and mission-centered. It is about others. One of our theme scriptures is John 12:23–26:
“Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds…”
We are here to “die to ourselves” so others can know Jesus.
We hold onto Romans 1:16:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to all those who hear it.”
Sharing our faith in the cold isn’t glamorous. Getting lost on buses isn’t exciting. Long days aren’t relaxing. But discipleship was never meant to be glamorous—it was meant to be faithful.
And even as we pour ourselves out, we are constantly poured into. That’s what makes RevivEE so special. We receive deep biblical training, hands-on ministry experience, daily encouragement, and a spiritual family to walk beside us.
Conclusion
Twelve weeks in, I’m grateful, humbled, and continually amazed at what God is doing—not just around me, but in me. Bucharest already feels like home, and RevivEE is family. Every long day, every cold commute, every conversation about Jesus reminds me why I’m here: to love people, to serve the church, and to make Christ known. My prayer is that God continues to use this year to shape me into someone who reflects His heart more and more—and that the seeds planted here will bear fruit long after we’re gone.
