February Alumni Spotlight: Nichole Carr—Loving As Christ Loved In Romania
February 24, 2020
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” —John 13:34–35
In a world clamoring for love, Nicki Carr is endeavoring to fill the void by showing Christ’s love to the Roma people.
Originally from Greenfield, Iowa, Nicki grew up hearing the testimonies of her cousins and other alumni who attended Faith. While still in high school, she sensed God leading her to full-time ministry, so she chose to attend Faith Baptist Bible College for more training.
Nicki developed a burden for missions during her time at Faith. She participated in mission trips to China and South Africa, and attended missions classes to equip her further for ministry. “Faith gave me a firm foundation in the doctrines that not only affect how I teach on the mission field, but also how I live,” commented Nicki. “Our professors at Faith emphasized that our theology is not just scholastic. What we believe about God affects how we relate to Him and how we live our lives.”
While attending a Back on Track conference at Faith, Nicki was introduced to the idea of medical missions. She graduated from Faith in 2007 with an associate’s degree in missions and an associate’s degree in nursing from a college in Creston, Iowa. She served as a registered nurse in Hawaii and Iowa to gain medical experience, and then returned to Faith, completing her bachelor’s degree in missionary nursing in 2013.
God used an interview with Kim Warner (Fulks, ‘03) Nicki’s senior year to give her a love and a burden for the Roma people, an impoverished ethnic group living in Romania. Nicki now assists Luke (’03, ’06) and Kim Warner in their church plant by helping with Sunday School, children’s ministries, VBS, outreach events, and other ministries.
Nicki shows Christ’s love to the Roma people through various methods. In addition to her regular ministries at the church plant, Nicki connects with the Roma teens by offering fine arts classes. Many Roma people cannot read, so Nicki assists in providing literacy classes. “If they can read the Bible for themselves and find truth, they won’t be led astray by superstitions or by religions that do not preach the saving grace of Jesus Christ,” stated Nicki.
Because of her degree and medical experience, Nicki also has open doors to visit the Roma people in their homes, where she advises them to obtain medical care or encourages them to follow previously provided medical instructions. She also has a unique medical outreach with children.
“I have also been able to reach into the community through volunteering at a local hospital. I provide a ‘play hour’ for the children staying in the pediatric ward.” Nicki said. “I can’t always be very forward with the gospel in this setting, but when asked for an explanation about who I am and what I do, I can respond that I am in Romania to share about the love of Jesus Christ.”
Nicki enjoys this time in the pediatric ward, bypassing cultural prejudices in order to love the children, both Roma and Romanian. She desires to continue to employ her God-given abilities and training to show Christ’s love to the Roma people in practical ways. As Nicki reminds us, “We love them because He first loved us.”