As I sit in my bed, which is my sleeping bag on a wooden
floor, I am exhausted. The last 24 hours have been all but a walk in the park.
Rather it was a walk through cow pastures, down country roads, along railways,
through rivers, up mountains, down hills, all adding up to about sixteen miles.
Nine miles of which I had a 25lb pack on my back. Walking from Ocnitsa to
Nasvalcia, two villages in Moldova was a huge test on why we are truly here.
Are we here to travel, or are we here to do what we can to help those the Lord
has called us to?
Andres, our host, runs a rehabilitation center for men in
the mountains of Nasvalcia where we went to help. Our job, chuck corn!! Despite
what you may think, me an Orange County girl, rocked that hook-machete… Not
that I really doubted my skills from the beginning. Wearing my zip off pants, a
long sleeve v-neck tackily over my short sleeve, a massive headband over my
treacherous braid, I hacked away at the corn. In fact, I kept going until I had
hives all over my arms, which I still have as I sit here 12 hours later after a
shower. So yes God, here I am… Use me….
But I have to admit that despite how exhausted I may feel,
it was amazing! After walking to the village, we dropped our packs at the home
we had for the evening and walked a few more miles to the riverbank. Mind you,
this is the Moldova/Ukraine border, meaning we walked to Ukraine!! We jumped
off the rocks into the COLD water in our clothes, and had a blast.
Then we
hiked up a mountainside, which we declared ‘National Geographic’ style. When I
say we hiked up a mountain side- I mean we shimmied through rocks, steps on the
mountainside as it crumbled beneath our feet (apparently it is a rock only
found in Moldova and Romania- kinda looks like a mountain of black fossil
layers), climbed over and under as we went through a cave (containing an animal
skull, and it was DARK!), then jumping on rocks, only to hold on to tree roots
as we climbed to the top which was a railway. We walked that a few miles back
towards home. The view was breathtaking, overlooking both countries, the river,
the fall colors, ahhh… Amazing!
So, while my bed suits me fine, my hives still itch, and my
calves can’t function I am reminded of something… God is beautiful. His beauty
is in all things if we just open our eyes. The road might not be the easiest,
but remember- He is waiting at the finish with a beautiful and glorious prize-
be it this view, or the view in heaven….
