I cleaned someone's apartment last week. Not the biggest of miracles… It belonged to two teenagers that were our unofficial guides in Romania. They had a troubled past and a huge heart to do justice for youth who had similar circumstances in the name of God. I don't really think I'll ever really know what that did for them.
Maybe that's the way God wanted it.
This week, I sorted through a bunch of books to make a library of apologetics material. Again, not turning water into wine. However, a week later, our contact took two of us to a Mormon temple. We went in with the explict order to not point out our theological differences in anger. The two young men who were answered our questions did so very vigilantly. They whole heartedly defended their faith. After a long winded answer over doctrine, my friend/team member asked him, "How did you come to your faith?"
The question took him off guard, and for a brief moment his eyes reveiled the pain. I could see the hurt from the sacrifice he had made from being away from his family for two years. It was the same pain I had experienced. Not that all pain is bad, but for one brief moment, we were connected by our suffering for God, no matter how differently we believed in Him.
Maybe that was the way God wanted it.
We ate dinner at our contact's house. He is a thin Ukrainian man very accustomed to order and planning. His heart shows through his hospitality and dedication to doing what is right because of his faith. They fed us obscene amounts of food for their small house. I wonder what they sacrificed so that I can eat. His kids came over and tried to make jokes in Ukrainian. I smiled and tickled back, because I know that tickles are a universal language. His daughter gave me the biggest hug afterward, and I knew I was being hugged by my Savior.
And maybe, when I put aside what I think this month should look like, I can finally see the beginnings of restoration.
Restoration, the way God wants it.
Currently, I am 4k short of being fully funded. If you can help, it would be much appreciated!
God bless you all!
