After a three-hour bus ride across Ireland, a four-hour plane ride to Romania, and a 10-hour bus ride to the small village of Arcalia, my team sleepily stumbled into the home of Gabby and Nelu, our designated Romanian host family. They are one of few Christians families in the area, and are in the process of starting a local church. We are here to help them.
Gabby, the wife, speaks adequate English, but is gone during most of the day. Nelu, the husband, understands some English, but hardly speaks any. “No problem,” “It’s okay,” “Understand?” and “I cookie for you” (I cook for you) are some of his most used phrases.
They have four adorable children, a large garden, and an abundance of plump chickens. Sometimes we help Nelu pick beans in the garden, or gather potatoes in the field. Nearly everything we eat is fresh from the ground.
We have no access to running water, so the boys on our team must fetch water from a nearby well multiple times a day. This water is used for cleaning dishes and the occasional hair wash. There is no area for bathing–if we wanted to do so we would have to jump in the river. We have yet to try this method–for the meantime we merely stopped bathing. Occasionally we’ll freshen up with a baby wipe and spray-on deodorant. Thankfully the weather here is pleasant–sunny and 70s (with no humidity!), so we don’t sweat too much.
We weren’t given any direction for our work here, and when we asked Gabby what we could do to help with the church she told us to pray. So in the morning we’ve been praying, and in the afternoon we play with the local kids. Some of the people on my team go on house visits. For the first few days I felt frustrated and without purpose–I wondered if anything we were doing was worthwhile. My biggest fear is to be a part of a mission trip that bears no fruit. I want to be a part of something that leaves a town transformed–something the leaves the people redeemed and empowered.
I asked God for a sense of purpose, and sure enough, a sense of purpose was granted. Our purpose here, I fully believe, is to be prayer warriors. It may not seem as glamorous as healing the sick or feeding the hungry, but it is still the work of God nonetheless. And I trust that God knows what is best to transform a village.
And so, every morning at 7:30 I depart with two of my teammates to hike up a nearby mountain and pray. We walk in silence until we reach the top, and then we spread out to be alone. With the sun just beginning to peak through the cloudy sky, I fall on my knees and pray protection and redemption over the village below me. Around 8:30 my teammates and I come together, pick fresh fruit off the trees, and head home for hot tea and breakfast. At 11:00 my entire team and the other team that is staying in this village gather together for an hour of prayer. Some people kneel, some stand, some walk around.
This morning I was given the vision that we are like Joshua and his army marching around the city of Jericho. All they did was walk around the city a few times before it collapsed. I’m sure at least a few of them felt like it was pointless to merely walk around the city they were trying to destroy. But God has his/her own way of doing things, and those ways are always best. So while I’m here I will continue to pray until I’m led to act otherwise, and I will trust that somewhere along the way the walls of oppression, bitterness, and sexual sin that surround this town really will fall down.
I’m happy to say that I’ve been sleeping much better lately, and am nearly recovered from being sick. Thank you for your prayers.
Friends and family, please know that I miss you very much. It’s been hard for me to accept all that I will miss out on during the following year (weddings, birthdays, holidays, etcetera etcetera). I guess I just assumed that life for everyone else would stop for the time I’m gone. But oh, it keeps going.
If you haven’t heard from me, you can bet that I’ve been thinking about you. Whenever I gain access to the Internet I’m usually too overwhelmed to function. I haven’t a clue what’s even going on in the world. What’s Obama up to these days?
Anyway. Thanks again for reading. I hope you are well. Until next time….
