It was one of those conversations I will never forget. I sat across from two young Romanians as our night train rolled on it’s tracks from Bucharest to Oradea. We had already been traveling for a few hours, and still had about eight or so to go. That’s when the conversation began with Edward, 24, and Joseph, 19. They had been speaking Romanian with each other during some of the ride, but I had already picked up that they spoke and understood English very well. When I started the conversation with them we touched on a variety of topics, but it got really interesting when we started talking about life in Romania, and what state the country is in now after coming out of communist rule only 22 years ago.
COMMUNISM. A dark, frightening ideology that promises equality and justice, but what it takes in bloody and destructive clawing to get there is far greater than anything it gives. Edward’s father is a doctor, his mother is a surgeon, and 6 generations before them were doctors as well. His grandfather had a home on 700 acres of land that was taken one morning, as quick as the men banging on the door could say, “this doesn’t belong to you anymore, you must leave now.” So when communism began in Romania, it took over people’s lives, possessions, and freedoms overnight. Years later the government told Edward’s grandfather that he could have his land and home back, but it would be at the devastating, moral expense of him being a snitch. He declined, but it’s estimated that one of every four people was a Securitate (secret police of Romania) informer.
WHAT IS YOUR FREEDOM WORTH? Something I found interesting was how Edward and Joseph spoke of the “pros” of communism… they said, “everyone had more money and mostly you could have what you wanted.” So I asked them, “so do you feel that is worth giving up your freedom?” The instant reply was a decisive no. “No, no, it is never worth it to give up your freedom” they said as they both shook their heads side to side in unison. This was just one moment of many that I felt so privileged to be having this conversation. Both of these young men are engineering/design students, very intelligent, and had interesting insight into every topic we touched on. You would think that now that communism is 'over' and their families can recover and live in freedom that there would be a huge sense of relief and excitement for what’s ahead. Especially with these two, and with the field they’re studying~ they must have endless possibilities ahead of them! Not so, they said.
“We’re a republic on paper”, they said, “but we don’t know what that is really supposed to look like.” Students are not encouraged to be anything they want to be… or, at least, they’re not encouraged to be anything they want to be and remain in Romania. There is still a presence of oppression, and so to really succeed in their endeavors many people end up leaving to live in other European countries or around the world. My two new travel friends said they will not do that~ if for anything other than to “stick it to the man” so to speak. They won’t give in to any pressure to leave the country. The majority of young people, in their perspective, have lost motivation to even set high goals for themselves. Many adults go through the motions, also, not feeling a real sense of freedom, and still fearing to some degree that they don’t truly have the right to say anything they feel. The government still has a lot of corruption, and while it is a huge step they’ve taken in leaving communism, there are still many huge steps that need to be taken to achieve true liberty.
One of the freedoms I’ve discovered about my life and my faith on this trip is that I’m never going to know or find all the ‘answers’. I used to think that if I studied more or knew more about God and the Bible then I could be a true witness to people and they would believe based on all the facts I’d have ‘figured out‘. It makes me think about a commercial a few years ago that made me laugh every time I saw it. There was a man sitting on his computer surfing the internet, and after he had been going from website to website, he clicked one more time onto a new page and the computer announced (or maybe it was Al Gore), “You have reached the end of the internet!” Makes me laugh even now, just thinking back to it. The notion that we can reach the end of the internet in all it’s vastness isn’t even as preposterous as ever getting to the “end” of everything God would have us to learn about Him! In the past it almost made me feel discouraged to think that I wouldn’t be able to get black and white answers for things… but now it makes me feel encouraged because I’ve just started to grasp how big and glorious the God of the universe is. He is complex and infinite, and while there are things He delights in us knowing, we know He isn’t revealing everything to us.
"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy 29:29
There are a lot of things we can’t choose. We can’t choose geographically where we’ll be born, or into what family. Of course, from youth to adulthood many more things in life become choices. Edward and Joseph did not choose Romania initially as children, but they choose it now as adults. When I asked them about faith, they said that most of the people they know only go to church to feel better, but God or faith is not a real part of their lives. I'm happy to say, though, that I have met some Romanians who do choose to have a real relationship with God, and they have a beautiful light and hope inside them that is visible on the outside. One of my favorite things about going anywhere in the world is that God is the same God, and offers the same love and hope to every single human being, regardless of geography.
God encourages us to "rest" in Him, and I’ve read that in Hebrew one translation of that means to be silent. Dan Rather asked Mother Theresa once how she talked to God when she prayed, and she said "I don't talk, I just listen. And if you don't understand that, I can't explain it to you." I’ve been listening a lot more to God since I began the World Race, and as I've continued to learn and grow in my faith while living around the world God has been an incredible sustainer. He looks after my heart and my well being, and welcomes me to sit with Him just for sake of relationship. The other day our team was doing a Bible study and one of our study points was “picture how God sees you instead of how you see you.“ Have you ever stopped to really ponder this? Not only does the King of Glory see me, but He is my Father, and I am His child whom He loves so completely, and so unconditionally. He delights in me! He also delights in you, and every person here in Romania, and in every other country of the world. There's no greater privilege than being able to enjoy the freedom we have in faith, and letting the awe and wonder of who God is sweep our hearts and minds!
Psalm 62:5, “Find rest O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.”
Blessings,
Jo Linda
　
