It seems we
have reached the land of milk and honey. I, in the spirit of the
World Race culture, entered into Romania with literally no
expectation whatsoever. Mostly because I had not a clue what lied in
store for us here, and also because I knew nothing about the country.
We spent our first two nights in Bucharest with another team’s
contact, who runs a children’s home. As soon as I walked into the
building I knew we weren’t in Africa anymore, we definitely were not
in India, and Southeast Asia was in our rear-view.
It’s
incredibly odd to be in a place where standards like hot showers,
western toilets, toilet paper, and oh yes… BREAD are staples to
living. I know it sounds funny, but during our months in Africa,
Nepal, and India, the only bread we saw was a flat and bland tortilla
(attach a different name for each location). I thought America knew
how to do bread; we’ve got nothing on Eastern Europe.
But the
comforts didn’t stop inside. As soon as I stepped outside again, I
almost began to cry. No, it wasn’t a 62-inch HDTV with a Hurricanes
game on (though that would have also brought tears to my eyes), it
was a cool summer evening; the sun was still up at 9:30, a yard full
of thick COLD grass beneath my bare feet, a football to throw, and a
trampoline. Seriously… this was a dream.
We arrived
in Arad after an easy-going overnight train ride, and we were
immediately met with similar conditions. Beds, a fridge, hot water, a
kitchen table, wifi, cereal, cold milk, grass, a neighborhood, a
microwave, and water you can drink from the tap! Do you know how much
you come to appreciate tap water after you have spent a month walking
to the store, buying a 5-gallon jug of water, hauling it up 4 stories
in 120-degree heat, and then turning it upside down on a bubbler? A
lot!
The culture
shock definitely kicked in when we took a 5-minute free bus ride
(with 6 people on it) to the mall down the road, and we were met with
a Romanian Home Depot, Sephora, a pet shop, and the mother-load… a
Wal-Mart sized grocery store, playing techno (they play it everywhere
here). I spent the better part of an hour simply walking the aisles
LOOKING at all the food and drinks for sale. Just 2 weeks ago I was
buying eggs with chicken poop on them from the woman who had gathered
them from her chickens that morning inside a grass hut. Oh how times
change.
And then it
sunk in; my Father knew EXACTLY what I needed, and when I needed it.
He has taken me out of a world where it took a new $400 electronic to
bring a smile to my face, and put me in THE world, where my joy,
outside of His people, comes from a cool breeze, the feel of grass
beneath bare feet, old trampolines, and clean drinking water.
I am not
the same person that I was 10 months ago; and for that I will never
stop thanking God.
