I think that Romania is kind of like a dungeon.
(Real dungeon from a fortress in Alba-Iulia)
It’s dark. It’s cold. There’s not a whole lot of color. And I see people bound by chains everywhere. Not physical chains, of course, but there just seem to be these invisible chains of oppression and legalism among the people here in Dragonasti. People are bound by their race—you got the Romanians, the poor gypsies, and the rich gypsies…—and their religion. It’s not super common for Romanians and gypsies to associate much with each other, and it’s not even that common to see the rich gypsies hanging out with the poor gypsies. And in terms of religion, the vast majority of people in Romania are of the Romanian Orthodox Church (~85%), a religion heavily based on laws and tradition. Now, I’m not saying that laws and tradition are innately bad things; but unfortunately around here, the Orthodox Church has used these things to taint the name of Christ with their legalistic view of the Christian faith.
These chains of race and religion hinder the development of relationships and promote a spirit of hostility and deception. I’ve gotten to witness it every day walking around town. But throughout my month here, I’ve had the privilege of working with Hope Church. They are truly a city on a hill, a lamp on a stand giving light to the entire house.
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:14-16).
As my month here comes to a close, God has given me new eyes for Romania. I see more of the vision He has for people to be free from their belief that they need to follow certain rules in order to be a good person, free from the false view that their worth is based on what they have and where they came from.
God has established Hope Church in Dragonasti to open the door to the dungeon, to allow light to come in. The door is open for people to walk out in freedom, but many are still sitting in their chains. After being in darkness for so long, light can be scary and unfamiliar. And walking out of the dungeon isn’t an overnight step. But there are many, many ways that God is using Hope Church to bring people into freedom. Here are just a few that I was blessed to be able to participate in this month:
Kids' Club with Vera – some of the kids are children of gypsies and some are children from Orthodox households
Street ministry with Mircea – praying for and talking wtih people about Jesus. Mircea and his family live in this town called Corabia. They are Christian pioneers in that area.
Braving the bees with Alexe and Veronica – all those boxes are beehives. Alexe and Veronica give bees to people who need a source of income; they can sell the honey.
Kids' Club with Alex and Anka – this is a brand new kids' club. Since my first week here, the number of kids has tripled! Hope Church's goal is to have 25 kids' clubs in 5 years. Right now, there are 14 up and running.
