Last month (Month 10) my team wasn’t assigned to a normal ministry. We were the “Unsung Heroes” team – our sole purpose was to find new contacts for Adventures in Missions. These could be pastors, faith-based NGOs … anyone who might benefit from having a World Race team in the future.
We had a successful couple of weeks in the lovely capital, Chisinau, before sensing that our time there was finished. So we bought a giant map of Moldova, spread it out on the table, and prayed. In the end, we all felt drawn to a little town in the north called Rezina. But we didn’t know anyone there. After some research, we found that there was only one hotel in the town – and it was wayyy out of our budget.
We had no real plan… but we had a place, a date, and all of us had a peace about going. So we went.
Photo credit – Tyler Shugart
After being on the Race, you get used to spontaneous adventures. You get used to haphazardly throwing a plan together. So as my team piled onto that bus, I wasn’t worried. We’d figure something out. We always have.
“And besides,” we told each other, “if God really did direct us there, He knows we’ll need a place to stay. So He’ll provide one.”
We stepped out onto the Rezina sidewalk armed with our packs, tents, and our favorite cookies from the Chisinau market. Beautiful yellow leaves covered the tree branches and the ground. We stood in a circle, bowed our heads, and asked God for a place to stay that night.
For the next 5 hours, we walked. We prayed. We asked people if they knew a place we could stay besides the fancy schmancy hotel. We wandered some more. 5 hours is a long time.
It began to get darker. And as it got darker, it got colder.
Finally, we found a group of teenagers who knew of a place we could pitch our tents if need be. They led us to the edge of town to a little hillside with a clearing, but warned me that I’d be insane to camp in these freezing temperatures. (Yes, thank you…)
We said goodbye, and I sat down on the curb to think.
As team leader, it’s my job to make sure my team is taken care of. That they are warm, fed, and safe. But at this point, I had no resources to guarantee that. Once again, I felt the tension between my responsibilities to my team, and trusting that God (not me) would take care of them.
I mean, I believed we were supposed to be in this town. I could feel it. But this was all still new to me. I’ve heard lots of other World Race stories like this – teams that impulsively follow God’s direction without knowing where they’d get food, water, and shelter. Somehow it always worked out for them in the end.
But usually when I hear those stories of random, crazy provision, I feel more skeptical than impressed. I used to be on the Logistics Team for goodness’ sake – I was in charge of providing for people. Things don’t just happen by themselves.
At this point, it didn’t seem like anything was going to fall out of the sky into our laps. I made a plan – I would call a cab to take me & a teammate to the hotel, where we’d try to talk the price down, while the rest of the team ate dinner. If I was unsuccessful, we’d camp that night.
I called the cab company, only to have them tell me all the taxis were busy, and they’d call me as soon as one was free. Oh well. I headed into the restaurant to join my team for dinner while I waited.
A mother carrying an adorable baby walked past our table, and we reacted the way we always do when there’s a baby around – waved, made faces, and squealed. Essentially, acted like goofballs. The lady spoke to us in English, and after some polite conversation, I recited the same spiel I’d used a dozen times that day: “We actually don’t know where we’re sleeping tonight. The hotel is too expensive, but we do have some money to pay for lodging. Do you know of a place we could stay?”
One phone call to her director later, she offered us a 3 bedroom apartment, just down the street, costing whatever our budget would allow.
…what…
The apartment was beautiful. The owner was very sweet, always had a smile on her face, and continued to offer her help with whatever we needed. We all had real beds. We all had cozy blankets. It was actually one of the more comfortable places we’ve stayed during the entire World Race.
It really did just fall into our laps. I was in a stunned, joyful daze for the rest of the night.
I used to be skeptical when I heard these stories. But now, I can’t deny that I have one of those stories. One minute I was exhausted, discouraged, and steeling myself for a miserable night’s sleep. The next, I had more than I could have asked or imagined. We specifically asked Him for something we couldn’t get by ourselves, and He answered us. I can’t attribute that apartment to coincidence. Now I’m one of those crazies with the crazy story…
And I’m certain that from the moment we answered the call to go to Rezina, He knew the place He’d provide for us. He’s a good Father, and was not going to leave us stranded. In fact, He went above and beyond in His care for us.
Besides, that taxi company never did call me back.
My teammates Ali and Tyler have written about this story too – visit their blogs to read from their perspectives:
http://aliwatson.theworldrace.org/?filename=we-were-homeless-twice-part-2
http://tylershugart.theworldrace.org/?filename=homeless-in-rezina-winning-the-world-race-part-1
