Community. That is the word that makes the World Race different. Not just being a group of believers who worship together, but being a group of believers who do everything together. We live together, laugh together, cry together, fight together, travel together, get lost together, and change lives together. We are family. Just as the disciples were family. This past month, we were so blessed to get to see what community looks like in a church setting. The people of Living Hope Church in Pitesti, Romania were a shining example of what it means to live as a church family. They ministered together every day. They lived in separate buildings in and out of the city, but they “lived” together. When one had a need, all came to help. When the church was going to do an outreach, they all came together to spread the word and help. When work needed to be done, they all pitched in with joyful hearts. When and where earthly families failed, these beautiful people stepped in and supported even if it cost them time, energy, and money. They prayed for each other, challenged each other, worked together despite differences, and truly loved each other. They are not perfect people, but they loved each other and us right where we were, worts and all. Our main ministry this month was to love. Love the children they worked with, love the members of their church, love each other, love God, and learn to love ourselves. We might not have always felt that we were doing much, but love always makes an impact.
Coming to Romania was a big ordeal. We traveled over 80 hours to finally come to rest in Pitesti with our new family at Living Hope Church. Romania was completely different than Central America. The poverty here is as real as in Central America, but it looks much different. In Central America, the children were dirty with swollen bellies. In Romania, they look clean and they have more cloths, but they are no better off. Most of the children we were privileged to work with lived in Razboieni. Razboieni literally means “the place of war”, and this community lives up to it’s name. There are fights every night and the police are often called in. Every family lives in a one room apartment that is not much bigger than an average size laundry room back in the states. Most of the time, the parents have no jobs because the economy is so bad and now that there is no communism, the people are still trying to figure out how to be self- sustaining. Alcoholism is the cheapest form of escape. Imagine if you lived all day, everyday in that small of a space with multiple children. Needless to say, abuse, neglect, and sexual misconduct are the rule, not the exception.
But in the midst of this darkness, there is hope. That hope is Christ and He is making Himself known to the people of Razboieni through the amazing people of Living Hope Church. Pastor Cristi and the rest of his team are changing lives by simply loving those the rest of the world looks down upon. They go into this community and provide a small escape for these child. A small window where they can experience love and laughter and joy. Where they are corrected but not yelled at and hit. A place where they are hugged, but not inappropriately touched. A place where adults jump and laugh and run with them instead of screaming at them to shut up. And the best part, is while they are experiencing these things, they are also hearing about Christ. Being planted deep within each of their precious hearts is not only the words of God, but a living, tangible picture of what God’s love really looks like, feels like, and sounds like. The only time some of these children ever experience love, they also hear about the One who loves them the most. It is hard, exhausting work, but so worth it.
The people at Living Hope Church will always have a special place in my heart. They taught me so much and loved me so well and one day, I get to spend all eternity with them. What a great day that will be indeed!
