My last night in Arcalia, Romania was full of food, charades, and laughter. Teammate Summer and I were prayer walking around the village when we decided to make a last minute visit to our new friend Claudia and her family. We knew our knock on the door was a surprise but they welcomed us as though we were expected guests. They quickly showed us into their living room where we shared the strongest coffee I have ever tasted (I had trouble drinking it without making a face.) Then, out came the food: Coke, cookies, crackers, and every variation of sweet cheese pastry imaginable. The family ate until they were comfortably full, while Summer and I were encouraged to eat until we were uncomfortably full.
As we ate, we acted. Neither Summer nor I speak Romanian. Claudia and family do not speak English. So each of us tried, sometimes unsuccessfully, to communicate our side of the conversation by acting and pointing. Our conversation was the most fun game of charades I have ever played. My favorite was the repeated actions by Claudia’s husband. He would put on his cowboy hat, dismount his imaginary horse, draw his imaginary guns, then spin the guns and place them back in the holster. He reenacted this scenario five or six times throughout the evening. I’m still not sure what he was trying to tell us but we all enjoyed the laughter it created.
At 8 o’clock we realized we had been visiting for nearly four hours and so we told our host it was time for us to go home. Before leaving, Summer and I prayed for Claudia and her family. Our prayers were bathed in tears; first Claudia and her husband‘s, then mine. As they walked us to the front door they acted out their thanks. They explained to us that no one comes to visit them because they have little money and a broken home. They wiped their tears and were then all smiles. They “said” they were so glad we had visited. We were given big hugs and sent on our way. As we walked away down the gravel path I kept looking over my shoulder to see Claudia and her family standing at the gate waving. They waved until we were out of sight.
On the World Race I expected to learn about the needs of the world and how to minister to them. This is what I am learning: the one thing I hear in every country, in every village is that people feel they have been forgotten. Poverty, social status, societal norms, crimes, sin-we find reasons to label and judge. We find reasons to separate ourselves from “them.” And then, we wonder how we can minister in this world. We think we need to create the perfect five-point presentation of the gospel. We think we need the right supplies and the right words. But, we don’t. In Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus explains that the greatest commandment is love. It’s a passage I have read a thousand times but makes more sense to me today than ever before. There are people all around the world who feel they have been forgotten, and the greatest thing we can do is see them. Our greatest mission is to sit down, eat sweet cheese pastries, play charades, and laugh. Our greatest command is to love. And when we do it, God shows up.
