Last month in Romania, we had our Parent Vision Trip. Our parents were able to come join us for 5 days to see us and experience the Race with us. Leading up to PVT, I was nervous about my parents coming for several reasons. First, I knew I was going to share things with them that I hadn’t before, and I wasn’t sure how it would go. Second, neither of my parents had been on a mission trip before, and I was anxious about what they would think and how they would respond to it. And third, I was nervous about whether or not they’d see change in me, and what they would think about it.
The day of the parents’ arrival, I was a nervous wreck. It reminded me of how I felt at launch. But seeing my parents for the first time in 9 months was one of the sweetest moments of my life. As soon as their bus pulled up, I started crying and ran to greet them. We talked about everything going on at home, and they caught me up on the latest news. They brought me some of my favorite things from home and some precious notes from friends. And that night, I gave them a letter where I shared my heart and testimony with them for the first time. I felt so relieved and at peace afterwards, and was so excited for the week with them.
Eyeglass ministry
We had two full days of ministry together, and a day of church services. Our first day of ministry, we went to a village where we passed out Bibles and eyeglasses. The second day, we went on several home visits to distribute food and pray for the families. And our last full day in Draganesti, we went to two church services – one in a village and the evening service at Hope Church (our ministry partner for the month). Then we spent our last day together in Bucharest.
Left: Church with our host family; Right: dinner in Bucharest
Over the course of the week, we had several conversations that we normally wouldn’t have had. It was really nice to hear their testimonies and how God had worked in them before and over the course of my life. I shared with them my dreams, and received their support for wherever God leads me in the future. Their eyes were opened to the world’s desperate need for Jesus, and I got to see their hearts break as they saw Romania’s poverty and heard stories from various missionaries. It touched me to see how touched my parents were.
After the trip, my parents shared with me how much they loved the PVT. My dad shared with me that he thought the trip was very rewarding and eye-opening, and that between launch and now, he feels that he has made lifelong friendships with other parents and now has an extended family. And my mom commented on how well our squad loves and supports each other and how impressed she was with the missionaries’ passions and work in Draganesti.
I’m so thankful that my parents were able to come experience the Race and develop a new perspective of missions. The experiences I had with them in Romania are very near and dear to my heart, and some that I will remember for the rest of my life. I’m so proud of them for stepping out of their comfort zones and allowing the Lord to work in and through them. And I owe a huge thank you to my wonderful parents for making the journey!
