We made it to Romania! Month 2. All Squad month. 44 people sharing 1 wifi connection, one washer, and one bathroom. 44 people living community style on bunk beds with smelly shoes lining the floor.
As you can imagine, going into this month was a little intimidating. My last month was incredible; filled with laughs, quiet time, and a lot of personal space. So to dive head first from autonomy to continuous communication, should have been quite an adjustment. Should have.
The first few days were an absolute blast. It was really fun to catch up with everyone, hear the stories and see the photos, and to dive into ministry of month 2. Our main host, Raul, must have known that all-squad month is a bit intimidating because he offered something none of us could have imagined. He offered that if we pool our adventure days together, he and his team would take us to… GREECE. YES I KNOW. GREECE.
An absolute dream come true. I was ecstatic to lay by the ocean, read a book, and just relax. I didn’t expect to meet anyone that blew my mind or really caught my attention, but obviously the Lord sees what we don’t.
After having the most incredible day (free breakfast, two baptisms, cliff jumping, beach hopping & sight seeing), a few girlfriends and I decided to head to a late dinner on the town. 5 of us end up at a place called (translated to) The Tavern. Right on the ocean, smelling delicious. Unbeknownst to us, we end up talking to the owner and having a genuine conversation with him. He must have appreciated it, because he brought us out 4 free appetizers, free bottled water, and free desert. We talked for 2 hours about his life. 2 hours.
His name is Yanis, and he’s a 38 year old man that’s been to over 50 countries, multiple times. He showed us pictures from pretty much every corner of the Earth, but the coolest part was yet to come. In some of his pictures- he had crutches. Turns out he was in a horrific accident about 6 years prior, and died 8 times.
Yes- Yanis died 8 times. He was in a motorcycle accident and pronounced dead on the scene, was revived, and stayed in a deep coma for 2 continuous months. During those 2 months, he was declared dead 8 different times. Once he awoke, he stayed hospitalized for 8 months (if I remember correctly), and had to be on crutches for 5 years due to continued surgeries.
Yanis had to cut the end of our conversation short because he had to close down the restaurant, so I don’t entirely know the end of his story. I’d love to say that he came to Christ before my eyes or was a believer all along, but I don’t know that. Nevertheless it is still evident that Christ is prominent in all of us, His work is continually shifting our perspectives. Yanis died 8 times, but arose 9. Surely God has some big plans for that man.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” -Jeremiah 29:11
I know just about as much of God’s plan for myself as I do for Yanis. The phrase “God works in mysterious ways” has taken on a completely new meaning for me. I never expected to travel the world and talk about Jesus, to cliff jump into the Aegean Sea, to talk with strangers at dinner. Simultaneously, I don’t know why Yanis was in that accident. I do know that God rose him out of it more times than he was taken.
All I can picture is Jesus sitting by the hospital bed, taking Yanis by the hand, and saying, “Arise”. In Mark 5:41, He raises a girl from the dead by doing just that. He gently takes her by the hand and says “Talitha cumi“, which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise”. Although I have not died and come back to life (thank you Jesus), I feel Him telling me this daily. Arise, little girl. Wake up to everything I have planned for you. Open your eyes to the promise that I’ll love you through all your faults. Arise to the challenges, so that you can receive the greatest good there is.
I’m so thankful to hear those words, to accept the invitation to arise to whatever God has in store for me. I invite you to do the same. Arise, and accept the goodness that He has for you.
Now for the adventure:
