I wear a ring on my right hand that says Live Simply on the inside of the band. I have been trying to remind myself of this, and that excess is not what we need to comfort us – it only distracts from what life really is offering us.
We have been living here in Draganesti for 13 days now, and I am constantly being humbled by how these people live. Let me paint you a picture. Majority of the people here are unemployed (70-80%), and get from A to B in a horse drawn buggy or old little car. They live in houses that are the size of most American’s living rooms, and raise their animals and crops to eat in their dirty, trash cluttered backyards. Wood is saved year round to burn for heat in the winter. Trash lines the sidewalks and streets. Christianity is not accepted here, seeing as there are 700 born again believers in Olt County, with a population of 500,000 people; that’s 0.2%. Despite this depression and heartache, the missionaries we have been working with ooze joy endlessly. And it is awesome!
Yesterday I helped a missionary clean him and his wife’s apartment to prepare for visitors to stay during the church’s opening this weekend. Their apartment was one of the bigger ones I have seen here, and yet it was still very small. Marian, his wife Andrea, and their 2 year old daughter Ruth Naomi are living there. This little family is literally a constant ray of sunshine to us WRers, as well as the community they live in (I know I say this about everyone we are working with, but it’s so true! Ruth Naomi was smiling at 3 days old… its real joy!)
My task yesterday was to vacuum the living room floor, and to clean the glass windows. I was given an old vacuum that just needed a little repetition while going over one spot (not an efficient Dyson), and some warm water, soap and a wash rag for the dusty windows (not windex and newspapers). Nothing about this upset me, but gave me such a humbling joy. I was literally smiling the whole time I was vacuuming their floor on my hands and knees, getting the dust from the vacuum blown back in my face. It was one of those big “THANKFUL” moments as I was reflecting on my life and the opportunities that have constantly been laid out for me.
I was able to talk with Andrea and find out some similarities we have while we dusted shelves and cleaned the windows. She is from Germany and practiced as a midwife before moving to Romania to be a missionary and start her family. I really enjoyed hearing her story about how she moved here, met Marian, and gave everything to God before acting on her feelings to pursue him. Also, talking with her about delivering babies, and her joy in that was very refreshing and uplifting.
1 Thessalonians 4: 10-12 talks about living a quiet life. “to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life. You should mind your own business and work with your hands just as we told you.”
When I read this the other morning during my devotion, it really hit home, and it has not left my head since. I see the simplicity here in how everyone lives, and how close they are with our Creator. They don’t have the hub bub of American life, like I am used to, and they are so genuinely happy! Marian and Andrea were complaining about having too much stuff and wanting to get rid of things! Ha, they would freak if they say how much stuff I had in my room alone at home when compared to their whole apartment. It is refreshing to strip down all of the distractions and get back to the basics of life. Meeting our physical and spiritual needs so simply.
I am in love with the simplicity in life here and cannot wait to carry it with me for the rest of my life.
