Ministry in Romania looks different almost every day, but I want to talk about one specific event that happened last week during our outreach.
We split up into smaller teams to cover more ground. Two of my teammates and I went with a local missionary, Lucion, to a nearby Roma community to hand out free clothing. We drove over, pulled to the curb and opened the trunk full of clothes. Lucion spoke to the locals, inviting them over to the car. In minutes, we found ourselves surrounded and clothing being thrown here and there. The language barrier forced us into a game of charades and the smiles and laughter made our time there in the community so much fun.
No more than 30 minutes passed when all the sudden, a woman dropped her clothes and fell to the ground wailing. I looked around fearful, thinking the worst. I had no idea what was going on. Everyone was talking, crying, and running. So much running! The people that were once surrounding our car were now halfway down the street. It felt like a war zone.
We turned to Lucion who in broken English mustered up the words, “She’s dead.” Wait, what? It took a bit to actually figure out more of the story and to be honest, I’m still not completely sure. To my understanding, a 60 year old women within that Roma community was in the hospital and had a recent heart attack. The doctors couldn’t save her and the news was just shared through a phone call. I didn’t know her name. I didn’t know anything about her, but the people in the community did. They knew her like a grandmother, a mother, a sister, an aunt, and a friend. She was someone so special to each one of them. Everyone was moved to tears, even me. It reminded me of 1 Corinthians 12:26 that says,
“If one member suffers, all suffer; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.”
Although I didn’t know this women, the reaction this community presented was incredible. They held each other, cried together, ran the streets together, and knocked on every door to make sure everyone knew. Tragedy has a way of bringing people together; of creating unity in chaos. It’s hard, messy, frustrating, and often times confusing. But at least they had and will continue to have one another.
Seeing this community come together and support each other lifted my spirits. I don’t know if they know Jesus, but they showed a great picture of the body of Christ. Right now, I’m in a rut where living in community is hard. I’ve had days where I just want to leave my team and squad. Not to go home, but to have my own space where I’m not surrounded by people constantly checking in with me, in the same room, or within arms reach. This tragedy reminded me that I need them (although I could take a break from living with them at times). I need people rallying around me, praying for me, encouraging me, and walking with me through this crazy life. Community is SO vital and no matter how hard I fight it, deep down I know I can’t live life without them.
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him – a threefold cord in not quickly broken.”
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
~A
