Ah the month in Romania is almost up!!!! So you may be wondering…what has this girl been doing??
Well, ministry on the world race doesn’t exactly have a specific requirement or always look a certain way. Basically each month, we go into a country, meet our ministry contact and serve them in the best way possible in whatever that means for them. This could mean helping them with administrative things, bringing resources to people who need them, sharing about God, singing songs, teaching English, etc.
So this month we have been working with a ministry called Casa Shalom. Although it was formerly an orphanage, housing about 35 kids at a time, a few years ago the government made changes and decided to shut down most orphanages in Romania to promote family units staying together. Now Becky, the president and founder of this ministry, has been able to reach out to hundreds of kids and families each month by going out to villages and visiting homes and helping to bring resources they may need and teaching them skills while also just pouring into them spiritually and emotionally. She brings her accordion wherever she goes—which always produces loud sound, singing, dancing, and laughter. So this month we’ve been…
-chipping, painting and restoring the fence gating Casa Shalom property
-In Romania, Romas (formerally known as Gypsies—however this is a derogatory word for Romas) are oppressed peoples living in villages, slums, or outskirts of towns together. With our ministry host, we went out to these villages to bring them food, clothing, books and school supplies, and bathing supplies. We also spent hours with them singing, dancing, playing, loving, and lots of laughing. It is beautiful and heartbreaking to see how much these kids just long to be loved and paid attention to; they clutch you hand and embrace your side from the moment you come.
-We also made a few trips to the market to get fresh food to bring to people in villages who can’t afford it.
-Casa Shalom gets donations of clothes and other misc items. We helped in sorting/organizing clothes for flea market sale and for bringing to villages (and played dress up while we’re at it)
-We also prepared skits and songs that teach kids not only about the Bible but good character too. Check out this video for a hilarious rendition of the “good Samaritan” story.
-Many days we will visit villages, homes, or orphanages to sing, dance, share Bible stories, and play with sweet children
Unforgiveness leaves a stench that everyone can smell, see, and taste—even hours after they encounter it–
and affects not just the people involved but everyone that comes in contact with them.
It’s contagious.
Judgments, offenses, and/or unforgiveness against one another changes us—our behaviors, attitudes, thoughts, feelings, body language,everything. It changes how we give respect and love to others and how we care for them AND it affects our relationship with the Lord.
God says forgive one another not 7 times 7 but 77 times 7 (meaning always, not literal). He even goes as far as to say that if we are going to come to him with offerings and sacrifices, but are holding bitterness and anger in our hearts, that we are to drop the offerings and come back once we have handled the unforgiveness and anger.
It’s really THAT important.
you're the one who gets burned.
Forgiveness is not contingent on the other person apologizing or regretting. Revenge may be momentarily enjoyable, but it leaves us in bondage—it leaves us tied to the person with feelings of bitterness, shame, guilt, and dreadful wishing upon them.
It is for FREEDOM that God has set us FREE—So BE FREE. His goal is release, surrender, and Love not chains, bondage, and hate. God is Righteous and HIS Justice will come soon enough.
So He pressed on my heart this simple truth:
You know that smelly kid… hate to break it to ya but, it’s you.
FORGIVENESS IS ALWAYS OUR RESPONSIBILITY, NOT THEIRS.
So LET GO.
FORGIVE, my child.
I LOVE you RIGHT where you are at,
but I also LOVE YOU too much to leave you there.
Forgive, my child.
He whispers to my soul.
