lot of pictures, but I really hope that you take the time to read every word…
Amongst the bundled women, briefcases, flowers, & capped
men, there was standing room only on the bus from Recea to Straseni- We
take this route daily to & from the village of Recea where we are helping
to establish a community center. Today I took my place leaning on a seat back
and closed my eyes, hoping to zone out for the bumpy 20 minute ride back
home… THAT plan was short lived…
“Ce cauti aici?” Curious, I opened my eyes to a capped
elderly man looking up from the isle seat directly in front of me. My
translator informed me that the man had just asked “What are you doing here?” Apparently young American girls stick out.
Dear World meet ‘Cap Guy’ (I
can’t pronounce his real name). I smiled and responded to his question, stating
“We just came from a
children’s Bible study.” Little did I know what that simple statement
would unleash. So much for my plans of a 20 minute rest…
The mention of the word ‘Bible’
triggered a brief lesson from ‘Cap guy’ on the history of Orthodox Christianity
and Catholicism. (The 2 main Religions here in Moldova). When I informed ‘Cap
guy’ that I was a Jesus following Christian, he stressed his confusion
on why there are SO MANY different religions… and stated that “It’s all politics; They’re really all just stems off of
each other.”
Good point. Is he right? How could I
be so arrogant to think My Christian belief holds any more validity than
His Orthodox belief? How can I ‘prove’ mine is the right one? I
had only just met ‘Cap guy’ three short minutes ago, and these were the
deep questions getting thrown at me.
As my Romanian
translator relayed these questions back to me, my heart was racing at the
realization that I had one shot. I had 17
more minutes on this crammed bus, meaning only
17 minutes to take everything I’ve learned this year to hopefully rock ‘Cap
guy’s world with knowledge and HOPE.
Suddenly, a nap was the farthest
thing from my mind. Silently praying to God to take away my nervousness &
give me the right words to say; here we go, I thought
“I believe in a God so
big, that I gave up my ‘normal’ life in the States to embark on a year long
trip around the world, to do one thing: Serve Him. When I left, I had no idea
what that really even meant. I’ve spent the past 11 months questioning everything
I’ve ever heard & figuring out first hand who this God I want to serve
really is. I read my Bible to learn about His character and the Life and
purpose of His son… Jesus Christ. Call me a hippie, but if I had to
summarize everything I’ve learned this year, it’d all comes down to this: LOVE.
I have just traveled on the 4 continents of Asia, Africa,
Australia, and Europe. I have been living in and amongst communities of various
religions… from Hinduism in Nepal, Muslim in Malaysia, Buddhism in Thailand, ancestral
worship in South Africa, and Orthodox Christianity in Ukraine. Most
would assume that after being in SO many different cultures, surrounded by SO many wonderful
people, from SO
many different religions, I would be more open minded to the idea that there is
more than one way to Heaven.
WRONG. In fact… I feel just the opposite. My
exposure this past year has actually solidified my faith. The things
I’ve seen and heard first hand have given me a Righteous Anger
towards the Devil
& the Lies
in the world that draw people away from our one and Only Creator.“
Bold, right? The truth is, Jesus
offended people.
10
Minutes left…
‘Cap guy’ Q: “Why are there bad people
in the world?”
“We
are all sinners; therefore we are all ‘bad’. It started with Adam and
Eve. I’m a sinner- my sin debt gets larger every day. The sins I commit separate
me from God (my maker). Sins are all equal– none being greater than
another. This is hard for us to comprehend, but to God, lying to someone and
murdering someone is the same… Sin is sin.
Believing in God and studying my Bible does
not make me perfect, it simply opens my eyes more and more to how I SHOULD
live. I believe these ‘Bad’ people in the world you refer to are simply lost
and in need of Hope, just as I was at one point. “
8
Minutes left…
‘Cap guy’ Q: “So what makes
Christianity different?”
“Every other religion on
earth requires WORKS, which is impossible to obtain…
Buddhists believe leading a moral life and following the
4 Noble truths will lead to Nirvana. It’s based on good works &
reincarnation. Muslims
believe in submitting to Allah & living a good life. When asked, they don’t
really know if they will go to Heaven or Hell because there is no defined
amount of good they have to do… just try to do more good than bad, and hope
for the best. Hindus believe in many different gods. It is
a religion based on tolerance and peace. Karma is one of the main points.
These are three
main religions I am familiar with, not because I read about them on
Wikipedia, but because I’ve been
to the countries and met the
followers. There are countless other Religions, and I guarantee if you research
them and ask questions, you will find they believe they are somehow saved by
the works they do here on earth.
Following Christ
(Christianity) has only ONE requirement: Accept his love. With
Christianity is God has already arranged the forgiveness of our sins…
God sent Jesus to earth as the example of a perfect
man. He lived a perfect life, and died on a cross as a scapegoat for my
sins… your sins.
We were bought with a price. Nothing we
do (or don’t do) will make us love Him any more or any less. All we have to do
is ACCEPT his endless love for
us. That’s right; he GIVES it to
us… Not because we earned it, but because that’s the kind of Father HE
is.
Think about an earthly
father… He would do anything for his children. Well God is our Heavenly
Father, and all He wants for us is to Love and obey him. “
children,
who ask him.
-Matthew 7:11 NLT
“ Christianity is not
about following rules or being good…. It’s about a ‘Father’ in Heaven that
Loves us beyond what we can fathom. All we have to do is accept him as
our Creator, and RECIEVE His love. That’s what sets Christianity apart.
“
0
Minutes left…
Well, there we were… The 20
minutes flew by and we were at our stop. The bus was even more crowded because
we had picked up travelers along the route… It was also strangely silent.
Why?
Thanks to the purposefully loud
translator, EVERY person on that bus had been listening to our conversation.
Is this real life?! Surrounding ‘Cap
guy’ was a bus full of flowers, briefcases, and 25+ eavesdroppers. Little did I
know, but I had just shared my faith with an entire bus full of curious
Moldovans. I have no clue what impact my mini ‘Bus Sermon’ had, but hopefully
it sparked some interest, raised some questions, or at least uprooted
some deep thoughts in each of them… and maybe YOU!
THIS YEAR not only exposed me to
many different cultures, and created a lifetime of stories, but it was the
start of a New Journey. I believe those things I shared with ‘Cap
Guy’ SO much, that I want to
spend the rest of my life seeking God’s face and learning more
about His character… I want to use the Bible as my guide for Life, and I want
to live like Jesus did… Reaching out to the poor, lost, and needy of the
world and loving on them… Weather its an orphan in Asia, or a co-worker in
the States, I want to love people, serve people, and share
about the ONE Truth in this world… We are SAVED and CHOSEN by God.
REALLY,
this entire year was about discovering why Christ is the ONLY way that
makes sense and the ONLY thing I believe.
____
This story is dedicated to all the questioning ‘Cap guys’
out there… my family, my friends, and anyone I know (or don’t know yet) that
is not a believer that we were created by God, Jesus died for our sins, and he
is the only way to Heaven.
