Greetings from Romania!!!! I have been here for approximately a week and a half. And I love it. I studied abroad in the Czech Republic a few years ago and while I was there my I just slowly fell in love with Eastern Europe. And being in Romania just reaffirms the love I felt. We are living in a house in small village about 30 minutes from the city Turges Mures. We are working with a Hungarian pastor and essentially are living in Hungary. I say that because everyone around us actually speaks Hungarian as their primary language. And let me tell you Hungarian is much harder to pick up on then Spanish or even Romanian.
Turgers Mures, Romania
Our ministry this month is very different from the past 2 months. In Latin America we had very scheduled ministry, everything happened at the same time every day. Here each day has not been what was planned and I have had way more free time then I ever expected. So far we have spent a few days walking around the city, praying and talking to random people we meet in the park. Surprisingly, many people here speak some English, particularly the younger generation, and therefore we have been able to actually have conversations with some people. Saturday night is when we have church, and the first week we were here the service went for 5 hours!! This is not something us Americans (and our one Canadian) are used to and it was a little draining. But, it really made me think about North American Christianity.
The ministry I have enjoyed the most has been the village outreach we’ve done. Both Wednesdays since we arrived we have spent our evenings in two small villages, a Hungarian one and a gypsy one. In each village we pretty much just go and hang out with the kids. We sing some songs, play games, do a skit, and the pastor gives a short message. Just this week we played a game of soccer. I actually kicked the ball a couple of times and apparently made a really good save! Go me! I have LOVED spending time in the Gypsy village. I look forward to going again as soon as we say goodbye. The moment we visit stepped into the village last week I was in love with the kids there. God has shown me a new side of Himself through these kids.
When we think about the love of God we often think about it being unconditional and Him being our father, which is completely true. But, after being at the village I realized that God also has the love of a child. The gypsy kids loved us the second they saw us; I was greeted with hugs from every child. They didn’t care who we were or where we’ve been; they just wanted us. I saw the love in their eyes and radiating from their smiles each time I looked at them. One kid who really grabbed my heart is Joseph. For some reason he is drawn to me. The entire first evening he was with me: we danced together, played duck, duck, goose (which seems to be a universal kids game that everyone loves), he sat on my lap during the pastor’s message, and held my hand while we sang. As I left he gave me a thousand hugs and I felt a pain in my heart at saying goodbye. This week I was so excited to see him again but when we arrived at the village he wasn’t there. About ten minutes before we left I looked up and saw him standing with some of the kids. When he same me he pushed through the people standing in front of me, pulled the girl I was playing with away from me and gave me the biggest hug I have ever received from a child. He kissed my cheeks and for the next ten minutes we were inseparable. Once again as I was leaving I kept thinking, this is what God’s love is like. God is so excited to be with us, to hang out, to laugh, to dance, to do whatever. He accepts us, no questions asked. He can’t hide His love and excitement for us. And it doesn’t matter if we met Him 2 minutes ago or years ago. His love and excitement never fades. He want to be inseparable with us. Already I can’t wait to see the kids again next week, and I know that the last time we leave the village will break my heart. God is continually teaching me about His love and in turn He is helping me to love myself, love others, and love Him more and more.
