Probably my least favorite thing to do as a squad leader is to travel alone. This travel time for most could mean quiet time, time to catch up on sleep, to not have to answer any questions…for me this time usually means that I am going to be uncomfortable & surrounded by men. Let me ‘splain… I request a room with women at a hostel, since I am a female traveling alone & I end up in a room with all male roomies. I ask for a train compartment with women, you know because I am traveling alone, & I get 3 large Ukrainian men who smell of “Wodka” & dried fish. This is usually how my travel experiences go. But, this time was different.
Standing at the train station in Sfantu Gheorghe, Romania I hear some Hungarian words spoken over the loud speaker & a bell. I know it is about time for my train but I have no idea what track I need to go to. (Welcome to my world…this is usually the story. We pray for God’s leading in every experience!) I had seen a cute couple walk past me earlier in the day & decided they should be safe so I will ask if they speak English. They do in fact, and turned out to be very friendly. They informed me that, “Yes, this is the train to Bucharest. Stick with us, we will help you out.” They ask why it looks like I am moving with all the luggage I have strapped to my body & we begin a casual chat as our train approaches. As we board, the gentleman gets on before me and immediately started taking bags from me. He also helped me to board with the extra 48+ lbs. strapped to my back. We find our seats, I shake their hands & thank them for the assistance as we exchange names & smiles.
We stopped in Brasov, the scheduled 20 minute stop turns into at least 90 minutes. Tony & Laura, as I have come to know them, inform me of the delay & offer to grab some snacks for me or go with me for a smoke. During this break we really got a chance to sit & talk & when we parted ways late that evening I walked away blessed knowing God had sent some friends my way. We talked about everything under the sun. It turns out that Tony & Laura are a married couple that live in England, but are back in Romania for a 3 week holiday & Laura’s brothers wedding. They shared photos from their holiday, their beautiful wedding, & we just shared life. I couldn’t have asked for a better ride to Bucharest that day, I got to share life with a couple of people God has blessed & they talk openly about His work in their lives.
How often do I miss out on opportunities like meeting with Tony & Laura? How many times have I been presented the opportunity to be Jesus to someone on a travel day but I am too wrapped up in what I want or my own discomfort to care what is happening with them. I realized too, that this attitude extends to my life in the States too. How many times do I walk past the check out girl & not even smile? Or, living in DC how many times do I know directions & I don’t step in and offer to help someone who is obviously lost or confused? Father, give me eyes that see beyond myself. I don’t want to be wrapped up in me & my needs, I want to see all that goes on around me & I want to participate in it. I don’t want to miss any opportunity you have given me to be Jesus to someone else.
