I can’t believe that in only 2 days we will be saying goodbye to Romania and heading to Malawi! As excited as I am to serve in Africa again, I am not ready to leave Hope Church and the wonderful, inspiring people I have met here. Our ministry host, Raul, did a great job of bringing our entire squad together each morning for worship and prayer. Raul has so many projects going on in this community, it is incredible to see how one person can keep track of so many different outreach programs. There are focused programs in place for children, women, widows, needy families, other cities in Romania, and now reaching to other parts of Eastern Europe.
This past two weeks, I had the opportunity to work closely with Raul’s brother who is the pastor of a church in the neighboring town of Comani, and his family. Pastor Alexe, Veronica, their four children, and Grandma Irina, welcomed us right in to their home and hearts. This family is amazing! Alexe and Veronica literally have given their lives to helping other people and getting to be a part of that has been so encouraging and inspiring.
Alexe and Veronica are passionate about the project, “A fishing rod, not a fish” which aims to equip needy families with ways to generate their own resources and revenue. One of the ways they take on this project is through raising money to buy cows for needy families. A cow can provide milk daily for several families and can eventually be bred or used for meat. I love the practical approach this project takes to sharing Jesus with people. It is a reminder to me that love can speak without words and when people receive an act of kindness like a cow or a goat, they will wonder why someone would want to give this to them freely without asking for anything in return.
While spending time with Veronica we visited families in the area, families that were hurting. One of the moms we visited has 5 kids at home and not enough resources or support, tears welled up in her eyes when she told us about how worried she is about her daughter who hates school and doesn’t want to learn how to read. Veronica translated for us and the four of us sat and talked and encouraged this sweet woman and just listened to her, because sometimes that is all you can do, and sometimes that is what someone needs. After she opened up to us about her worries we prayed with her and hugged her. We came back a few days later with food and school supplies and to chat more with her. Veronica told us that she has been visiting and praying with this family for six years.
The thing I noticed most about Veronica is that she is genuine. As the pastor’s wife she actually doesn’t seem to be concerned at all with the number of people that come to church. In fact, she didn’t mention church to any of the people we visited while with her. She is genuinely concerned with them personally, not numbers. She lives her life as an open invitation to Jesus. When someone is talking to her, she is all there, because she cares, not because she is “supposed” to listen. I hope to communicate this same message to people in my life because it can honestly be a challenge to put the cell phone down, look a person in the eye, ask questions, and dig deeper. Even my team mate Esther, is so good at this skill. She often asks risky questions that many people may think are too uncomfortable to ask. For example, if someone shares about the death of a loved one, she will ask how they feel, how they are doing, and other questions that tug at the heart. I have witnessed how she creates close relationships this way and how sharing these deeper, emotional conversations, although risky and at times uncomfortable, is actually what creates close bonds. I don’t know if I would feel as close to the Costea family if Esther had not been with me this month. She asked the hard questions and we went deeper and learned intimate details about Veronica and Grandma Irina and I am so happy that I was able to know them in this way and they are not just people I worked with for two weeks in Romania.
Last night I had the biggest blessing of all! So, I thought I was going to bless the Costea’s by babysitting their kids so that they could have a night out but as God would have it, it turned in to my own biggest blessing of the month. There was something so refreshing about hanging out with the kids and trust me, I do not feel that way about all kids. Maybe it’s because I have been living in a house with 55 people and it is hardly ever quiet but as soon as Alexe and Veronica drove off and it was just me, Esther, and the kids, I felt the biggest weight lift off of me. The smell of fresh air, the chickens, dogs, and a giant rabbit in the garden.The fresh homemade soup heating on the stove, and all the neighbor kids playing in the dirt road and sharing bread and grapes. Last night was exactly what I needed, the 6 of us cuddled up close, watching Frozen on a lap top, singing all the songs in English and Romanian. Some of the best things in life are so simple. I know this won’t be the last teary-eyed goodbye I have to say and I’m actually really thankful for that because how beautiful it is to share your heart with people all around the world and have a chance to get a brief glance at the Jesus inside of them.
