Travel days happen each month here on the Race and can sometimes get overlooked. We have done this traveling thing so much that it has just become natural and normal to only be in a place for three weeks or less. This past travel day going to Romania has been one of my favorites up to this point and the Lord provided in so many ways.
Here is a quick glance:
July 31st
8:00 A.M.
We woke up and got all of our gear together in our hotel room and began to make our way down two flights of stairs to head to Romania. This in and of itself is quite an endeavor. Day pack, big pack, I might have added a duffle bag, and of course you can’t forget the travel day snack bag. When carrying all of this at once, I kind of feel like the kid off of A Christmas Story with so many layers. Finagling myself through small doors and trying not to fall over, it’s a sight.
9:30 A.M.
Departed from the hotel and went by taxi to the train station. We don’t speak Serbian so this involved hand gestures and sound effects going choo choo to try and explain we wanted to go to the train station. After several minutes we were on our way.
9:50 A.M.
Arrived at the train station. Jordan and I headed to buy our tickets from the counter (which we were assured several days earlier that we could buy them the day of and that it was better that way). We began talking to the lady who didn’t speak any English and told her we needed tickets for the 10:50 train to Serbia. She didn’t understand and is got a little heated. A line was beginning to form behind us. We were also slowly losing time before we were supposed to get on a train and head out. A guy who spoke English and Serbian walked up, thank you Lord! We finally understood she wanted us to pay an additional fee for a reservation and we agreed. We got our tickets for cheaper than we had originally been told and made our way to the correct line. The Lord provided with tickets which were cheaper and enough time to make the train!
10:50 A.M.
Boarded the train. This was a process with all of our gear which involved yelling, pushing, shoving, and buckets of sweat. We were finally in and on our way!
8:50 P.M.
We arrived in Belgrade, Serbia after a 10 hour train ride. At this point we still needed another train/bus to connect all the way through to Romania. We quickly began to learn that there were no direct routes to Romania and we would have to connect in a city close to the border in Serbia. At this point it is getting late and we decided we should stay over night in Serbia rather than get stuck in a city where there might be nothing.
9:30 P.M.
We went on the hunt for a hostel for the night. I heard the Lord say go ask the owner of the hostel across the street. We walked in and he had rooms available. We began to discuss prices and they were too high for our budget. We told him we were missionaries and traveling for the year and he agreed to let us stay for cheaper. The Lord provided once again with a place to stay, clean water, and beds!
August 1st
9:00 A.M.
We headed back to the bus/train station to find out what bus we would need to take and buy tickets. We learned there was a bus to Vrsac leaving at 11:30 and there were enough tickets for us. The Lord provided once again with bus tickets to the city we need to go to.
11:00 A.M.
We arrived at the bus station to make the second part of our journey.
1:30 P.M.
We arrived in Vrsac, Serbia. We talked to the people at the bus station and train station and found out there were no trains or buses going to Romania and there wouldn’t be any time soon due to a new rule that they can’t cross the border. We began to talk through what our next step would be. We met and prayed that the Lord would provide a way for us to cross the border.
In the span of one hour. One of my team mates had been talking with the lady at the bus station and found a private bus we could rent. Meanwhile I found a taxi driver that would take us across as well. We couldn’t afford the private bus due to our budget. We began praying again that the Lord would provide a way. My team mate went back in to talk with the lady at the bus station and she had agreed to let us pay a cheaper price, the exact price we had agreed on before she went into the station. The Lord provided again with a bus to get us across the border and into Romania.
3:30 P.M.
We boarded the private bus and were on our way.
5:30 P.M.
We arrived in Romania and hung out at the train station for our ministry hosts to pick us up.
This travel day was chaos and beautiful all at the same time. Although this is not what I would have chosen due to how exhausting it was, the Lord’s hand was upon us the entire time. He provided us with so much over just the span of two days and I am so grateful. Travel days aren’t my favorite but this time I changed my perspective a little and saw the Lord’s goodness all around me.
