We had finally made it to Moldova after about 18hrs of traveling on a train to a village called Ocnita (pronounced Ock-nizza). We were prepared for difficulties with no internet and possibly no days off. However when we arrived, we were told that our ministry with the children would only be at night, leaving the whole day open. I found myself perplexed with this new schedule because I felt like I was wasting time and needed to be out doing something. I found this opportunity to “be still,” listen to God, pray, and be in the Word, has been something I needed. It has been in the quietness of the days here in Ocnita, that God has convicted my spirit.
There is only about 20 kids that come each night to VBS, but I began to question if I was even making a difference. I was comparing this ministry with others that are reaching more people. Then God convicted me saying, but I love these 20 kids also.
In “Wild Goose Chase,” Mark Batterson writes, “Don’t whine. Don’t complain. And don’t check out. Make the most of the situation. Do little things like they are big things. Keep a good attitude. And faithfully carry out your current obligations.”
I will close with a story about Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, who was a teenager when she felt called to ministry. She approached her superiors saying, “I have three pennies and a dream from God to build an orphanage.” Her superiors said, “You can’t build an orphanage with three pennies. With three pennies you can’t do anything.” Agnes smiled and said, “I know. But with God and three pennies I can do anything.” For fifty years Agnes worked among the poor in the slums of Calcutta, India. In 1979 the woman we know as Mother Teresa won the Nobel Peace Prize. She was faithful in the little things, and God trusted her with the bigger things.
