I walked into the house and took a deep breath as a smile spread across my face. “Home,” I thought. As the boys from my team went upstairs to work on the remodeling projects, I made my way to the kitchen. Surveying the area I decided dishes would need to be washed, the floor swept, and lunch made for the little two as their nap would be over soon. But first things first, I put the kettle on to boil and grabbed a couple of mugs from the cabinet. As if on cue Mark called out above the noise of sanding and hammering, “Logan, would you mind making some tea for us? And don’t forget the biscuits, please!”
The rest of the afternoon would pass quickly, but enjoyably. After a while David would saunter into the kitchen in the way only an almost three year old boy can do. My initial greeting would be met with a sideways glance, but eventually he would snuggle up by my side to “help” with the cooking. A little while later Florina would arrive home. Warm smiles and words of thankfulness flow as she unloads the bags from her morning errands. Taking my hands in hers she asks, “How are you Logan?” before Reuben’s cries call her away.
With the afternoon in full swing the little boys become my sole responsibility. Traipsing in and out of the house as their mood dictates, our activities range from cuddling up watching Bambi to digging in the sandbox to playing football (soccer) in the back garden. Of course I will make tea at least twice more during the course of the afternoon, and sneak biscuits to the boys when their cunning smiles are successfully persuasive. There are days when 6 or 7 neighborhood kids will stop by to play as well. When my Romanian vocabulary of 3 words and sign language don’t work, it’s nice to know that games, smiles, and laughs are universal.
Eventually, around 5:30, things will wind down. The other children will go home. The men will put aside the remodeling work. Florina will occupy the boys. We will all congregate in the kitchen or back garden and relax with a final cup of tea before heading back to the Mission House. Another beautiful afternoon with my Romanian family.
When I was first assigned to work with Mark and Florina, a missionary couple in Comani, an area just outside of Draganesti, I wasn’t that excited. Doing house chores and babysitting did not feel like real “missionary work” to me. The more time I spent with them learning about their ministry, the more I realized how important my work there was. God calls us to meet people at their point of need; Mark and Florina’s point of need was a household under the influence of two toddler boys. What a blessing it became to serve them as they serve the Lord. They are a beautiful and unique couple. Florina grew up in the north part of Romania and moved to Draganesti as a single missionary years ago. Mark, an evangelist and missionary from England, came to Draganesti on a short term trip where he met Florina. A few years, marriage, and couple of kids later they are here serving God through children’s programs, women’s ministry, street evangelism, and basically anything else that needs to be done.
There is no way I would have imagined that in my first month of ministry I would already find a place that feels like home, but Mark and Florina provided that for me. I also never thought I would get lessons on how to properly make tea, boiled potatoes, chips, and fried eggs from a British man either. Or that in the heart of Romania I’d get to babysit two children that speak English.
Florina’s generosity and strong spirit, combined with Mark’s wisdom, have made a huge impact on my life. Florina did say that in the morning the boys wake up asking for “Logan”, so I’d like to think I’ve made a positive impact on their life as well. Romania will always be marked in my memory with this family, and, of course, with a cup of tea.
