So after experiencing all that was said in the last blog (Changes Made), I
arose in the morning with the belief that, “whatever task was asked of me or
placed before me was intended for me by the Lord. It’s kind of crazy to go
about your day thinking in this way, but it’s effective. The day was similar to
yesterday in that there was destruction, building, and enlivening.
Destruction: At 9 am we arrived at Alexis’s house, he’s one
of the many missionaries in Draganesti-Olt. He was in the process of building
his future church, and our task for the day was to dig a deep trench for a
sewage pipe that would go down to the septic tank. So I went for the pickaxe,
and started to tear up the earth around me. It was fun to be destructive, and
then shovel up the mess into a pile. During the digging, his wife requested for
two ducks to be killed and plucked for the evening dinner. Thankfully I didn’t
have to kill them, but I was asked to pluck them, and with the mentality that
every task asked of me was intended for me, I took part in the plucking
process. Below I have captured the horrific murder on video, so I must warn you
before you watch the video that a gruesome beheading will occur.
Duck Killing from MelVen on Vimeo.
Ok if you watched the video, good job and hopefully the food
in your stomach remained there, below I have added pictures of the plucking
process.
Building: So after the duck experience, I went back to pick
axing and shoveling. We did that
until about 12:30 and then headed over to meet our contact Raul for a brief
chat. Turned out that the lovely missionary couple we had lunch with the day
before invited our team to stay in their house for the remainder of our stay in
Romania. The couple typically hosts short-term teams, and this week they have a
team of eleven women staying with them. So to add our five girls into the mix
is more of a burden for them, but a God sent blessing for us. Our team has
prayed for people or contacts that will minister to us, and help build us up as
a team. I was ecstatic when the couple offered up their time and home to
us.
Pictures of me pick axing and shoveling the sewage line
Tired from working in the morning, I thought my day was
over, but found out that there was one more ministry for the day. Only two women could go, and we
indecisive women couldn’t decide whom, so the loser of rock, paper, scissors
would go. Guess who lost 😀 I had the attitude that God intended the task for
me, and prepared for the evangelical/bible study I would be participating in
that evening. My teammate Woody and I loaded up into the missionary’s vehicle.
He decided that Woody would go to the Bible study with the ladies, and I would
go with him to evangelize around the streets of Pestra.
Enlivening: The ladies were dropped off, and Marian and I
started off by driving around town and stopping in front of a group of women
chatting on a bench. As Marian and I approached, he asked if any of them had
trouble seeing, and in need of some glasses. They quickly responded with “da”,
so we got some boxes out of the car that were filled with used eyeglasses.
While shuffling through the various glasses and asking the women as to whether
they were to strong or weak, we eventually broke off to say that just like
glasses help us to see clearly, the Lord can do that to our lives as well. We
matched up the women the best we can with the glasses on hand, and then one of
the women got up and was obviously struggling to walk with her wooden cane.
Marian then leapt up and asked, “do you need a good walking stick?” She replied with an elated “da, da” and
Marian ran to his car literally jumping for joy.
I later found out that he had
apparently been carrying around some walking crutches for the past three weeks
asking all the pastors around town if they knew of anyone who may need them.
Marian was overjoyed and saying “praise God hallelujah, I finally discovered who
the crutches were for.”
Then, like the flip of a switch I saw joy, love, and
felt a wave of compassion flow through me. The elderly woman was given her
crutches, and along with her glasses her whole demeanor changed. Its like I got
to witness the before and after of one who was lost and alone before, and then
found and loved after. The scene that took place before my eyes had simple
gestures, but held so much meaning.
It’s like praying for God to help show you love, and then he answers by
actually showing you love. I’m a visual processor so seeing emotions unfold
before me made me think of all the emotions I had given to the Lord the day
before. What another answered prayer. All my complaints and sorrows didn’t go
unnoticed once I realized the state of my heart.
Yesterday the Lord said let me show you what’s in store for
you, and today he say’s “if you just trust in me, I will walk along beside you
as I am now.”
Picture of dinner…. The duck was tasty 🙂
