We were only in Chisinau for three days. But three days was all we needed to connect with special sisters in Christ who will remain in our hearts and minds for years to come.
Tania was my host. She is a 22 year old graduate student working on a Master’s degree in economics. Also, she’s staff member for Campus Crusades, which is how we World Racers were connected with her. She lives with two of her sisters, Marianna and Tasha, in a small apartment that would normally be a single. But somehow she made room to accommodate me and my teammate Rebecca for the weekend. And her generosity as a host was remarkable.
She treated us to each meal, cooking for us Moldovan food she knew we would like. She spoiled us with Nescafe 3in1 coffee and her favorite tea in the morning. After a dinner, she treated us to a watermelon (which has become equivalent to dessert on the race). For the first time ever on the race, we were given fresh, fluffy towels to use after a shower. And when we asked how to get to Central Park to meet up with another E Squad team, she wrote out a note for us to give to the public bus driver to make sure we got off at the right stop. And if we came home at night later than her, we would buzz the apartment and she would ever so sweetly say “oh hello!” welcoming us back to our temporary home.
Tania knew more English than she gave herself credit for, but she was not fully conversational. And so our communication became a wonderful collaboration of words, hand gestures, and when needed, diagrams. Our conversations might have seemed simple to an outside observer but there was a beauty associated with the way we shared our lives with each other. Sometimes I believe connections are that much deeper when formed without the dependence on words. Where words fails, other forms of expression must be developed. And that was so with Tania.
And outside of fluid language, one learns of another by observation. In her I observed an admirable disposition of grace and humility. In groups, she is never one to dominate conversation but rather listens to others speak what is on their mind. She has a soft heart for students which was evident every time she interacted with them. She would light up at the chance to connect with them. And they always were responsive to the genuine care she demonstrated to them. She has a way of making others feel valued. And that ability, I find so rare nowadays.
One night we were up late, I introduced her to the term “midnight snack,” and we were chatting with a realness that many Americans are not even comfortable with. She asked me if I am a perfectionist and I quickly smirked with a muted a chuckle and said, “I used to be… Perhaps I still am in various ways.” Then I asked her the same thing and she responded, “I am a perfectionists with relationships.” And she said it so simply but with a sigh, feeling the weight of that confession. I looked at her and could understand the difficulty that such an unattainable effort could yield. And I empathized with those sentiments. But I also saw so much beauty in her spirit at that moment. This small phrase verbally described what I observed in her; the strong care and intention she shows to others.
It was interesting though, being let into her life, because through that I felt as though I got a glimpse of a different version of my own life. Being a student, living in a city, making a home in a small apartment, ministering to students younger than her, even having a favorite regular coffee shop, these are all things that could’ve been a part of my life. Had I not left for this unconventional journey around the world. It was a glimpse of an alternate life. But I found that it still had a place in my heart. And so perhaps, it was a glimpse of a coming phase of life, rather than an alternate one.
“Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.” -Isaiah 42:9
My future is foggy once the coming summer arrives. But I know that when I need to know what comes next, I’ll know. And until that urgency arrives, I’m living each day on its own accord, opening my heart to the Lord. For He has been teaching me so much through the world. Indeed, it is its own form of education.
