FAITH.
That is the word for this month that just keeps replaying in my head. The one line that I feel God keeps speaking to me is “Why do you keep trying to take matters into your own hands when I’ve already got everything in mine?” For in Psalms 55:22 He says, “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.”
This month was a month of unknowns, relying on the Lord, and true joy. I wish I had time to talk about all of the contacts we met with and numerous stories of faith, love, and joy from this month, but I will share a couple. God first spoke this lesson to me while buying snacks at a convenient store. We had just made our first big move from the capital, Chisinau, to another smaller city up north called Balti. We were dropped off at a random church we had never even heard of before and were met by some unfamiliar yet happy faces immediately welcoming us into their community. We had been travelling all morning, and not knowing what our food or even living situation would be like for the rest of our time there, we walked across the street to buy some snacks. For me, food is always a necessity and I’m always sure to stock up when travelling to unknown situations. However, this was my first tiny lesson of putting my faith in God. After arriving back at the church, we were welcomed with boxes and boxes of pizza. I was thrilled by this act of service, but the blessing didn’t stop there. We were later brought to the pastor’s house, where we were invited to stay for the few nights we were there. They took us upstairs into this magnificent apartment where we each had our own bed, living space, and BATHTUB! It was incredible. Yet it still didn’t stop there. We were then brought into the kitchen where the pastor’s wife had cooked us a wonderful meal and had at least three different desserts and teas for us afterwards. It was then that my silly act of having to “stock up” on food earlier at the convenient store and need of having to always have a backup plan taught me that maybe I don’t have full faith that God will take care of me. It was Pastor Costel and Sondra who I wrote about in my last blog and who was just one of the few examples where God taught me about true faith. He showed me that even in the little worries of where we will stay or what food we will be eating, He’s got it under control.
He not only taught me this lesson in how He continuously provided transportation, food, and lodging, but also in hearing other’s stories. Pastor Costel and his wife, who was originally from Romania, made a big step of faith when moving back to Moldova to start ministry. They had nowhere to live at first and barely any money. In their first apartment after they planted their first church, Pastor Costel did not even have enough money to buy a trolley ticket for 2 lei to get to his church (about 14 cents). He had to walk every day and at times had no idea how he would get enough money to provide food for his family. He told us of how one day they had run out of money, his wife Sondra began to worry and doubt God about being able to provide for their family. However, he confirmed her that there was no need to worry because God would provide. That day, a missionary came through, and wanting to catch up on his tithe to the church gave the Pastor 50 euro. They immediately praised God and realized that He always follow through on His promises. Today they have a house and four beautiful daughters. Over the last ten years, they have even been able to add on to their house and now have an upstairs for missionary teams to stay. It blew my mind to think they used to not have food or money for a bus ticket, but are now cooking feasts for us each meal and purchasing our whole team’s bus tickets each time we travel. God even sealed the lesson for me at the end of this week when I was running low on toothpaste. I decided not to purchase anymore until it was absolutely necessary and see if God could somehow provide. Of course, as we are leaving Balti, Pastor Costel asks if anyone needs toothpaste because a medical team had just come through and left boxes and boxes of toothpaste! Funny, God! He even sent us off with blankets and t-shirts from his church. If you put your faith in God, He may even go above and beyond.
The stories of faith this month were endless. Anca and Raluca, two women in their mid 30’s, left their comforts in America to move to Moldova and live in a dorm with 17 troubled/orphaned girls ranging from the age of 14 to 26. This is a 24/7 ministry and they do it with such grace. They are mommas to this girls and help them purchase clothes, get enrolled in school, and literally raise them. They take in those who age out of orphan homes, who have been physically and sexually abused, and who come from broken families. They have to deal with girls who can no longer trust men and some who even want to kill themselves. They take care of these girls with pure joy, though, and have to depend on God each and every day to provide the finances, patience, and wisdom necessary to help these girls live a God honoring life.
Tamara, another single woman in her 30’s, who is originally from the village of Paicu was called to do full time ministry in this southern village of Moldova. Her testimony is unforgettable and she shared with us the abuse she received from her father and mother. It was even to the extent of her own father putting a chain dog collar around her neck and chaining her up in the backyard. He even kicked her, her mother, and sister out of the house when they became Christians. However, Tamara still manages to love and pray for her father and brings him food to his house every day. She had enough faith and trusted God to provide a piece of land and building for the only church in her village when no one else was willing to. She now lives there and runs this church while feeding the elderly every day, feeding and running a kid’s program every day, and much more. It was through these two ministries that I learned God does not provide too early or too late, but always right on time.
Maybe you just lost your job or are having financial issues. Maybe you just received news of an illness and do not know how you are going to make it. Maybe you just lost a loved one. Maybe you are about to graduate and do not know which career path to take.
Whatever your circumstances may be, all it takes is a little faith. When you believe for God to do big things, He will do big things. It may not be in the timing you were expecting, but it is still perfect in His timing. So I dare you to let go of your fears and worries. Allow God to show up and show off. Be careful what you ask for because He just may go above and beyond.
