Wooly white sheep dot a distant hill across the valley, looking like tiny cotton puffs against the vivid green backdrop. A twirling wisp of smoke rises grey from a pile of wood, burning in the morning haze. The sun rises with its golden, warm rays, chasing away the chilly dew from its resting place on each blade of fresh grass. A valley below is lightly veiled in a quiet fog, waiting to be revealed by the warmth of the suns rays, ready for the day.
Slowly and softly I walk across the back patio, soaking it all in with my eyes, drinking it deep down into my soul, careful not to disturb this moment in time. I find my familiar place of peace, sit down, and let my back rest against the rock wall behind me. There is a peace that washes over me, and the 23rd Psalm seems to jump into life in this place, with green pastures, quiet streams, and the calmness that only the Lord can truly bring.
It has been a blessing to be here in Arad, Romania, or well, near it. We are actually outside of the bigger city of Arad, near a village called Sistrovat, or the Sixth Spring in English. The camp that we are staying at is appropriately named Seventh Spring. It sits boldly upon the hill, our very own “castle” of sorts, that looks down upon the small but beautiful village below. A truly breathtaking and captivating place to behold, especially in the early golden, misty light of the sun's morning rays.
Seventh Spring was started by an American family, and is now run by Romanians, and they offer a place for conferences throughout the year, and the summer months hold a busy schedule as over 800 Romanian children come in and out of the camp. Our contact shared with us that their vision is to see the camp continue because so many young people experience God and come to him through camp experiences.
While our team and two other teams from our squad are here, we are preparing the camp for the summer months ahead. We will not be able to see the children come in, unfortunately, but we are able to be the hands of feet of Christ to the staff here and help them prepare for the busy summer ahead. This has meant sweeping out the place, deep cleaning, cleaning countless carpet squares by hand (oh the list of things you become on the World Race), doing many loads of laundry, weeding, and basically doing whatever they need us to do to help get ready for the summer.
While this kind of work is not always what you expect would make the most impact, I know that it truly is. We are being the hands and feet of Christ in a very tangible way, though it may not seem as glamorous as working directly with orphans or in hospitals as we have done before in the past.
Sometimes, a lot of times, there is immense beauty in the simple. Mundane things may be often passed over, but they hold a certain steadiness. Their beauty is quiet, but strong. I never thought I would enjoy cleaning like I have this month, but I have found myself smiling in the work that my hands set out to do. There is something beautifully simple in the every day tasks of life. Look for the beauty in the simple things of life today, and sit in wonder at your Father's feet, as He has created this all, and holds great purpose in it for each of us.
The simple, beautiful things of life that make me smile.
