“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be
hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they
put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same
way, let your light shine before men…” (Matthew 5:14-15a)
I am adding onto the joy of my running saga. From my
previous blog, I wrote about meeting women who spoke Spanish in a Romanian
village. Two days ago, I reunited with one of them, named Crina, while I was
running alone. She and I spoke alongside the dirt-paved road for at least 15
minutes. Then, she asked, “What are you doing in Romania?”
I told her, “I’m here to talk with people about Jesus
Christ.”
Her eyebrows shot up as she questioned, “Really?”
-BREAK-
At this point, my mind was a little worried. Did I say too
much? Did I offend her? Why the raised eyebrows? She has given more response
than most of the people around this village when I mention my purpose here in Romania. Why is
that?
are running through town again, will you stop and see me?” I told her I would
and continued on my way.
Two days later, I found her at her house. As soon as I
entered and she had poured me some coffee, she sat across from me at the table
and with an urgent intensity, said, “I am a Christian – not Orthodox. I
understand you.” I was amazed. After some discussion, I understood that she had
no community in this village or friends who believed in Jesus. She was greatly
encouraged to talk and share stories with me. I realized with blazing intensity
that she is the reason I have been
running through her village with such regularity. It is her heart that the Lord
longs to encourage. I was amazed that He would put me in this place with such a
sense of “randomness.” The only reason I found this village in the first place
was because I went running with my teammate, Joel, to find a way into the hills
around Arcalia. I started speaking Spanish because of some other women who
spoke Spanish. I went running that day just to go running. Yet, this light on
the hill, Crina, needed some encouragement to keep her light burning for the
village to see. God, in His compassion, provided for her spiritual needs and
could be opening more doors for her to get connected with the community in
Arcalia.
