The hours ticked away in Rezina, Moldova as day turned to night and what little warmth the sun provided for us vanished. The time was around 6:30 P.M. There were two options afforded to us for sleeping: pitch tents in a random field, or see if there was vacancy at the only hotel we knew of (which was going to exceed our budget, regardless if we could find a room).
Just for some background… this month our team is doing what is called Unsung Heroes. Instead of working with a particular ministry or contact, our main goal/job is to find new contacts for future “World Racers” to partner with. We then refer to the contacts we find as “unsung heroes” because they are heroes for God’s kingdom who don’t seem to receive recognition for their faithfulness to God’s calling in their lives. Another job for our team is just to ask the Lord (ATL) for direction, giving us opportunities to bless people or places we feel led to. Ok, back to the story…
Rewind the clock a bit to 1:30 P.M. We (Team Leonard*) had just arrived in Rezina by bus, with our cumbersome packs secured to our backs, ready for adventure. (We had come there without a place to stay and not much of a plan. All we knew was that the Lord wanted us to go there to pray for the town. We heard it was one of the poorest regions in Moldova. Moldova is supposedly already the poorest country in Europe, so we decided to ask God if we should go. Ali felt very strongly that the Holy Spirit was telling her we should go, so we did.)
Our first priority was to hunt down a place for us to spend the night. We began with prayer and headed off in no particular direction. Along the way, we would ask God to give us a word of direction, a person to talk to, or even just a hostel or something. This went on for close to two hours with no luck. There was talk of a hotel around, but nobody really gave us clear directions. We eventually became hungry, so we sat down in a grassy area outside of a bar and ate the lunches we had packed.
Upon finishing, we decided to check out the bar. To me, it seemed like it could be a good place for us to meet people, giving us a greater chance of finding somewhere to stay. If nothing else, it would provide warmth for us while we figured out our next step. So, we nestled ourselves and our giant packs into a corner room of the smoke-filled bar. It was actually quite spacious.
By this time, we didn’t really seem to be on the same page. There were kind of differing opinions about how we should go about things. We decided to pray more, this time individually checking ourselves and asking God to show us something. During that prayer time, I felt confident that we’d find a place to stay. I asked God if there is anything He wanted to tell me.
Now, I know what many of you might be thinking, especially if you are new to hearing God’s voice. “That’s weird.” “How does that even work?” “That’s Old Testament stuff.” Trust me, I used to have the same doubts and confusion about talking with God. But let’s think about it… What kind of relationship thrives or even survives without communication from BOTH sides? What would happen, for instance, if your boyfriend or wife just listened to you while you asked them questions or as you told them you love them, without giving you any response? Why wouldn’t God, our Creator, want to speak to us?
If you’re a Christian, it just makes sense that God speaks to you. He speaks in a variety of ways. The more difficult part is deciphering his voice among all the other noise in our lives. I believe this just comes through time and pursuit. Let’s leave this discussion for now though and get back to the story once again…
So, I’m sitting there waiting to see if God gives me a word, image, or something I could use that would help us. After about 30 seconds, I get the words “candy” and “rope.” They were so random that I just kept meditating and reflecting, trying to hear Jesus. Nothing else was coming, and I couldn’t seem to get the words out of my head.
Candy, God? Really? Do you want us to find a candy store and go inside maybe? I didn’t know what to make of it. But as you will see, ‘candy’ would unveil its importance.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of this Moldova story.
