What a long but blessed, fast week it was with my parents. But where to begin…?
I guess in the beginning… The racers who had parents coming (or PVT racers) got ready for the big arrival by preparing little signs and/or gifts to give to their parents, myself included (my sign read “Welcome to Romania, umma and appa” and I had some flowers and chocolate for my mom).
Then it was game time. Around 4:30 in the evening, the parents came tumbling down the little street in Draganesti-Olt in little buses. But one had arrived before the other and unfortunately my parents were in the second bus that came a bit later, but it felt like a long time later. And then my parents [the only set of Asian parents] came walking through the iron gate of the church and it took all of me to stay put where I was. We, as PVT racers had talked about having our parents come to us in an arch formation so nobody would crowd over others and so people could find each other. I saw my mom searching far and wide for me, as I kept yelling out umma. And then the tears came flooding down–all the excitement and nervousness I felt came pouring out through my tears as I got to embrace my mom and then my dad, who is not a physical touch person. I’m sure he realized I changed in this regard as I continually linked arms and gave him hugs all throughout our week together (yes I have been ruined–I now freely go up to people and hug them).
The next few days were spent eating breakfast together with other parents followed by an hour and a half of time devoted to parents and just their racers to hangout. Then we split up into different ministry groups in the afternoons: prison ministry, kids ministry and street evangelism which were determined by people organizing this whole week, which just so happened to be my team. Thus I got to suggest to them to have my parents stay in the house closest to where I was staying, and to also suggest that we be in kids ministry, hehehe.
During one of the ministry times, my parents and I got to go to a Roma community in Craiova and play with the kids as well as hand out New Testament bibles to people in that area. My parents and I did more of the latter and went from house to house sticking bibles in gates or mailboxes. I was amazed by their efficiency and determination, and to hear zero complaints from either of them even with the scary dogs barking and clawing at the gates. This alone was a true testament to how God is working in them by being able to simple see what my parents did, with the attitude they did it with.
On our last ministry day together, my parents and I got to do a few house visits and learn about the Roma community in Draganesti. I haven’t been around the town much as I was working in the office so it was really cool to be able to do this with my parents, as it was a first for the both of us. My parents and I being the quiet types, didn’t say much expect tell them our names but it was cool to simply hear about the stories of the growing number of youth coming to Christ in that village.
Then we got to hang out with the children of the neighborhood in a field nearby, where we sang some worship music and played a few games. And here… Here is where I realized how much pressure and expectation I put forth on myself to show my parents “I am the best”, when they have never put that sort of pressure on me. So ministry didn’t look quite the way I wanted it too: I wasn’t as focused on the kids, dancing with them became embarrassing and I couldn’t even explain the rules to a simple game, all because I let it get in my head that I have to be perfect and flawless because my parents and everyone else’s parents are watching me.
And so I learned: my identity doesn’t come from who they say I am, or for a matter of fact who others say I am. I also learned that my parents are are my brothers and sisters in Christ and that this means their identity comes first in who God says they are before being my parents.
I believe this trip has been a time of reflection and openness, more so for my dad, as he was able to share with me a little bit of his spiritual walk and why he had fallen away from the church, and my parents and I have never had a deep conversation like this before then. God is doing something and my dad being a man of his words, is going to find a church he can call home soon. Please be in prayer with me for this.
Overall, it was such an honor to have my parents with me and to be able to have them do a little bit of this WR life with me. I’m still processing what life had looked like with them before the race and how it will look like after the race with them, as I will undoubtedly be staying with them until I can get back on my own two feet. But because of them I’ve seen some of the ways I have changed including holding my tongue when I felt like complaining or saying something about what they might be doing wrong (wrong in my eyes at least). But I can see the Holy Spirit working in them too and it makes me all the more excited to see them again!
Selfishly, the only repercussion I am currently processing through is the longing to be with them and to see my dad’s walk with the Lord, and to be right next to him as it happens. It also doesn’t help that I am in this weird lull where the newness of the race has worn off and I just want to be done with it altogether. But God has given me a community of faithful and loving people who are helping me to shu those thoughts out while giving me the room and freedom to process it with them. And so here I am in Bulgaria with only four months to go now– C R A Z Y!
Until later!
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UPDATED with pictures:
