The Bus
A funny thing happened on the way to Alba Lilui...24 sleepy-eyed people climbed aboard the bus at 7 a.m. Saturday morning to begin a 5 hour drive to a nearby (distance IS relative) community to join with another youth group in an afternoon of evangelism, a youth gathering Saturday night, and a morning and evening service on Sundayanywayback to the bus. Just in case I had forgotten that people are people where ever you go, here is a list of similarities between this trip and those I have taken with our youth:
1. Excitement gives everyone energy for about the first 2 hours
2. About the same time the excitement dies down someone is hungry, thirsty, and/or needs to go to the bathroom and the scheduled stop is at least 30 minutes away!
3. When a bus full of young people unloads at a truck stop, the management gets VERY nervous. (I am absolutely sure it had nothing to do with the young woman riding on the hood of the adult (?) leaders car as he backed across the parking lot.)
4. Everyone thinks stupid jokes are funny one o'clock in the morning.
Most importantly, however, I was reminded that God touches our lives in surprising and wonderful ways when we obey the call to go on a mission. We may start out thinking we are going to be a blessing to others (and we are) but always, always, God blesses us as much or more than we bless others.
The Park
The setting: Two guitars, a dozen Bibles, and a 26 member chorus gathered under the trees to sing praise music and talk to people about God.
This is the first time about half of the group has done an evangelistic ministry of this kind so some were quite nervous and kept trying to hide in the back of the group. (I, on the other hand, had a perfectly good reason to stand in backI cant sing in Romanianwell, actually I can but dont tell anyone!) So, this is a pretty somber looking group and I am thinking that we are scaring people away rather than attracting them so I decide we need a cheerleader to get people smiling at least a little and since I will most likely never see any of these people again I decide I am the perfect person to get it started. Well, you know how it is when people are nervous, once they laugh a little they relax and enjoy themselves so that is what happened and pretty soon we had a nice little good crowd gathered and we had a good time and talked to people about God and enjoyed ourselves as we sang praises to our Lord.
The Cathedral
The setting: Within the park grounds, a cathedral built between 1003-09.
There was a nice young woman who gave tours of the church and she was wonderful! She was patient with our exuberance, willing to answer all of our questions, and at one point let us into a small chapel that is not usually open to the public.
As we stood in this 1,000 year old chapel, we realized that the acoustics were phenomenal and so we sang. We started with Amazing Grace and proceeded to sing 3 or 4 songs. I cannot even begin to tell you what an incredible experience this was. Here we were, standing on the very stones that believers had been standing on for a 1,000 years. We were worshipping the same Godthe God who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrowwe were experiencing unexpected grace and felt the touch of the Holy Spirit.
Just as we were beginning to leave the chapel, a woman who had been sitting in the main part of the church came and asked us to sing at the front of the cathedral. She had tears in her eyes as she told us how God had touched her through our music. So there we were, standing at the front of this huge cathedral singing our hearts out for God and for this woman.
As we left the church I was thinking that maybe God sent us there that day just so this one woman would feel His presence.
Unexpected Grace
The setting: Sunday morning at the kitchen table in the home of the couple who hosted Anca and I.
The conversation:
Aroure, our hostess: "Linda, would you like coffee before breakfast?
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Reality Check
I had the pleasure of spending some time with Mary Lou again this week. Talk about unexpected grace, finding another American practically on my doorstep a few weeks ago certainly qualifies in my book! Anyway, I recalled an earlier conversation we had about how weird it was to see someone using a weed whip to cut a whole field of knee high grass. Mary Lou told me she had commented to one of the staff at CASA and their response was that it was a lot faster and easier than using a scythe.
I am looking forward to Eriks arrival on Wednesday. In typical Romanian style I have made three different sets of plans and still am not certain which one, if any, will work. But really, who cares! He will be here and what we do is so much less important than that.
In addition to spending a couple of days exploring, we will attend Emanuels graduation ceremony on the 28th. Two of the three students I have become close friends with will graduate that day so I am excited to be sharing this event with them.
And then the next day we are off to Budapest where we will spend one day and one night and then I fly home and Erik goes on to visit friends in Germany.
Wow! The adventure is almost at an end and I am feeling a strange mix of excitement and sadnessI have made good friends here whom I will miss and so leaving will have a bittersweet flavoron the sweet side, I look forward to seeing you all!
P.S.
Does anyone need their house painted? I know someone who is looking for a job!