Day Five From Day Six's Perspective

It's now Thursday here. Well first thing’s first – through a technological miracle we now have Charlie and Selena’s pics up. Theirs covers the trip from the beginning. It’s difficult balancing out a laptop to cover updating two different blogs, uploading pictures, talking to family on Skype, and talking to family on MagicJack. We’ve done remarkably well getting everyone in to contact someone back home.

I have so much to say and know I cannot remember all of it. I have tried to stick with some theme or main idea but there is something new and inspiring constantly occurring here. One thing you’ll notice in the pictures is how there is some Biblical theme popping up everywhere here. The grapevines with the vine and the branches, the sheep and shepherds, and today with the mud and straw being made into bricks. God has amazingly intertwined His word into the daily lives here.

Another thing that amazes me is the way the people still find some way to summarize life here to press on even in these conditions. An 80 year old man named John told me “if you don’t grow old, you die.” He gave me many blessings on my life as I talked to him about his. He was burdened by guilt over something he did as a child – steal cookies. He also drank heavily later in life. But he is a Christian and I told him Christ has forgiven him all of those sins and there is nothing left to burden us. We are free. Stories of our past sins are not for guilt – they are for testimony over what Christ has done to change our lives. Even a criminal nailed to a cross beside Jesus, moments from death, received forgiveness. There is no excuse – no sins – that can be used to keep someone from accepting Jesus. Many say they did too many things in their younger years that keep Jesus from WANTING to forgive them. That is not the case. All have sinned but anyone who asks for forgiveness may receive that forgiveness.

We spent time in a Gypsy village called Dobresti. The Bruskis set up a water system some time ago where storage tanks held water and led down a pipe through the village for the people to use at five points. Vandalism and petty fights with jealousy causes many to break or damage the system. We checked today and thank God the spigots were in great shape. Then we spent time with the kids, met some of the families, and had a mini-VBS. This was the most poverty stricken village we have seen with many of the younger children running around with little or even no clothes on at all. The water they wash clothes in and play in is mixed with sewage. I see so much of the Samaritan people of the Bible in the Gypsies. They are truly the outcasts – some brought on their own and much brought on by Romanians. Regardless, Jesus made sure he spent time preaching to them – note the story in John of the woman at the well and the mention of Samaria in the Great Commission. We could easily find a similar woman at the well here – no different than the story in John.

We also had our last service with the orphans tonight. It was very emotional. We each stood up to tell what being a disciple was about. It requires sacrifices, getting out of comfort zones, loving others, drawing closer to God, and listening to God. The kids joined us in songs sung in both English and Romanian. Again, so much of God comes through where it sounds heavenly with mixed languages.

Again, I could mention more. This is a condensed version of what is in my heart - but as my wife says even my condensed version goes on forever. But the last thought is one that we’ve all talked about repeatedly – we are responsible for what we’ve learned and seen here. Our eyes have been opened God has impressed this on our hearts. What we do with this when we get back is key. Do we apply this wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to our lives back in America? Does it last a few weeks after we get back? Or is this embedded in our hearts to witness to everyone we can back home? I’ve mentioned this before – a book by W. Oscar Thompson called Concentric Circles of Concern mentions how it is easy to do great work with people we will never see again. But if we cannot do these same deeds with those next door, across the street, in the next cubicle at work, or the person in line behind us at Wal-Mart, we are missing the point. My prayer is that this fire, this wisdom, this experience is taken back to Monroe, Loganville, Walton County, and beyond.
Craig