The two weeks I spent in Romania were some of the most influential weeks of my life. At the very beginning of the trip it quickly became a little inside joke for our team to say "blessed" after everything that happened, but this inside joke was also a really important reminder of how blessed we were to be there to serve, fellowship, and grow over the course of our 17 days in Romania.
At the very beginning the trip our team faced set backs and challenges, from breaking down on the side of the road, to sickness. On the second day of VBS I woke up sick and wasn't able to help or be present with the kids for a couple of days. During that time I felt a lot of guilt for all the ways I wasn't able to help, but then I was reminded that guilt and shame is not from God. I realized that I needed to surrender to God and His plan for my time in Romania and lay down my own expectations for the trip.
As I served the orphans, my heart couldn't help but break for them and the brokenness that they experienced. I think that when we're at home only hearing about the things that these kids experience it's easy to turn away and ignore what is uncomfortable to face. But when you spend time with these kids, and share meals with them, and laugh with them, and learn their names and favorite colors, it becomes almost impossible not to care deeply; And once you start to grasp what these children have gone through, their seemingly unconditional joy seems even more significant.
I was so blessed by connecting with the orphans and being able to share the the love of Jesus with them, watching God work uniquely through every member of our team, and getting to know and love the H2H staff. But I was also blessed to do VBS in 100 degree weather, praise God while I was sick, and depend on Him fully on this trip.
At the very beginning the trip our team faced set backs and challenges, from breaking down on the side of the road, to sickness. On the second day of VBS I woke up sick and wasn't able to help or be present with the kids for a couple of days. During that time I felt a lot of guilt for all the ways I wasn't able to help, but then I was reminded that guilt and shame is not from God. I realized that I needed to surrender to God and His plan for my time in Romania and lay down my own expectations for the trip.
As I served the orphans, my heart couldn't help but break for them and the brokenness that they experienced. I think that when we're at home only hearing about the things that these kids experience it's easy to turn away and ignore what is uncomfortable to face. But when you spend time with these kids, and share meals with them, and laugh with them, and learn their names and favorite colors, it becomes almost impossible not to care deeply; And once you start to grasp what these children have gone through, their seemingly unconditional joy seems even more significant.
I was so blessed by connecting with the orphans and being able to share the the love of Jesus with them, watching God work uniquely through every member of our team, and getting to know and love the H2H staff. But I was also blessed to do VBS in 100 degree weather, praise God while I was sick, and depend on Him fully on this trip.
Thanks for these personal insights in addition to the facts … interesting, isn’t it, that we can get more out of serving than any other selfish motive … God honors those who have Him in mind while they serve. Sort of like it’s not just what we do for God, but what we learn from Him while we do it. I’m glad you came back with these international/cross-cultural insights that will definitely change your walk with Him.