Archive for July, 2009

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Gray Hair

Friday, July 10th, 2009

So…yesterday was my birthday. I won’t tell you how old I am; let’s just say I’m in the second half of my first hundred years.

Aging is an interesting process, don’t you think? My body is starting to act like an old car – it creaks and leaks occasionally. The skin on my neck is starting to sag a wee bit. My upper arms wiggle in the wind if they’re not sleeved. And my hair…well, that’s another story. It’s developing gray highlights with absolutely no effort on my part.

My body protests a bit when I bend down or get down onto the floor. It aches a bit when I rise in the morning. It’s not the suave, sleek shell it used to be; it takes more effort to keep it in reasonable shape these days. Yup, my body’s definitely getting older, but don’t tell my brain. It still thinks I’m 22. 

Proverbs 16:31 says, “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a godly life.” As my body ages and my hair turns gray, I look back and give thanks for the life the Lord has given me. It’s been a journey with bumps and detours, highs and lows like everyone else in the world experiences. But all along the way, He’s been my faithful travel companion. He’s shown me how to be content in my circumstances, given me strength in times of weakness, and joy in times of sorrow. He’s shown patience when I’ve been slow to understand the lessons He wanted me to learn. He’s granted forgiveness when I’ve blown it, and skillfully brought good from bad.

Yes, my graying hair proves that there’s a lot of life behind me. Hopefully there’s a lot ahead. I look forward to whatever the next year brings knowing my travel companion will be with me every step of the way.

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Journal Entry for July 9

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

How many Canadian women get to spend their 51st birthday in Romania? I do, I do!

And what a day it was!

Gene and I left the hotel for an early morning walk and decided to visit the Orthodox cathedral a block away – the one where a dozen or so children were executed in 1989. We noticed that people walking or driving past the structure will “cross” themselves. When we stepped inside, we heard a man’s voice singing. Actually, it sounded more like liturgical chanting. His voice echoed through the cathedral, drawing people in and leading them through formal motions of worship. One priest stood in the front; 10 people knelt before him. Another priest entered a room swinging an incense holder before a table covered with burning candles. Nearby was a wooden box nearly the size of a casket, with its lid off. People took turns kneeling beside it and gazing into it – likely it contained the bones of a supposed saint. And there were people lining up to kiss golden images of saints. Other than the man who sung, no one even whispered. The atmosphere was one of reverence.

It’s fascinating to travel and see that wherever we go, people are seeking God. In India, they sought the Hindu gods through rituals and sacrifices. Here, they seek Him through tradition. But Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.” My heart breaks when I see people steeped in religious rules and regulations but having no understanding of Jesus, the one whom we’re to worship in spirit and in truth.

After taking the team souvenir shopping, we ate lunch at McDonald’s. You read it correctly. It’s the fanciest McDonald’s I’ve ever seen, and it has a European-style outdoor eating area right on the main square in Timisoara. Plus, it has salads. My system is craving fresh veggies and fruit as the diet here doesn’t include much of those.

As we ate, a beggar boy about 9 years old came to us with a fist full of slightly wilted red roses, likely stolen from someone’s garden. Gene gave him the equivalent of $4 and then gave them to me for my birthday! Now that’s a dozen roses I’ll never forget! You should have seen the kid’s face when he realized he’d actually made a sale!

Lunch at McDonald's. See my roses?

Lunch at McDonald's. See my roses?

Moments later, another beggar, this one about 14 years old, approached. He stood directly behind me whining in Romanian. At one point, his voice sounded like a high soprano, and then he meowed like a cat. We tried hard to ignore him but he wouldn’t leave us alone. A McDonald’s employee asked him to leave several times, but he’d return seconds later and repeat his whining. Suddenly two police officers appeared from a side street. That’s all it took for the boy to run away before stopping to light a cigarette.

The afternoon was spent driving to the River of Life project – a home for abused women and children. We’ve stayed there on two occasions in the past year, so it was sheer delight to visit again. The women all gave me huge hugs and kisses. Even their kids came running to us. Emma, about 3 years old, came directly to me and cuddled with her head on my shoulder for several minutes. 

Meet my friend, Emma.

Meet my friend, Emma.

The day ended with dinner at an outdoor restaurant with the team and our four IM missionaries. We debriefed by discussing how the ministry time went with the young adults, and then we prayed for Andy and Tresha, and Tony and Claudia. An unexpected treat was when a waiter and waitress brought a tiramisu birthday cake to our table for everyone to enjoy.  

My life is so rich with family, friends, and ministry. I’m so very, very blessed.

 

Tomorrow we’re headed back to Budapest. That will take six hours by van. Our team will fly home on Saturday, and Gene and Kim and I will do a 3-hour tour of Budapest before catching a train to Slovakia. I likely won’t update my travel blog again until Sunday because of the full schedules.

 

I've always wanted to feed the pigeons! In the background, you can see the Orthodox cathedral.

I've always wanted to feed the pigeons! In the background, you can see the Orthodox cathedral.

BTW, thank you to all who wished me a happy birthday via email or Facebook. I haven’t had a chance to check Facebook on this trip…hopefully that time will come soon.

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Journal Entry for July 8

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
Sorting clothing donations

Sorting clothing donations

This morning began with breakfast in our hotel. The menus were written only in Romanian – we managed to figure out a few words such as omelette and coffee. Thankfully Tony and Claudia came to our rescue and placed our complete order for us. We had a hearty laugh over our meal when we discovered a major cultural difference.

In Europe, it’s okay to reach across someone’s plate if you want a particular food item. It’s also okay to get up from your chair and walk to a place at the table where you can reach that item. It’s not okay to ask someone to “Please pass the …..” That’s considered rude because doing so causes that person to stop eating or to interrupt their conversation to give you what you want. Our team explained to Claudia and Tony that in our country, it’s considered rude to reach across a plate or leave your chair to walk around the table to help yourself to what you want. They laughed and said, “We wondered why you always asked us to pass certain food items, such as the salt. We thought you were perfectly capable of getting it yourself. Why should you always ask us for help?” Gotta love the differences!

After breakfast we drove to the day center. Tresha put us to work sorting clothing and craft donations for an hour or so. She said our efforts saved her about six day’s work. I’m so thankful we could serve her in that way. Then the kids began to arrive.

All the campers showed up, plus four or five more…and three of their mothers! How exciting is that? We taught them a fun camp song called “Dum Dum Ditty” – they laughed and thought it was great fun. And then I gave a devotional about overcoming the giants in our lives by remembering that God is always with us and He will be faithful. Claudia translated for me. When I finished speaking, she shared some thoughts…and that led to a rousing and passionate discussion about attending discos, drinking, drug abuse, reading the Bible for answers, and more. The discussion grew so lively, with several people speaking at once, that Tresha had to give up translating. It’s so exciting to see how the kids feel free to ask questions, and how Claudia and Tresha constantly send them back to the Word.

Then came the tough part – saying goodbye to these precious kids. One gal – the one who read the poem about her mother’s death – wrapped her arms around me, buried her face in my neck, and cried hot tears. I held her close for a long time. She would look into my eyes and say, “I love you,” and cry some more. Her older sister stood a few inches away, so I hugged her, too. Then I felt nudged to say, “In my heart, I feel like a mother to you both.” Tresha walked by at that time, so she translated these words. The girls replied that they felt the same way. Then one said, “I don’t suppose you’d like to live in Romania. I’ll take you home with me.”

There were lots of tears, lots of hugs and kisses as our team bid the kids goodbye. They all expressed a desire for us to return next summer. I can’t help but wonder if they’ll all be alive next summer. My prayer is that, whatever the future holds, God will draw them to Himself so they will know His presence and peace now, and eternity with Him someday.

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Like a Small Child

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

 I’m the proud grandma of two adorable grandkids, ages 18 months and 3 months. Let me tell ya’ – nothing’s as sweet as spending time with them. I was in their home recently, when my daughter-in-law sat down to nurse the baby.

There he lay, blissfully content in his mommy’s arms, a perfect picture of Psalm 131:1-3: “LORD, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great for me. But I have stilled and quieted myself just as a small child is quiet with its mother. Yes, like a small child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the LORD – now and always.”

Just as my grandson was content in his mother’s arms, so we can be content in God’s arms. When we trust in Him alone, our souls find rest. We no longer feel anxious or afraid. We no longer worry about the what-ifs. Rather, we experience peace that passes human understanding. We find hope. We find strength. Our inner man is quieted, as a small child is quiet with its mother.

“Father, teach me to be still and quiet in Your arms. I put my hope in You alone now and always. Amen.”

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Journal Entry for July 7

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

Our chapel time this morning consisted of several kids’ testimonies. One spoke of how she witnessed God answer prayer after the car in which she was traveling broke down and no one would stop to help her. She and the others in the car prayed for God to fix the problem and He did. To her, that was a huge sign of God’s power and presence in her life.

Another spoke of the difficulties she’d faced since being diagnosed with HIV – especially the lack of proper medical care. One talked about his dad dying, and about nearly losing his mom. He said that he and his brothers prayed that God would not let her die, and He answered. Years later, she’s still alive.

Then the gal who committed her life to Christ last night spoke. With tears in her eyes, she addressed our team and said, “Thank you for coming. You came from so far away just to spend time with us. You have loved us and treated us like normal people. You’ll never know how much this camp has meant to us.”

How does one respond to that, except to thank God for providing the means and the opportunity to serve in this way? We wish the need for this ministry didn’t exist, but so long as it does, we pray that God will raise up the volunteers and especially career staff to build it and bless it.

Andy and Claudia drove the kids back to the day center – about 2 ½ hours’ drive one way on a very windy mountain road. At one point, they had to pull off to the side because everyone had to get out and throw up due to travel sickness. Poor kids! Poor Andy and Claudia!

They returned to pick up the team around 6:00 pm, and then it was our turn to travel on the windy road. No vomiting, but a few queasy stomachs. At one point after darkness fell, we drove through a fairly large town and I noticed that there were few lights on in the apartment blocks and houses. Tony explained that this area used to have a booming economy based on mining. Now the mines are closed and nearly everyone is unemployed and can’t afford to pay for electricity. Hence, the dark windows. Sad, sad, sad. Again, we in North America have much to be thankful for.

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Journal Entry for July 6

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
Spa day for the girls!

Spa day for the girls!

Typical Romanian outdoor grill

Typical Romanian outdoor grill

 What an amazing day! When we do our Bible lessons, the kids listen like there’s no tomorrow – and for some of them, this may literally be true. They ask questions like, “How can God allow bad people to have good lives, and good people to have lots of trouble? Why are some people so poor when others have so much?” They want answers – real ones that apply to their lives, not just pat Christianese.

We had two Bible lessons today, but we also had tons of physical fun with the kids. We enjoyed water games on the lawn in the afternoon, ending with a full-blown water balloon fight. These kids are no different than teens in North America – they love having a good time. And it’s easy to make that happen here. They simply want to be kids, to forget about their disease, and to be treated as normal people.

The evening activity was a talent show. One gal read a poem she’d written about the death of her mother. Two stood and sang a beautiful worship song. We all sang “How Great Thou Art.” And there were lots of laughs, too, as Gene and our 22-year-old daughter Kim performed a couple of silly skits. Claudia and Tony did a mind-teasing game – ie: “Pick any number but don’t tell anyone what it is. Now add 20. Subtract 5…..” The kids really enjoyed trying to figure out this one.

Following the talent show, the hotel owners served us a typical Romanian outdoor grilled dinner – three types of meat served on each plate – chicken breast, pork, and sausages. By now it was 10 p.m. For me, this was a delightful cultural experience. A grilled dinner in Canada might consist of one piece of meat, a baked potato, and a salad of some sort. And I would never consider eating three big chunks of meat just prior to bedtime. But there are differences! And it’s critical to remember that doing things in a way unusual to us is not wrong…it’s just different.

Then we broke out the Hershey bars, marshmallows and graham crackers and taught the kids how to make s’mores. They understood quickly how to roast their marshmallows to perfection. Meanwhile, as several staff were taking care of this aspect of camp, others were in the hotel praying spontaneously with several girls whose hearts were ready and ripe for God to do a good work!

One little gal pulled Tresha into her room and told her all about her life. Sexual abuse beyond belief.  For her privacy’s sake, I won’t post her story online. Suffice it to say, she’s lucky to be alive. Scripture isn’t kidding when it speaks of Satan as the one who wants to kill, steal, and destroy. He’s doing a good job over here. But Jesus came to bring light, life, and hope. If only these kids could understand and believe this to be the truth.

Tonight one girl committed her life to following Jesus Christ, and another (a Christian) expressed her desire to overcome her backslidden ways and remain faithful to God. Wow – what a night!

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July 5

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009
On the Danube River, across from Serbia

On the Danube River, across from Serbia

Camp seems to be going better than anyone could have anticipated. A big thank-you to everyone who’s praying – we can tell we have prayer backing.

The weather is so hot that the glue holding my sandals together has melted! It’s a good thing I brought two pairs along. One will head for the trash tonight.

Yesterday – July 4 – about 15 staff and campers climbed into an open boat – like a giant rowboat with a little engine – and headed across the Danube River to explore an island. The boat belongs to the owner of the hotel where we’re staying, so he ferried us 15 minutes to our destination and then turned around to fetch the rest of our group. Before he could do that, however, a major thunderstorm rolled in. Lightning flashed, thunder cracked, a wind blew in, and the heavens opened and absolutely poured. Thankfully there was a stone structure that offered us shelter. There were windows but no glass, so it was hard to find a place to huddle from the elements. The floor was made of dirt, and horses had obviously visited recently. Add to that the element of sighting several poisonous snakes, and this was quite an adventure!

The storm blew over in about 15 minutes. It took another half hour, perhaps, before our boat could return to pick up. Apparently the police from Serbia had warned the owner and several local fishermen to stay off the water because of the danger of lightning.

Today, for crafts, we beaded bracelets. The girls loved this, beading into the wee hours of the morning. Three gave me bracelets they’d made. One of them had little alphabet block beads with the message “GRCEA END ALINA” (Grace and Alina). This gal is 22 – she was in a coma a couple of years ago and nearly died. To top it off, she suffered a stroke. As a result, she walks with difficulty. She has the most incredible eyes and high cheekbones – a beautiful girl on the outside, but on the inside, too. I wish I could post a picture of her, but I can’t do so without her permission.

The highlight of my day was having a heart-to-heart with one of our campers. When he was 14 years old, he learned that he’d contracted HIV when he was four months old. His mother had taken him to a clinic for treatment, but that’s where he received a shot with a contaminated needle. He’s not convinced yet that God exists, but he’s asking questions and looking for answers. My heart broke for him. He allowed me to pray for him when our conversation ended. If you would pray for him, too, it could make a difference between life and death for him. Also, pray specifically that he’ll find a job. He told me that in order to work at a grocery store, he will have to undergo mandatory blood testing, and he will test positive for HIV. No one will then hire him.

I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the cloud that these kids carry – being treated like lepers in their own society, knowing the disease could flare into full-blown AIDS at any time, reading about the latest updates for treatment but knowing they’ll never receive it, and so forth. We take so much for granted in North America. Too much.

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Solomon’s Tuned-Out Heart

Monday, July 6th, 2009

Solomon was a wise guy in many respects, but he blew it in his old age. 1 Kings 11:1 says it all: “Now King Solomon loved many foreign women.” Now, that might not have been a big deal had it not been forbidden by God. But he ran into trouble because God had clearly warned against intermarriage.

Verses 3,4 say, “He had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. And sure enough, they led his heart away from the LORD. In Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship their gods instead of trusting only in the LORD his God, as his father, David, had done…Thus, Solomon did what was evil in the LORD’s sight; he refused to follow the LORD completely, as his father, David, had done.”

Solomon’s heart, once tuned-in to God, was now tuned out. No longer able to enjoy sweet fellowship, discern His voice, and sense His nudges. Why? Because he disobeyed God and pursued his own desires. He disregarded God’s instruction and chose to do his own thing.

This story carries a good warning for us. Solomon was swept away by his own desires and his heart was turned to worship false gods even though he’d known better all his life. The same can happen to us unless we’re on our guard.

Here’s a prayer in that regard: “Father, keep our hearts in tune with Yours. Keep our hearts steadfast, trusting only in You rather than in false and empty gods. Help us follow You completely. Amen.”

 

And here’s a question to ask ourselves: Am I being drawn to worship false gods? If so, what are they? What changes must I make to remain true to God alone?

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Craving for the Lord

Friday, July 3rd, 2009

When I was pregnant, I experienced cravings that nearly consumed me. I remember riding a bus in Nepal, winding around steep mountainsides, nearly choking on diesel fumes, and telling my husband, “I need a candy necklace. I’ve gotta have it or I’m gonna die.” Later my cravings turned to wonton soup, potato chips, pizza, soup of any flavor, and raw cauliflower. It’s difficult to describe the depth of my desire for these foods. Let’s just say it was “beyond normal.”

The Psalmist experienced a craving, too – a spiritual one. In Psalm 130:6, he said, “I long for the Lord more than sentries long for the dawn.” He’s saying that he craved the Lord more than the weary night watchman craved the early morning light that signaled the end of their shift and beckoned them to their beds. Perhaps he’s even implying that his longing for the Lord surpassed his desire for physical rest.

How might we measure our longing for the Lord? How might we describe it? Fill in the blank: “I long for the Lord more than _____________________________.”

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July 3 — Camp Begins

Friday, July 3rd, 2009

Our team is staying at a hotel located on the Danube River, and we have internet access! When we look across the river, we see Serbia. ‘Way off in the distance, we see a massive stone fortress built along the water’s edge. Amazing site. Wish I had binoculars, though, so I could see it close up. Apparently there’s no way we can get close to it by boat because doing so without going through proper entry procedures would likely land us in trouble with homeland security. Don’t wanna go there!

Our team started the day with group devotions. We spent the morning fine-tuning our activity schedule and ran errands in the afternoon. The kids showed up at six o’clock. We’d expected and planned for 25, but in the end only 12 came. Some were sick and unable to come, others confirmed yesterday that they were going to come, but simply didn’t show up for the 2 ½ hour van ride out here. Why not? Probably fear of the unknown. And actually, the kids are actually young adults – ages 20-22 mostly. Our missionaries say this has never happened – normally the kids who attend camp are much younger.

At any rate, Gene and I had met several of these kids last year and again in February. It was wonderful (understatement) to see them again. One of the boys gave me the customary kiss on each cheek, and when he did that, everyone followed suit. What a sight. It was like the love of God rained down from heaven on our team and the precious dozen. Words cannot express the love I feel in my heart for these young people.

After supper, we played an icebreaker with them, and then Brian (the appointed camp speaker on our team) did a short introductory Bible lesson. One of the girls spoke up and said, “Why did you come here? Most people come only if they can get something. But what about you? Why did you come?” The kids asked us the same question last February when we visited the day center. What an opportunity to say, “Because God loves you and so do we.”

The kids were very tired after the long drive to the camp, so we didn’t keep them up. Most ate a ham and cheese sandwich and then headed to bed. Several stayed to play Uno – I love being able to connect with a simple game. Lights-out are at midnight….our staff meeting is at 7:00 a.m…. and I want to get up early enough to spend time with the Lord and take a walk before then. And so, it’s goodnight for now.

I’ll post more in the days ahead and will try to include photos.

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