Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Some thoughts...

For a good portion of my life I've seen cousin after cousin embark on trips to places across the globe. And then I turned 13, and it hit me.

I too could pack up and try this "missions" thing out. So, I hit my knees, waiting for some sort of conformation from God that I ought to go. Once I made it that far, the question was where on earth, literally speaking, to go. Perhaps it was the pictures of deprived kids, the awful statistics, or the country's quaint European setting. Or maybe, just maybe, it was God that told me it was Romania.

Ok, never mind, I know it was. I had just turned 13, and had never been out of house by myself for more than 1 week prior to this, and I had absolutely no worries about it. That was proof enough.

So, when I got there, jet lag wasn't the only thing that hit me. Culture shock, boy is it a hard thing (and worse than loosing a couple hours of sleep I might add) From the paltry things like toilet paper that feels like recycled newspaper, and not being able to flush it, to the bigger, harder things. Hurting people. To those who witnessed the cruelty of communism, there seems to be no end to the nightmares. Kids are left to run around all day long. Parents sending out their little ones to follow big adults and beg for money. Kids left in hospitals with shattered windows with massive heaps of garbage just outside them. Or, the kids who were left by there parents and put into institutions where they are put into cages and strapped into beds. Part of me said, "Why, God, why? Innocent children- what did they do to deserve this? Don't you think you might ought to do something?" And another part said, "this is my mission field- how awe-inspiring is that?"

Last summer, I didn't make it out again, but this summer I feel like there's nothing stopping me if God says to go back.I think He has. And this time, I get to serve the ones I grieve for most- the little ones. Kids who God has rescued or is rescuing from darkness, and I actually get to help bring them into His marvelous light.

Lord willing, one day I will have the privilege of helping to rescue them.