Making an Impact: People Who Changed ME for the Better
A few stories from some of the people I came to know and love during my time in Romania:
Adrianna, The first person I’ve met with the gift of prophesy. To be honest, the whole idea of this spiritual gift being prevalent in today’s world kinda freaked me out and I was a bit skeptical, but I’m telling you- she told me things about myself I’ve never told anyone. And her humble, down-to-earth spirit convinced me of the actuality of this gift. We talked for hours. She was one of those people you could spill your guts to because she made you so comfortable (maybe she should be a counselor).
It was interesting, Adrianna came to the bus after hearing about us on the news. She felt compelled to come to the bus and share her amazing testimony with someone, and that someone turned out to me. She shared how a little piece of paper with the truth about Jesus changed her and her family’s lives.
Here I am, working on a book bus, and to be honest with you, sometimes I find myself thinking things like, ‘this aspect of ministry is fine, it’s just not for me. I don’t see much good in handing out thousands of little pieces of paper, when the majority of them get thrown away. I want to be DOING something, SHOWING God’s love through caring for His people through practical ministry, not just handing out a tract.’ However, the TRUTH is God said, “my word that goes out from my mouth will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11) and Adrianna’s story convinced me of that.
Since a child, she was intrigued with the concept of Jesus, even though she didn’t know any Christians. She kept asking questions- but received no answers. When she was a teenager, after having read the bible by herself, she was confused about the trinity. How could there be one god, and yet 3 at the same time?? She went and asked her older sister what she thought. Her older sister replied, “I don’t care. I don’t need a God. Stop wasting your time with all this,” and left the house. That night, Adrianna woke up in the middle of the night, and had a weird feeling that she needed to pray for her sister, even though she had never prayed before. A couple hours later, her sister came home with a bloody towel wrapped around her hand… She had been working 3rd shift at a factory, and in a freak accident, lost her fingers. Her family rushed her to the hospital, and Adrianna’s sister repeatedly said she thought it was a punishment from God for what she had said earlier that evening. The next day, someone came to the hospital and handed out tracts to the patients. Adrianna and her sister read through the tract. They read that there is a God who created each one of us and cares what happens to us. And they believed it. It’s been an amazing journey for Adrianna. She was recently employed working at an orphanage run by missionaries, but their funding was cut off, and so she no longer has a job.
The person who handed Adrianna’s sister a bible tract at the hospital will never know that because of their small gesture, an entire family professes to know Jesus. I learned from Adrianna that even though handing out bible tracts isn’t the most glamorous job, and I will probably never know if the people I hand it to read it or not… what I’m doing IS important. If I hand out a thousand tracts, and only one person reads it and ends up confessing with their mouth and believing in their heart that God really IS a relational God and he really DOES want to be a part of their life…. Eternity is forever changed. And I am lucky enough to have a small part in that. : )
Bianca a beautiful 16 year old who has the whole world ahead of her. Through the few conversations I had with her, I could tell she is smart, hard working, and wants to live a full life. I don’t know what she thinks about Jesus, but I know that twice a week she helps out at an orphanage for abandoned children, just for fun. I know her face lit up when she talked about making a difference in her community and trying to better this world we live in. I also know she is faced with the same temptations that many teenagers are faced with today- the attractiveness of having someone from the opposite sex adore and admire her. I could see it in her eyes as she spoke of some particular struggles, and I could see it in the playful yet dangerous way she flirted with the guys in town. She is now reading one of my favorite books and hopefully she will learn the TRUTH, that God is the only one who won’t break her heart. God is the only one who can truly satisfy her (“Ye are complete in Him,” Colossians 2:10, KJV). http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31389726&l=714cd50819&id=58300392
Maria, , a 6 year old who was abandoned by her parents, is socially awkward and has many difficulties making friends. Her father was extremely abusive so her mom left maria and her 2 brothers. As an alcoholic, Maria’s father could not care for all 3 children, so Maria’s Bunica (grandma) took her in. I met Maria at a park, I took her hand as she stood apart from her peers, and I gently encouraged her to come play. An hour later she was laughing and playing, and by the next day she was raising her hand to recite the bible verse on her own. Later, Bunica told me (crying), how difficult it has been to raise this sweet child. Bunica hardly has enough food and money to feed herself, much less a growing child. I spent 3 days playing with maria and conversing with bunica. I ended up giving Maria a coloring book (the one she had her eyes on every time she ventured into the book bus… she was SO THANKFUL) (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31389710&l=cd87478780&id=58300392 However, the next morning, as we were packing up and leaving town, Bunica and Maria came to the bus to say goodbye. Bunica shared with me how sad she was that she couldn’t afford crayons for Maria to color in her new book with. I wanted so badly to run across town and find someplace that sold crayons. But we were leaving, and it was Sunday, and I had to pack up, … and I thought of a thousand other reasons whx I couldn’t, so I didn’t, and I now I regret it. It was difficult for me to say goodbye to bunica and maria, knowing I’ll probably never see either one again, and knowing there’s nothing I can do for them except pray.
The twins, Sandi and Dana. I stayed with them in their home for 3 nights, with their mom and 3 brothers, in their 2 room apartment. They recently lost their dad (I didn’t ask how he died). Luminita (the leader for Bus4Life from OM Romania) and I shared a bed with Sandi, while dana and her mom slept in another bed next to ours, and the boys slept in the only other room. Each night I played guitar with the girls, they taught me a couple Romanian worship songs, and we compiled an English/ Romanian version of Hillsong’s “Mighty to Save.” The twins spoke little English, so it was quite interesting communicating with the family (welcome to my life!). This family was asked by the pastor if they could host me and Luminita only hours before our arrival. Despite the short notice, we had a hot meal waiting for us when we arrived… with many more delicious meals to follow.. It was quite interesting having 7 people share 1 bathroom, but this is not uncommon here. In fact, it is quite the luxury tohave more than one bathroom. But I was sooooo thankful to HAVE a bathroom (the bathroom on the bus was not working the whole month I was in Romania, so finding a nice place to relieve myself was sometimes tricky!) The girls were so sweet, and such talented musicians (at age 14). On the last day, Dana and i played guitar together during some childrens games that needed musical accompaniment. It was so much fun! http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31389758&l=8f78f35d58&id=58300392 I was so grateful to have the chance to communicate and connect using music…
— a special thank you to my friends from Romania who helped me with translation. if it weren’t for Sergiu, RoRo, and many of the teens at the churches i wouldn’t have had the chance to hear these stories. i am forever grateful.
