Jim's Travels In Romania

          

         

         

God wants you to be ready to be stretched

·        As most of you know, I just got back from Romania a couple of weeks ago, and the way God answers prayer is never the way you expect or in the timing you think it should be.

·        Almost two years ago Stephanie Bellamy gave a presentation at the men’s breakfast with slides.  It was well done

·        When it was over she asked if I would consider going to Romania.  I laughed – you should never laugh because you never know what God has planned for you

·        She talked about sponsors, fund raising

·        I didn’t really take her serious until about the third time.  It seemed so big so far away – impossible for a Wiarton Salvationist to go half way around the world to a country that not so long ago was in the grip of communism – boasting that Christians would disappear from the face of the earth in this generation.  They were so hostile toward Christianity that they converted hundreds of thousands of bibles into toilet paper.

·        I wondered all kinds of things – taking time off work – raising enough money – getting there and back alive – crashing into the Atlantic only entered my mind about 500 times

·        Then I started praying about it.  The trip was cancelled and I thought “OK – that’s that”! 

·        We went to a Salvation Army leadership conference to start seeing about officer ship and the trip forgotten

·        One year later the phone rang – it was Stephanie and the trip was back on with a thousand dollars already put towards my trip.

·        I couldn’t say no – I asked again for the time off.

·        The deal was – I had to put in an extra 40 hours plus get my work done and be 8 – 12 boats ahead when I let

·        I’ll tell you it wasn’t easy.  The passport was the biggest hassle because I had to get a new birth certificate as they wouldn’t accept the one I had because it was damaged.  Normally it takes 6 weeks for a new one and I only had about a month left. 

·        I missed programs here at the Church and sometimes felt like I was letting people down – band practice – worship team  - bible study – and we were having great bible studies with Suzette

God wants you to be ready to be stretched

           

         

God wants you to be ready to Dream

·        Did I dream all would go as planned?  Well – I knew God is in control – I knew He has a plan.  We’d come this far so I didn’t think he would shut us down now that we made it to Europe

·        Only by his Grace

·        Customs opened one box only – full of chairs.  We had brought 10 boxes of 3 chairs each.  These chairs were to be used by the school we were helping to build.  Had they opened the box with guitars, things might have been different.  We had tools also in this box and we had been instructed not to say we were there to work

·        They opened my box – it had my name on it and a number.  Guess what number it was.  Number 7

·        Obstacles are only there for us to learn to trust Him even more

·        Things I see as trivial or not important – he is using for someone else’s life – or as a link to the next breakthrough in my or someone else’s faith

·        Budapest to Arad – 6-8 hours drive – we arrived late at night.  The Hotel owner wanted to keep our passports so we gave them to him to fill out his documents even though we had misgivings. 

·        The area seemed really strange as you would be would be looking at a cow in the field, but right in the same area would be a factory and a block away there were streetcars carrying people through the town.

·        On Sunday we had a church service in Arad and then walked around the Gypsy section.  It looks like a ghetto – poor housing, streets of mud and displaced looking people.  The people looked bored with no where to go – nothing to do.  The Romanian people don’t hire gypsy’s.

·        In a lot of lives it seems God is missing.  These people are not just impoverished on the outside; they are also impoverished on the inside.

·        There are Holy Ghost churches all over the world, but unfortunately some churches have replaced Jesus with religion.

·        Paul’s life is just like my wife’s and my life.  Paul was taught by the best religious Pharisee’s of his time.  My wife and I were taught by the world, but each of us was set straight by Jesus.

God wants you to be ready to Dream

         

God wants you to be ready to Respond

·        The Momaia valley where they are building the school, just blew me away

·        Homes are shacks made from sticks, used plastic – anything they can find.  Even molded pottery discarded because of chips and cracks.  One place was almost completely made of this pottery

·        When you are in the valley, animal and human excrement is all you can smell.  In comparison to Arad, the valley is 5 times more impoverished.  They have some livestock that run free during the day, but their barnyards where the animals are kept at night and fed are their own front and back yards. Smaller children play in the same area.  All of these people are friendly – even with the language barrier. 

·        We dug a 100 yard trench for water for the school, put on a roof and poured 3 cement floors and a hallway

·        We fed children, made friends with them and played Christian songs for them.  Dorothy, a lady who joined us halfway through our stay, has been learning the language for 11 months.  She provided translated versions of songs that we were singing.

·        The children are not unlike our own here in Canada.  There was one boy who was rougher than the rest and hit a girl with a stick.  She was crying so I talked to here even though she didn’t know what I was saying.  I wanted her know that someone cared.  I then took the stick from the boy and got rid of it.  When you respond to a situation, it isn’t always the obvious that you are responding to but who you are actually doing it for.  You are doing the work of the Lord.

We are brought into this world – the world lies to us – corrupts us – abuses us – kicks some of us around and leaves us for dead.  When we realize that something – which is faith; and someone – who is Jesus; is missing in our life and then we accept Him into our life He reverses the damage and turns it to experience, wisdom and knowledge.  Will we ever be the same as we were?  NO!  Would parents who knew Jesus send their kids out to beg?  NO! 

Would a village that was never educated about faith in Jesus, cleanliness, reading, writing or math receive a school from God and remain the same?  NO!  A new school – a new start.  Ask Jesus into your heart – a new start.

Are you ready to respond

    

Amen