Location: Apartment living room, Oradea, Romania, just after dinner on Monday evening, June 15.
Yes, for those of you who read my post a few days ago, this is N. in that fateful elevator that trapped him recently. It now works again (I tried it, because understandably N. was scared...)!
What you might not know is that the morning after the elevator incident, poor N. was very unhappy, to my great amusement, about finding bugs in his cornflakes. We had noticed that Romanians do not seem to have twisty ties available, though we were told by one friend that he had seen them here. That same man did say, though, that they do not have Ziploc bags here. J., however, being a seasoned missionary, keeps things like Ziploc bags on hand, so she donated a few to our cause. Yet when we went to put our new cereal in them this morning, we found that the bag already had a hole in it, and the little buggers had already found their way in. For those of you who remember the delight of searching inside a cereal box for some sort of prize, you will understand why I enjoy the challenge of sifting through my already-not-very-appetizing cereal to try to find the dark moving spots with legs before I swallow them. N. is a little less fond of this game, and though I'm sure I, too, swallowed several of our little friends, it makes me laugh as I watch his face contort in disgust. The best part is that with the Ziploc bags, it is now like having an ant farm for breakfast! They are much easier to see now!
Certainly, anyone who has traveled will know that food is always an interesting issue in a new culture. Last night, we decided to use it to our advantage, and we took two friends, V. and E., to the pizza place where we dined last week. We wanted to talk to the waitress again, for she had expressed interest in our visit to Romania, and we had been interested to hear her experiences with Christians of different denominations. The meal was okay (mine had anchovies on it, and I had ordered it knowing the waitress said it was not good!), but the fellowship was excellent. The time was very relational as we conversed with our friends about all sorts of important things. Furthermore, after the meal, the waitress pulled me aside and asked me some questions about religion and church, etc.
Here in Oradea, people are very divided by denominations and labels, like in many parts of the United States and other parts of the world. I hope to be able to explain to people that the Living God does not want our traditions or an hour of routine one day per week, but that instead He wants an intimate relationship with us. He does not want a Baptist or Orthodox or Presbyterian or Catholic or any other kind of label on us, He wants to reside inside of us. He wants access to our innermost thoughts and feelings, and He wants us to have access to His heart. That is why He sent His Son, Jesus, to be that door into the depths of His Spirit. Imagine being welcomed into the very heart of God...and we are!
So the meal was very good from a spiritual perspective, and I understand why Jesus so often used meals as a stage for His teaching. The environment is very important. For example, N. and I attended a large church twice yesterday (the second time we knew we were attending a children's concert, but did not realize that came with a whole other service!)--apparently it is one of the largest in Europe.
In the morning, I was miserable there. As you will see in the photo, the chairs are stacked closely together, and both N. and I had to fold our tall frames tightly into the small spaces and sit very still for a two-hour service (the shortest service I have been to in Romania was about an hour-and-a-half). Not only was I physically uncomfortable, but I understood next to nothing that was said, and we could barely see from where we sat.
Though I was not excited about doing it again in the evening, I am glad we went again. This time, we were given translation headphones, which help with comprehension, though they do a great job of making you feel schizophrenic as you try to decipher the different voices in your head. I found the doctrine to be sound and the sermon worthwhile, despite some things I had heard about the church and even felt in the morning.
It just goes to show that it is important to give people a chance. Maybe something seems very uninviting because it is too large, or has a bad reputation, or seems uncomfortable, or unfriendly. But maybe that is all just false perceptions and the reality is much different!
N. and I talked a lot this evening about why we are here, about our expectations, perceptions, and reality. We are focusing on relationships; I have found that to invest in another person is NEVER in vain. We are not here to make people become like us. We are not here to tantalize them with our version of Christianity. We are here to be obedient and humble before the Lord, that if He chooses to live in us and to manifest Himself through us, that we will be ready and available. In fact, missions work does not exist in my opinion. A true Christian is someone who surrenders everything to the Lord, allowing Jesus to live in and through Him in everything. A missionary is someone who is a true Christian wherever he or she happens to be at the moment. All true Christians should be missionaries. We happen to be Christians in Romania right now.
The LDS (Mormon) religion understands this to a certain extent. I very much disagree with them in many important things, but I also love the Mormons I have met, and I believe we can learn a lot from them. N. and I met a few Mormons in Oradea and have their phone number; one of them we saw again right after I was praying for them. The Mormons send out their members all over the world, believing that they should all be missionaries (at least all the men, if I understand correctly). But they also do a splendid job of making people feel loved and welcome, and of emphasizing family values.
I often thoughtfully disagree with many people (even people in the Church), and I hope that despite our disagreement, our acquaintance with these Mormons becomes friendship. I hope that though we may argue many key beliefs, they may see Jesus Himself living through me, that they may know that I love them not because of who I am or the love I have, but because of the miraculous love of Jesus that exceeds all expectations and overcomes all obstacles. I hope you see that, too!
Church, we need to welcome the people around us into this love that we enjoy! We need to love the people around us like we are loved! We need to set our priorities straight, and instead of accomplishing great missions for God, we need to let Him accomplish what He wants to in our lives and in our families! We need to surrender ourself humbly to our Lord so that people stop seeing and meeting us, but instead see and meet the One who loved us so much that He died for us while we were despicable sinners! We need to forget our missions and let Him accomplish His mission in us and in the people around us every minute of our ordinary days in our everyday places!
Sometimes that may mean swallowing bugs or getting stuck in tight places. Sometimes that may mean paying too much for pizza with dead fish on it in order to set the stage for important conversation. Sometimes that may mean buying someone a cup of coffee or listening to a stranger unload heartache in a grocery line.
I don't know who you are; people of all faiths, of many nations, of many perspectives read this blog. Maybe you enjoy my exotic adventures. But can I tell you a secret? Almost nothing I do here (in Romania or another part of Europe) is different from what I did when I was in Indianapolis. At home! I am simply a follower of Jesus wherever I am, now in Romania, before in Indianapolis.
Who are you? Where are you? Is it worth it? Whose are you?
