Mission News: The Little Things

By Melissa Z.

This summer God provided me with an amazing opportunity to step outside my comfort zone and get on a plane with 21 other students and leaders to Romania. This trip has been a spiritual jump-start allowing me to see once again how incredible and big our God is.

With most youth trips we all expect a big emotional defining moment in which God will reveal something to us and change us in some way. Instead there were about a million little instances where I saw God. There was no one big event that I can point to and say "That was God," but rather He revealed Himself in small situations that had big effects on me. To tell you about what God has shown me in Romania, I would need to write twenty more articles. But since I only have the one, I will try to give you an idea of how present God was.

Our transportation for the two weeks was primarily three rickety old vans that weren't the most reliable vehicles. At least one broke down every day, but they were always able to start again. One aspect of God that always gets me is His timing. One day, two of the vans left at least 15 minutes early to go up to the church for the night session of VBS. We were more than half-way there when our van stopped in the middle of the road. So here we are, a van of Americans (Bill was driving) stuck on the side of the road in Timisoara trying to get to church. I don't remember if Iosif (our host who was driving the other van) pulled us to the church (which he did more than once) or if we got the van started again, but I do remember that we got there right on time. Had we left at our normal time instead of 15 minutes early, we would've arrived late.

Another small way God was revealed to me was through the children we interacted with. Their love for us and for each other was remarkable. They had only known us for a few days but when the vans pulled into the church driveway everyday, they would attack us. Their excitement and eagerness to learn and to love made me examine my own heart and ask how was I loving others and God. The Bible says to have faith like a child and I know I forget how to do that sometimes.

Another way I saw God on this trip was through the members of our team. Everyone was so supportive of each other the entire trip. Ordinarily, by the end of two weeks with the same people, you tend to get annoyed and edgy with one another. That didn't seem to happen. The community within the team was so encouraging and uplifting. We spent time with the kids in Timisoara twice a day for 6 days which was very emotionally draining but we also had down time to just sit, talk and connect with the others on the team. This formed a support system to help recharge us and push us on a little further. I don't think any one member of the team was there by accident. It was so fun to see the different talents team members possessed and how they used them for God. Every person had something to give and they gave to the fullest. I felt the love and closeness within the group reflected God and His love.

This trip allowed me to see God in so many different ways. Since we've returned, many of the children who attended the VBS have now started to attend the church there. Will everyone join me in saying "Yeah God!"?

See also Sermon: Changed & Changing (Missions Sharing).