His Goodness is All Around

Gratitude is a choice. There are things to be grateful for all around us in every moment. We are surrounded by God’s creation, which he declared as good, every second of every day. If God created everything and said it is good, there is good all around us. Being constantly surrounded by good, we can be in a constant state of giving thanks to God. David wrote, “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!” (Psalm 27:13). We will see His goodness here on earth. Believe it and keep your eyes open to see it. 

There are rumors of many past Racers saying that Romania was their most challenging country. I have experienced some struggles here, but the challenging moments have made the good ones much sweeter. I want to remember Romania by the sweet moments, not the challenges. That being said, I wanted to share a list of what I am grateful for from my time in Romania. Some of them are more significant things, and others are smaller joys. 

1.The sun and warmer weather

In Guatemala, we were told to soak in the last bit of sunshine we would see for a while because the sun is rarely out, and it is cold in Romania. The first couple of weeks we were here, it was cold and cloudy with a few hints of sunshine here and there. The moments we saw the sun, it seemed brighter and warmer than before. After lots of cold days, the warmer days were more appreciated. Every time the sun peaked through the clouds, or there was a warmer day, it was an opportunity to thank God. I would pray for the sun to make an appearance, and after the first two weeks here, we started to see the sun almost every day. 

Thank you, God, for a new appreciation for the sun and warmer weather. 

Thank you for the seasons.

Thank you for creating the sun.

 

2.  Fellowship with good friends

Living in community is hard. Here in Romania, all 42 of us live in one house with only two bathrooms and a cramped kitchen. Though we are packed in a house together, it has been so much fun. There is no privacy, alone time, or quiet; but there is constant fellowship. It can be frustrating when there are too many people in the kitchen or not enough room to sit at the table, but there is also an opportunity to lean into new friendships. Living in such close quarters, you naturally get closer with people because you are always around them.

In Guatemala, each team had their own ministry. Here, however, we all serve at one church. This was a difficult adjustment for me. When others are willing to lead, I often allow them to lead as I step back to serve where they ask me to. Allowing others to lead is not bad, but I felt I wasn’t participating or making valuable contributions. Though the transition to all-squad ministry was more challenging than I anticipated, it also allowed me to serve with people I couldn’t serve with in Guatemala. Serving in new ways and alongside new people became something I enjoyed, and it opened up the opportunity to be intentional with new people. I am grateful for how I was able to cultivate new relationships with people on the squad. 

With more freedom to do things after ministry hours, I could spend time with my friends doing what they love to do. I enjoyed deepening the relationships I have had since the beginning of the race as we were able to experience more things together. It was fun to watch my friends do the things they love and be invited to join them: rock climbing, evangelism, watching movies, and writing books. World Race Alumni talk about how their squad was their family, but I didn’t understand what they meant until this last month. This past month, I started to see these people as family and love them like family.

Thank you, God, for the opportunity to build new relationships on the squad.

Thank you for how my existing relationships have deepened. 

Thank you for hearts that are able to love.

 

3. Good conversations

Most of our afternoons were filled with evangelism and attempting to build relationships with local youth. This means we boldly approach strangers, hope they speak English, and start a conversation. We get rejected and judged a lot in this process. It can be discouraging when you spend an hour or two trying to talk to people, and each person you want to talk to ignores you, walks past you, or quickly ends the conversation. Though it can be discouraging, we do it for the one conversation that we are able to plant a seed in their heart. Then we can only pray that the seed falls on good soil. 

When I felt discouraged, I remembered the key to not losing heart in weeks of evangelism: an eternal mindset. All of heaven rejoices when one person is saved. If I have the same mindset, I can rejoice with all of heaven at the salvation of one person. If I have an eternal mindset, I see the urgency in the gospel. I know tomorrow is not promised, and people’s souls are on the line. I want to see people in heaven for eternity. With an earthly mindset, I am discouraged by rejection; with an eternal mindset, I am encouraged by one fruitful conversation. 

Though discouraging at first, the rejection I experienced here made the conversations I could have with locals that much more special. When someone was willing to talk with me, I was excited that I was able to share with them the love that I have for Jesus because He loves me and because He loves them. The rejection created new excitement for the opportunity to share my faith with others and have conversations with them. 

Thank you, God, for the good conversations we had during our time here. 

Thank you for people who speak English.

Thank you for the gospel and its power to save. 

Thank you for the opportunity to intentionally build relationships with local youth.

Thank you that you want to partner with us.

 

4. The cat

There are a lot of stray cats around town. You see at least one cat every walk to ministry, to the mall, everywhere. Now, most of the cats run away, but there are two that let you pet them. One of these cats occasionally comes to the house and hangs out with the squad. Everyone has a different name for him, but I call him Cheddar Cheese. The other cat is a brown cat that is always near the church. Sometimes it seems that she is going to run away, but she always lets you pick her up and pet her. Most of the cats run away, but it makes me appreciate the two cats that stay and let me pet them.

Thank you, God, for the cats that let me pet them.

Thank you for the cats that don’t let me pet them but are still fun to see.

 

5. Laughter

As I said before, the entire squad lives in one house. My favorite part about this is the constant sound of laughter filling the house. Every room is filled with laughter: the kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, and hallways. The house is full of fun, jokes, laughing, and the joys of community. Living so closely with so many people is fun and exciting. There is always a reason to laugh, and people laughing.

Thank you, God, for the sweet sound of laughter. 

Thank you for reasons to laugh and people to laugh with.

 

6. English Club

Tuesday through Friday, our days look pretty close to the same. Saturdays, however, are a change of pace. Saturday mornings, I help teach a group of Romanian adults English with two of my squad mates. This has been one of my favorite parts of my time here. The English Club team was made up of people I wasn’t close with or able to do ministry with before, but I loved getting to work with them. The entire process was fun to do with them: the planning, teaching, and coffee drinking. Getting to know these people I wasn’t close with before through teaching English is a highlight I want to remember from my time here. 

Not only did English Club give me to chance to build relationships with my squad mates, but it allowed me to build relationships with some really sweet Romanians. When I was told I would be helping teach English, I thought we would teach young kids like in Guatemala. I was wrong. The students who attend English Club are all adults. I wasn’t disappointed I would be teaching adults, but I wasn’t sure how the class would look. I didn’t think I would love these people the way I do. I love the way that they let us see their unique personalities. I love that they are always trying to use the English they know to talk with us. I love how they, after all attending for three years, have fellowship with one another. I love that they haven’t allowed their age to take away their silliness and ability to have fun. I love the way they help each other and care for one another. I love that they bring snacks for the entire group every week. I love that after our last week, they hugged us all goodbye. I love the way the goodbye was hard. I love the way I am going to miss this time and these people. 

Thank you, God, for English Club.

Thank you for the relationships built here.

Thank you for the sweet individuals I was able to teach.

Thank you for the fun memories made during planning.

Thank you for funny example sentences. Thank you for the laughter.

Thank you for how learning English connects people to the church.

 

7. God’s Word

Every night, ten of us stay up late to read an entire book of the Bible before we go to bed. This time together has been super sweet. We have had fun together and shared a lot of laughs as we sat on two mattresses in the hallway. We have farted on each other and had tickle fights. If you fall asleep while reading, know there’s picture proof of it somewhere. We laugh at the coincidence that Matt always read the chapter with the word ‘donkey’ in the King James Version. No one knows how it’s always his turn to read these chapters, but we get a good laugh out of it every time. While we have shared a lot of laughs and had a lot of fun together, we have also been able to be there for one another to bear each other’s burdens. New relationships have been built through the time we have shared together. When someone from the group is struggling, we are able to pray for them. When someone has a prayer request, we all pray together for whatever they have asked for people to partner with them in prayer.

This time together is sweet and has led us all to a deeper understanding and appreciation of Scripture. We didn’t quite finish reading the entire Bible, but that wasn’t what mattered. What mattered was sacrificing sleep to dive into the Word in community. During this time, I grew in appreciation for His Word, and I am grateful that He gave it to us. Through his Word, we can better understand who He is and how we are supposed to live.  

Thank you, God, for your Word.

Thank you for a community that is committed to pursuing the truth.

Thank you for the hallway mattresses. 

Thank you for blessing this time.

Thank you for sustaining us day after day as we sacrificed our sleep.