Today, I rode the bus. And then I rode the bus some more. And just when it was starting to get to the point when I felt like I have never done anything in my life but ride the bus, I rode the bus some more.
At this very moment, I am in Oradea, Romania. Buna Ziua! That means good day! This is pretty much the only thing I know how to say in Romanian and truthfully, I don’t pronounce it all that well. It is very, very cold in Romania. Shake in your big puffy jacket, stomp your feet to make sure your toes haven’t fallen off, and huddle up to someone else even if you are invading their personal space and are not exactly best friends with them cold.
This is the very first trip I have ever taken to a cold country for work. While I’ve been to Japan in November when a jacket is a necessity to feel comfortable and to Kenya where the cool nights make you glad you thought to bring a wool shawl along, this is the first time I have longed for a permanent I.V. of hot chocolate inserted into my arm.
In spite of the cold weather, I am coming to discover that Romania is a beautiful country with valleys of farmland so green that it makes you want to burst out with “the hills are alive” and mountains and forests that make your feet itch to run outside and play explorer.
But I am here to work. So I did not jump off the bus to explore (or sing), instead I sat there counting down the minutes to Cluj, one of the major cities in Romania. I am traveling with two other people, one a missionary who will be leading the team coming soon and the second, the ministry coordinator for Romania. We are visiting Cluj today for 2 reasons. First, a short-term missions team is will be coming to Romania soon and we need to make sure they have a place to stay and that they have places to share the gospel. Second, I’m hoping to get some school administrators to allow us to talk to their students about the ways they think and feel about their lives. So far, I’ve been to two countries where I have tried to get these projects off the ground and in both countries, nothing went quite the way I was hoping it would. Suffice it to say, my expectations for Romania weren’t very high.
Our first stop was to get permission from a school to let us minister there with the team and (my big responsibility) talk to the kids before and after the team does their thing. Here is what happened:
School Administrator Man: something something something else in Romanian
Ministry Coordinator: something something something else in Romanian
School Administrator Man: More something in Romanian?
Ministry Coordinator: nods her head
Me: Please let us talk to your kids
School Administrator: more Romanian
Ministry Coordinator: even more Romanian
School Administrator: Sure!
I know that Lenny, after her luggage debacle, posted about how God is able to far exceed our expectations. And while I didn’t see any zebras or giraffes, I too have had a first-hand experience of how mighty God is and how infinite his power. I don’t know why I constantly underestimate what God can do and how He can move in the most stubborn of hearts. I went into that school expecting a flat-out rejection and it turned out the only person whose heart was hardened to the doors God can open was mine.
Over the past year, after practically spending ½ a year in India, and then jumping between Mexico, the Philippines, and now, Romania, I realized that I was starting to think that the work I have will only get accomplished if I do it. I forgot about God. I work in ministry and I forgot that God is the one who ministers through his children. Not his children through Him.
I don’t know whether it was the easy acquiescence from the school administrator to our project or seeing all the prayer and hard work that our Romanian coordinator is doing to get ready for the team, but there is such a sense of freedom and relief in knowing that I just have to try by best and that God will do what he wills.
It’s God’s ministry. I just get to live it.
Pack lightly (because you can’t trust that everyone else will do the same and you’ll wind up carrying more bags than you want to- a whole other story)!
Mary
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
The Kindness of Strangers
Here I (Lenny) sit in the Atlanta airport after almost 20 hours of traveling from Tanzania. I have been traveling so long I feel a little nonchalant about this being my last leg of the journey until I am back home. Mary and I are literally continents apart right now. I believe she is currently somewhere in Asia Pacific. So amidst the chattering of teenagers behind me and lack of free wireless internet access I thought I might use this opportunity to unpack my mind a little about a cool reminder I had in Tanzania….the kindness of strangers still does exist!
I arrived in Tanzania just one short week ago. I arrived minus my luggage. To make matters worse, the very next day I was supposed to go on safari. Short of not having any luggage or toiletries I also had to contend with the thought of going on a two day safari with complete strangers in my two-days old travel dress and completely inappropriate shoes. I was already nervous about going on safari by myself and the loss of my luggage had me pretty convinced that I should just cancel the whole thing. If my mood was the only factor in the decision, I would have cancelled the whole safari idea but thankfully (although I didn’t think so at the time) some new friends had set up a reservation for me and wouldn’t hear of me cancelling because of some lost luggage.
So resigned to my fate, I managed to acquire some basic supplies at a Mr. Price (a type of convenient store), wrapped myself in my shawl/nightgown and got some a few hours of sleep. I woke up to an insanely early wake call dreading the start of a day that I just wanted to be over.
When the safari company vehicle (which had seen better days) arrived, I was greeted by the driver and a couple. My first thought- “Oh great, they’re probably on their honeymoon and I get to be Ms. Third Wheel!” I shook hands with the couple, politely introduced myself and for the next two hours, didn’t speak to anyone at all. In fact, the only sound breaking the silence inside the vehicle was the girl’s coughing, blowing of her nose, and their whispered conversation, which happened in a language I couldn’t recognize (Swedish? Dutch? Who knows!). I’ll just say the ride to the safari didn’t go a long way to convincing me that I’d made the right decision getting out of bed that day.
When I escaped from the car and arrived at the camp ground, there were more people waiting for us to begin the tour of the Ngorongoro Crater (The “Crater” as we called it, is unique to Tanzania as the only conservation area providing protection status for wildlife while allowing human habitation). And here is where my tide began to turn. A girl from Australia eagerly introduced herself to me. She, like I, was a loner on the safari. There were two guys also by themselves- one was a 20-something British guy who was hoping to learn from the trip so he could become a safari guide (he was no joke and pretty much served as the co-safari guide). The other guy was from Poland (he was only on the first day of the safari and was pretty happy to have the new couple on the trip because they spoke the same language, go figure!).
My new Aussie acquaintance proceeded to be the “Purser” of our safari. She asked questions and managed to get the whole group talking. I found out the couple with whom I drove to the campground with was also from Poland (so they were probably speaking Polish earlier). With all the talking that was now happening in the car, I found myself sharing my luggage ordeal with the group (which I’m actually glad of because I just know people were thinking, “what kind of an idiot wears a dress and fancy shoes on a safari???).. The whole van erupted in sympathy and I immediately felt bonded with them. Does misery love company? Why, yes it does!
The scenery we passed on the way to the Crater was beautiful. I began to move out of myself and couldn’t help but marvel at the spectacular nature and scenery God has gifted us with and He allowed me to experience. I was actually experiencing something that some people spend their whole lives dreaming about but never do. And I was doing it. How could I let some lost luggage take me away from being 100% committed to moment?
As I looked around and tried to take everything in, I, without even thinking about it, pulled my shawl tighter to myself to get warmer (it was cold!). The next thing I know, the Polish couple pulled a “hoodie” and a brand new scarf out of their pack and insisted I take it.
Later that evening, we all met for dinner and were introduced to some German friends of the Polish couple. I found out they were actually taking a “gap year” to volunteer for projects in Tanzania. At that point, my table had turned on to a virtual United Nations. It was great! We talked about my work, their schooling, the funny English words that are so easily mispronounced (like “Margarine”). We even spoke about the outrageous cost of malaria prescriptions in the UK compared to the USA. Somewhere in all the laughter, chatter and good fellowship of the dinner conversation, I shared that I’d packed my malaria pills in my lost luggage. In that one evening I had said, laughed, and felt more included with virtual strangers than I ever could have imagined possible.
That night, I was planning to bunk with my new Aussie acquaintance who had become without a doubt, a friend. So instead of polite night time conversation when you are just waiting for the other person to turn off their light, we had a slumber party! Of course it was not without adventure. The lights went out on us; we couldn’t figure out how to get the toilet to work, and do not even get me started on the shower I attempted to take. But in spite of that, it was one of the best nights ever.
It was the small things- like how she tucked herself so securely into the mosquito netting that she looked like a prisoner- that had me cracking up hysterically. I had just put in a movie (the benefits of having my laptop as my carry-on luggage) to lull us to sleep when there was a knock at the door. It took me a while to release myself from the mosquito netting, but when I did I found one of the German girls from dinner at the door with a week’s supply of malaria pills. She and her roommate had gone through their supply of pills and compiled all their extra ones for me in case my luggage never showed up. I was floored by their generosity (those pills cost them a lot!) and tried to refuse but they wouldn’t take no for an answer!
The generosity just continued the next day. On day two at Lake Mayanara, the Polish couple automatically handed over what they said was now “my hoodie and scarf.” By the end of that day, I knew that I hadn’t experienced the wild life of Tanzania with strangers, but with an amazing group of caring and generous individuals.
The end of day two was also the day I received a message that my luggage had been found! My safari friends? They got almost as excited about it as I did! And so…I have to coin a new phrase- “Joy loves company, too!”
On the ride back to town, I exchanged contact information and the Polish couple. Ironically enough, they confessed that they had been really nervous when the car stopped at my hotel to pick me up, as they expected to be forced to go on safari with a snotty couple on their honeymoon. I just laughed (mostly at myself) and said, “Always expect the unexpected.”
So that is my story and my lesson learned. I expected one thing- terrible awful things I should say- and instead was reminded of a basic lesson- be kind to everyone because you never know when you will be the beneficiary of the kindness of strangers. And also, lesson #2: always (ALWAYS) pack emergency clothes in your carry-on bag!
Globally yours and a shout out to Mary (wherever you are!),
Lenny
I arrived in Tanzania just one short week ago. I arrived minus my luggage. To make matters worse, the very next day I was supposed to go on safari. Short of not having any luggage or toiletries I also had to contend with the thought of going on a two day safari with complete strangers in my two-days old travel dress and completely inappropriate shoes. I was already nervous about going on safari by myself and the loss of my luggage had me pretty convinced that I should just cancel the whole thing. If my mood was the only factor in the decision, I would have cancelled the whole safari idea but thankfully (although I didn’t think so at the time) some new friends had set up a reservation for me and wouldn’t hear of me cancelling because of some lost luggage.
So resigned to my fate, I managed to acquire some basic supplies at a Mr. Price (a type of convenient store), wrapped myself in my shawl/nightgown and got some a few hours of sleep. I woke up to an insanely early wake call dreading the start of a day that I just wanted to be over.
When the safari company vehicle (which had seen better days) arrived, I was greeted by the driver and a couple. My first thought- “Oh great, they’re probably on their honeymoon and I get to be Ms. Third Wheel!” I shook hands with the couple, politely introduced myself and for the next two hours, didn’t speak to anyone at all. In fact, the only sound breaking the silence inside the vehicle was the girl’s coughing, blowing of her nose, and their whispered conversation, which happened in a language I couldn’t recognize (Swedish? Dutch? Who knows!). I’ll just say the ride to the safari didn’t go a long way to convincing me that I’d made the right decision getting out of bed that day.
When I escaped from the car and arrived at the camp ground, there were more people waiting for us to begin the tour of the Ngorongoro Crater (The “Crater” as we called it, is unique to Tanzania as the only conservation area providing protection status for wildlife while allowing human habitation). And here is where my tide began to turn. A girl from Australia eagerly introduced herself to me. She, like I, was a loner on the safari. There were two guys also by themselves- one was a 20-something British guy who was hoping to learn from the trip so he could become a safari guide (he was no joke and pretty much served as the co-safari guide). The other guy was from Poland (he was only on the first day of the safari and was pretty happy to have the new couple on the trip because they spoke the same language, go figure!).
My new Aussie acquaintance proceeded to be the “Purser” of our safari. She asked questions and managed to get the whole group talking. I found out the couple with whom I drove to the campground with was also from Poland (so they were probably speaking Polish earlier). With all the talking that was now happening in the car, I found myself sharing my luggage ordeal with the group (which I’m actually glad of because I just know people were thinking, “what kind of an idiot wears a dress and fancy shoes on a safari???).. The whole van erupted in sympathy and I immediately felt bonded with them. Does misery love company? Why, yes it does!
The scenery we passed on the way to the Crater was beautiful. I began to move out of myself and couldn’t help but marvel at the spectacular nature and scenery God has gifted us with and He allowed me to experience. I was actually experiencing something that some people spend their whole lives dreaming about but never do. And I was doing it. How could I let some lost luggage take me away from being 100% committed to moment?
As I looked around and tried to take everything in, I, without even thinking about it, pulled my shawl tighter to myself to get warmer (it was cold!). The next thing I know, the Polish couple pulled a “hoodie” and a brand new scarf out of their pack and insisted I take it.
Later that evening, we all met for dinner and were introduced to some German friends of the Polish couple. I found out they were actually taking a “gap year” to volunteer for projects in Tanzania. At that point, my table had turned on to a virtual United Nations. It was great! We talked about my work, their schooling, the funny English words that are so easily mispronounced (like “Margarine”). We even spoke about the outrageous cost of malaria prescriptions in the UK compared to the USA. Somewhere in all the laughter, chatter and good fellowship of the dinner conversation, I shared that I’d packed my malaria pills in my lost luggage. In that one evening I had said, laughed, and felt more included with virtual strangers than I ever could have imagined possible.
That night, I was planning to bunk with my new Aussie acquaintance who had become without a doubt, a friend. So instead of polite night time conversation when you are just waiting for the other person to turn off their light, we had a slumber party! Of course it was not without adventure. The lights went out on us; we couldn’t figure out how to get the toilet to work, and do not even get me started on the shower I attempted to take. But in spite of that, it was one of the best nights ever.
It was the small things- like how she tucked herself so securely into the mosquito netting that she looked like a prisoner- that had me cracking up hysterically. I had just put in a movie (the benefits of having my laptop as my carry-on luggage) to lull us to sleep when there was a knock at the door. It took me a while to release myself from the mosquito netting, but when I did I found one of the German girls from dinner at the door with a week’s supply of malaria pills. She and her roommate had gone through their supply of pills and compiled all their extra ones for me in case my luggage never showed up. I was floored by their generosity (those pills cost them a lot!) and tried to refuse but they wouldn’t take no for an answer!
The generosity just continued the next day. On day two at Lake Mayanara, the Polish couple automatically handed over what they said was now “my hoodie and scarf.” By the end of that day, I knew that I hadn’t experienced the wild life of Tanzania with strangers, but with an amazing group of caring and generous individuals.
The end of day two was also the day I received a message that my luggage had been found! My safari friends? They got almost as excited about it as I did! And so…I have to coin a new phrase- “Joy loves company, too!”
On the ride back to town, I exchanged contact information and the Polish couple. Ironically enough, they confessed that they had been really nervous when the car stopped at my hotel to pick me up, as they expected to be forced to go on safari with a snotty couple on their honeymoon. I just laughed (mostly at myself) and said, “Always expect the unexpected.”
So that is my story and my lesson learned. I expected one thing- terrible awful things I should say- and instead was reminded of a basic lesson- be kind to everyone because you never know when you will be the beneficiary of the kindness of strangers. And also, lesson #2: always (ALWAYS) pack emergency clothes in your carry-on bag!
Globally yours and a shout out to Mary (wherever you are!),
Lenny
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