The Day

Ianova

This is our last week here in Romania and I'm feeling like I just hit my stride. It's discouraging. I want to stay. I'm torn between wanting to see my family and friends, and wanting to stay here to finish the work God has put in my heart. I spent half the trip wondering if I'd ever be back here, and now that I'm building relationships and finding myself excited by the prospect of learning about new ministries and going new places, I find myself wishing that I had planned to stay longer.

I think that there's a constant struggle among missionaries to return to what's familiar, to what's comfortable. A few weeks back someone told me that as a missionary, you never really assimilate into the foreign culture you're living amongst, because really you're not meant to stay forever. I'm not sure what I think anymore. I suppose it's possible that for some people coming back home is never an option, while others eventually burn out.

Dave's departure

I have met so many incredible people during my time here this summer that I'm finding it hard to distinguish between the dream of coming back and the reality of staying. A reality that involves a chauvinistic society, dominated by stubborn selfish people. Romanians are a singularly prideful culture, and one that has not learned to look out for their neighbor because they've never been given the tools to look out for themselves. It's a catch-22. While I love this culture, I am beginning to see it's pitfalls.. things we would never put up with back home.

People need to let God work, and when they don't, it's not good.

I'm finding that God changes us in the smallest ways we never expect to see. Before we're even aware, our entire life has changed - I'm learning that as a Christian, I'm really just along for the ride.