“All my hope is in Jesus, Thank God that yesterday’s gone, All my sins are forgiven, I’ve been washed by the blood” is one of my favorite Christian songs. Hope is the word that kept coming to my mind over and over while I was in Romania. For 15 years, I’ve had the privilege of taking teams to Romania to partner with Gerald and Kristin Ziemer, who have been serving there faithfully for 31 years. This visit was no different. When I arrived, Gerald was at the camp working to improve the grounds and facilities to prepare for next season. This year they had 1500 campers come through, and all of them heard about the living hope, Jesus Christ (I Peter 1:3). I went to Romania thinking that I could encourage the missionaries, but in fact, I was the one who was encouraged. I enjoyed my time with Kristin so much. As we laughed, cooked, prayed and served together, I saw how she is pouring hope into her grandchildren during their Jesus time. I got to sit in on her time with the ladies from Missions 3:16, listening, praying, and pouring into their lives. My sweet friends sew tote bags for me to share all over the world so each of these ladies received one. It’s a simple gift sewn with much love, and the ladies were thrilled, telling me how this is just what they needed. Ana saw her sister-in-law’s bag and unbeknownst to me said, “That bag is beautiful and would be so great to take to college with me.” As I was packing Ana’s mom’s bag, I realized I had an extra, so I packed one for Ana. These Missions 3:16 ladies are joyfully serving while learning the language, feeling isolated, caring for a toddler, a newborn, teenagers, just like ladies in the USA. I’m thankful they set aside every Friday to meet, share, study God’s Word, and pray together to strengthen their walk with the Lord to continue bringing hope to their area of service. Gerald, Cosmin, and Johnny continue to pour into the lives of teenage boys, some believers and some are not yet. I got to share my testimony with the younger guys on Friday night. I pray that they never forget the sacrifice Jesus paid for our sins, and that our “hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.” I always enjoy talking to the older discipleship guys and seeing them grow in the Lord. Two of them graduated this year and are now in college at Word of Life in Hungary. It was fun to video chat with them. I always try to bring them a little something from the States. I didn’t have as much luggage space as usual, but at the last minute, I threw in some men’s clothes and one pair of new flip-flops to share. I always pray that I pack just what is needed and no one is left out. They each got to choose something. Christy was so excited that the flip-flops were just his size because he didn’t have a pair and had been wanting some. One guy was excited to have a nice shirt to wear. These things don’t seem like much to us in America, but their gratitude tells how much it does mean to them.
In 2001, God used a tragedy to bring people to Himself. A young man drowned. Of course, everyone was devastated. A family member asked Gerald to preach his funeral, and he shared about the hope that is only found in Jesus Christ alone. (Romans 5:1-5). One by one, aunts and uncles, husbands and wives began trusting Christ as their Savior. Twenty-five years later, some that served faithfully are now in Heaven, but many are still serving in the churches, small groups, and afterschool programs, making a difference, showing love and giving hope, one person at a time. Seeing the faithfulness of the missionaries and the Romanian people reminded me to keep serving where God places me, no matter how big or how small the task.
Johnny and Abby host the young adults at their house every Saturday. What a joy to be there and see them gathered around the campfire sharing all the Lord did in and through them this summer. Johnny said he was 11 the first time I brought a team to Romania. It thrills my soul to see him now leading his family, assisting his dad in two churches, and leading the young adult group. They are also leading the afterschool program in Valea Argovei. They picked me up at 9am on Tuesday morning to make the 30-minute drive out there. Immediately, they began chopping vegetables and making meatballs. I got to spend time with Alex, meet his wife Tamara, and their precious baby Miriam. The kids came around noon. They let them run off some energy before feeding them (maybe their only meal of the day). Then Johnny shared a devotion with them before diving into their homework. As I looked around the room, I saw family members of the drowned man serving God by helping children (some that want to learn and some that could care less) do their homework without pay or recognition because they want to break the cycle of scrounging to live without an education, and also to share the Hope of Jesus Christ. Reliable hope is Jesus!
