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The trip was made up of so much more than just these things. As I started out this recap journey with you, I stated that many things shared would be from the “natural” – things we could see. The supernatural is the God-part that is often not seen. Oh, how I would love to say that we caught many fish in our nets, but that wasn’t the case. In fact, the opportunities to even cast a net were slim. We weren’t fishermen on this trip. We were farmers, sowing seeds for God to use in His Kingdom, in His own time.
While there, I TOOK the opportunity to plant seeds for the Lord. The main reason I felt God called me to step out of my comfort zone was to share the Gospel with those who had never heard it before. It was a bit disappointing to realize that the orphans in Romania had heard the Gospel many times before. I was hoping to be the first to share with one who had never ever heard this message before.
Their reaction to hearing the Gospel again was interesting. One scientific-minded young man responded with confidence that he believes there are many ways to heaven and that all men would find a home there one day. A young girl recited the Gospel to me when I asked her if she had Christ in her life. Oh yes, they had heard, but they had not received the gift of salvation.
The Lord gave me grace and boldness to share the Gospel through the story of Moses in the Old Testament highlighting the story of the Passover and how that shadow was revealed in full color in the New Testament through the blood of the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ! These orphans could relate to my own personal story of pain and rejection and pondered their response to the question, “Is the blood of Jesus over the door of your very own heart?” I learned that a price must be paid for these young people if they choose to receive Jesus. They will be mocked and persecuted. For them the decision is not as easy as saying a prayer and moving on with life. I continue to pray for those who want to believe but need help from the Lord with their unbelief.
A chapter of life closes for the Apon family. The bus came and the orphans departed. They took part of my heart with them. This really was a very sad time for everyone. We may never see these children again as they return to an existence very unlike their camp experience. We exchanged addresses, notes and hugs, in an attempt to keep in touch but have found that this is not as easy as we had hoped. The language continues to be a barrier between us.
The morning of our day of departure came very early. We woke up to the screams of a team member discovering a mouse/rat in her suitcase! It was time to rise, shine, and leave with very little sleep in our bodies for the long journey ahead. We traveled eight hours by bus, only to stop for a couple of hours near the orphanage before continuing home. The sweetest part of all was meeting up with a few of the orphans again at this mid-way point. They prepared a song to sing to us. One orphan friend grabbed my hand and kept swinging it and smiling saying, “I’m so happy, I’m so happy!” This precious one would have to say good-bye again to new friends. Loneliness and heartache would find its home again in her heart. “Oh Lord – may she have the courage to invite the one who will never leave or forsake her into her life!”
This experience took me back to my own life as a young girl. As I remember, it seems that I had the same dream often of serving meals to orphans. Oh my, I must have been eight years old. The dream came often, but it was just a story that appeared to me while I slept. Later, my mom was very involved with the Florida children’s home, and she included me in her service with them. We made visits, she hand-sewed Christmas stockings, and we cared from afar for several of them. And now, 42 years later, God seems to have put the link in the chain of His plans from my past to His present.
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