The end has come

I can't believe that it is the last day that we are in Moldova.  Today has been one of the best days; I realize that same phrase was said about yesterday, so maybe it is just the love that has been shared all culminating to this point.  Today has been a celebration day for our team.  We are celebrating the work that has been done this week, but more than that we are celebrating the work that is being done here in Moldova.  This is an incredible country with a beautiful hope.  As one of our team members put it, Moldova is a masterpiece in progress.  We are celebrating what has happened.  Today we have spent a lot of time reflecting on what we have done this week and what we have encountered.  We have been using this day to soak in the best of Moldova.  Tonight we will celebrate with the whole JMI team, Boys 2 Leaders guys and Grace House girls over a traditional Moldovan meal.  But I can't ignore the celebration that has been taking place before what will happen tonight.  I also can't put into words what we have experienced better than what our JMI team leader, Brian, has crafted in his blog.  Therefore, I want to share what he said.

God came near. Well, it happened. We didn’t feel it when it happened, or else we would have exploded. But that tug you just felt was the hem of Jesus’ garment leaving your fingertips. That shove was the hand of God hiding you in the cleft of the rock as He passed by. Perhaps it was the litle girl in the green dress at the orphanage…perhaps the monk who lives in and tends the altar fire of a 600-year-old cave chapel. Perhaps it was the breakthrough of the Holy Spirit in one of our team-sisters.

Our devotional this morning brought it all home. A Lipscomb student from a religious background opened with saying “well, I was stuck. I felt different from the rest of you. I’ve never experienced this kind of community. I’ve never felt the scriptures actually ‘speak’ to me. So I stayed up all night reading and praying and asking God to move my heart.”

God comes near…not because we came across the ocean to work with orphans and vulnerable women. But because we have lived in community for a week. We have served with all our energy from breakfast till dinner. We have played and laughed and cried till late into the night.

Jesus came to establish His Kingdom on earth. He did it by gathering a diverse group of friends, by living in community with them, by serving tirelessly, and by hanging out out on the shores of the lake nightly around the fire. The unwritten parts of the timeline of the ministry of Jesus are myriad. Those are the times that you tap into on a mission trip.

This is the core spirituality that Jesus came to teach us to walk in. It doesn’t take coming on a mission trip. It can be accessed locally if you seek it first. But sometimes it takes the ‘retreat’ event for God to break through. Be assured…God will come near. Avail yourself to God in a local ministry or through a mission trip and you will surely fell the hem of Jesus’ garment slip through your fingertips.

God has blessed us all by being here.  Throughout today I have had the opportunity to have several conversations with people and realize how purposful this trip has been.  Thank you for all of your prayers and encouragement; your love and companionship.  You have all helped influence us and have therefore blessed Moldova.  See you state-side.