I can’t believe its already day 6 of my journey to Romania. This is only the second time I’ve had time to catch up on my blogging about the trip. The days are pretty packed and access to the computer is limited.

On Monday we traveled to Tinca (a village approx. 30 minutes south of Oradea) to minister to some gypsy children at the school located there. On our return trip we made a diversion to meet up with an old acquaintance and fellow pastor, Viorel Pasca. I had met Viorel on my original trip to Romania 11 years ago. Serving as pastors of small churches, he and I had an immediate connection. Back in ’97 Viorel was serving as the pastor to a very small village outside of Tinca. I still have a picture of the two of us, arm-in-arm, standing behind his pulpit. His passion for the Gospel and for the forgotten people of Romania was infectious. But I had yet to learn the true depth of this man’s devotion to God.

Viorel now serves as a pastor and administrator to his “home-made” nursing home. That’s right, his is a home-made nursing home. Here’s his story: Since I last spoke with Viorel, he has married and moved to another village near Tinca into a better home. “Better” is a relative term to the typical person living in western civilization. By better I mean concrete walls & floor, and a roof over one’s head. The flat is very small – four rooms and a very small kitchen (closet size). There he was biding his time as a pastor to the community conducting worship services and bible studies throughout the week. One evening he and his wife were watching the television news via tin-foil rabbit ears and witnessed a news story of the ill plight of abandoned elderly people who were literally freezing to death on the streets of Oradea. The story pierced his heart and he and his wife sprang into action beginning the very next day. They located some beds and placed them throughout their flat. They acquired a small, run-down camper and placed it in their tiny back yard to serve as sleeping quarters for the two of them. They then loaded up in their car and made the trip to Oradea and began transporting elderly homeless people from the mean streets of Oradea and into their home. To date they’ve rescued 6 – 8 street seniors who now have a bed to call their own and enjoy three warm meals per day.

Walking into the house nearly brought me to my knees. My mind and heart was overwhelmed by the love and compassion of these two amazing individuals. All I could think was “Behold, what manner of love.”

There’s something about this place that makes me feel very small. Its easy for me to think things like, “when I acquire this or that then I’ll be in a better position to be generous with what I have.” Maybe I’m not alone in that line of thinking. Its seems to be pretty pervasive in our western culture. But here are two people who have virtually nothing – a run-down, four room flat with a kitchen the size of my closet – but what they have they willingly sacrifice. Like the little child that only had some fish and some bread or like the widow who approavehed the religious leader’s coffer and deposited her pennies they willingly offer what they have and left the rest up to God. Merely the thrill of cooperating wth the Spirit’s leading in bringing relief to the suffering is sufficient to them.

In the grand scheme of things it may appear to be so insignificant. At the end of the day, I doubt that Viorel will ever get rich by penning some book(s) or hitting the speaking tour at some “church” conferences. He is far too busy demonstrating the Kingdom of God to get caught up in any of that. His proudest moment is the privilege of preaching the Gospel each Monday night to the people of the village in his makeshift sanctuary – comprised of plastic lawn chairs strewn about his tiny lawn – with the windows of his home-made nursing home open so that the forgotten elderly will have a chance to at least hear the Gospel preached.  -Amazing!

This is pure and undefiled religion. To visit the widows and orphans in their distress . . .

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