Today

Today I volunteered for the first time at the Pediatric hospital in Brasov.

Today I looked for the first time into the eyes of abandoned babies. Babies I have spoken of to many, but never held, babies I have seen images of, but never watched helplessly as they lay alone enclosed in a white, metal crib. Babies, beautiful, small, and alone. Today I saw firsthand what my heart has been preparing to invest in for the past 4 years. Today I visited with Gypsy mothers, some as young as seventeen.  Today I worked as a Romanian translator for the first time. Today I made my first friend from our small village, who happened to be in the hospital during my short time there. Today I passed out toothbrushes to many mothers whose smiles were marred with the lack of teeth, and small toys to tiny hands left to their own devices for long hospital days. Today I wished many mothers that God would be with them. Today my heart was broken as I saw firsthand countless needs. Today I was mistaken for a longterm Hospital Volunteer by a nurse who grabbed me in the hallway and literally shoved a tiny bundle of a baby in my arms, barking a command. After translating her words as something to do with putting the baby in bed #13 I stared down in surprise at the tiny bundle that was suddenly thrust in my arms. He stared back with big dark eyes. After a few seconds of initial shock I began hastily walking to find bed #13, clutching him tightly. Little did I know how hard it would be leave him there once I arrived. His mother is from a nearby village and had come to visit him for a few precious moments.  Whether the nurse was so quick to pass him off because he was the son of a Garbor Gypsy, or because there was quite a bit of chaos in the hallway I don’t know, but I praise God for the tiny moment. I gave him a quick kiss on the forehead and placed him back in his crib.

Today I realized that God is big enough to provide encouragement and opportunities to serve others in countless ways, including those that aren’t specifically created with the purpose of sharing the gospel. Next week many more of those women will be there, and today because of the example one Christian woman showed in sharing her gifts with a Gypsy mother, another followed suit. A friend had asked me last week why I wanted to begin working with this ministry, as the organization is more focused on social justice than evangelism. After one day, I can’t say to what extent the Gospel is shared with these mothers, but I can say that God used it in countless ways to minister to my own heart and remind me that He is listening, and in control. That he did bring us here for a purpose, and even while that purpose is largely unknown, there are daily opportunities to serve and minister to others, doors opening through mere “social justice” that I could never have anticipated. This next week I will be visiting with the young mother from our Village. She is not a Christian. Yet praise be to God for He heard my prayers and opened a door of ministry and also gave me what I have desired, a friend, right here outside my front door. And not only a friend but an open door to know people in our village, something I had just been speaking to a friend about last week. All of this only a beginning, stemming from something so simple as a program to encourage moms of young babies in the hospital.  It’s a small world and our God is big

Not to mention that Adrielle spit a mouthful of water on my keyboard, it began messing up and changing the mapping of the keys, and today it is mysteriously repaired—just in time to type these thoughts that He knew would overflow from today.

Today. I guess I could simply say that I volunteered in a hospital.  Yet even while typing that my heart cries in revolt. Today was day number one of many. Today was enough.