Lesson #3: God was at work long before me.

In 2012 I took a group of 6 members of FBC Crawford on a mission trip to Romania. A portion of that trip included using village pastors and/or social workers to get us into the homes of needy people. We would bring with us bags full of groceries, warm smiles, and many prayers.

On a morning full of visits, our team entered the home of a sweet, elderly woman. She lived in a room smaller than many of the bathrooms in American homes. The single room was detached from the house of her family. She was placed there due to her faith in Christ. No heat. No running water. She was overwhelmed with gratitude as we entered her room. She quickly departed and returned with fresh fruit from her little garden and a plate of cookies. She forced us to eat. She then asked, “Can I sing you a song?” We could not turn down such an offer.

She sang in her native language – which we didn’t understand. Her voice cracked as she cried through the lyrics. Afterwards a translator told us the chorus of the song stated, “Even if I have to walk a road of thorns to follow Christ, I will do it.”

We thought we were doing great things in Romania. In fact, you might’ve received the impression that we thought we were bringing God to Romania. But God has been working in Romania long before we arrived. It was a blessing to see it first hand.

I learned the lesson … God was at work long before me.