Romania #4

Joy is a gift. We often take it too lightly, but it is the thing we seek the most. Whether in the world or in the Lord, we seek to have some semblance of it in our lives. No matter what level of suffering we face, joy in something can seem so rare if not impossible to obtain. But even in the darkest of times, it is possible. Jesus gives joy willingly to those who seek Him and follow Him. But for those who may see Christ as distant or far away because of circumstances, how do we show them His light in the darkness? Donald Duck. I know what you’re thinking, why is Donald Duck just randomly in the middle of this blog? But I promise more joy over Donald Duck was shared today than Walt Disney ever dreamed.

We spent time today with a group of young kids who have had their lives thrown into chaos by war. Kids who have no home here, only the roof of a church over their heads. Kids who haven’t had much time or reason to laugh or experience joy. When you throw Jesus into the mix, add a dash of a nerd like me who can do impersonations, and the voice of none other than Donald Duck (which can be understood in ALL languages) you have a perfect recipe for Joy.

Today in Bucharest we had the incredible privilege of getting to hang out with some beautiful kids who have been displaced because of the war in Ukraine. We brought balloon animals, ball games, and coloring books, but the thing that made them laugh, and brought them joy, was my Donald Duck impression. It seems silly and seemingly insignificant, but it had an impact that even I didn’t fully realize. It brought them, and me, so much laughter and joy, which I can only hope helps relieve some of the tension they face. But something I didn’t expect was the effect it would have on their mother. Yes, it brought the kids joy, but their joy was multiplied in their mother who experienced joy watching her children laugh and have fun. It’s things like this that we don’t see but only hope it is making a great impact.

We are not here for long, but watching my team serve, though seemingly small, has been a joy to see. Some of our efforts may only be seeds planted, we personally may never get to see the true fruit of the work we have done. But we are thankful for all we have been able to do, and the impact it has had on our hearts, and hopefully on the hearts of those we have tried to serve well.

- Josh for the team