Romania Thursday - Friday

It’s the last day of class notes (Thursday) and (Friday) the day of reckoning, the final exam.
We finally read through all the students’ papers today. Lidia’s was the last one we read. She typed out her Christian Discipline report in English, so I was able to read it without having to go through an interpreter. She chose compassion and journaling. Who would have ever guessed that, a missionary with a journalistic degree choosing to journal.
She started off by describing her arrival in India and her first night there. Police bust in her room (several of them) in the middle of the night and demand that she open her suitcases and answer questions about why she was here, and what she was doing, and how long she was going to spend here in India. She said she prayed for guidance. She told them that her suitcases were already check at the airport upon her arrival and everything was in order and that she really didn’t have to answer their questions unless they had some kind of legal, authoritative paper that says she has too. At that point she said that the police just stopped what they were doing and excused themselves from the room. But that’s not the part I really want to write about.
It her description of the area she was working in that I just couldn’t fathom. People were starving and begging for food and when they received some, they always set aside some for their offering to their gods in the temple. No matter what age, or gender, or how poor they were, or what physical condition they were in, they gave a portion to their gods. Of course the gods didn’t eat it, but the rats did! To us dirty, filthy, disease carrying rodents. To them reincarnated humans, working their way up to Nirvana again.
When we were talking about this earlier today, she said that, that was example of ‘Costly Worship’. Then I thought about what it’s like in America. As Christians we split hairs over whether our tithe should come from our gross pay or our net pay, or if we should tithe at all. Should it even be more than that? Because it was an Old Testament practice should we as New Testament people be accountable to tithe at all? What a waste of time and air! A little girl in India who is severally malnourished gives a portion of her rice to her gods. (If you can call it that. It has sand and rocks in to make it look like she was actually given more food then was really there) Very carefully and fearfully, she makes her way to the temple gods to present her gift to them. Hoping and praying that it will be sufficient to protect her for another day. Costly worship. Do we even understand what that means?
Her worship was to a wrong god and for the wrong reason. Because of all He has given us and blessed us with, how much more should we want to give Him Costly Worship. How much more should we WANT to give our GOD the worship He deserves.
I don't know... I mean right now, I'm thinking I may not want to do this again next year. These last two classes have made a tremendous impact on me. How meaningless is this piece of paper. Just because it has an M.A. or an M.Div stamped on it does that give it worth? Only because we decide that it does. Is it worth more than the lost children of India? Is it worth more than the prisoner in Azerbaijan who is there because He is preaching and teaching and living the Gospel of Christ?
But I'm pretty sure I will be doing this again next year. I know that even if I make an impact on a few students, they will have a huge effect on hundreds of people I cannot reach or teach. I'll be teaching again, that is if TCM wants me to come back!
Sorry I don't have more pictures to send you. It's so hot here in the afternoon, that by the time class ends, I really don't feel like going out and seeing Bucharest. I will be going out tonight for dinner and I'll make sure I bring my camera.
John
next week - Brno, Czech Republic.