Love in Any Language

As silly as it may sound, my favorite thing about Romania was being able to see the similarities between American culture and Romanian culture and use those things to form connections and have a blast with the kids. A majority of the time words aren’t the best way to communicate, and I found this especially true for my group this year because I had the younger kids (approximately kindergarten to 3rd grade) and a lot of them hadn’t learned English yet. Even though there was a verbal barrier, it soon became evident that there were SO many things that I enjoyed that they also enjoyed: playing soccer, hand-games, frisbee, coloring, and so much more. I think it’s really in the little everyday things that God’s love shines the most. Being able to show that you care so much for them that you’re willing to devote half your day to just pushing them up and down a zip line speaks way more than words ever could. It’s one thing to tell people you care and a whole extra level to be able to show them you care and that’s why Romania is so special to me because that’s so emphasized in the basis of the relationships you form with the kids. It not only allows us to love on them, but also teaches us how we should be pouring that same time and love into all our relationships whether on mission trips or back home. Isabelle Gustafson