The Count Down Ends...Graduation

Well, tomorrow our first year students graduate, and the very first year of MCR will be over.  I'll be heading home early Wednesday morning, as will the rest of our team depart to their homes.  It's a bitter sweet moment.  There is excitement about graduation, but we've done so much ministry and life together that goodbyes are kinda hard.  And, as this countdown is ending, we have had another great week of ministry.

Starting with this past weekend, Thursday-Sunday, we had Experience Master's.  This was an opportunity for high school graduates to check out our program and the ministry we do.  One of the ways we showcased our ministry was through a program we called Mission Experience.  This was an interactive drama that toured through our building from scene to scene. 

When the Experience Master's students entered the first room, they found themselves in a typical gypsy home with a character named Valentine.  Valentine, played by David, was a gypsy boy caught up in racism, and how that lead to him stealing and his eventual involvement in sex trafficking.  In the third scene, Diana, played by Oana, was kidnaped by Valentine.  Then, she led the audience to her room with her customer waiting for her.  There she told about what she had seen in that home, and how a twelve year old girl had been killed trying to escape.  As the exchange of money happened, the last character, Alin, played by Sorin, was introduced.  His story told about how his parents had abandoned him to work in England for more money.  So he had a pocket full of money and looked for love in all the wrong places.  This is just a very basic overview of what we did.
The reason I tell you about this, is because it was the highlight of the week for many of our visitors...because all of this was based on real stories of people we minister to on a regular basis.  They even got to meet Valentine at one of the micro kids.  One girl said this, "I always looked down on prostitutes, and men who did those things.  I never thought that what they need was love.  The drama caused me to think in a totally different way."  As the drama closed Florin told our visitors about what we were doing as a Master's Commission to bring justice to these issues...many were crying as their eyes were opened to the truth.

That weekend we also ministered in a youth camp in front of hundreds of youth.  We did our last Micro Kids in Teist, and supported Eugen in the last youth night Master's Commission will be part of till next year.  As always, God moved and lives were touched.

To wrap up a tough but rewarding year, we took all of our students out to the beach, for a final time together.  We hugged each other, worshiped with one another, and prayed together.  I'm gonna really miss these guys...and I can't wait to do ministry with them next year!
So tomorrow night the countdown ends as does this first year of ministry.  However, our heart to see God move powerfully doesn't change.  Though we all may head our separate ways, our ministry will still continue.

Thanks again for all of your support.

10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...