Two days long was the length of my trip back to Texas. I'm not complaining at all, because I saved a couple hundred dollars this way. However, when I finally stepped into my parents house, the rest was welcomed. I would have also written this synopsis of MCR's last weeks of ministry earlier, but with as busy as I was, I was forced to wait for a period of rest. So, comfortably seated on the family couch, I now write to you, to inform you, of how the MCR year of 2012 concluded.
In the middle of the month of August, MCR hosted it's Experience Master's event. This event is a chance for those interested in MCR to experience what life would be like with us, for one week. We had prospective students from the cities of Targoviste, Bucharest, Craiova, and Doicest attend Experience Master's for a total of 11 prospective students.
This week was also the last opportunity for us to minister at both Micro Kids and School in Teist. For School in Teist, our Experience Master's students assisted us in the graduation. To think that just two years ago, the kids of Teist didn't even know how to learn or memorize. This is no exaggeration. I remember our shock at the first ever Micro Kids we did there, when we told them about Solomon from the Bible. After we had told the story, we asked them who the story was about, and they didn't remember. Two years later, they are memorizing letter's and the sounds of them! I can't wait till they are finally reading the Bible!
Due to our 2012 tour, MCR had made a connection with a popular Romanian worship band called the Decean Band. This allowed us to have a youth event featuring them! This youth event turned out to be one of the biggest we've had all year, with the highest attendance! The response to the altar call was also very powerful and moving.
On the last day of Experience Master's, our MCR students put on an interactive drama called Mission's Morning. I had written the outline of the drama, and then the students completely improved from there on. I directed their acting but the character's these students played were entirely up to their creation. The truly fascinating part about this drama, is that every part of it was based on true stories that we as a program have lived. From sharing the gospel for the first time, to a gypsy girl learning how to read, and a an orphan angry with God; all of these stories were interwoven into one interactive tour through our building. The outcome was students completely broken for their country. It always comes as a shock to those who attend our mission's morning, when they learn for the first time that everything they saw actually happened. I think sometimes we are the most blind to the needs in our own surroundings. It's so normal to us that we're completely numb to the injustices which surround us.
After Experience Master's we took our students to Bulgaria for our Class of 2012 Beach Retreat. It's hard to describe what this moment is like. You just kinda have to be there to really appreciate what it means for those in the program. For eight months we've been teaching, learning, growing, stretching ourselves thin, and living life together. We take this opportunity to look over the year, and reflect on how far we've come as individuals, and as a group. It's not an understatement to say that it's not a Beach Retreat till everyone sheds a tear.
Soon after, all of our students graduated. One week later, I jumped on an airplane and headed to The States. For those of you who might be wondering, the answer is yes. I will be heading back to Romania in four months. In fact, in a few years, Romania will become my permanent residence. Thank you for all your support this year...and God bless.
