by Adi Galiger, Pastor of Impact Church in Oradea, Romania
A couple of months ago, on a cloudy day, I found out that the building where our church meets had been sold. We would have to move out and find another location. The traffic light of emotions started to alternate as a broken signal in a very busy intersection. Sadness, joy, worries, faith, prayer, tears, hope…I felt all of these together at the same time.
Adi and Andy Baker Preaching at Impact Church
Quite soon, I realized that we had to make the transition away from asking: Why is this happening to us? We had to focus on much better questions: Why were we here? Did we make an impact? Was it all worth it?
Making this shift brought so much joy and a deep sense of thankfulness because, by God’s grace, all the answers were the right ones. Over the years, we have renovated a hospital and several orphanages, been involved in the community, restored homes, and assisted many poor families. As I reflected, I remembered two very personal stories of hope.
In one instance, we had the opportunity to provide an automatic wheelchair for an 18-year-old girl with severe autism. Her mother had been carrying her daughter in her arms every day, up and down from the fourth floor. When we donated the chair to the family, the mother said, “From your generosity I understand that God cares about me, about us, and we are not cursed and forgotten.” Then she said, “Thank you! We so needed this.”
The second came after a Sunday service. A group of teenagers approached me, and I knew that they were from a state orphanage in town. One young man told me that it felt so good to be there that morning because “every time we come here, we meet Jesus.” Very intrigued, I dared to ask him to explain what that meant for him. I will remember his answer for the rest of my life. He said, “You see, because I am an orphan, I was invisible all my life. On the streets, in public transportation, at school, everywhere I am always invisible for people. But, when I am with Jesus that does not hurt anymore."
So, now I know. As long as Jesus touches lives through us, our physical location is a secondary issue.
There is joy, there is hope!