The trip to Moldova was my first time to leave the United States. I was scared to get on the plane, afraid it would crash or something. I had to be still and know that God would guide me and protect me. After we landed, when the team I was serving on got to the border, we found out we would not be able allowed to go into Transniestria.
I learned the importance of being still before God but at the same time being ready to act. God was teaching me that sometimes you may have plans to serve him, but he may have different plans. God’s plans were not for us to go put boots on the feet of orphans in Transniestria. It was to bring love to the children in Moldova. So again, I had to be still to recognize the needs of others.
We learned some of the girls in Moldova are trafficked and at the age 16, the boys are put out of the orphanages. We are also learned about the poor sanitary conditions in some of the orphanages. James 1:27 tells us to love and serve the widows and the orphans, and that is exactly what we did. Jesus said, “Whatever you have done for the least of these, you have done for me.” So we went to Moldova and served God and loved God.
The lessons I learned from Psalm 46 on the mission trip served me well even when I was returning home. On the trip back to Houston, I lost my carry-on bag that included my wallet, $40, my Bible, my prayer journal, my souvenirs from Moldova, my camera, my house keys and other valuables. I had to be still and know that those were material things, and that God had greater things for me. To make matters worse, I arrived home to find out my roommate—the best roommate I ever had—was leaving. Again, I had to be still and know that God had a plan.
Then things got worse. The next day, the roof of my house fell in, and I was devastated. At first I was depressed, thinking I would have to move. When I finally was still, God provided a way for me to get my roof fixed. Finally, to bring my week of disaster to an end, I got my grades for the semester. I had failed all of my classes. I thought I was going to have to take a semester off from school. When I finally was still, God came through. I was able to change my major, and now I am able to graduate earlier.
Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you … plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” So, we have to be still and know that he is God. He has a plan.
Justin Cathey, a student at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, served with Go Now Missions in Moldova.
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