Winter Trip Reflection 

      If I were to describe this year's RBYA winter mission trip in a few words I would say that it was full of God's grace. I saw God's grace through it all: in His protection upon all of our travels, in helping us to prepare for each church service, in our discussions amongst each other, in our Bible studies, in every moment of every day. The purpose of these mission trips is to encourage churches in part of the country, and this year we visited churches in Nashville, TN; Hickory, NC; Charlotte, NC; Hollywood, FL; and Atlanta, GA. 

      You scrutinize my path and my lying down,

            And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.

                                          - Psalm 139:3 

      We started the trip in Nashville, TN on Saturday, December 26 where everyone on the team met. Some youth already knew each other and others met for the first time. After getting to know each other along with some of the youth at the church in Nashville, we began practicing our choral songs. We were pleased that some of the Nashville youth stayed and practiced with us, to sing with us the next day at church. That Sunday we had our first church service of the trip and the whole church received us with so much warmth on such a cold winter day. Many of the youth at the church in Nashville expressed their desire to get involved in RBYA, and we look forward to seeing them at camps and serving with them on future mission trips. The fellowship at the church in Nashville was truly blessed. 

      Behold, how good and how pleasant it is

            For brothers to dwell together in unity!

                                    - Psalm 133:1 

      Next we drove over the beautiful Appalachian Mountains into North Carolina. On Tuesday, we had an important discussion together with the youth of Hickory about the proper and Biblical view of marriage. The next day we had an opportunity to help a local Christian mission that reaches out to poorer people in the community. We had one service in Charlotte and then a service in Hickory where a couple of the young men in our group gave testimonies. I was especially touched by Daniel Dumitriu's testimony of how he spent a couple weeks among the tribes in the jungles of Peru last summer, serving along with some Christian missionaries. He spoke of how God guided his every step and how he learned to appreciate missionaries who sacrifice so much so the Gospel may reach lost souls. 

      The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in

            From this time forth and forever.

                              - Psalm 121:8 

      Wednesday night we set out on the long journey from snowy North Carolina down south to sunny Florida. We held services at two of the churches in Hollywood, FL (Grace and Bethel), where we spent New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. We spent the passage into the new year in prayer, ending 2009 and beginning 2010 with prayer. New Year's morning we enjoyed seeing the beauty of the sun rising over the Atlantic Ocean horizon. 

      The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,

            His mercies never come to an end;

      They are new every morning;

            Great is Your faithfulness.

                        - Lamentations 3:22-23 

      We ended our trip in Atlanta, GA where we had our last two services – in the morning at Gwinnett Romanian Baptist Church and in the evening at First Romanian Baptist Church. Being the first Sunday of the month, we had communion during the morning service and I was happy that Pastor Petru Popovici imparted communion to us. I am very thankful for his continuing service to the Lord and His people for so many years. May we follow his example and faithfully serve the Lord all the days of our lives. 

      Yet those who wait for the Lord

            Will gain new strength;

      The will mount up with wings like eagles,

            They will run and not get tired,

      They will walk and not become weary.

                              - Isaiah 40:31 

      I am thankful for this privilege to have served the Lord with 20 other youth this winter mission trip. I trust that the Lord worked in the lives of all who were on the trip as well as in the lives of the youth from the churches we visited. May our excitement from the mission trip not fade away, but rather continue throughout the year and may we not grow weary in doing good. 

      No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

                                                            - Romans 8:37 
                                                                                                                                              ---Claudiu Mich, West Coast Training Department