I’m Huge in Eastern Europe
Our last day at the orphanage has arrived and with it so has sickness and some doubts about my personal impact on this trip. We have been doing a great deal of construction work this week. Which is all well and good, but what I do is about relationships. Due to our heavy work schedule, I felt I have been having connection issues.
Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to sit in on an English class (I learned there that regardless of age or location, English classes will forever make me sleepy). We read aloud to the students so that they could practice the “American” way to say the words. While it was a good experience, I did not think that it was quite significant - how much can one really learn in one 60 minute English session.
I was invited back after class to play my guitar and sing. Singing on demand is always quite interesting. I don’t care how many years I have been playing in front of a crowd, but everytime someone commands a performce, I draw a blank.
The performance was a hit with both the students and the teacher; it definately earned me some respect, but that was a few days ago and little came of it, or so I thought.
This evening, I was invited with our translator, Oressa, to visit with the teacher. We had a great conversation about how much she enjoyed us being here; as well as, how much our teaching English and my playing guitar meant to her and the students. And then a strange thing happened - she gave me a gift and invited me to come and play at camps next summer in Romania and Moldova. While I don’t think that it will actually happen (you never know though), I was humbled to know that what was such a small routine thing for me was a such a blessing to someone else.
It goes to show that regardless of the size, every action leaves a lasting impact.
