Since 1994 I have been conducting youth camp in Romania for one week each summer. This year was, perhaps, the greatest experience we've ever had. We had 105 teenagers from 25 different villages. Of those, 27 gave their lives to Jesus Christ.This year we did something different. For parts of two days, we took youth into a nearby village and went door-to-door, offering to serve the people by helping them any way they needed. The response was overwhelming.
We had told the youth that they were to be back at the bus in 2 and 1/2 hours. Went I went looking for some of them, this picture is of one group that said they did not want to leave. Actually, they skipped lunch, the biggest meal, worked for almost 5 hours, and then walked back to the camp, about 3 kilometers, mostly uphill. In all, 17 youth missed lunch, walked back and were more fulfilled than they had been all week. Why? Because they had been a lot like Jesus...serving.
We live in a world where there is much emphasis on self. So many times it's all about me, myself and I. Remember it was Jesus who said we must first deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him. He also taught us that He did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom. He would ultimately say, "Nevertheless, not my will, but Your (the Father's) will be done."
You see the young man with blue shorts? His name is Bogdan. They young man on the right is Alex. During the week they did not come to all the sessions. It's called "skipping." They either wanted to sleep or just not participate. However, something remarkable happened to them on that last full day on Friday. They experienced the joy and fulfillment of giving one's self to help another. They joined with other guys to dig a hole that was needed for a family. They labored long and hard to make it one and a half meters deep. They did not quit until it was completed.
Later that night, one of the Romanian college students that translated for us, Mircea, came to me and said two guys wanted to come forward during the invitation I gave at the conclusion of my preaching, but they did not. He found them in their room, their hearts tender and ready to receive Christ. Mircea led them in the sinner's prayer and they committed their lives to Jesus Christ. Bogdan would later tell me that his heart was softened that day by what they did to help someone else. I know the same was true for Alex.
There will be many cares and worries in this life. Jesus told us that each day has enough trouble of its own. But if we look beyond ourselves and not only see the needs of others, but do something to meet those needs, our own problems will not be as magnified and we will feel fulfilled in a way we could not otherwise.
It's called serving. It's what Jesus modeled for us. It's what I saw students do in a small village in Romania. It's what helped to change the lives of two special young men, Bogdan and Alex. And, it will change yours. Let's make sure we are serving.
