A wife invited some people over for dinner. At the table, she asked her six-year-old daughter to say the blessing. The girl replied, “I don’t know what to say.” The mother told her, “Just say what you hear Mommy say.” The daughter bowed her head and said, “Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?”
We hope you didn’t feel like that mother when we visited you. The truth is, we felt very much appreciated by everyone we were able to see. It was a rewarding and refreshing trip. What do you see in the picture? A tree, I guess… You’re right. The tree is you.
This newsletter is about you, not about us. It’s about all of you, whom we’ve met some time ago, or we’ve seen lately, or we’ve never had the privilege of meeting in person, yet you are staying close to us, showing your love in your own way. We want you to know that you have our maximum appreciation. Why is that? Let me share three of the many reasons.
You are the aroma of Christ, as Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians. Your hospitality, kindness, encouraging and wise words, and your own life example breaths a delightful aroma. This brings into my memory a saying of President Woodrow Wilson: “You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”
You are sacrificially generous people. You are enabling us to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope. You are enriching us, and your sacrificial giving is compelling us to sacrificial service, knowing that: “He is the richest man in the esteem of the world who has gotten most. He is the richest man in the esteem of heaven who has given most.” (F. B. Meyer)
You are part of our ministry team – we are teammates, shoulder to shoulder, involved in the same battle. If there are spiritual fruits growing in Romania, it is also because of you.
Take another look at the photo and take a deep breath. Do you “feel the smell?” We do. It is the aroma of Christ coming out of you. What a wonderful smell you leave behind! Thank you for it!
