RBYA Winter Trip 2009:  A Call to Holiness

By Claudia Costiuc

            For the past year or so, I have felt God impress upon my heart a call to holiness.  For the first time in a long while, my heart burned with anger against the sin and injustice I saw in the world and even in the church.  I often wondered if it was I alone who noticed this lack of “set-apartness” or if there were others who also longed for holiness.  God placed in my mouth an interesting prayer, “Lord, purify Your church and begin with me.”  In imparting this desire to others willing to listen, most often it felt like a battle I was fighting alone.  Until, that is, the Romanian Baptist Youth Association’s (RBYA) Winter Trip this past winter break.

            Being involved in the RBYA in various capacities for years, I have attended a majority of events.  It had been a while, however, since I had been on a winter trip, and while my heart longed to go, my body was tired from a very busy year.  Of all RBYA events, the winter mission trip is the most taxing.  It is an event where you go to serve, not to be served.  It is an event where you feel intense spiritual battle, where you are physically exhausted, where you are misunderstood and your motives misinterpreted, where you have no privacy, where God stretches you to your limits, and tests your patience such that others are used to mold you “as iron sharpens iron” (Prov. 27:17).  This is a trip for the passionate in heart because it is a trip that costs you something more than mere finances.  Knowing this, it is no wonder I struggled in my decision of whether or not to attend.  It would be more relaxing to take a break over the holidays than to drive over 50 hours to seven churches in four different states.  Around mid-October, my fiancé (Daniel Mich) and I decided that if God could use us somehow on this trip, we had to go.  We felt God’s calling and signed up for the trip, which took place from December 26^th, 2009 to January 4^th, 2010. 

            The purpose of this winter mission trip was to encourage the Romanian churches, primarily the smaller ones on the east coast.  Realizing that we can do nothing on our own, as a group we really prayed that God would give us the messages that the churches needed to hear.  We desired for Christ to use our gifts and talents to be an encouragement and to point people to Himself.  Our mission was, and is, to see both young and old church members pursue Christ passionately (through personal study, discipleship groups, and so on).  Although we are imperfect vessels, we pray that Christ’s power will be that much more evident through our failings.  It is always a delight to hear how one event such as the winter trip has sparked someone’s interest in the Word.  Praise God for this!

This winter trip began like any other: with greetings, introductions, and choir practice in a small Romanian church.  Although none of us are professional singers, we did our best to bring glory to God through the talents He gave us.  In fact, our first leaders’ discussion was about giving God our best and focusing first on our heart attitudes and motives.  I believe this set the tone for the 10-day trip to follow.  So what did we do and what does holiness have to do with it?

            Our trip began in Nashville, Tennessee where we were able to spend quite a bit of time with the youth.  Personally, I was amazed to see such a love for God and for others in a church so small.  May the Lord continue to grow that church body in passion for His Word and work.  After spending two days in Nashville, our group of about 20 young adults headed to Hickory and Charlotte, North Carolina where we were once again received with open arms.  In Hickory we were able to hold one of the famous “guy/girl” sessions, which was perhaps the first of several calls to holiness.  Specifically, the session was a call to holy relationships.  I was at the same time amazed at the receptivity of the audience and grieved that holiness is not a subject often talked about in the context of guy-girl relationships.  May the Lord guide our thoughts and motives on this subject, and may we truly desire to honor Him with all of our relationships.

While in Hickory for about three days, we were blessed to be able to attend service in Charlotte, NC.  During this particular service, God used brother Ilie Cojan to clearly hit home God’s chosen theme for our trip: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16).  Before the trip began, it had been decided that as a group we would study the book of 1 Peter.  There was no explicit theme set for the trip, but it appeared that God had His own plans.  Beginning with the Charlotte service, which was received by the church with joy and humility, God continued to point us to the topic of holy living.  This amazing little epistle of 1 Peter opened for us interesting discussions (during our daily group devotionals, in the vans while driving to a destination, and in other situations) about what it means to live holy lives and how foolish it is to try to live in holiness without Christ. 

As the trip progressed, we visited two churches in Hollywood, Florida (Harul, where we were welcomed for New Years, and Betel) and two churches in Atlanta, Georgia (Gwinnett Romanian Baptist church and the First Romanian Baptist Church).  We thank God for the gracious generosity of the churches.  At each location, the message seemed to be primarily for us (the winter trip members).  Throughout the trip, God used the services, our group devotions, and our impromptu conversations to challenge us to live holy lives in our thoughts, attitudes, families, relationships, schools, work, etc.  Amidst all of the messages (in sermon, poetry, and song) about prayer, worship, humility, etc, one theme rang true for me: “…just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do…” (1 Peter 1:15).  This was particularly evident in Fr. Pit and Fr. Istudor’s church, where the service was centered on prayer and the presence of God was powerfully felt.

For me it was a delight to see young people with a desire for holiness, and I pray that the Lord will spark in us all a desire to set ourselves apart for Him.  May the desire of our hearts be ultimately “to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Phil. 3:10).