At Exodus, we believe each of us can serve God in a unique and special way. We love partnering with anyone who wants to use their gifts to help young people step closer to Jesus. This May, a support team of 13 people from Railway Street Presbyterian Church in Lisburn traveled to the Exodus Sutor Centre in Romania. Read on to learn what one team member’s 'yes' taught her about God and her place in his mission to the world.
Jean has seen many young people go out on teams with Exodus over the years. However, she didn’t know that you don’t have to be a teenager to partner with Exodus until her church sent out support teams in 2018 and 2019. When they started planning a third trip a few years ago, Jean recalled, “I spoke to the leader at the time, and he said, ‘If you feel God wants you on that team, there will be work for you to do.’ And he just left it at that…. I felt that I could do things like painting, the gentler work, if that was available. I had just lost my husband, and I felt I needed something to do.”
Once in Sutor, she realised there really was a place for every person. She was able to help with painting, cleaning up, and working in the kitchen. And when the opportunity arose to return for a second time this year, she didn’t hesitate. This team was comprised of people from a wide variety of ages and backgrounds, and while there, they painted walls, assembled furniture, weeded gardens, and visited local believers.
She puts it like this: “You go out and wonder, what can I do? I can't do the heavy work. I am not a plumber or a joiner. But I personally felt there was a role for every single one of us. And our leader always said, ‘If you feel like God is calling you, I am not saying whether or not you are on my team. This is God’s team. If you feel God wants you on this team, that’s enough for me’.”
A highlight of the trip happened during a visit to local village, where the team met a pastor and shared at his church. Jean was able to share a Bible verse and a few words about her faith. This was a profoundly impactful experience for her. She recalls, “I was reminded of when I was a teenager and I read the book Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand, which is set in Romania. And it was just horrific, reading about his experience. But here I am, all these years later, in a Romanian church, speaking about my faith. Isn't that just wonderful? That was all part of being on the work team. We were there to do work, but also to experience a little bit about the church in Romania as well.”
Besides having the opportunity to share about her faith, Jean was also impacted by the close connection she developed with her teammates. Before going out on a trip with Exodus, every team commits to do a book study. Their team completed half their studies before the trip and the other half while on the trip. Jean comments, “These evening sessions were a time of sharing our thoughts and having that discussion amongst ourselves. It was that feeling of our team being one together, just the bonds of the team and the fellowship and the fun! We laughed so much! The fellowship of the team was a part of what made the trip memorable.”
Jean shared how humbled she was that her team from a small city in Northern Ireland was able to work so well together and make such a difference in Romania. She said, “It was so obvious that God’s hand was on everything. The roles we all had to play, the team’s fellowship, the work that we got done, that we got back safely as well. You just felt from beginning to end, that this was God’s team. Ivan may have been our coordinator, but it was God’s team.”
After she returned from her trip to Romania, Jean attended the Exodus Commissioning Service in Causeway Coast Vineyard to support her granddaughter who is also about to head out on her own Exodus placement!
Seeing this family’s legacy in the making is a testament to the far-reaching impact that Exodus has on people of all ages.
It is a reminder that no matter what your age, skills, or experience, there is a place for you in the work God is doing all around the world.
