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Learning to Give

In the United States we have many material blessings available to us. However, oftentimes we do not share those blessings with others. While on a trip to Romania I learned a very important law of life: give of yourself and your possessions every chance you have.

During July of 1999, I, along with eight others, traveled to the country of Romania to build a chapel in a Romanian/Hungarian village called Chet (Ketz). The town in which we stayed, Satu Mare, was filled with gypsies begging on tile streets. The road we traveled on the two hour bus ride to the village was lined with small two-room houses which house entire families. The same housing situation existed in Chet.

When we arrived in Chet the people of the village greeted us with broad smiles, anticipating the coming week. In Romania if a church does not have a building in which to worship, it is considered a cult. By going to the village and building the chapel we were making their church “legal.” The people of the village were very thankful, more thankful than we realized.

The team came prepared to make lunches of sandwiches and salads all week. However, the first day we were on the building site the ladies of the village brought a home-cooked meal at lunchtime. Then they informed us that they would prepare lunch for us every day, an extremely generous offer. They have no air conditioning and in the summer, cooking around a hot fire is not very comfortable. Also, they don't have much money to buy food for a large group. These lunches were truly gifts of love. We were giving them something they needed, and they gave us something back.

However, their giving did not end with food. On the last day of work, the leader of the church called all the workers together and began a ceremony. He expressed his gratitude and asked us to remember Chet in our prayers. Then he presented every worker with a handmade gift, a mat of woven material, white, blue, green, red, purple, black, and yellow. The women of the village had once again given of their time, energy, and resources to thank a group of people who had come to help them.

Although the people of Chet do not know this, they gave me much more than food and a rug. They taught me a law of life. I am a person who is blessed beyond my imagination. I have a wonderful family, full of love and care. I have everything I need: food, clothing, and shelter; even the extras I desire. However, even when given the opportunities I fail to share these blessings like I should. As a recipient of the giving spirit of the people of Chet I now realize the importance of giving of myself and my possessions, even when it requires a sacrifice.

Story was submitted anonymously