Final Tally, Lifelong Thanks!

Yesterday was the last day of the fourteen teachings in fourteen days campaign that I promised you, the readers of this weblog if we managed to raise $3000 for the Licxandru. I was, and continue to be exceedingly humbled by the love and compassion you’ve shown toward Gabriela and her family. Even when our faith and expectations are small, when God sees that the intent of our heart is pure, He exceeds all that we could ever dream or hope for.
The final tally of the money that will be going to the Licxandru family, after some last minute donations that we received, is no less than $13,150.00. Of that, close to $11,000 was donated by those of you who read this weblog. For your open heart, and your giving spirit, you have my lifelong thanks. I realize that in times such as these saying ‘thank you’ seems insufficient or insignificant, but alas, it is all that I can do.

Tomorrow God may provide for the Licxandru family in ways we cannot know, but today He has chosen you as the vehicle of that provision. Your obedience warms my heart, as I realize there are still those who are able to look beyond their own need, beyond their own lack, and lend a helping hand to those who are likewise suffering. Whether you prayed for the Licxandru family, whether you sent in items to be auctioned off, or sent in a donation specifically for them, on behalf of this ministry, myself, my brother Daniel, and the Licxandru family, thank you for your kindness and generosity.

Today I had planned on returning to the ‘principles of judging’ series, but as I checked my bag I realized I somehow misplaced my notes. Actually, they are not misplaced, I forgot them on the couch in my apartment in Wisconsin, and since I’m almost a thousand miles away from there, for the next few days I will be posting some more teachings on various topics, as the Lord leads, and once I return home we’ll pick up the series where we left off.

I’ve been alone now for five days, by myself, enjoying the tranquility that comes with being still, breathing in the mountain air, and listening to the birdsongs floating on the wind. If my wife were here, it would be perfect, that one day many look back on and remember as their ideal, that symbiosis between simplicity and flawless beauty that some never seem to discover in their hectic lives. The one thought that continues to creep into my mind as I behold the beauty God has created, is ‘if He made all this in six days, imagine what heaven’s going to be like.’

We are homeward bound, and this is a truth we ought never to forget no matter how blessed we are in this present life, or how tried we are in this present life. Whatever your circumstances, whatever your trial, whatever your hardship, remember always it is temporary, fleeting, passing, an intake of breath, the blink of an eye in the vastness of eternity.

Even though where we will be tomorrow is a mystery to us, it is by no means a mystery to our loving Father, who holds us in His embrace, who shelters us from the storms, who encourages us when we are discouraged, and who strengthens us when we are weak.

Once again, a heartfelt thank you for living out the gospel of Christ, for being His heart, and His hands, and for going beyond feeling empathy to actually reaching out.

James 2:15-16, “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?”

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.