All I want for Christmas is a big Mag-Lite!

Last night, as I walked back from parking our vehicle, I was astounded at the evening sky, crammed full of stars. I could see Orion’s Belt…the Big Dipper…the North Star.

Think this through…we are living in a major metropolitan city, nearly 1 million people. Yet I could actually see stars! In all other large cities, there are thousands of streetlights, neon billboards, and headlights creating a glow around the city. With their enormous “light bubble,” America’s cities burn enough energy to light a small, third-world country.

I could never stand in the center of Minneapolis and stare at the Big Dipper.

You will never pick out the North Star as you stand on New York’s Fifth Avenue.

Even if you could avoid the skyscrapers, the light of the star would be drowned out.

In Moldova, we do not have that problem. In my 10-minute walk from parking our vehicle, I pass under 1 (one…uno…ein!) streetlight. I’ve only seen one person carrying a flashlight. People don’t even turn on their headlights until it is pitch-black.

Just last month, we finally got a couple of lights in our stairwell. More than once, I have used the glow from my cell phone to find the elevator button.

But when it is VERY dark, a little light goes a long way.

The little light from my cell phone works simply because it is so dark. The North Star shines so bright over our apartment because there is only one streetlamp for the entire block.

In the same way, the light from a Christ-centered life becomes apparent to people who never even come close. When it is DARK, one light becomes very significant. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be the light of this world….allowing God’s light to reflect off of us. We can’t be afraid of the dark, but rejoice in the opportunity.

Don’t run from the “wrong side of the tracks.” Find the broken, lost, sin-infested parts of town…and show your light. Care for the wounds, pray for the sick, feed the hungry…and let your light shine.

I am glad we are here in Moldova. I am thankful for the wonderful believers that fill our churches. But I am praying that someday there will be so many lights that I have to search for the darkness…not the other way around.

Praying for more light,

Andy Raatz