Last week we did something fun with the women and staff at the Home of Hope, a “field trip” to Old Orhei, a beautiful monastery built into a cliff.  It is a wonderful place to visit, a site we have frequented often with guests.  It was awe-inspiring to stand on a ledge of the cliff, gazing down at the vista before us.

As we stood on the cliff, I noticed two men fishing on the river below.  They were standing in an old, rusty, metal boat, tossing nets into the river.  About every couple minutes, they would pull up the net, coil it, and toss it again.  I saw one small silver fish flopping in the boat, but it appeared to be a relatively fruitless endeavor.

After watching the fishing, I found myself looking at the faces of women who were lost when they came to the Home of Hope.  They are now all found.  We started the work praying to survive one more day. We prayed that they would actually stay in the house, that they wouldn’t get in a fight that night or that they would not throw something in anger.

Now we are seeing smiles, peace, and joy.

There are plenty of challenges ahead.   Salvation is often a process, but we are seeing progress.  All have come to an understanding of Jesus’ grace, seeing Christ bring life to their spirits.  We are witnessing a spiritual resurrection.

Jesus understood the fishing process when he told his followers that they would become fishers of men.  He knew that fishing does not mean a fish on the line (or in the net) at every cast.  It takes patience and persistence.  It takes a commitment to casting the net…over and over and over

When I am weary of casting the net one more time, I need to remember the reward of transformed lives.  There have been countless nights that Nancy and I have lain in bed, wondering why we even started the task.  We’ve half-joked with each other that “life would have been easier if we hadn’t started this thing!”  But as we enjoyed our field trip, celebrating a day out as family, I saw miracles all around us.

I often still wrestle with the burden of the lost in Moldova.  I can walk the streets in our village and I wonder how to cast the net to reach our neighbors.  How can we share Christ’s mercy with those that are violently opposed, or stuck in religiosity, or drunk every other night?

I guess we just keep casting.  We must not grow weary, disillusioned, or cynical.  Keep casting.  Keep serving.  Keep giving.  Keep befriending.  Keep praying.

Continuing to toss the net in Moldova,
Andy Raatz