An American God?

As a team, we are becoming more adventurous. Case in point: Scott got back to the hotel WITHOUT making any u-turns! I hope you all realize how impressive it is to drive in Romania (the land of one-way streets) without making u-turns. Be very impressed. (Side note: I am currently mad at him, however, because he keeps refusing to let me bring home a kitten. This will need to be discussed further. He has no sympathy for the baby kittens. Mean man.)
Back at the village, we paid another visit to Auntie. We got to paint her fence today which was really fun. She was so excited that we were coming back that she said she couldn't sleep that night; she also told Melissa that she dreamed of us coming to serve her. It was so touching! We made a few more house visits today and I was touched by the selflessness of my teammates. Knowing I wasn't feeling well that day, Scott and Trevor did a quick switch of the soda glasses (when no one was looking, of course) and gave me their empty ones. It seems kind of silly, I realize, but it meant so much to me. It was inconvenient for them but they didn't make a big deal about it; they just stepped up and "took one for the team"...well, me. So if you guys are reading this, thanks a million.
During the afternoon, we had a chance for a little r&r then headed to a romanian family's home for dinner. Timothy and his family hosted our team for the evening and cooked us a WONDERFUL meal! The food was outstanding (kudos to the cook!!) and the company was even better. The family was so welcoming, hospitable, and home-like; they were the kind of people you felt comfortable with from the start. I think I can speak for our entire team in saying that our hearts were warmed more than our stomachs were tonight. My heart was rested and at ease while with them and I walked away refreshed. The family of God is not bound by geographical borders.
Its amazing to think that I spent so much of my life thinking about the church as american.  I apologize if I lose some of you here but seeing the work of God going on here in Romania has corrected me concerning something: The church of God, the bride of Christ, internationally is not a forlorn, weak typecast of any american "church." Rather, it is strong and vibrant, bearing the image and fingerprints of the Creator just as much as any church in america. These beautiful people that are surrounding me - Auntie, Timothy, his family - are all monuments that will stand forever as reminders of this. God is not american. Period. The international bride of Christ, no matter what language, skin color, or nationality, attests to this truth louder than any cries to the contrary; God is God above all differences our eyes and ears perceive. And the church of Christ around the world says "Amen!"