Romanian Summer Mission Report 4

Geoffrey's Report - We are at the half way point in our ministry here. We have two more weeks in the campaign and then we are going to take a little break and do some traveling. However, we are currently focused on the Lord's work in Bucharest. This week has been one of joy and exhaustion. We each have eight or so students who have come regularly and we have formed some deep friendships already. I guess that is expected to happen when people talk about personal matters and the Lord. We have also met with many more students who have come for one or two meetings and then dropped out. This does not discourage us because we feel that even with one session, seeds of God's love have been planted. We pray for each of our students daily.

This week, I have had several wonderful and interesting conversations with students. I asked one of them if they would like to live in a place like the garden of Eden. Usually when I ask this question, the answer is "Yes. That would be very relaxing." However, this student said, "Yes. I would love to live there because right now I don't have the time or strength to walk and talk with God constantly. I think Adam and Eve had a wonderful opportunity to be in continual communication with God and I would like that." This showed a deep understanding of what it takes to have a deep relationship with God.

One of the nice things about returned this year has been in continuing relationships with several students from previous years. Each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon I meet with Laurentiu and Andrea. They are both returning students. Laurentiu is growing in his English Language skills and each time gets better and better at it. More importantly, he and I get into good conversations about what it means to have a relationship with God. He has come to church with me several times and has kept up a relationship with Albert throughout the year. I think he is looking for a church that emphasises the God relationships.

I have Andrea at the end of the day. That is a very good thing because we get into deep and rich conversations and it pumps the energy back into my body after a long day. He and I decided that other day that God's word is simple and complex. That is, it is simple enough for the least educated person to understand and complex enough that the greatest scholars can not fully comprehend it. He asks many thought provoking questions about how Jesus chose his apostles and what God expects from each of us. Each question is multilayered and is often pointing to an underlying answer. He keeps challenging me to stay on my toes and I keep reminding Andrea that God loves him and simply wants his devotion.

As you can see, our time here continues to go well and we continue to grow. We ask God daily to give us strength and to allow the Word to penetrate the hearts of our students. We know God will bless these seeds.

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Dana's Report - Today concludes the second week of studies with my students. Depending on the availability and committment of each student, I've had the opportunity to study between 1 and 6 times with each person. As we've entered further into the text, I've found connections and similarities with my students, resulting in many interesting and thought-provoking conversations. Additionally, God has been working in me, making changes and softening my heart in ways I couldn't have imagined!

One special student that I spoke with this week is Crina. Crina is 29 years old and originally from Belgium. She speaks fluent English, works for the Metro System, and is one of the most energetic, animated students on my roster. Crina attends an Orthodox Church in Bucharest and has a lot of skeptism regarding the practices of this faith. Crina expressed her distrust of the priests in her congregation, sharing that many priests charge its members money in order to pray for its followers. Additionally, Crina is aware of much hypocrisy within the church, citing that a priest may teach others to show kindness, however, he doesn't exemplify this characteristic in his own life. I've really enjoyed my conversations with Crina and although she is typically hesitant to share her personal feelings and beliefs about God, she has become comfortable to do so during our studies. Although Crina doesn't feel ready to leave her church, she is becoming more aware of the discrepancies between what the Bible teaches and what her church teaches and practices. Please pray that Crina will continue to seek God and be open to hearing His Word during our sessions.

Another student that has been actively searching for God is Felicia. Felicia joined the WEI program late last week. She expressed her love for Jesus when she joined the class and recently revealed her desire to have a deeper, more personal relationship with God. As our studies have progressed, I have found that Felicia and I have had some similiar experiences in our lives, feeling alone and undeserving of love. My joy comes from sharing with her that God DOES love us, inspite of our sins, and it is because of His grace that we are cleansed and saved through our faith in Him. Felicia is the first student that has expressed an interest to pray together. This is both exciting and encouraging to me because I can see God working in her heart and impressing a desire for her to draw nearer to him. Please pray that Felicia will experience the love and hope that God offers us through our relationship with Him.

At the half-way mark, I've also been reflecting on God's purpose for bringing me to Romania. Although I've felt confident that it is God's plan for me to be ministering here, I've been surprised by His work in my life, as well as the deep attachments I've made to my students. Last week, one dear student, Nicoletta changed jobs. She is no longer able to attend classes due to her work schedule. I feel a great loss in her departure and ask for prayers for her that she will recognize God's love and see hope in the world. Nicoletta also struggles with feeling alone and needs reassurance that God is with her, even in the darkest hours.

God has given me great strength over the past 3 weeks. I am constantly surprised at His ability to give me the power to get through the day. The days have been long, hot, and sometimes discouraging. But at the perfect time, God has been placing conversations, moments, and experiences that both lift me up and encourage me to continue. I am thankful for my team members, especially Geoffrey, who have brought laughter, joy, and patience in my life. I am hopeful that God will continue to help me open my heart to others. I desire deeper friendships and relationships that our God-centered and I am excited to see His plan for me. Praise God for the work He is doing in each of us here!

Rembradt

As mentioned in a previous post, we went to a museum the other day and looked at an exhibit about Rembradt. It was a nice painting and the information about it was very interesting. I think we mostly just enjoyed a powerful air-conditioner. Here are some photos from our trip to the museum.

They told us that the exhibit is the first of its kind in Romania and they were doing it in a way to prove that they are capable of hosting such a large event. I am sure this has to do with their hoped entry into the European Union. It seems like everything is gearing towards that. Overall it seems like a good thing. The country as a whole is looking better and people seem more positive.

Sunday Church

I am finally able to download my photos from this past week. This is a photo taken on Sunday at church. Albert (aka Bubba), his wife Lavinia, and a friend named Bogdon are doing a church plant in sectors 5 and 6 of Bucharest. They will be doing the church launch in a few weeks and so right now the group is pretty small. We hope some of our students will become a part of the new church.

Although most of us were Americans, we sang the songs in Romanian. It was funny because I knew the tunes but could not sing the words and the Romanian next to me knew the words but not the tunes. After the song service, Albert preached one of the nicest sermons I've ever heard on being purified by Christ and being sealed with his blood. He used a wine bottle to demonstrate the sealing. After the sermon, Bogdon gave a talk on the meaning of the Lord's Supper and then we had about 10 minutes of meditation and singing. During that time, we could go up and take the communion when we were ready.

I am very proud of these three missionaries and the work they are doing to start a new church in this part of the world. Please keep them in your prayers. The church launch is on july 22.

Snails

Well, not a lot to say today. The weather continues to be hot, hot, hot and I don't know if you have noticed but the ALASKANS are MELTING out here. We went to a museum today to see a Rembrant painting (photos to follow) but I think most of use enjoyed the cold air-condisioning as much as (or more than) the art. After classes yesterday, we went hunting for some fans for the apartment but we could not find any because everyone was sold out.

We continue to build good relationships with our students and enjoy talking with them each day. A few have dropped out but they are eagerly replaced by others. I will give more detail in our weekly report on Friday.

Near our Institute location is a really nice park. We have enjoyed walking through it several times and may go rent some boats to paddle around the lake sometime in the near future. The other day, while walking in the park, we saw two snails attempting to cross the path. They were huge and also interesting to watch. I would guess they were about the size of a doughnut-hole (but not as tasty). I took a few photos and the ones displayed here are the best of the bunch.

I hope you all are having a good summer. Please drop me a note if you have a moment.

Our Co-Teachers

It is 94 degrees in Bucharest right now and we are drinking lots of water and sweating quite a bit too.

Today I would like to take a moment or two to talk about three of our campaign co-workers. They come from Alabama and Tennessee and are working in the English Institute for the first two weeks. Kelly and Carisa are married and this is their second summer in Bucharest. Kelly is a student at the University of Alabama and is studying language. Carisa is a fourth grade teacher at a private Christian school. They are very fun to work with and have great attitudes. We love to laugh and talk. They also like to play games with us. Most importantly, they both have a love for God and a desire to serve him.

Sue is Kelly's mother. This is her first campaign and she is doing a great job. I especially appreciate her compassion for her students and her willingness to cry and comfort them. She is a real trooper and has had to put up with the jokes of a younger generation. She stands up for herself pretty well. That is probably because she is a high school science teacher in her regular life. Again, we love the love she has for the Lord.

As you can see, we have a very strong team this summer. We will miss Kelly, Carisa, and Sue when they head back to the states on Friday and we will look forward to getting to know our new partners this coming Sunday.

Day Off - Part II

When we left our struggling heroes, they had just found out that they were stuck at the top of a mountain in the middle of Romania with only a few hours until sunset.....

Cell-phones are wonderful inventions. As soon as we found out we were stuck, we started calling around for options. I joked with Bogdon about getting a helicopter up to lift us away and he just laughed. After getting Lavinia and Bubba on the phone, they said that there were only two options: A) Start hiking down the mountain. We should get to the bottom by sunset. B) Check into a hotel that was a short walk from the cable-car and catch the first train back in the morning. We didn't like either options. The first option was the better of the two but some in our party were not regular hikers and were already tired from our trip to the cross. The second option was not so good because we were starting to run low on funds and probably couldn't afford the hotel AND the train ride back (plus meals and the cable-car).

Bogdon said that he thought we could walk toward a hotel that was clear across the mountain-valley and we might be able to find someone with a car to drive us down the mountain. We all agreed that this was a nice option (although we were surprised there was a road out of this location). After making a few calls, Bogdon secured a car to come get us at 8:00 so we started walking toward the hotel. Our perception was that the hike would take us 20 minutes or so but looks were deceiving. Ultimately it took us about 2 hours. Half way across the valley was a deep ravine that was thought would be impossible to cross. However, with teamwork and vague recollections of rope-courses, we helped each other past the obstacle.

After more walking, we finally reached the hotel. Bogdon called the driver and confirmed the pick-up. He said he might be an hour later. We had plenty of time for dinner at the hotel and then we sat in the cold mountain air looking across the valley for the car. As we waited, we talked about movies, food, family, other travel adventures, and generally just got to know each other better. We also wondered if the guy was really going to come get us at all.

Finally, around 9:00, when it was beginning to get dark, we saw the car come around the corner. He was a long way off and we wondered if he was pulling a horse-trailer of some other type hook-up. As he got closer, Mike told us that he could see a tarp on the back of a pick-up truck. We knew then that this would be adventure. As the guy pulled up to the hotel, we started laughing at the fun we were about to have. It was an open-air safari tour truck and was not in great shape. In fact, when he hoped out to wipe down the seats, the clutch slipped and we about lost the truck down the hill.

Jumping in the back, we started off down one of the bumpiest roads of our lives. We laughed and joked as we bumped and bounced. We waved at shepherd as they watched their flocks. We giggled at seeing the Safari cows. We hooted every time we hit a big bump or looked out the back, straight down a steep cliff. We howled as were thrown from our seats and helped each other back up. It was likely one of the most fun rides of my life and we enjoyed every minute of it.

But the fun and learning wasn't over. We arrived at the train station at 10:15 to find that the last scheduled train was at 9:40. Only God could get us back to Bucharest this evening. We went to the ticket counter expecting to be told that there was nothing to be done. The agent told us that the 9:40 train had been delayed because it hit a bear along the route and would be there at 11:00 if we wanted to take it. We couldn't believe it. God had done it for us.

When the train pulled up, it overshot the platform and so we had to RUN, RUN, RUN to get on the right car. Trains don't wait around too long to get passengers. After more laughs and shared moments, we settled into our seats to sleep on the ride back home.

It was an awesome day with events that we couldn't possibly have foreseen or planned. However, we would not have traded it for any other day-off adventure.

Day Off - Part 1

This story is going to take two days to tell because it was going to be a simple day traveling to the mountains and it turned out to be the adventure of our lives. Let me say at the onset, we were never in any physical danger and everything worked out in the end.

After working hard for the week, the 7 teachers (myself included) decided to take a train up to Bust an and hike in the mountains. Our troubles began early. We met at the train station at 8 in the morning and found out that our 8:30 train was booked solid so we had to hang out until the next one until 9:30. Getting on the train, we were joined by Bogdon, a Romanian who is working with Albert and Lavinia in the church plant.

When we got to Bustan, it was raining very hard. We went to a store so one of our teachers could buy a coat for the day. We then slowly strolled up to the cable-car station stopping along the way to eat some sweet-bread and use a bathroom. We got to the top of the mountain at around 12:30 and spent some time looking at the interesting rock formations at the top. These formations are said to had been carved and used by the druids many centuries ago. The one pictured here is called The Sphinx.

Around 1:00, we went into a lodge to eat some of the best Chorba I've ever had. Around 2:00, we headed off on our hike toward a giant metal cross that overlooks the valley that Bustan and Sania are in. The hike was a little difficult in some places but we made it there by 3:30. We stayed for 30 minutes and then headed back. When we got to the cable-car station, there was a sign on the door that said that the last tram car left at 3:00. We had forgotten to check on this little detail. I wasn't worried until Bogdon caught up and said that we were stuck. There would be NO car down the mountain until 9 the next morning.


At over 1000 meters in the air, no ride to the bottom of the mountain, and no tents or sleeping bag, we were potential trouble. This was one twist in the day we were not prepared for.

(To be continued... tomorrow)

Thank you for the coffee

Dana has been craving a blended mocha since we got here. It has been especially bad since it started getting extremely hot. As we were walking somewhere, she was asking for the pronunciation of the word "multumesc" (phonetic: mooltzoomeask) which means "I thank you." I told her how I said it and added that there are other forms of it. For example "Multumeam" means "We thank you." Then I started joking with her by saying "multu-mocha" means "I thank you for the coffee." Had I stopped there, she would have believed me. She later told me that had I stopped there, she would have believed me. She was eager to try that out when she found her blended mocha. Unfortunately I pushed too far and told her that "multu-metro" meant "Thanks for letting me on the metro" and "multu-mula" meant "thank you for the money." I think she is starting to learn not to trust me too much.

On the 7th day

There is a lot of controversy and contradiction of fact concerning this event that our team has chosen to laugh about. On Thursday afternoon, when it was especially hot in the WEI room, I had a student reading to me from a chapter about the creation of the world. After the session was done, one of my co-teachers came to me and said that she had seen me with my head down and asked if I had been sleeping. "Of course not," I insisted. The way I sit, I don't think I could even get my head down on the table (seriously). However, at one point in the session, the student stopped to ask me a question and after I answered it he started reading again. I asked if he meant to start up the page a few paragraphs. "I already read that," he insisted. I didn't remember it AT ALL and told him to continue where he thought he was. The paragraphs I missed out on had to do with the seventh day of creation... day God rested. Ironic and worth several laughs to the team. I admit that I may have been day-dreaming but I am certain that I was not sleeping.

Romanian Summer Mission Report 3

Geoffrey's Report - It has been a good week for us. We started our classes on Monday and have been meeting with 7 students a day. We have students on MWF and a different group on TT. They read a chapter to us from a World English Institute book and we help them with pronunciation and comprehension. The first few lessons are designed mostly for introducing basic concepts about God and man's fall from grace. Over time, as students become comfortable, we start having discussions with them about faith. Often we can only just listen to their needs and struggles and give assurance of God's love for them. Sometimes a student allows us to pray with them as did one of my students this week. Our studies can be a little tedious and mind-numbing as we listen to the same story over-and-over again but God gives us the strength. In fact, last night the whole group of teachers (there are 7 of us) were so wrapped up in deep discussions that nobody wanted to stop even though we had been doing it all day and it was after 8 P.M. It was an amazing moment as we realized that our tired bodies took second place to God's powerful word. My students include an computer engineer, a food-quality engineer, a soldier, a aviation-communications expert, a couple retired people, a heavy-equipment salesman, a graphic designer, and a few students. It is interesting to hear their stories and get to know them. We are glad that we decided to stay for the entire 4-week institute because it will give us more time to get to know our students be a tool for hope in their lives. Thanks for your continued prayers.

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Dana's Report--What an exciting first week! I had no idea how encouraging, humbling, and rewarding these Bible studies would be. With 12 new students, the breadth of their life experiences is overwhelming. From chemical engineer, hotel manager, to university faculty, each of my students are unique in their jobs, their home lives, and their relationships with God. I believe that the next 3 weeks with these students will provide me with the opportunity to know them on a personal level and with many prayers, some interesting conversations may arise. God has already surprised me this week, as some of my students have already felt comfortable enough to share personal information about their lives.

One student that has been especially important to me this week is Nicoleta. Although her studies are on Tuesday and Thursday, we spent an intense hour together in our second study session as I witnessed an incredible event. After reading the story of Adam and Eve, Nicoleta began to share a moving and heartbreaking story of how her husband of 19 years left her and their 5 year old daughter to begin a new family. Although this in itself can be devastating, soon after her father passed away which resulted in her mother's desire to move to America. Alone, Nicoleta began to struggle with depression and for the past 2 years, she has been doubting the presence of love in the world. Nicoleta shared that the Bible studies at World English Institute are the first thing she has been excited about since her mother's departure. When I first spoke with Nicoleta on Tuesday, I could feel the sadness in her voice, her eyes, and her heart. I am hopeful that Nicoleta will be able to see God's love through me as He puts a desire in her heart to seek him. Please prayer for Nicoleta.

Another student who has also been very special to me this week is Dana (pronounced Donna). Although she has a beautiful name, this is not the reason she has become special to me. In our first session, she shared with me that she hasn't ever read the Bible, nor does she have one of her own. I was able to give her an English Bible and spoke to her about the power of the word and its importance in my own life. Since Monday, Dana has taken time to compare the Bible with the first 3 lessons in our WEI booklets. She is excited to see that the booklets are in line with God's word and she is very suprised at how powerful God is. Dana expressed her skeptism that God is present in a world that has much pain and suffering. I assured her that God does love each of us and that He has demonstrated this in many ways. I feel Dana is open to receive God's word and I pray for her to desire a relationship with Him.

Although each of our students are studying at different reading levels, with different people, and may be in different stories, I trust that God's word is working. God blessed me with the opportunity to see and feel how powerful His word is. It is also important for each of us to share the word and to plant the seeds, even when we cannot or do not see His results. I praise God for the work He is doing here and thank you for your continued prayers.

Surprised by Concert

Last night, after our classes, we all went down to a restaurant called Sherrif's and enjoyed a variety of foods and ice creams. The teachers like to get together for lunch and dinner to share some fellowship and debrief about the day. It also builds a team spirit for cooperation and encouragement. After we ate, Dana, Mike, Joseph, and I all decided to walk up to the University district to catch a Metro home. When we got near the station, we heard some nice music coming from the National Theatre. We decided to take a detour and check it out. It turned out to be a special concert by the Bucharest Symphonic Pops.They played several songs we knew like Summertime, a Muppet Medley, selections from Phantom of the Opera, and I Did It My Way. They had a couple guest singers who were very good. They spoke perfect Romanian but when they sang the songs in English, they had no accent. We stayed for about 45 minutes until they had a French guy who got up to sing. He had an awful voice as he tried to sing To Dream the Impossible Dream. I think I have a good impression of him if you ever want to see and hear it. In any case, it made us leave quickly. Otherwise, it was a pleasant surprise to be a part of this special event.

Getting Around

I will mostly be writing about some transportation issues we have had to deal with here but I want to start by letting everyone know that our campaign is going very well. Look for a posting on Friday explaining our thoughts and comments about it this week.

Since we have such a big group this year, Bubba and Lavinia are not able to drive all of us around to wherever we need to go. It has been mostly left up to us to get from point A to point B. This has caused some challenges because Bucharest is such a large city. I am the main navigator because I've been here enough to know where we are most of the time. We have been confined mostly to busses and the Metro. There is a bus that stops right in front of our apartment and takes us to a good Metro stop. We were excited to learn this morning that one of the busses that stops in front of our house (and there are only two) goes almost directly to our school location. This is good news because it could save us 20 minutes... time we could use to sleep. The Metros are pretty nice. They zip along at a quick rate but you often have to wait up to 10 minutes for one to come. Last night after our classes, we wanted to go to a specific restaurant across town. When we went to get on the bus, we had to fight 100 Romanians for space. We were crammed in to tight that if we had died, we would not have been able to fall over. It was a little uncomfortable but it was a cultural moment and actually pretty funny. (Working on a way to get photos)

Changing Weather

We are into our second day of classes and we are very excited about spending time with our students. I will give you short biographies of them sometime in the near future once I know them better. The weather changed over the weekend and now it is very hot here. My guess is that it is about 80 degrees and muggy here. We hope to get fans for the classroom and apartment. At lunch today, we went to a little restaurant with some shade and enjoyed that very much. I REALLY want to go swimming but there are few places here that are safe for that.

Classes Begin

This morning we started our classes with the World English Institute teaching one-on-one with Romanians who want to improve their language skills. I had three students this morning (Florian, Burba, & Ivan) and will have up to 4 this afternoon. It will be a lot of work and tiring but it will also be good to get to know these students. Our materials for the institute are all in English and have to do with Bible stories. These stories are designed to spark spiritual conversations. We will talk about spiritual matters with people as they show interest. It is a very good program.

On a side note, my biggest problem in Romania with the computers has been trying to find one that works with all the Internet sites I need and accepts photo downloads. I have photos for today's site but no way to get them on this computer. I will add them later and you can know that if any blog-day has no photo then it is probably because I am unable to put them on. I may not do a blog everyday but will make an attempt to do it several times a week.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day Dad!! I guess it has been put to me to present your gift. You could say that this gift started about 45 years ago when you and your friends worked at a mule camp. You could also say that this gift started about 30 years ago when you showed the shirt from that camp to me. I liked it and wanted one myself. You could also say that this gift started 5 years ago when I had to sneak the shirt over to Kinkos to get a good digital scan of it. Then again, you could say that this gift started about 2 months ago when I finally had the tools and know-how to reproduce the shirt.

I know that the original of this shirt has special meaning to you. When you were in college you were hired to run a mule camp. I love hearing you tell the story of how you and your friends would take children from the LA area into the mountains on mules for three day camp excursions. The kids earned the camp by selling a certain number of newspapers. This camp experience seems to have been a high point in your life and we wanted to help you celebrate it again by reissuing the camp T-shirt.

A few months back, I emailed Patty, David, and Mom asking them if they thought this would be a good gift. They all agreed it would be excellent (mom thinks it will make you cry). Patty and David have both contributed to the printing of the shirts. Each of your children and grand-children now have copies of the shirt. We also had a few extra printed so you could use them as you see fit. Perhaps as some of the younger ones will grow out of theirs and they may need a new one. It doesn't matter. It is totally up to you how you distribute the shirts.

We love you dad and thank you for telling us so many good stories of your youth and the many adventures you've had in your life. We wish you many more adventures so you can tell many more stories.

P.S. Any errors in this blog are due to my faulty memory but I hope the spirit of the story stands. I will be happy to fix any errors.

Sinaia

After going to Sighisoara, we headed back down toward Bucharest on the train and stopped in one of the nicest Romanian towns in these parts. Sinaia is a lot of a tourist town but there is a lot going for it. We staying in an old hotel near the castle pictured here. We also walked through some old forests and explored an old monastery (also pictured). Dana's body was having some problems adjusting to the new country and so we didn't get to climb the mountains as we wanted to. The whole campaign group is considering doing that in a few weeks on a Saturday. Mostly we just relaxed and spent time mentally preparing for the weeks to come. Sinaia was a perfect place to do this because it was quiet and seemed a million miles away from the city.

Photos to Come

The machine I have found to work on today is not the greatest. It is quite old and I am having trouble posting the photos I've chosen. I will post photos for these postings within the next few days as I have time.

Sighisoara

We spent 24 hours in a town about 200 Kilometers northwest of Bucharest. The town of Sighisoara (don't ask me to pronounce it correctly) was settled about 150 years ago by Germans. At the time, it was a fortified city. Atop one of the major hills is a castle and a clock-tower. Much of the town looks and feels as it did in the 1880s. It is described as being a medieval town. We spent most of our time walking around and enjoying the views. We went up to an Orthodox graveyard on the far side of town and saw interesting, old graves. We also went into a Catholic church and an Orthodox church. I will try to write in another post about the graduation ceremony we saw. I will also try to add some more detail (and photos) to this post when I have a chance.

On the Train

As we traveled along the other day, Dana turned to me and told me that she had never been on a train before. I love riding trains. I would travel this way all the time if I could. I find the rhythm of the bumps along the tracks to be relaxing. We spent a lot of time reading and looking at the beautiful country-side outside our window. The train ride up to Sighisoara on Wednesday took 5 hours. Along the way, we saw people working in their fields, houses and sheep grazing, lots of mountains and rivers, and many things you can not see in America anymore.

We also got to talk with a couple Romanians as we traveled. One conversation that was especially good was with a young lady who was returning to her small town after getting some training for her new job. She talked about her feelings about Romanian culture and her apprehentions about Romania entering the European Union. She also talked about her feelings about God. She felt that God must not really love the people of Romania (or the world) because of all the bad things that happened. I tried to assure her that God did love them. He loves everyone and we in-turn need to give our love to others. I think Dana found the conversation to be interesting as we prepare for our classes next week. It gave her a good overview of what our students will be like.

I have included with the last posting is of an older lady we helped at a train station. She was not quick on her feet and we helped her over some tough areas. Although we didn't speak each others language, we connected with smiles and a helping hand. Be sure you do some train traveling when you get a chance. You see a new side of people.

Summer Romanian Misson Report 2

Dana's Report - As Geoffrey and I traveled this week outside of Bucharest, we had the opportunity to meet some interesting people. On our journey into the towns in Translyvania, I had my first experience to observe and participate in a conversation about the Orthodox religion with a Romanian woman on our train. Her general opinion was that the churches often required substantial religious practices that can be repetitive, lengthy, or unclear. Some examples include having weddings and funerals that last hours and hours, constant requests for salvation and forgiveness, repeating phrases and paying priests to bless you. Just rules and more rules. Although Geoffrey had explained some of this prior to our trip, it was very beneficial to have this type of conversation to see some of the key points argued about the Orthodox faith. I feel it is important to remember when we are talking with people we need to know and be true to what the Bible says about these types of issues. Ultimately, she conceded that the world would be a better place if people showed each other love.

Although Geoffrey and I may not see what happens with this woman, it is important that we plant the seed and trust the God will be the one to and make it grow. Please pray for Romana with us.

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Geoffrey's Report - Well the week hasn't gone as we expected it to. We thought that we would dive right into teaching our classes. Instead, when we arrived we learned that the classes won't start until Monday. No worries. We spent the first part of the week helping my friends Bubba and Lavinina as they prepare for the institute. The second half of the week, we traveled into central Romania in a attempt to get to know a little more about the country and the people we will be serving. I think this has been very helpful for Dana especially. It will give her a better idea how to bring the message of Christ in a more culturally appropriate way.

We are both very excited about the World English Institute and are eager for it to start on Monday. As of this writing, we have 88 students signed up for individual tutoring. We will meet with 7 each day for an hour each. We will meet with some students on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and the others on just Tuesday and Thursday. We will meet with 3 each morning and four at night. We will have a four hour break mid-day each day to rest and/or do some touring of the city. We expect it to be hard work but we look forward to the challenge and to building relationships.

Thank you again for your prayers and emails. We are very proud to tell people here that you are partners in this ministry. If you would like to read more, I am trying to post a little something every day or two on my blog at http://wyattjourney.blogspot.com. Peace.

P.S. This is NOT a photo of Ramana.

The Full Romanian Experience

We have been spending most of the week getting accustomed to Bucharest. We have learned how to ride the metro (quietly), the bus, and the trams. We have also had an interesting taxi ride. Additionally, we have learned how to say a few words, get around, and buy things we need using a money system that is in transition. Our main ministry thrust this week has been to help Lavinia and Bubba with whatever they have needed assistance with. Dana has been an especially big help with little Bogdon while Lavinia gets the English Institute going. We will start our teaching duties on Monday.

Yesterday after spending time at the Cook's apartment, Dana and I headed out alone for a little tour of downtown and some of the historical areas of Bucharest. They have turned on all the fountains and they look wonderful. We also walked down to the People's Palace and marveled at how big it is (it is the second largest building in the world after the Pentagon). We will tour it within the next few weeks. We then headed to a beautiful park near downtown and enjoyed walking the backstrokes seeing old houses and buildings. These times are allowing us to get a better feel for the city.

While on our walk, we had two experiences I've never had in Bucharest before. While beggars are a typical part of the Romanian experience, I've never had to deal with and that were aggressive. Yesterday near the fountains we had two 12 year old boys who would not leave us alone and were gettig in our personal space. It got a little scary and I was saddened that no Romanian citizens around us helped us in any way. Later, Dana had an old, crazy man spit on her. We are not sure it was on purpose but it wasn't pleasant. Dana is taking all of this in stride. We understand that there are going to be things here that we are not used to and may not want to be a part of but it all goes into the pot of experiences makes us more knowledgeable. Don't worry... we were never in danger during these events.

I may or may not have a chance to post for the next few days because we are going to take a short side-trip to the mountains before the institute starts. I don't know it there will be Internet access up there. Good day.

Harding Interns

Although the whole team is not yet here, those of us who are here have been getting to know each other and have been bonding well. Besides Bubba, Lavinia, Dana, and myself, we are pleased to have Joseph and Mike on our team. They are actually not officially here to do work for the World English Institute. They are Intern students from Harding University (my alma mater in Searcy, Arkansas) and are here this summer to shadow Bubba. He is their summer mentor and will serve as an example of an active missionary.

Joseph is from Virginia and is a ministry major. He comes from a small town about 90 miles from D.C. He is a preacher's kid. We have come to appreciate his sense of humor, his willingness to serve, his love for God, his commitment to learning the culture and language here, and his quiet spirit.Mike is from St. Louis. He is also a ministry major. He came to the Lord while in High School. We appreciate Mike's obvious care for others, his strong passion for God, his willingness to dive into the culture and language, and his tender heart.

These are photos of Mike and Joseph as they learn the Eastern European culture. The hats are actually Albanian and are traditionally worn by peasants. The interns are wearing cherries on their ears in the other photo because that is what children do for fun with their cherries here in Romania. I have also included a cute photo of Bogdon, Bubba and Lavinia's 21 month old child, as he learns the skill of frisbee throwing.

P.S. All of the Interns from Harding are sharing a blog. You can visit it at http://himinternship.blogspot.com/

The WC Event

Our Bible/English institute doesn't get started until next Monday so we are making plans for this week and trying to figure out what the best course might be. I will post our plans once they are finalized.

It is important when you are traveling overseas to keep a good sense of humor about things. Last night we went across Bucharest to visit a small church and see how they are reaching out to the city. The group was friendly but the service was long and hot. Afterwards, I was standing in the lobby with Dana and I saw a sign with the letters "WC" on it and an arrow pointing down some stairs. I thought I would have a little fun with Dana so I told her that the sign indicated that the "Women's Church" had met downstairs and she would have enjoyed being a part of that.

To prove the point, just at that moment a woman appeared from downstairs and I pointed to her and indicated that she had just come from that service. Dana seemed to take it in good fun and I thought she realized that "WC" stood for "Water-closet" (a.k.a. Bathroom).

Later, we were sitting in the car and Dana started chastizing Bubba about not telling her that the women had a special service downstairs. He, of course, didn't know what she was talking about. I, on the otherhand, couldn't stop laughing about it and Dana soon caught on that she had been had. We've all been laughing about it since.

Overall, we are settling in fine. There are enough Romanians who speak English that we are having few communication problems with them. The weather is warm but not yet unbearable. It is the beginning of cherry season and we are getting some great fruit. For lunch yesterday, we enjoyed the Romanian national soup.... chorba. Yum!

All is well. More later.

Fellowship at the Park

Yesterday was pretty full. We ate a good breakfast made by Lavinia and we went to a market in the middle of the city. After a mid-day nap, we went to a city park called Tineretului (literally "The Youth Park") and met with some fellow Christians and a few people who will be our students when the English Institute starts next week. We played soccer and Ultimate Frisbee at the park. We also went on walks through the woods and enjoyed talking and getting to know each other better. It was especially good for Dana to get some time interacting with Romanians. Our time at the park ended in a funny way as the rain started to pour and the wind blew. Nobody was expecting it so most of the people hid under trees and blankets. The Alaskans pretty much stood there and endured it. After it was certain that it wasn't going to stop, we headed for the car, soaked but happy. P.S. This morning Dana adventured out in on her own to find and buy breakfast. She was able to do this without any local-language skills. We were all proud of her.

Photo Romania Summer Mission

For some reason, I can't get the photo from yesterday to load with our report so I will load it today. This is a photo from our trip to the Orthodox church. The people gather at this church each Friday and burn candles while praying. They think that if they burn the candles down 7 times in one day then their greatest prayer will be answered.

Romania Summer Missions 2

Geoffrey's Report - We are excited to be in Romania today. Our flights all went as planned and we had a little adventure in London. We had a 6-hour layover so we played a little game called "Find London Bridge." After several train rides and begging directions from several locals, we finally found the bridge. We had about enough time to walk across it, take a picture, and then get on a train to head back to Heathrow Airport. Dana and I made it to Bucharest Thursday night and got to the apartment (our summer home) around 12:30 AM. We pretty much went to bed right away. Friday morning was spent resting and unpacking. In the afternoon, we explored the central area of Bucharest and in the evening were a part of a Bible study at Bubba and Lavinia's apartment. It was mostly for young-professionals.

Dana seems to be adjusting to these new surroundings pretty well. I took her and a few other campaigners over to an Orthodox church after lunch and gave them a quick overview of the major religions. We saw people praying over icons and relics. We also saw people paying priests to pray over them. When I see this, it reminds me that there is a great deal of spiritual hunger here. There are Romanians looking for God. Many of them are looking in the wrong places but we know God can bless the searching of a willing heart. We are eager to help some in their search as we study the Bible with them. The major thrust of the campaign will start on the 19th. Until then, we will be doing visitations and familiarizing ourselves to the culture. Thank you for your continued prayers.

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Dana's Report - It is my first day in Romania and already I know it is going to be an exciting summer. I was happy Geoffrey and I had a chance to view a small piece of England and I was reminded of how much I enjoyed the English countryside this past spring. After a few "mini adventures" and a startling drive to our summer apartment, I feel ready to experience the city.

Today we exchanged some of our American money for Romanian leu and I had a chance to make some of my first purchases. With our new month-long Metro passes, we had a chance to experience close traveling quarters. The city is alive with people, cars, and animals! I am most excited to meet our Romanian students in the next weeks and in the mean time plan to learn a little of the language and (hopefully) my way around Bucharest.

As we walked through the town and found the Orthodox Church I met some women and children who asked for money to buy food and milk. I decided I could serve best by providing the women with some bread and as a result had a small train of people who wanted bread, milk, diapers, and a trip to the grocery store. It was difficult, but I felt content to provide the women and children with just some bread to help them through the day.

I thank you all for your continued prayers and support! I believe that God is going to do amazing things in our lives and in the lives of those we meet and I am thankful that God provided me with the opportunity to be here.

On the Way

We had a 6 hour lay-over in London on our way to Romania so we hopped a train to the city. After getting lost a few times, we managed to find the London Bridge. It was a lot like being in The Great Race. We spent 20 minutes taking photos and walking across the bridge. We then got back on the Metro and took a short stop at Big Ben for more photos. We headed back to Heathrow Airport next and got through security with plenty of time to catch our flight. It was a lot better for us to go on that crazy adventure than to sit around in the airport feeling bored. Plus, I got a new stamp in my passport.