A Breath of Fresh Air

The Lord knew what I needed, and provided abundantly this past weekend. One of my friends from training, who is serving in Poland, as well as a team mate of hers came to Romania to visit. She came to visit me, and her team mate came to visit a guy that works with us in a city about four hours away from Bucharest.

On Sunday, the four of us took a train up to a town in the mountains called Sinaia. There is a beautiful castle there, but it was closed for tours, so we didn't get to enjoy that. We did, however, take a lift up the mountain to a point where people can slide down the snow on sleds. There are a few restaurants up there, and a hotel. We ate at the restaurant in the hotel, and our meal was delicious. We took the lift back down the mountain in time to buy our train tickets back to Bucharest. The next train out of town was already filled, so we had to wait for the 8:40 train, which was about half an hour late getting in. So, that afternoon, we enjoyed a few cups of coffee and a relaxing time in a coffee shop in town.
For some reason, I used to think these kinds of trees only existed on postcards...Boy was I wrong. The veiw from the lift going up the mountain.

The four of us...L-R Angela, Kaylin, John Mark and Justin.

Me!! It was quite surreal.

I think God is the best artist ever. This is looking across the valley at the mountains on the other side.

A ray of sunshine in a cold, snowy forest.
The town of Sinaia is below.

It felt so natural being with my peers. Perhaps because this was my first social interaction with people my age and in my state of life in over two months. Kaylin and John Mark know eachother from working together in Poland, and I had been in some meetings with Justin when I first got here. It is hard to find the words to describe my experience...some of us didn't know eachother well, but we are all in the same place right now. We are all trying our best to honor God and obey Him, to live our calling and to depend wholly on Him for what He has in store for us.

It was good to know that I am not the only one facing the struggles we all talked about, and I was so encouraged by the fellowship we shared. We talked about what God is doing in our respective places of ministry, and a little bit how He has brought us to where we are.

I am refreshed by the breath of fresh air that the Lord gave me this weekend.

Christmas...

I will be honest. I have been dreading this day since the day I realized I would be spending Christmas away from my family. For six months, I have come near tears just at the thought of this reality.

But Christmas came and it's almost over, and I made it. It was hard not to wake up in my parents' house and go downstairs and open presents and stockings. But I have been beyond blessed at the realization that my brothers and sisters here are celebrating the same thing we celebrate across the ocean.

Yesterday evening, I went with my supervisor's family to a Christmas Eve service that was a joint effort by our church and another church here in town. There were Christmas carols, a skit, and the Word was preached (though I didn't understand much of what was said...). After the service, we and the choir from our church were invited over to our pastor's house for food and more singing. This was my first opportunity to eat some true Romanian food. They had appetizers...ham, sheep cheese, olives and pickles, and then they served what is called "sarmale." It is meat (in most cases ground beef or pork) mixed with rice and condimented, wrapped in pickled cabbage and steamed. It was delicious. It wasn't quite the Guatemalan tamale I have been craving for a week now, but it was very good.

Today I woke up and had a sweet time with the Lord. I read the Christmas story out of Luke and was reminded again, as I have been over and over again, the reason for this day. I made a pie and went over to my supervisor's house for dinner. We didn't have turkey and dressing...what we had was even better. We had fajitas, enchiladas and chips and salsa. It was delicious. They are such great cooks and hosts....and have fed me several meals since I have been here. They gave me a cute candle holder for my apartment, and we played a game. We had coffee and ate dessert before I came home.

And now it's 10:55pm and I made it. Yes, I have wept some, but I have held it together better than I thought I would. I have been overwhelmed at all the notes I've gotten from people that they are praying for me this week. If this isn't evidence that we serve a living God, I don't know what is...because I don't know how I could have done it without His peace and joy today.

Most importantly, we have the privilege of celebrating the birth of a child that would change the course of history, and as I wrote at the beginning of this post, it has been a blessing to celebrate this same event across the ocean.

Merry Christmas!

My favorite ornament on the Christmas tree at my parents' house in Guatemala is an old round ball, with silk thread wrapped around it and a plastic band with a picture on one side and the chorus of a song on the other side. I don't know how old the ornament is, but I know for sure we have had it for as long as I can remember. The picture on one side is of a child at the manger, perhaps a young shepherd. The other side has the chorus of my favorite Christmas song. It is a very old song, and I don't know that I've ever heard it sung in the States, but we used to sing it at home when I was little, and we also used to sing it in Spanish. You might know it...

Thou didst leave Thy throne, and Thy kingly crown,
When Thou camest to earth for me;
But in Bethlehem's home there was found no room
For Thy holy nativity.

Oh, come to my heart, Lord Jesus!
There is room in my heart for Thee.
Oh, come to my heart, Lord Jesus, come!
There is room in my heart for Thee.

When the heavens shall ring and its choirs shall sing,
At Thy coming to victory,
Thou wilt call me home, saying, "Yet there is room,
There is room at my side for thee."

Oh, come to my heart, Lord Jesus!
There is room in my heart for Thee.
Oh, come to my heart, Lord Jesus, come!
There is room in my heart for Thee.

Merry Christmas, friends.

May your day be filled with the joy that only He can give....

8 Things

My friend Krystal tagged me for this, so here goes....

8 TV shows I watch...
1. The Office
2. Lost
3. The News
4. How It's Made
5. House Hunters
6. Amazing Vacation Homes
7. Ace of Cakes
8. The Tonight Show (sometimes)

8 Things that Happened to Me Today...
1. I woke up to my alarm and proceeded to set it for 30 minutes later
2. I had to walk up to the 8th floor in to my colleague's apartment because the elevator wasn't working
3. I paid my electricity bill
4. I went to language for the last time in 2008
5. I found a bookstore that sells English novels
6. I saw a dancing Christmas tree...it was better than the dancing Santa...
7. I heard people speaking English on the metro 2 times today
8. I went down to the visa office to see what I need for turning in my visa applications tomorrow

8 Things I Look Forward to...
1. My first white Christmas
2. Greece in 2009
3. Ladies' retreat in Poland
4. Being able to play with my niece when she is older
5. Eternity
6. My friend coming to visit from Poland next weekend
7. New experiences
8. Making new memories this Christmas

8 Things I Wish For...
1. To be with my family for Christmas
2. To be fluent in Romanian
3. Some black beans and rice with corn tortillas and avocado (just thinking about it makes my mouth water...)
4. Abundant, affordable travel
5. Laundry to wash, dry, fold, and put itself away
6. My upstairs neighbors not to vacuum at midnight
7. A Guatemalan Christmas Tamale
8. Steady, dependable high-speed internet service

8 People I tag...
1. Elise
2. Erin
3. Jenn
4. Kaylin
5. Gilda
6. Claire
7. Ashley
8. Mary Ann

Christmas Update

Dear Friends and Family,
Thank you for your prayers over the past few months already. They mean the world to me, and I have felt them.

Moreover, I have felt the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, as it has become more difficult to not just give up and book a flight home for Christmas. Each day that passes, I am falling even more in love with the Christmas story and what December 25th really signifies. I wonder what would happen if December 25th came and went one year without any Christmas lights, trees, fireworks, presents and loved ones to be around. Would we still remember and more importantly celebrate the birth of our Savior? I pray we would.

Don't worry. This is not how I will be spending my Christmas. I have lights up in my apartment, a Christmas tree, I hear they do fireworks ("artifici" in Romanian) here, I will soon be ordering some gifts online for family, and will be surrounded by brothers and sisters in Christ on that day. It is a new experience for me spending this time with new people, in a new place, making new memories. When I begin to even feel a hint of nostalgia, I meditate on the real reason that this time of year is special, and I challenge you to do the same.

As this year comes to an end, I would like to praise the Lord for getting me where I am. I'm thankful for the calling He has placed in my life, and for His faithfulness in fulfilling it. I praise Him for being with me day in and day out, and for the new level of intimacy with Him that He has brought me to already.

I would like to thank you again for supporting me in prayer. Moreover, I would like to thank those of you who have contributed this year to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. 100% of this offering goes towards the support of people like my colleagues and me all over this globe. This offering is our financial support and helps to provide housing, medical insurance, transportation, and education for those with children.

Merry Christmas, dear friends.

Woe is Me...and a shout-out to First Irving

I have been without high-speed internet and confined to dial-up now since Wednesday evening. It's so interesting how we get so spoiled with the advances of technology and then once we know how much better "better" is we feel like we are back in the stone-ages when we are thrown back just a few years in the area of technology.

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Quick update: I'm actually starting to recognize people now at church and talk and converse with them. I think my visit to the student Bible Study last Tuesday night helped that a lot, since a lot of the students that were there go to my church.

Friday was a beautiful day. I took a nice walk to the mall and back. It is a good 30 minute walk either way, so I feel like I got in plenty of exercise, as well.

I have been catching/keeping up with my pastor's sermons back in the States. It's such a blessing that they podcast them so that I can keep up. After hearing a sermon in Romanian and barely understanding the gist of it, it's nice to hear God's teaching from a voice and language I recognize. I love my church back in the states with my whole heart. I never thought I'd find a church in the States (being in an American church for one year at a time or less every four years was not the best thing for my perception of American churches...) that I would love so much. That body of believers has been one of the hardest things for me to leave behind during this time. There's nothing like being a part of the Body of Christ and having that fellowship. But I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that they support me in prayer 110% and are very very missions minded, and I could not be more thankful for that.

Yesterday my supervisor's wife was able to attend church for the first time in almost 6 weeks. She has had severe back pain and I remember her saying, "it's so good to be here." That's how I felt every time I walked through the doors at First Baptist Irving, especially after being gone for a few weeks. I can't wait for that feeling again in a couple of years. Oh I can't wait.

Do I have to have a title?

On the night before Thanksgiving, I met with a very nice Romanian couple who work for Campus Crusade for Christ. I had met them the previous Sunday at church, and agreed to meet with them for dinner sometime during the week to discuss possible ways that I could plug in to their ministry as something local that I could be involved with. This experience involved several "firsts" for me.

The first first was that I had to buy a tramvai ticket. I had not yet ridden the tramvai since the second day I was in country, and that was with a colleague and his daughter.

The second first was that I rode the metro to a stop I had never gotten off at before. And since it gets dark here by 5 now, it was dark when I came out. Fortunately, though, I had asked for specific pointers as to which direction the tram needed to be going for me to go the right direction after I got out of the metro.

The third first of that evening was that I got on and off the tramvai at the right place going from and back to the metro. Since I wasn't familiar with the area, and knew that I was going to a mall, I decided to go a little early so that I could backtrack if I got lost, and so that I could look for some cold-weather shoes (aka boots, not snow boots) since I'd been kicking myself for not packing the ones I left in Texas. They wouldn't have fit, anyway, and this was a good excuse to buy new shoes, anyway :). I was praying the whole time that I would be able to fall in love with some that I could afford and that would meet my semi OCD attitude towards having to match my black shoes, belt, and purse, even though I know it's not a big deal anymore. The Lord was more than good to me and I found a black pair and a brown pair that both were very affordable, especially since they were having a great sale. And now my toes and ankles can stay warm during the next months.

I had a very nice dinner with this couple. They practiced their English and I didn't practice my Romanian. But it was ok that way.

On Saturday, I went again to the big Sam's like store and was able to buy a Christmas tree and some decorations. I think I deserve a Christmas tree. Turns out I didn't buy enough lights, so I had to go to the market the next day and buy some more, but that was a good, fun experience. I think I might go back. Here's my Christmas tree...the picture is not very good because I am not super creative with taking pictures, but maybe during the next few weeks I will produce a better picture. This should do for now:

I also strung lights up around my windows since I don't have curtains. I think it gives a nice touch.

Monday was a holiday and they had a Military parade in another part of town. I didn't have class had intended to go to the parade, but decided against it. It was such a foggy and cold day, and I had not just stayed home all day in a very long time. So that's what I did. I stayed home. I finished decorating my tree, watched DVDs and made peanut butter balls.

Yesterday my language teacher canceled class because she has had a cold now for over a week. So I decided to go to a Bible Study for university students that is put on by a different organization, not mine and not Campus Crusade. Several of the workers for this other organization go to my church. I have wanted to visit but just had not gotten around to it. I really enjoyed myself and I think I'll go back. It was a good chance for me to meet some other people and also to fellowship. I hope this is somewhere I can plug in and be able to serve, as well.

That's all for now, folks. I'm not going to go wash my dishes because my hot water is out for 12 hours today...until 8 pm, but I'll find something to do!

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope you all had the opportunity to spend time with your family or loved ones, and were able to make new memories. Some of my favorite childhood memories are from Thanksgivings past, and I treasure them like none other. This has been my first Thanksgiving away from my family...mom, dad, brother, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. But I was able to make new memories this year, and I'm so thankful for that opportunity.

I had dinner with a family that I work with and a man who also works for our mission, whose wife is in the States being treated for some back problems she has been having. After a delicious Thanksgiving Dinner, in which I am proud to say I did not over-stuff myself (!!!) and some Pumpkin Pie and coffee, the family and I went with another family to the Ballet to see The Nutcracker. It was just beautiful. The only recollection I have of ever having previously seen The Nutcracker, was on video at my grandparents house when they lived in Honduras, and I was not yet old enough to appreciate the fine arts. I preferred to watch "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" several times a day for two weeks in the Summer than to watch a long video that only contained dancing and classical music. If I had only known what I was missing..... But I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to experience it now as an adult, and at a live performance in a place where it is a cultural event to go to Ballet and Opera performances. I might as well be in Heaven, because I have grown to love the Theatre.

And yes, I spelled that t-h-e-a-t-r-e.

Anyhow, I got told to put my camera away shortly after the first act started, so this is the best I got...



On another note, I wanted to mention a few things for which I am thankful this year...
-a very, very supportive and loving immediate and extended family
-my calling, though it's difficult at times
-a sweet group of girls that I got to share my life with during College, and who I still get to talk to on a regular basis
-an amazing mission family in Guatemala, Nicaragua (and other places in Central America) who I consider to be aunts, uncles, and cousins
-a new mission family here in Romania and across Europe
-the comfort in knowing that He is in control of all things, and as so many have heard me say in the past, in the end, "it'll be o.k."
-this might be silly that I don't ever listen to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving, but I'm thankful that tomorrow I can listen to Christmas music
-for the opportunity to make new memories during this Holiday Season, though it will be tough being away from family for the first time
-knowing that He will never let me down, and that He is all I need
-for the reason that I'm in Romania...the calling He has placed on my life and that I have no other choice but to obey
-and last but certainly not least, I'm thankful for the reason we celebrate the upcoming months, and that's Jesus Christ and the Salvation that we are offered because of His ultimate act of obedience that we might spend Eternity with Him.

Dear Snow, are you coming or not??

It seems as though many of my colleagues in countries around Romania (Hungary, Ukraine, Poland, etc.) have gotten snow today. We had a "wintry mix" as the weather people like to call it, but nothing stuck.

So I wonder, is God just having mercy on this poor little Texas girl who grew up in the Tropics and holding off as long as He can as far as the snow goes, or is He just saving it all up for one great big huge snow so that I can experience my first real Winter to its fullest?

Just a thought....

This is what I brought my groceries home in...

...and I felt like all the 60-year old ladies that bring their groceries home in that, too. It has wheels on the bottom so I can roll it behind me....so it was way better than trying to carry the groceries in stead of just rolling them along like it were a suitcase and I was in the airport.

Saturday...

**This post may be a little bit disturbing, but my desire is to be real and transparent about things that I see here. I promise, though, the disturbing story has a "happy" ending**

Last weekend, when I was in Craiova, I was told about a shopping center off of one of the metro stops, so on Saturday, I decided to do some exploring. I asked my language supervisor exactly how to get there and she told me. I found the place without any problems. To give it the best description, it is like a market. There are shops everywhere that are owned by different people, but a lot of them sell the same things...Much like markets in Central America or I'm sure around the world...minus the produce. I wandered around for a couple of hours and made a couple of purchases. Then, I ate lunch at McDonald's, because I had another stop to make.

I decided to go down to another metro stop where there is a mall. It's the same one where I had the produce fiasco. I had been told that there is a Christian bookstore somewhere on the piața close to this metro stop, so I walked all the way around the park in the inside of the intersection to see if I could spot the bookstore. I found what I thought might be it, but wasn't sure.

I was across the street from the building that it was in. The building (like most of the buildings here in Bucharest...) was at least 7 stories tall, and had billboards across the top of it. I saw a crowd of people looking up across the street toward the top of the building. Right by the building, there were a couple of ambulances and a fire truck. I looked up to see what people were watching, and there was a man standing on the ledge at the last floor above the building. He had climbed over the railing and was just stainding on the ledge. It was obvious that he was a homeless man who was high on shoe glue. Unfortunately, there are many people (grownups and children, both) who live on the street that sniff shoe glue. This is not the first time I have encountered this tragic way of life....they have them in every city I've lived in outside of the US (and probably in Dallas, too...).

My first instinct was to panic and walk away because I didn't want to see him land on the hard concrete 8 floors below if he jumped off the building. But it was like a trainwreck...you can't stand to watch it, but you can't stand to tear your eyes away, either. I called my language supervisor and asked her exactly where the bookstore was, and she told me. I found it...it was on the bottom floor of the building that everyone was staring at, and it was closed. While I was on the phone with her, I told her about the man on the building and asked her to pray for him, as I was doing. By this time, there was a police man or security guard on the other side of the railing from the man talking to him.

Since the bookstore was closed, I went back across the street where people were watching. Shortly after, the man turned around, climbed back over the railing, and ran off across the roof. There's no telling how long he had been up there before I got there, but at least 15 minutes passed from when I first spotted him to when he got himself back to safety.

I guess the point of my story is that even in the midst of opportunities I have to share the Gospel, there are people who have no home, no food, no money, and no hope. The shoe glue that they sniff alters their thinking (duh), and causes them to do crazy things like stand dangerously 8 stories above hard concrete without the protection of a rail between them and the chance that they could fall to their death.

Please pray for those who seek warmth and the sensation of a full stomach from the chemicals that they inhale. Pray that someone will seek them out and get them help. Pray that this man might one day find hope that is the reason he did not fall to his death on Saturday November 15, 2008.

I was floored....

I have two language teachers. I have them each for six hours a week, a total of five days a week. Monday thru Friday.

Today, my Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday teacher started out our time with conversation. We were working on using the conditional tense (as in "I would...if..." etc.) and she asked me three questions. The first question was what would I do if I were president for a day. The second question she asked me was what would I do if I were a man for a day (to which I replied I really don't want to be a man for a day, but I would probably go play Soccer or something...).

The last question was a blessing that was dropped in my lap by the Father. She asked me what I would do if I knew that today was the last day of the world. First I was speechless...convicted to the bone. To my knowledge, she is not a believer. My answer was that I would make sure that everyone around me knew that knowing their eternal destiny is very important and that I would do my best to tell everyone how they can know their eternal destiny. She then proceeded to ask me if I knew my eternal destiny and of course I said yes. She asked me what it was and I told her that I know that I will be spending eternity with Jesus in Heaven.

As these questions kept coming, I was more and more blown away. But that was not all. She asked me what my beliefs were and how I knew for sure that I was going to spend eternity in Heaven with Jesus. In broken Romanian, with some words that I did not know in Romanian, basically I was able to tell her that I believe that Jesus died for my sins because that is the only way that humanity's relationship with Christ could be restored because of the sin that Adam and Eve committed in the Garden of Eden.

On one hand, I feel like I blew it because if it had been in English or Spanish it would have been so natural and easy for me to explain this to her. But since this really was conversation practice I wasn't able to explain to her the full extent of it. I was praying the whole time, though, that the Holy Spirit would give me the words that I needed to get the point across.

After this, she proceeded to ask me what some of the fundamental beliefs of "Baptists" and what was the difference between Protestants and Catholics...in stead, I told her the fundamentals of Protestants (we read the Bible for ourselves and don't need a priest, we pray in Jesus' name directly to the Father and not through saints, we are saved by grace through faith lest any man should boast, we don't venerate the Virgin Mary, we don't pray to saints, we don't believe that Saints can do miracles, we don't pray for the dead, we don't believe in Purgatory, etc.)

As I spoke, she wrote down words for me that I didn't know how to say in Romanian that I guess she knows that I need to know how to say if I am to share the Gospel.

For me, this was huge. It's like she asked for it. And I didn't give a full out Gospel presentation because my Romanian isn't good enough for that. I just answered her questions. I told her that God works in my life and that I read and obey His word, the Bible. I told her that Jesus has changed my life and that He lives inside me...and that I know for sure that I will be spending eternity with Jesus.

Please go to the Father with me and pray for my sweet language teacher. Her name is Oana and I don't know that she is a believer, or even if she is religious at all. Please pray that I will have more opportunities to share with her about my faith, that I have hope in Christ and Joy in Him and don't simply follow a list of rules. And please praise Him with me for this incredible opportunity...

Craiova and Drăgănești in Pictures...

This last weekend I had the opportunity to go to Craiova, where two couples with the company work. I went by train to Craiova, which is the main way of getting between cities here. It was much more pleasant than taking a chicken bus in Guatemala, I'm sure, though fortunately I don't recall ever having had to do that.

On Saturday, they took me to one of the towns in the region, about an hour and fifteen minutes away from Craiova called Drăgănești pronounced "Drugunesht."

The beauty of the trip to Drăgănești was that it served two purposes. The main purpose was for me to meet with one of the couples and the team leader of a group of Romanian Ms in the area. These brothers and sisters are full time workers. They are supported by various churches and are dedicated to getting the Gospel to those in the surrounding villages. I was so encouraged by them, just knowing that they have a burning desire for their own people to know the same Joy that they do in the Lord.

I met with their team leader and he told me a little bit about the difficulties of ministering in that area. This is an area in the southern part of Romania, who for many years have constantly been attacked by the Turks, the Serbs, the Hungarians and others. They have lived for generations defending themselves and their territory. Unfortunately, they also defend their Orthodoxy from the True Gospel. That being said, this is some rough ground. Despite this discouraging situation, as I said before, I am so encouraged by the faithfulness of my brothers and sisters who are there plowing the ground day in and day out.

Besides meeting with the team leader and having the opportunity to meet some of the other workers in the area, I had the chance to experience my first Romanian Civil Wedding ceremony. As I said in a previous post, in many countries, only governing officials have the legal authority to declare two people to be legally married. Therefore, the Civil ceremony is a big deal. For Christians, though, it is the legal side and the equivalent of going down to the courthouse to get the marriage license. Except they have to bring witnesses, the governing official has to sign and read them the terms of marriage by Romanian law, and the whole family comes along.

This civil wedding was for one of the sisters in Drăgănești who is marrying a British man. They met when he came from England on a missions trip. He plans to move to Romania and join in the work. They're having a church wedding on this coming Saturday.

Here are some pictures from my trip...



View from the train....It is fall and it has gotten colder, so it is pretty gray and brown, but I thought it was kindof pretty nevertheless.
There is still a little bit of green left...
Another view from the train. It was getting dark, so the reflections in the window were getting more apparent.
On the way to Drăgănești from Craiova. The goats crossed the road, and their shepherd was right behind them.
A Gypsy house. Apparently, they think that the more metal things they have on top of their roof, the more powerful they are. I thought they were kindof cool and looked very interesting.
An Orthodox Icon on the side of the highway.
In the country, you still see horse drawn wagons.
The Bride and Groom are in the orange and the suit to the right of her. The couple next to them are the team leader and his wife, they signed as witnesses to the marriage.
The governing official (I'm not sure if he is the mayor or what...) reading them the Rites of marriage. The girl with the blue and green scarf interpreted since the groom is British, and it was nice so that some of the rest of us could understand what was being said.
He had to sign...
Then she signed...

The whole crew. The couple got tons of flowers, very traditional. It was good that I was there so that I could take the picture of the whole group with everyone's camera. This is also a good picture of the team that I wrote about above. They are all pictured here. Now you can see their faces and pray for them.

Way Overdue...

I have been terrible about posting photos on the blog, but here are some that I have taken. I struck out and explored one day. The picture above is of the entry way to my staircase up to my apartment...
This has to be one of my favorites. I think this car was parked here before the ditch was dug. There was no way for it to get out of there. Now, the ditch is filled in, but has not been covered over with concrete again, and the car has a flat. It has been there for at least two and a half weeks now...
This is a pretty flower garden close to my apartment. It is also the street-crossing place and the place where people can wait for the tram. There are pretty flower areas all over the city.
Old European buildings....Love them!
Just a little bit of Bucharest traffic. This doesn't even begin to describe what it's like to be in a car here...
The building on the left is the National Theatre. I'm not sure what the building on the right is, but this is from the day that I struck out and explored a little bit.
The day I explored, I passed by 3 Orthodox churches. I think they must have been having 4 o'clock mass, because I heard liturgy coming from all of them. This one was tucked behind some trees and a fence, so I went through the fence to get a better picture of it.
This is another one of the churches that I passed. I thought it was a cool picture. I didn't go inside any of the churches because they were in service.

Out of Town

I apologize for the lack of activity on the blog, but I have been out of town since Friday afternoon. I am in a city in southern Romania called Craiova, and I'm here to meet with my colleagues as to how I can mobilize students for them.

Yesterday (Saturday) they took me to Draganesti, a town about an hour and 15 minutes away, and I got to see my first Romanian civil ceremony. In a lot of countries (including Central America) the civil wedding ceremony is a bigger deal then it is in the States. It is the equivalent of going down to the courthouse to get the marriage license, but here, only city/government officials have the authority to declare someone married, unlike in the States where ordained ministers have that authority, also.

So the main point of our going to Draganesti was for me and one of the couples I'm visiting with to meet with a Romanian national missionary to see how I can help them to mobilize students. A sister in that town, though, was having her civil ceremony yesterday, so that was just an added bonus. I took a few pictures, which I will upload later. I know I am way behind on picture uploading. That will be taken care of soon, though!

All in all, the trip was fantastic and I am so encouraged by the work and the brothers and sisters I met in Draganesti yesterday. I will post a longer version when I get home, but for now, I just wanted to pop in and let you all know that I'm still alive and breathing. I love you all!

Big Day

Not to be Captain Obvious or anything, but it is a big day for the United States. The polls will open and thousands will vote. There is always controversy during election season and people allow the stress of not knowing who will be our next President get the better of them, sometimes.

No one knows what the outcome of today's election will be, but I do know this...God is in control and He already knows who our next President is.

Let's trust Him today and take Him at His word in Romans 13:1, "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God."

Whatever happens, we know through God's Word (look at Kings...) that God is the one who raises leaders up and who also brings them down, whether they are good or evil, ultimately to glorify Himself and show His power.

November Prayer Letter...

Dear friends,

I’ve been in Romania now for more than two weeks. I apologize for the delay in getting this letter to you. I want to thank you all for your many prayers for my time so far. I have been so blessed.
Currently, my main responsibility is language study. I go to the International House, a language school, every day for a total of twelve hours a week. Speaking Spanish fluently has certainly been a big help. It helps with my pronunciation as well as with understanding some concepts of the language that some people who speak only English speakers have a hard time understanding.

I have enjoyed my time here so far. So far I have mastered the metro and getting myself to and from the language school as well as one of the mission properties where some colleagues live and there is a guest house.

My apartment is mostly set up. It has become quite cozy for me and I enjoy coming home to it. This is the first time in my life I have ever had to live by myself. Once I left home for college, I shared a small dorm room with one room mate for one year, and the last three years, I shared a two bedroom, two bath apartment with four other girls. There were five of us in that small space, but thankfully we got along and were (still are) great friends. It’s not often you hear of young ladies sharing such close quarters for so long and still being friends afterwards.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to participate in some training designed for volunteer coordinators as well as in a team meeting for Team Romania. It was weird going to grown-up meetings and not having an option. I enjoyed the meetings, but like I said, it was strange having to go to the grown-up meetings.

I enjoyed getting to meet the rest of my colleagues here in Romania and am excited to get to know them and their ministries here. This upcoming weekend I will be taking my first trip out of town to spend some time with two couples who work together in the city of Craiova. I will be talking with them about how I can mobilize students for them and how they can strategically use students in their work.

I have found a church to go to and I think I will really enjoy it. I have met a few people there, and hopefully will be able to get involved in some of the University Student ministries in town, one of which is out of this church.

I invite you now to Praise the Lord with me for these things…

-For getting me here safely with all of my luggage
-For a great first two weeks in the country
-For advancement in language

Please join me in praying for these things…

-That I would continue to advance in language, that I would have courage to not only speak it in the classroom with my instructors, but also to get out and use it in public
-That I would quickly find ministries to be involved in
-That I would begin to build meaningful relationships
-For safe travels as I begin to visit colleagues
-For my visits with my colleagues, that they would be fruitful and that the Spirit would be clear as to how students could be instrumental to the work

Thank you again for all of your prayers. I appreciate each and every one of you for being faithful in joining me through prayer.

Love,
Angela

It's Wednesday...

And I've almost been here 2 full weeks.

Language is going as well as it could be, I feel like I'm progressing in class, however I lack the courage to walk up to someone and ask them if I can practice with them. My goal by the end of next week is to have found 3 or 4 people that I can practice with on a daily basis. I have in mind a few people/places I can stop at between my apartment and the metro station, so we'll see. Please ask that I would have the courage to do this. This is very hard for me, a perfectionist, knowing that I will make mistakes, being the one that people came to for proofing grammar on papers in both English and Spanish for several years.

On Friday afternoon last week I had a doctor's appointment for a physical. Basically it is a requirement for my visa, just to prove that I'm not a risk to the public healthcare system. So in stead of coming straight home from language, I got off at one of the metro stops where there is a McDonald's inside the stop. I managed to order a "Menoul McChicken cu Coca Cola." The place was so crowded, so I found a table that was not taken, but it shared a booth seat with another table that was taken by two college boys. When I recounted this experience to someone, she told me it is perfectly normal to share tables in fast food restaurants here in Romania. Whew.

Well that's not all. The two college boys got up and left about half-way through my meal, and then their spots were taken by two college girls and a guy. They ate their food as I ate mine, and when I was finished with my meal I got up to leave. Well, my tray apparently wasn't securely on the table, and my bag knocked it and somehow catapulted my McChicken box into the air and onto the bench next to the Romanian girl! I was so embarrassed!! She just kindof waved her hand at me and I think said it was ok and handed me the box. I hightailed it out of there and didn't even check to see if anyone was laughing. I doubt it, though...more to come on that.

This weekend I had quite an adventure. Saturday morning the family that lives closest to me came over to put together the dulap (wardrobe) for my bedroom. This way I could get my clothes out of my suitcases and where they belong! That afternoon, they took me to a big store called Metro (it's like Sam's or Costco in the States and like PriceSmart in Guate). I was able to find a printer/scanner/copier for a good price so that I can print, scan and copy things, mostly for work purposes. Then, they took me to a really fancy mall where I was able to buy an internet router (which I have yet gotten to work...). We walked around a little bit and ultimately ate dinner in the food court at Burger King. Yes, I'm embarrassed to say that the only 2 times I have eaten out so far have been in American Fast Food restaurants (which 100% of the time are better in 3rd world countries than they are in the States...).

Sunday I went to church. I had been told what metro stop to get off at and how to get there, so I felt like I could do it. Well...I got off at the right metro stop, but THERE WERE 4 EXITS!!!! Well, from the train, there were two ways to go. Had I gone the way I didn't go, I would have been fine. However, I went out an exit that had 3 exits. Does that make sense? Basically, it was an exit that was also an under ground cross-walk. I tried going under and eventually came out of all 3 of the exits, but still couldn't figure out which direction to go. So I called someone and they told me how to get there....

When I finally got to church, I was so relieved. I thought to myself that I could finally just listen and concentrate on trying to pick up some of the sermon. YEAH RIGHT. The guy that preached was a Romanian who was visiting from New York, and he preached a 40 minute sermon in 20 minutes. I didn't even try. I met some nice people, other GCCs here in town that I hope to get to know while I'm here.

Monday I had 3 hours of language class and it was fine.

On Tuesday (yesterday), I had a short class and I got out at 3:30. So I decided to get out at the same metro stop that I got off at on Sunday and do some exploring. It is in the middle of the city, and there are some really pretty buildings around there. I had planned on doing this already, so I took my camera with me. I'll post pictures later. Well from that metro stop, I walked and walked down a street, and found myself at another metro stop (the one that has McDonald's in it). On the way, I passed 3 Orthodox churches and 1 Catholic church. They were having 4:00 mass in the Orthodox churches, but I didn't go inside. Maybe one of these days I will venture in and sit in on one.

I found myself at a mall that is attached to a grocery store (much like Paiz in Guatemala, or that could be compared to a very minimal version of Wal-Mart). It is a French store that's apparently all over Europe. I didn't have much cash with me, but I decided to pick up some carrots and apples. When I got in line and was being rung up, the girl behind the counter asked me something. I'm almost positive it had to do with having my produce weighed. I got flustered because I had no indication that I needed to have it weighed, especially since in the store close to my apartment they weigh it at the check-out (but it's a different chain). Also, the girl didn't seem very polite at all, so just walked off without anything.

Yesterday I also discovered something that I might regret for the rest of my time here. Everywhere, there are these little Patisseries called Fornetti. I have been curious about the breads they sell, and there is always a line at the one inside one of the metro stations. So yesterday on my way home, I decided to get in line and give a shot in the dark to these pastries. I shouldn't have. Consider me hooked. The item I ordered was fresh out of the oven. Warm, melt in your mouth. What I bought was a little strudel that had cheese in it. It. Was. Delicious. There's no turning back.

So today I found another one of these little stands and tried something else. Bad idea. I'm hooked. More than hooked. Addicted.

That's all.

Why My Head About Exploded...

So if you have any knowledge at all of the Spanish language (I'll get to Romanian in a moment...) you know that all nouns fall under either masculine or feminine. Thus, the house is "la casa," the white house is "la casa blanca," and the car is "el carro," the black car is "el carro negro," etc. So depending on if the noun is masculine or feminine the article is either "el" or "la," with the exception of very few words like "agua (el agua)," "mano (la mano)," etc. To make the nouns plural you simply add an "s" on to the end of the article and the noun and the adjective if there is one. Easy.

Well, Romanian also has masculine and feminine, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE NEUTRAL. There are different articles for masculine, feminine (not anything compared to "el" and "la") and they are not just converted in to plural by adding an "s" at the end of the words. To throw another wrench in the deal, if the noun is a singular neutral noun, it uses a masculine article. If the noun is a plural neutral noun, it uses a feminine article. Don't even ask me for examples. That would involve me having to walk to the other room and try and decipher my notes from yesterday's lesson. Maybe once (if) I master it I'll give examples.

Throw in definite and in-definite ("a dog" vs. "the dog"), and my head about exploded.

It's ok, though. Both of my teachers have told me that I'm learning very quickly, that I'm the only Spanish-speaker trying to learn Romanian that their language institute has ever had, and that I have perfect pronunciation.

On another note, Monday I got my first realization of living alone (to answer your question, Amanda, yes, I'll be living by myself permanently from what I understand but sometimes I might have company for a bit...). See, I had gone down to the store to buy a few groceries and picked up the only jar of salsa they had. When I went to open it later on that evening, I COULDN'T GET IT OPEN. And there was no one here to open it for me!! So I just put it back in the fridge and hoped someone would be coming over soon that could get it opened. Fortunately, on Tuesday after my big trip to IKEA, someone came over and I remembered to ask her to help me open it. What a blessing.

The Salsa is not Pace's, or from any amazing Mexican restaurant in Texas, but it works.

Ok. Enough for now. Sorry for the long post, I just don't have anyone to talk to :).

Love y'all!

First almost-week in Bucharest...

Well, I'm but 48 hours from having been here a full week. It hasn't gone by too quickly, but it hasn't gone too slowly, either. Here are a few things that I can remember so far...
-Friday night I slept about 15 hours. It was great. Went to bed around 9 pm and got up at 12 noon on Saturday. It was beautiful.
-Saturday my supervisor's wife brought me to my apartment, where we met the people in our mission who love closest to me and have been taking care of getting my apartment set up. I walked with some people down to the nearest grocery store so I could have food in my home. I didn't sleep well Saturday night but oh well.
-Sunday I skipped out on church because of the jet lag and all that good stuff. I slept in once I finally got to sleep. That afternoon my colleague and his daughter took me on the metro and showed me my language school.
-Monday...I woke up late. First day of class. I think I'm doing pretty good in my language lessons, but after today's (Wednesday's) lesson my head felt like it was going to explode. I also got a SIM card for my cell phone so I now can communicate with people when I'm not at home.
-Tuesday I rode the metro by myself for the first time ever in my whole life. It wasn't bad since I had been shown already how to change lines and look at the signs and all that good stuff. I met my supervisor's wife at the metro stop nearest their house and she took me to IKEA where I was able to buy a duvet and duvet cover, some rugs, a blanket for my living room and a few things for my kitchen. It was a very successful shopping day. Then I went to class and learned numbers and time in Romanian.
-Wednesday (today) I went to class, my head about exploded, and I came home from class. Then, I went down to the internet office and got the internet turned on at my apartment so that I don't have to run up my phone bill using dial-up. And now I'm loving having fast internet in my apartment. :D.

Hopefully the rest of the week will be pretty chill. Right now, I'm off to see what I can muster up for supper and then homework. Woohoo.

Thanks for your prayers!
Love,
Ang

I made it!

Hey everyone...thanks so much for your prayers as I traveled over the last several hours. My luggage (all of it!) and I made it to Bucharest just fine. My flight out of Dallas was delayed 4 hours, but I'm thankful to God for allowing me those extra hours to spend with my family. And once I got to my connection I had already been re-booked on the next flight in to Bucharest. Timing was perfect.

God is so good.

Now I'm going to try and curb this thing they call jet lag.

This is the day!

Well, folks, I fly out at 4:10 this afternoon. Please pray that I will rest on my flight and that I will have some good time spent with my family before I go. My parents got in late last night and it's nice that they are here.
A couple more things to pray for....
-that my suitcases would expand but not weigh more than 50lb each
-that I would be calm in a new airport, on a new continent, and hearing a new language
-that I my luggage would arrive with me and not after me
Thanks for your prayers. I will post when I get there and let you all know I got there safely.

PTL

So if you were with me for the last 2 months in VA, you heard me say several times that I left my parents in Guatemala and was not going to get to see them again before I hop the pond.

Well I for sure did not know what God had up His sleeve, because they are coming!!! Granted they won't arrive until 10:30 on the night before I leave, but I'm so excited. A couple of weeks were freed up in their travel schedule due to hurricane destruction in the Caribbean, and through a series of several experiments, my mom was able to find some super cheap airline tickets for them to come up! I'm talking the other day there was nothing under $700 a piece for them to come up, so they started looking in to taking a bus. That quickly was becoming very expensive, too. My mom doesn't give up, so she started experimenting with the travel days and times online. Finally she found tickets that totaled about $400 per person round trip...only $100 more for both of them to come up than it would have been for one of them to come up when she had been searching a few days ago!

I'm so excited and thankful that I'll get to see my mommy and daddy even if it's for less than 24 hours before I leave. Fortunately, I don't leave until the afternoon, so I'll have all morning with them.

I don't want to pack...

So anyone who has moved around a lot or traveled a lot knows that it's kindof a pain to pack and an even bigger pain to unpack. Well, I've been back in town for almost a week and I still have not unpacked from orientation. I know, I know, I need to, but at this point I have so much to do (including unpacking and repacking) that I just want to sit here and do nothing.

I will put in some unpacking time here in a little bit. I need to do laundry, also, which if you know me at all you know that laundry is my least favorite chore of all. I think it has something to do with growing up overseas with household help...

I also am praying that God would multiply the hours in the day because there just don't seem to be enough. Yesterday I had a great day with two of my former roommates. They went with me to the mall as I bought a few last-minute clothes for winter.

My calendar has quickly filled up, and I still have people that I want to see and spend time with. The problem is that once you graduate from college and people get full time jobs, they can't just run out to lunch with you or share an afternoon coffee. So I know that during the time that my favorite people are at work, I need to unpack and do laundry. But again, I don't want to.

I think it is something about having packed my life up so many times I feel like I lose a sense of belonging once my stuff is in boxes and suitcases. Maybe not. Any thoughts?

To sum up this post in three short statements,
1. I haven't unpacked from Orientation, which means that I clearly have not even begun to think about packing for Romania.
2. I need to do laundry, but I just wish that clothes could wash themselves.
3. I need more time. Thank God for the Body of Christ and for the hope of Heaven. Amanda, I completely understand what you referred to when you and Curtis left Irving...

September Prayer Update

Dear Prayer Partners,

Orientation is over and for the next few days I’m back in Dallas. I apologize for the “lateness” of getting this out to you all, but I appreciate all of your prayers. I have only nine days left in Dallas before I head to Romania.

Orientation came to a close very quickly, but not quickly enough to keep me from getting the bug that went around. Fortunately I got only the mildest form of the 24-hour stomach bug. Aside from that, our commissioning service was a great ending to the two months we spent in sessions.

I would like to thank you for your prayers for my time at Orientation. It truly was a fruitful time of growing in knowledge and my walk with the Lord. I made some precious friendships that I’m sure will continue to grow during the next few years, simply based on the similarity of many of our situations. Thank you also for your prayers for my family. My parents travel a lot due to their job, but they are enjoying themselves. I’m excited to tell you that my sweet new niece, Sahara Xiomara Stamps was born on September 9 healthy and beautiful. Elisa’s labor and delivery went very smoothly. Thank you for praying for that.

As I prepare to get my life into a few suitcases and cross the Atlantic, I would ask you to pray for a few things.

-Please pray that the rest of my time in Dallas would be sweet spent with family and friends.

-Please pray that I would know what is essential for me to pack to take with me and what I won’t really need.

-Please pray that I would be able to fit what I’m taking into some suitcases and that I would not go over any weight limits when it comes time to check my bags

-Please pray for my travel on October 16^th and 17^th as I fly to Romania. Pray that I would adjust smoothly and quickly. I start language classes on the 20^th and will be in class 12 hours a week (3 hours a day Monday thru Thursday).

Thank you again for your prayers. I love and appreciate each one of you.

Quick Update...

So Orientation is almost over. In one week, I will have been commissioned and I will be getting ready to fly back to Dallas the next day. What a whirlwind this has been. It feels like I got here yesterday, yet I've learned so much. I'm reminded more and more every day that I need to make Him a priority. I'm reminded of it even more when I don't.

Every time I'm put in a new situation, I learn more and more about myself. This time I have been reminded of how God has blessed me to make friends easily. I did not have a hard time making friends when I went to college, nor did I have a hard time in the last 2 months making friends. I know He is faithful, but I still am afraid of what my friend situation will look like once I get to Romania, simply because I won't be taking classes (except language, praise the Lord!).

I guess I'm just afraid of the unknown. In my flesh, I am afraid. I know God is already there, though, and that is good for my spirit. It is not the unknown to Him, and therefore I try not to worry. But my flesh worries. I need to live in the Spirit and not worry. So pray that I will build relationships once I get there with other people my age. There is no one in my city that works for the same organization that I do that is my age. Pray that I would have opportunities to even meet others.

One of my biggest desires (besides learning the language) is to also build relationships with nationals. I don't desire to surround myself only with other GCCs (Great Commission Christians) from the United States. I know that other GCCs will be important for my spiritual growth, especially where Christian fellowship comes in, but I guess my MK instinct is to want to blend with the culture and become part of it.

I know this post is everywhere, but it's been several hours since I started writing...I went for coffee and a wal-mart run in between, so I've had some time to think and come back with a different perspective maybe.

Oh quick request before I go....this nasty 24 hour stomach bug has been going around this place like crazy. I don't normally get stuff that goes around, thank-you to my iron stomach that was developed while living in the middle of no where. Anyway, I don't want to start now. It seems to have a 1 week incubation period after being exposed, 6-8 hours of continuous "getting sick" at least hourly, and then major fatigue...followed by being perfectly back to normal 24 hours after it's showed up. Pray that I don't get it, because I dont'want to be sick on the plane, visiting friends, or meeting my niece for crying out loud.

Thanks friends...I love you all.