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