Here, There, and Everywhere!

I'm writing something...because the longer I write nothing, the more overwhelming it becomes! :-)

The last month has been a busy one for me! I've had quite a few guests coming and going and I've done some traveling, too! It has been wonderful to see more of Romania. People kept telling me how beautiful it is (once you leave Bucharest) and I must say they were absolutely right! God has brought me to a country that has it all: mountains, woods, beaches, cities...what more could a girl want?!? :-)

The reason for my travels? I was helping with Sunday School Teacher Training in three different cities. What an honor to get to teach people who want to learn! For this round of training I was able to share a brief devotion at the beginning of the day and then observe the rest of the session. I really love what my teammates are doing! There is such a need for this, and the appreciation of the teachers is so humbling! Pray for me as I seek the Lord's will about how I can be involved in the future. I'm already scheduled to teach a session on using visual aids in Moldova on the 24th of this month! Scary!

As I write this, I'm surrounded by an assortment of bags. I'm leaving today for the mountains for a combined training conference with my team and the ABWE team in northern Romania. While the rest of the adults are sitting in sessions all day, I'll be in charge of nine kids! I have a fun (I hope!!) program planned for them and am looking forward to it...but please pray for me! I'll have the kids for 5-6 hours a day. I'm praying for good weather so we can be outside A LOT! :-)

The rest of April looks so busy, too! But more about that later...I need to finish packing the rest of the food, craft supplies, teaching materials...oh man...I'm going to look like a bag lady! :-)

Thanks for your continuing interest in God's work in Romania. Sometimes it is hard to see...but He IS working in the lives and hearts of people here. Once in a while He gives us glimpses of what He is doing.

(The video below is of me singing with a teammate in a small village church we went to on our way home from teacher training. Thought you might like to see me sing in Romanian! So cool!) :-)

Observations

I remember being amazed during my time in Germany how much I could pick up and learn about people just by watching. I didn't understand much of what they said, but by observing their body language, actions, and tone, I slowly started to learn about people. Of course, not ALL of my conclusions from my observations were correct, but many were and it was fascinating! I've always loved watching people!

I'm beginning to experience that here, too, as I adjust and settle into a routine. Yesterday, however, my observations were sad ones. I've been sitting in on (and doing crafts and such here and there) a Sunday School class for junior highers. They're fun kids and seem to like me, though I'm not sure why since we can barely communicate with each other! :-) I think I'm a novelty...the silent American girl who smiles a lot! Anyhow, as much as I genuinally like the kids, their attitudes upset me. My biggest observations? They seem to have very little respect for authority, and basically NO understanding that the Bible applies to THEM in their day to day lives. I know what you're thinking...how is that any different from kids in the US? :-) This isn't a new problem, and probably IS the case in many places back home, too, but it made my heart sad to see yesterday.

It ALSO made me even MORE eager learn the language. I want to be able to talk to them, to share a Savior with them who loves them and wants to guide them if only they'll listen and obey. I want them to see that the Bible isn't just stories, but REAL people with REAL lives who made choices just like us. I want them to own their faith and see what it means to have a RELATIONSHIP with the sovereign Creator of the universe!

Sigh...it is hard to have so much to say and yet no way to say it! :-) But God knows, and I continue to pray that He'll show me why I'm here and how to use my time. I'm at the point now where I'm having to choose between different opportunities. My observations yesterday, though, helped me clearly identify again what my heart's desire truly is: to see young people really come to KNOW our Savior and follow Him with a radical, life changing faith.

Please, Lord, show me how I can best do this, even with my limited abilities. If you can use anything, Lord, You can use me.

FIRSTS!

I've officially been in Romania for four weeks now! I can't believe it! I'm really not homesick yet, but on several occasions I HAVE missed the convenience of living in the States. Especially when it comes to cooking. No brownie mixes here! Canned soups are just a memory now. And edible frozen food is no longer a part of my life. All of this is probably for the better, but I admit I have had to adapt. I've also had to sort through my recipes and find ones that I can actually get ingredients for. Hmmm...it is almost dinnertime, can you tell? I didn't intend to sit down and write about food. Moving on!

I thought I'd share with you a few of my "firsts" in the last week or so.

FIRST time on the Metro by myself! I went to a new friend's birthday party and managed to find my way there and back by myself! I also met an interesting man with a snowboard who told me I had a beautiful face (in Romanian), which I suppose counts as my FIRST time getting hit on here! Yessss! Actually, I was pleased that he said this in Romanian first, because the bigger compliment for me was that it meant he thought I looked Romanian. That's what I'm going for! :-)

FIRST time getting lost came the very next day. :-) I was headed to church, and though I've ridden with teammates every other week, the weather was nice so I thought it would be a good time for me to figure out how to take the tram. It should have been easy. Just go three stops, get off and walk. But for me...well...not so much. I got off at the right stop, but then thought it didn't look right, so I got back ON the tram and went two MORE stops. By that time I knew I'd been right the first time. I couldn't figure out how to get back on the tram going the opposite direction (the stops aren't always marked well), so I started walking...in my nice Sunday church shoes, of course! I knew I had to turn down a side street, but I couldn't tell which one because although I had a map, the streets don't always have signs (or at least signs that I can see!) and I'm directionally challenged anyway! :-) Eventually I saw a group of women wearing skirts and decided to follow them. And guess what? They went right to the church! I'm not sure if they knew I was following them or not. But God certainly heard my prayer for help and I was only five minutes late! It was actually an amusing experience, and I'm glad I've been lost once now so I don't have to be concerned when (not if!) it happens again.

FIRST time teaching a class here! I had nine kids on Sunday night for my "English" Jr. Church. What a fun group of kids! We talked about being examples with our words, and they especially enjoyed singing "Keep Your Tongue From Evil", by Steve Green. The hardest thing is keeping the wide variety of ages (pre-school to fifth grade) all interested and engaged. This week I should have twelve kids, so we're already talking about finding some help for me. That'd be good! :-)

FIRST time paying a bill (other than rent) by myself! My very kind doorman (who speaks a decent amount of English), volunteered to walk me to the office of the building administrator where I had to pay it. As it turns out, the building administrator is the man who had come to read my water meter last week (which is a whole OTHER story), so we'd met already and he was well aware that I couldn't speak much Romanian. I paid the bill, and he tried to set me up with his sons. Oh Romania! It sounds much more flattering than it actually is. Everyone wants a green card. Ha!

FIRST Romanian dinner! I've made a new friend, I think, and the dinner was just the icing on the cake for the evening! She took me to a traditional restaurant and ordered me a traditional meal. I enjoyed it and especially LOVED the dessert! It was like donut/funnel cake covered in cream cheese and jelly. YUM!!! Let's not talk about calories! :-) It was a fun night, full of good food and laughter! Thanks to those of you who are praying I'll find friends. It IS happening...slowly. Please keep praying.

So those are some of my firsts! If your life seems dull, book a ticket to come visit me! Cause I can promise you...it NEVER is here!! :-)

The Land of Randomness

This last weekend I had a couple of guests! It was a blast and I was sorry to see them go. Becky is part of the Romania North Team, and Jenny is part of the South Team with me, but is still raising support back in the States, so she was only here for a visit. (Hopefully she'll be here for good soon...I'm really excited to have her here. Her goal is next January. Please pray that she comes quickly...for my own sanity!) I'd met them both before and was excited to have them come. We laughed ALOT. Jenny has lived here before and calls Romania the "Land of Randomness", which really IS a great description. I'm starting to love this country but man, does it make me laugh! Just in case you don't believe me, this is a video we took the other night on our way home from the Graefs. Romanian elevators are notoriously sketchy. This one, however, should win a prize. Not only has the light been burned out since I got here, the "Push for Help" button isn't exactly helpful. Listen and find out!

NOTE: Before this video was taken, David had to run down to the bottom floor to send the elevator up because it was stuck. Which made us feel even better.



Don't you love it?? When you all come visit, I'll be sure to take you in the laughing elevator! :-)

The View From Here

I thought a few pictures might be nice...so here they are!

The view from my window






And my apartment building



Inside my apartment building



And the building's dog. The doorman lets him in and the women put food on their doorsteps for him. I speak nicely to him and pet him...but when I do he tries to follow me in the apartment! :-) I think I need to name him...suggestions??




And finally, this is for those of you in Columbus who have had all the snow. You're not alone. And at least in the US they shovel sidewalks! :-)

Two Weeks In!

It is hard to believe I’m entering my third week in Bucharest. In some ways it seems like I’ve been here for months, and in other ways I feel like I got here yesterday. I hit a point early last week when I just kind of looked around and thought “Ok…now what?”! I was settled, my visa process was well under way, and I honestly didn’t know what to do with myself! Thankfully, in the last week or so God has begun to fill up my schedule.

I’m so thankful for the teammates God has given me! They’ve gone out of their way to make me feel welcome and comfortable, and I’ve spent quite a bit of time at all of their apartments in the last few weeks. It has been important, especially as I’m starting out, to build good relationships with them. They are my lifelines here, and I depend on them so much! They’ve been very helpful and patient as I learn all the things I need to know to live here. So getting to know all of them has been a big part of my last couple of weeks.

The visa process has taken quite a bit of time as well. It is pretty much like a giant, international scavenger hunt. You have to run all over the city, getting different places to fill out forms for you, collecting them all and eventually turning them in for the prize: a five year visa! Woohoo! I’m ALMOST ready to turn everything in to the government, and Scotte (my team leader) tells me having it all ready this quick is some kind of a record! I can be in the country for 90 days before I need the visa, so it should be done in plenty of time. Should be! ☺

Starting next Sunday, I’ll be taking over the Sunday night children’s program at church! It is done completely in English and mostly just MKs come, but it is still a good opportunity for me and I’m looking forward to it! My co-workers have been taking turns doing this, so I’m glad to be able to give them a break. Once I’ve gotten my feet wet a little bit, I think we may begin advertising it as an opportunity for OTHER children to work on their English, too. I’m excited about the potential and glad to be doing something so worthwhile!

I’ve also been observing the Sunday School program at the church I’m attending. I’ve especially “clicked” with one teacher, and have decided to start helping in her class. I’ll teach some, try a few ideas, and just try to get a feel for what’s going on.

I’m also going to be traveling quite a bit in the next couple of months! ABWE is doing three teacher training seminars in three different cities in March, and I have the opportunity to go and observe all of them, and have been asked to share a brief devotional at each one. In April, we’ll be doing a seminar in Moldova (a tiny country east of Romania), and they’ve asked me to actually teach a whole session! WOW! It is really intimidating, but as I prayed about it, I felt God telling me to stretch myself. So I’ll give it a shot! I’ll get my topic in the next few weeks and start working on it. What a cool opportunity!

In April, the Romania North and Romania South teams will be meeting in Transylvania for four days to do some planning. While all the grown-ups sit in meetings all day, I get to entertain the kids, which should be fun! I’m looking forward to it, and am glad to be able to help in this way.

The summer is also coming quickly, so planning is well under way for camp! I attended a meeting last week and am excited to be a part of this ministry! My specific role is still being discussed, but I’m glad to help however I can. Counselor applications and training will begin soon! I’m loving learning about the process of running a camp!

TOMORROW I will start my language lessons! I’m looking forward to finally being able to get into it because I want so badly to be able to communicate better. As an AMP missionary, I’m not required to take language classes, but I think it is important and really want to do it. I’ll be taking four hours a week and will have lots of homework, too, from what I hear! So today is my last day of freedom, I guess! ☺

Would you please pray specifically that I’d make some Romanian friends here? I’m trying, but it is HARD and it just takes time. I keep being told to “invite some girls over”…but that’s a little hard when I don’t know many girls, or even how to meet them! I love working with kids, but since I’m with them Sunday AM and PM, it makes it hard to meet people at church. I AM attending a Bible study on Friday nights, which has been good, but because it is English speaking, most of the people I’ve met have been from the US! So please pray that I meet people and am able to build relationships. That really is what I want!

Small Victories and Setbacks

Well I must say, I'm glad it is not LAST week!
And I'm also thankful that THIS week is coming to a close. It has been a good week, but the learning curve is huge and I'm glad I'll never have to have a first week in Bucharest again! I'm able to find my way around my neighborhood now, shop, go to the bank, and walk to all of my teammate's apartments. Good things to know how to do, yes? Let me share some of my victories with you. They may seem small to you, but they were causes of great rejoicing to me!

1. I learned how to work the washer and dryer! They're quite different here, but thankfully my time in Germany in 2006 helped, and I DID remember what to do.

2. I hooked up a printer! This has nothing to do with Romania being difficult...this is just my own idiocy when it comes to computers. I won!

3. I paid my rent for February all by myself! Thanks to instructions from teammates, I was able to deposit the money into my landlord's account. This meant going from US dollars, to Romanian lei, to Euros...but I did it, and I was quite pleased with myself and thankful for the kind girl at the bank who spoke English.

4. I figured out how to light (yes, light) my stove! Actually, having an oven I had to light at my apartment in Columbus made this a lot less scary. Isn't it funny how God prepares us?? I haven't figured out the oven here, yet. A goal for next week...

5. I picked up paperwork from a government agency on my own! I dropped it off with Scotte the day before to be processed, and then managed (miraculously!)to find my way back to the building, into the right room, and to the right woman to pick it back up. A small victory, but one that goes a long way toward building my confidence in my new home town.

6. The internet is WORKING!! This is really only a half victory because (a) I didn't fix it, and (b) it isn't COMPLETELY fixed yet...but I'll take it! The internet was cutting out generally every 2 minutes, which wasn't good since this is my only form of communication to the world OUTSIDE of Bucharest. I still don't have wireless, but the internet stays connected (after Scotte and Tom worked on it for a while!) so I'm pretty content with THAT!

Each of these victories were accomplish while talking with my Heavenly Father. I depend on Him even more these days, and am always amazed at the way He cares even about silly, insignificant things...like lighting an oven.

Thankfully, He ALSO cares about my defeats, and what week wouldn't have a few of those??

1. My lost luggage. You know the story by now. Resolved in the end!

2. Sinus infection! I couldn't do much Sunday and Monday and was pretty miserable. BUT, I'm so thankful I had antibiotics with me, and I feel MUCH better now, though my sinuses are still draining. Yuck!

3. Frustrating internet. We've covered that already. I prayed over my computer, but it didn't cast the demons out. :-( I had to call in the professional missionaries! ;-)

4. Stolen debit card number. Sometime before I left the States, my card number got stolen, and we discovered this on Wednesday. I've been racking my brain to try to figure out where it happened, but I just have no idea! Anyhow, the bank had to deactivate my card so they wouldn't drain my account, which meant I had no way to access my account or withdraw money in a country that runs on virtually only cash. Yeah....I had a few moments of panic. But that is why God put me in a TEAM here in Bucharest, and they were able to loan me money from the team account until I have access to my own again.

Those were my biggest defeats this week. Nothing too horrible. But of course everything seems more horrible in a new place, with new people. I've asked God "why now?" a few times (especially with the debit card situation!), but was reminded that these things really AREN'T big deals and I need to trust Him.

Next up? Well, I'm headed to an (English) Bible study at the Graefs for tonight with some other young people. Now that I have reliable internet, however, I'll write again soon about the ministry opportunities God is already giving me here.

La revedere!