Location: Again on my bed in C., Romania (5pm on the 19th of June)
Another thundershower is boasting outside my window, the fifth in the past six days. I cannot say that I mind much; in fact, I enjoy these storms. This week, our work has been indoors, so the weather did not affect us much. Right now, I am enjoying a relaxing Saturday, so again it does not bother me. The only funny thing is the lights that flicker on every once in a while each time we regain power. Yet I do not really need light or power right now, so who cares?
Last evening, the W. family cared a little bit. A humungous storm ruined their plans for a surprise cookout for my birthday. However, we ended up having a dinner indoors at a friend's place in Sighisoara, and despite the fact that much of the evening's conversation happened in German, it was special and delightful. Some of my very best friends from here were present--my mentor, T., and his family, my friend M., and of course, the W. family. You probably know that I do not much like parties, games, or crowds, so I was pleased that there were only a dozen or so of us, and the games and party were kept to a minimum--a casual dinner, great desserts, and a couple of quick games before we dispersed. Maybe the "surprise" birthday plans were ruined, but I thought it was a wonderful evening.
You might be interested in the gifts I received. One of my favorites was a handmade decoration that reminds me of God's presence through prayer. Another was a cache of food stuffs, including homemade jam and pickles! Even better is the homemade apple cider that we drink like water here; I received two bottles of it! I have said that when I leave here I will never want to drink water again!
But the best gift was that both on my birthday and the day before, my coworker, I., came to our early morning Bible study, despite some personal reticence. He is a Christian, but there is some history that makes certain parts of the present difficult for him, and I thank you for your prayers for him. His becoming a good friend, and he has been most helpful to me. Please continue in your prayers for him.
You see, I am still spending much time in prayer, learning more about my role here in C. It is an unusual season for me, because normally I am knee-deep in relationships and activites by now; yet right now, my life is quiet and simple. The Lord keeps telling me that it is not yet my time, and so I simply enjoy Him as He prepares me. I am learning a lot here, and I have not yet visited V., where I want to move after this apprenticeship. It is extremely difficult to get to from here, especially when I work Monday through Friday. In fact, a lot of things are difficult to get done when I work in a village Monday through Friday. Anytime I could get to town, businesses are closing or already closed. And now we have taken a summer vacation with the choir, meaning that I am not going into town every Wednesday evening like I was. Instead of fretting about all of this, I enjoy village life in C. I write, play the violin, wash my clothes, and pray. There is never a dull moment for me, but neither am I hurrying often, nor overbooked.
Today I tuned up my bike a bit, hoping to go into town tomorrow (which means this might get posted online). Yesterday we were laying hardwood floor in the second-story of the house we gutted in Medias, and I know we have some more of that to do. In the not too distant future, we will be harvesting hay and hosting a couple of camps for the local kids. At some point in the midst of all this, I have to apply for a renewal for my residency card (basically a visa) to stay here longer. Please pray for all of this.
Our God is good and faithful. Maybe you are wondering what I am doing for the Lord right now; after all, am I not a missionary in Romania? Well, I have told you before, I am not a missionary; I am simply a Christian who happens to be in Romania right now. Besides, there is nothing that I could do FOR the Lord that would be of any value. He does not need me; He loves me and sometimes chooses to work through me. So I am just loving Him. Meanwhile, I am trying to encourage a few of my friends here who are having some rough seasons. I am tryng to live a life above reproach and full of love, which reflects the light of Jesus. I am prevailing in prayer for the people around me and in other parts of the world, which I believe is the greatest task we can obey the Lord in as Christians. I am also trying to lend a hand to other Christians who better understand their purposes here, that they might more effectively heed their callings. And I am studying the situation of the Church, trying to be ready as the Lord connects me with it.
Yesterday, for instance, we were in the upstairs of an empty house above a courtyard construction site behind a closed door to the street when we looked up to find two ladies in skirts in the midst of our sawdust. They were misisonaries of one of the international cults that are so dangerous, the type that claim to be Christians but who have changed the gospel they preach and believe. I wanted to discuss with them but could not because I was on the clock.
If you are part of a group of Christians in a church or a study group or anywhere else, no matter what the name is, compare the beliefs you see and hear with the truth of God's word. What is the Gospel? What are some of the devil's modifications that conquor people with lies that sound like the truth? See what the Bible says. Here is the long and short of it.
Known by many names, there is only one God, and He is not human. He is understood through three persons, as Father, Son, and Spirit; He created humans and wants to be in a loving relationship with them. Through His grace in the life of the Son, Jesus, who temporarily took on human flesh and lived and died and rose again as one hundred percent human without ever giving up His divinity, He rescued us from the life of filth we were living, and He makes us holy by His holiness. But He never intended humans to become gods, nor did He want us to try really hard to be perfect; instead He sent His Spirit to live IN us (humans surrendered to His awesome goodness), His righteousness, His authority, His power, and His love working through us for His glory and for our good. The Bible is the record of God's communication with His beloved people, beginning with Adam and Eve, continuing with the nation of Israel, and eventually including the Church. It is His perfect truth transmitted via imperfect humans over thousands of years in oral and written form. This Truth promises us that when we surrender ourselves to God's holiness, when we invite His Spirit to animate and navigate all we are and all we do, that we will enjoy God's presence and live with Him forever; that His Jesus will return for the people waiting for Him, that this earth will be destroyed and replaced by a new paradise, where we will be forever overwhelmed by the glory of God.
The devil tweaks these truths ever so slightly, knowing that missing the mark by only a hair's breadth is still a clean miss, and that it is the difference between life or death. The devil loves churches full of people who are trapped in meaningless rituals, who try to work very hard to do good things, to appear pretty and clean and perfect and holy, who pray before meals and before bed without engaging their heart, only reciting nursery rhymes with their mouths. The devil wants people to believe that they can become gods, or that there is a secret truth that only a few are clever enough to find. The devil wants you to learn secret handshakes and the one name of God that is supposedly more holy than all the others. The devil wants you to believe that Jesus never really died, or that He never rose from the dead, or that He was just a really nice guy with charisma and charm. The devil wants you to focus on heavens and healings and rewards and treasures that you can win or buy and enjoy someday in the future, especially if you sacrifice enough in this life, so that you miss the point that you can know Jesus today. The devil wants you to realize that God is an enormous impersonal force that has no interaction with us, that is neither good nor evil, but that you can worship if you want. The devil wants us to memorize Bible verses and to spend hours in special church buildings instead of relating to Jesus through prayer and praise from the heart.
Enough. I have written too much again in an effort to show you my heart, to explain the sadness and anger I feel when I see people who think they are good people doing good things and maybe even a part of good churches or good Christian religion, but who have never yet experienced a familiarity with Jesus Himself. And these emotions are even more turbulent when I hear people preaching the devil's lies instead of God's Truth.
What am I doing for God in Romania? Nothing. Who is Jesus to me? Everything! If I had to come to to a village in Romania and do nothing, upheld only by the grace and mercy of God's goodness, led and protected only by the Holy Spirit, for one of you readers to understand finally that God wants to know your heart like a husband or wife knows his or her spouse, like a father or mother knows his or her child, and that you just have to let Him, then all of these hand-washed clothes and outhouses and bicycled kilometers and power outages and construction debris and hours away from people I love are worth it!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Showers
Location: On my bed in my village of C., Romania (approaching 10pm on the 15th of June)
Oh, the moon is beautiful in Romania tonight!
Just a sliver over the hill behind the houses across the street, it takes my breath away. Only the curved fingernail of the moon is showin this evening, making me smile as I recall what I learned about doing laundry by hand: my clothes may not get very clean, but it is the only way to wash of the grime engrained in my hands and fingernails after a good day's work! Today's work in the city of Medias left us covered with a thick layer of dust after we took out the floor of an apartment we are remodeling above a downtown pharmacy. It was a good day of demolition work, and a nice change of pace from the painting and gardening we did yesterday. In fact, as I walked into my yard, fully exerted from my labor, I was telling God how awesome He is. I said, "You know, maybe it is not funny to You, but it seems funny to me that after this long day of filthy, exhausting work, my only thought is how great You are!" Suddenly, it was God's turn to laugh as He caught me sighing when I remembered that I had dirty laundry soaking and ready for my attention! Sheepishly I smiled and set to work.
Yes, as always, I want to boast in my Lord. Just yesterday, I., my coworker, was asking if God really answers my prayers. I can certainly give you examples from today and yesterday and in the past and future, for "big" and "small" prayers. However, my response was interrupted by our work, and after a hard day, I prayed about what to do with my evening.
You see, my flesh, J. the human, wanted to do several things. He wanted to eat, to shower, to cut his hair, do his laundry, to play his violin, to call some friends, and to try out his new bike. (I bought a used bike this weekend, and my mentor J. will be proud of me, because with a few adjustments, this bike will go anywhere. I know I cannot call it a real mountain bike because it has fenders, but I expect it to be a great help when I want to go into Sighisoara!) So, I ended up doing several things, and finisehd by cutting my hair (Finally! In fact, because of poor lighting and a really rotten mirror, this may be the worst haircut I have ever given myself, but I cannot see the back to know, so I am happy! The front looks fine!) Then I ran over to my boss' house where I can shower, but it was too late and I was locked out. This morning, when I went over for an early shower, the door was still locked. So I sat out front and read my Bible.
Psalm 34 is a great psalm if you have not read it in a little while. Verse 5 was used by the pastor last Sunday to bless my friend, M., before his pending departure. Yet today I was convicted by verse 9, in which it is written, "...for those who fear him have no want." As I prayed that verse, it was hammered in by the next verse, "...those who seek the LORD lack no good thing." Did you catch that? NO GOOD THING! So I said, "Lord, I believe You. Time and again You have blessed me. I know that a shower is not necessary, but I feel dirty, stinky, covered in hair, a little cold, and frustrated. A shower seems like it would be a very good thing right now. Will You please make it happen?"
Before I even finished saying those words, I heard my boss' wife inside and within moments she opened the door! I was triumphant, and thanked my Lord immediately! God has been teaching me so much lately! When I caught a bus to Targu Mures this weekend, the drunk man who asked me for money turned out to be from the tiny village of V. where I want to live soon! He is directing me in prayer and through the Books of Nehemiah and Acts. He is strengthing my relationships and teaching me skills and the Romanian language. He is providing for me, and meeting me in prayer.
I have much more I want to write, but sleep is more important. Besides, my hands hurt from the manual work, and we will have another hard day tomorrow. Wish you could be here! It has been fun for me to talk with some family and friends via the internet and cell phone when I was in the city last weekend, and to receive a few pieces of mail.
Be blessed, each of you! I am praying for you, and God answers our prayers!
Oh, the moon is beautiful in Romania tonight!
Just a sliver over the hill behind the houses across the street, it takes my breath away. Only the curved fingernail of the moon is showin this evening, making me smile as I recall what I learned about doing laundry by hand: my clothes may not get very clean, but it is the only way to wash of the grime engrained in my hands and fingernails after a good day's work! Today's work in the city of Medias left us covered with a thick layer of dust after we took out the floor of an apartment we are remodeling above a downtown pharmacy. It was a good day of demolition work, and a nice change of pace from the painting and gardening we did yesterday. In fact, as I walked into my yard, fully exerted from my labor, I was telling God how awesome He is. I said, "You know, maybe it is not funny to You, but it seems funny to me that after this long day of filthy, exhausting work, my only thought is how great You are!" Suddenly, it was God's turn to laugh as He caught me sighing when I remembered that I had dirty laundry soaking and ready for my attention! Sheepishly I smiled and set to work.
Yes, as always, I want to boast in my Lord. Just yesterday, I., my coworker, was asking if God really answers my prayers. I can certainly give you examples from today and yesterday and in the past and future, for "big" and "small" prayers. However, my response was interrupted by our work, and after a hard day, I prayed about what to do with my evening.
You see, my flesh, J. the human, wanted to do several things. He wanted to eat, to shower, to cut his hair, do his laundry, to play his violin, to call some friends, and to try out his new bike. (I bought a used bike this weekend, and my mentor J. will be proud of me, because with a few adjustments, this bike will go anywhere. I know I cannot call it a real mountain bike because it has fenders, but I expect it to be a great help when I want to go into Sighisoara!) So, I ended up doing several things, and finisehd by cutting my hair (Finally! In fact, because of poor lighting and a really rotten mirror, this may be the worst haircut I have ever given myself, but I cannot see the back to know, so I am happy! The front looks fine!) Then I ran over to my boss' house where I can shower, but it was too late and I was locked out. This morning, when I went over for an early shower, the door was still locked. So I sat out front and read my Bible.
Psalm 34 is a great psalm if you have not read it in a little while. Verse 5 was used by the pastor last Sunday to bless my friend, M., before his pending departure. Yet today I was convicted by verse 9, in which it is written, "...for those who fear him have no want." As I prayed that verse, it was hammered in by the next verse, "...those who seek the LORD lack no good thing." Did you catch that? NO GOOD THING! So I said, "Lord, I believe You. Time and again You have blessed me. I know that a shower is not necessary, but I feel dirty, stinky, covered in hair, a little cold, and frustrated. A shower seems like it would be a very good thing right now. Will You please make it happen?"
Before I even finished saying those words, I heard my boss' wife inside and within moments she opened the door! I was triumphant, and thanked my Lord immediately! God has been teaching me so much lately! When I caught a bus to Targu Mures this weekend, the drunk man who asked me for money turned out to be from the tiny village of V. where I want to live soon! He is directing me in prayer and through the Books of Nehemiah and Acts. He is strengthing my relationships and teaching me skills and the Romanian language. He is providing for me, and meeting me in prayer.
I have much more I want to write, but sleep is more important. Besides, my hands hurt from the manual work, and we will have another hard day tomorrow. Wish you could be here! It has been fun for me to talk with some family and friends via the internet and cell phone when I was in the city last weekend, and to receive a few pieces of mail.
Be blessed, each of you! I am praying for you, and God answers our prayers!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Lots of New Pictures
And hopefully more to come! Check out the Picasa link to the right to see photos from the last few weeks. I'll try to take more village life photos soon!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Current Location
Friends, I'm going to keep my location set as being in the village of C., because I don't know when I will again have computer access to set it back if I change it. However, I just arrived (it's nearly midnight on the 11th, almost 12th of June) at my friends' place outside of Targu-Mures, Romania, and I will be here and in Sighisoara this weekend before heading back to the village. We had our choir concert tonight, I'm catching up with a few friends this weekend, and then it is back to village life. Thanks for your prayers! Read my latest post below. And if you have emailed me, I will do my best to respond sometime! I bless you in the Name of our Jesus!
The Swiss-Romerican Olympic Games
Location: my house in the village of C., about 9:30 pm on the 10th of June
As there is a chance I will be able to get online this weekend, I thought it would be good if I wrote an update for you. I am not promising any pictures, though.
So yes, last time you heard from me, I rode a borrowed bike straight out of a seventies Hollywood flick 40 kilometers to town and back! I am not used to such a ride, especially on a road bike like that, with curved handlebars that threatened to attack my knees with every turn. However, I did survive both potholes I failed to avoid, and rolled into town as the sun set.
The next morning, I stood plotting revenge against the manufacturers of that bike seat, but after a family church service mostly in Swiss German, I decided I was able to go for another horseback ride, which ended with four of us galloping in a race across the meadow high in the hills. Today we were up in that field again, though it was far different from Sunday's cookout up there. Today we walked through the fields (of hay, or wheat, or something that is too small and too country for me to recognize at this point) and dug up weeds for two hours in the June sun.
Yes, we have done some hard work this week. Everyday begins with watering the garden, because the daily rain we were having dried up a week ago. This week we have done some more painting, built/repaired a privacy fence, organized and laid stone in a barn, wheelbarrowed sand, and many other tasks. Have you ever used a scythe? I have now! I enjoy the rocking motion, though my yard clearing was not as easy as it looked. And I now have a large spider bite on the back of my leg, yet ironically it did not come from those weeds. I think I was bit at choir rehearsal Wednesday as we prepared for tomorrow's concert.
So there has been pure delight, pure frustration, challenges, victories, fatigue, and more. As I expected, I ran into some more trouble with my bank in America. Umm, but I have also had delicious food, and especially wonderful desserts, from produce from our garden. I also earned my own jar of strawberry jam by weeding the flower bed! Tonight I showed up a bit late to buy milk, and the lady only barely salvaged a liter of milk before it became cheese. I also did laundry by hand tonight, and even if all the socks are not completely white, all the clothing passes the odor test! Once last year, I stated that I thought the manual agriculture and simple life in Romania was charming, and someone told me it might not be charming for the people who have to live that way. I try to remember how charming it is when I am breaking my back and dripping sweat over a pitchfork or shovel. Often, when the going gets tough, I amuse myself by imagining a visit to Romania by an OSHA employee. (I cannot remember if that is the exact acronym for the bureau of workplace safety.) Many of the things he would see here would make him start convulsing, and I pray specifically each day for protection as I work hard or am around others working hard.
So I thought you would be interested in hearing about the bike ride and horseback ride. In fact, during that bike ride, I saw a sign for used bikes, but when I turned in I was charged by two nasty looking and sounding dogs. I politely explained to them that I was not afraid of them and that they should mind their own business, but I did not wait around for their response, deciding I could easily retreat by the way I entered. Instead I talked to some men working in the field, who told me there were no bikes there anyway! On Monday or Tuesday, I enjoyed another bike ride around town with my coworker, I. He goes for a ride almost everyday, and he has been a good friend to me. So we biked to a nearby lake and had a good time; this time I was on an old military issue bike that actually was a lot sturdier even if it only had one speed. The brakes only sort of worked, which made for a lot more fun. As I cycle through the people I know whom I wish were here to visit and see what I am seeing, many of you come to mind. But J. (my mentor), I often wish you could be here to share some of these adventures!
I think the best sporting adventure happened today. I. and I had talked about wrestling or having a water fight after work, so we ended up having a wrestling match, somewhere finding enough energy to compete in the yard with all of the neighborhood kids watching. If you know my family, you know that I live among many star wrestlers; however, I was never one of them, except in fourth grade intramurals. I have to admit that it was not fair; not only am I a head taller than this twenty-two-year-old, but I outweigh him by a good twenty to forty pounds. We had fun though, and it wore us out. As we sat there panting, discussing my advantage, our boss said he would like to wrestle me!
Already tired, I accepted the challenge, knowing for certain that I was proving myself crazy. Not only was I out of breath, but my boss (probably forty-five?) was in the military in Switzerland several years ago. He is not a huge man, but he is tall like me, and when he works without a shirt you can see that he will always be victories over his work. So I sized him up after a brief rest, and we began circling. Soon the not only the neighborhood kids, but the whole family was watching! We wrestled for probably five minutes, each of us nearly pinning the other several times. See? I told you I have a good boss! And now I have the marks to prove it; my body will probably remind me of it when I report to work in the morning!
So life is good, because we have a good God who is actively at work in our world, working out His plans for our good and for His glory.
As there is a chance I will be able to get online this weekend, I thought it would be good if I wrote an update for you. I am not promising any pictures, though.
So yes, last time you heard from me, I rode a borrowed bike straight out of a seventies Hollywood flick 40 kilometers to town and back! I am not used to such a ride, especially on a road bike like that, with curved handlebars that threatened to attack my knees with every turn. However, I did survive both potholes I failed to avoid, and rolled into town as the sun set.
The next morning, I stood plotting revenge against the manufacturers of that bike seat, but after a family church service mostly in Swiss German, I decided I was able to go for another horseback ride, which ended with four of us galloping in a race across the meadow high in the hills. Today we were up in that field again, though it was far different from Sunday's cookout up there. Today we walked through the fields (of hay, or wheat, or something that is too small and too country for me to recognize at this point) and dug up weeds for two hours in the June sun.
Yes, we have done some hard work this week. Everyday begins with watering the garden, because the daily rain we were having dried up a week ago. This week we have done some more painting, built/repaired a privacy fence, organized and laid stone in a barn, wheelbarrowed sand, and many other tasks. Have you ever used a scythe? I have now! I enjoy the rocking motion, though my yard clearing was not as easy as it looked. And I now have a large spider bite on the back of my leg, yet ironically it did not come from those weeds. I think I was bit at choir rehearsal Wednesday as we prepared for tomorrow's concert.
So there has been pure delight, pure frustration, challenges, victories, fatigue, and more. As I expected, I ran into some more trouble with my bank in America. Umm, but I have also had delicious food, and especially wonderful desserts, from produce from our garden. I also earned my own jar of strawberry jam by weeding the flower bed! Tonight I showed up a bit late to buy milk, and the lady only barely salvaged a liter of milk before it became cheese. I also did laundry by hand tonight, and even if all the socks are not completely white, all the clothing passes the odor test! Once last year, I stated that I thought the manual agriculture and simple life in Romania was charming, and someone told me it might not be charming for the people who have to live that way. I try to remember how charming it is when I am breaking my back and dripping sweat over a pitchfork or shovel. Often, when the going gets tough, I amuse myself by imagining a visit to Romania by an OSHA employee. (I cannot remember if that is the exact acronym for the bureau of workplace safety.) Many of the things he would see here would make him start convulsing, and I pray specifically each day for protection as I work hard or am around others working hard.
So I thought you would be interested in hearing about the bike ride and horseback ride. In fact, during that bike ride, I saw a sign for used bikes, but when I turned in I was charged by two nasty looking and sounding dogs. I politely explained to them that I was not afraid of them and that they should mind their own business, but I did not wait around for their response, deciding I could easily retreat by the way I entered. Instead I talked to some men working in the field, who told me there were no bikes there anyway! On Monday or Tuesday, I enjoyed another bike ride around town with my coworker, I. He goes for a ride almost everyday, and he has been a good friend to me. So we biked to a nearby lake and had a good time; this time I was on an old military issue bike that actually was a lot sturdier even if it only had one speed. The brakes only sort of worked, which made for a lot more fun. As I cycle through the people I know whom I wish were here to visit and see what I am seeing, many of you come to mind. But J. (my mentor), I often wish you could be here to share some of these adventures!
I think the best sporting adventure happened today. I. and I had talked about wrestling or having a water fight after work, so we ended up having a wrestling match, somewhere finding enough energy to compete in the yard with all of the neighborhood kids watching. If you know my family, you know that I live among many star wrestlers; however, I was never one of them, except in fourth grade intramurals. I have to admit that it was not fair; not only am I a head taller than this twenty-two-year-old, but I outweigh him by a good twenty to forty pounds. We had fun though, and it wore us out. As we sat there panting, discussing my advantage, our boss said he would like to wrestle me!
Already tired, I accepted the challenge, knowing for certain that I was proving myself crazy. Not only was I out of breath, but my boss (probably forty-five?) was in the military in Switzerland several years ago. He is not a huge man, but he is tall like me, and when he works without a shirt you can see that he will always be victories over his work. So I sized him up after a brief rest, and we began circling. Soon the not only the neighborhood kids, but the whole family was watching! We wrestled for probably five minutes, each of us nearly pinning the other several times. See? I told you I have a good boss! And now I have the marks to prove it; my body will probably remind me of it when I report to work in the morning!
So life is good, because we have a good God who is actively at work in our world, working out His plans for our good and for His glory.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Until the Cows Come Home...
Location: My "kitchen" table in C., Romania (9am on Saturday the fifth of June)
I have come to realize that very likely I will have almost no internet access on a regular basis. If you have emailed me, thank you, but I do not know it. (I now have a working cell phone; email me if you want the number, and when I finally see my email, I will try to send it to you.) I also learned that someone sent me a package, but I have to figure out how to be in town on Thursday morning between 10am and 12pm with my passport to pick it up--that is how it works here. I do know, however, that you have been praying for me, because everything is going swimmingly! May God get the praise and glory, and may you not become weary of praying! I am praying for you, too!
Today, I am hoping to make it in to town for the first time on my own, though whether by bike (20 km) or by hitchhiking and train I do not yet know (by bike, it was!). So far, I have been in town briefly twice, both times with the W. family for choir, but I have not been free to visit friends or run errands. Instead, I have been assimilating to village life (about 700 people live in C.). Can I tell you how much I love it?
For instance, I am now buying milk directly from the cow two or three times per week. By directly, I mean that when I go to get milk, the man is still milking the cow in the yard while the lady in the kitchen pours milk from the first pail into the bottle I bring. It is such a treat, almost as good as a milkshake! I do not have a refrigerator, so I enjoy it quickly and savor it until I can go again. I have to go between 8:15 and 8:30 in the evening, after the cow walks home down the street to get milked.
In addition to milk, I bought some honey from another neighbor, bringing her my empty zacousca jar. Romanian friends, is my spelling correct? Zacousca is a favorite food of mine here, made from red bell peppers and eggplant and I do not know what else, eaten as a spread on bread. The honey was a bit more expensive than the milk, so I am rationing it carefully. I have also been in touch with another neighbor about purchasing homemade cheese, though again I will have to do so in small quantities due to my lack of refrigeration.
Fellow Americans, remember the tales of the Old West and the general stores that stocked everything one might need? I go to the general store virtually everyday, and the clerk knows me. They have everything from ice cream to meat to fruit to toys to school supplies to tools to detergents to shoes to pre-pay phone credit to picnic tables outside so you can enjoy a drink on the spot! I love it!
I am now set up in my house to wash dishes more easily, and soon I will tackle washing clothes by hand. This time with the W. family is great practice for soon living on my own in another village. I am functioning well without plumbing or refrigeration, and I enjoy the challenge. In addition, I am learning a lot about gardening, construction and carpentry, and village life in general. My typical day begins with devotions with my boss and a couple of his children at 6:30am, even on the weekends. Then I work an eight-to-five day, taking an hour for lunch with the family. The evenings are mine in theory, though normally I eat dinner and then get ready for bed. Usually I read a little, and then I turn in early. I have enjoyed early bedtimes, early mornings, and increased prayer time in this peaceful routine.
I also have a new best friend: my violin! I brought it from the States, with a lot of other luggage that I mostly regret carrying. I knew better! Why did I decide I needed so much extra baggage? Do you ever carry baggage that you do not really need, but for whatever reason you are unwilling to leave it behind, even though you know it would allow you to move forward freely?
Nevertheless, I do not regret bringing my violin. Rarely have I played it in the past several years, but now I am eager to play it nearly daily! It survived the trip in the belly of the plan, except for the sound-post becoming dislodged. However, I do not know what the sound-post really does, and it seems to work fine without it.
Work-wise, we just finished the facade of a one-hundred-two-year-old house we have been working on; I think we are done with the other house in the same street we were painting. Most of this week was painting for me, though I spent a fair amount of time in the garden, too. Already we ate a dessert with strawberries from the garden, and some of the lettuce was harvested, too.
Adventure-wise, I told you about the horseback-riding. Sheepishly, I must admit that another adventure involved spilling half a bucket of paint down the side of the house when the handle detached itself from the pail. I am more proud of the night when I came out of my house to see a neighborhood dog bare its fangs and begin to bark at me; I took a step toward it and barked back, and it ran away! Finally, on our way into town for choir last Wednesday, we found a man lying in the rode on a fallen bike, apparently hit by a car. After stopping traffic and calling the ambulance and talking with the police, it turned out he had fallen after drinking and "driving."
So, that is a brief snapshot of life with Jesus in Romania right now. I wish you could enjoy it with me. As this may be my last blog post for a while, I will do my best to post some photos, but no promises. I miss being in contact with all of you; I look forward to when I can host you for a visit! But I also am loving this simple village life, with hard work during the days, violin in the evening, and to bed, often before 9:30! I am far from loney; instead, I am richly blessed! If you have not read the two prior posts, make sure to enjoy them, too! Thanks for your prayers! Please pray for the Church in Romania, too. Grace and peace to you in the Name of Jesus the Christ!
Where to Begin?
Location: My one-room house in C., Romania (at 9:00pm on the 30th of May)
By now, some of you are probably wondering what happened to me, and you may continue to wonder for a little while if I am unable to access the Internet soon. I have been without regular access since my arrival in Romania a couple of weeks ago. Now that I am in the village of C., I have had no Internet access since my arrival last Tuesday evening, and only once did I manage to use my telephone. You know that I trust in the Lord, and I pray that you do, too, so you will not worry about me when you do not hear from me. As usual, no news is good news! When I finally have an opportunity to spend some time in town, I will buy a SIM card for my phone that will allow me to communicate from this village. I also hope to find a way to have semi-regular Internet access.
If you have not read my last post (which will probably be posted at the same time as this one), read it first--I am sure it will be more interesting! Meanwhile, let me give you a snapshot of my life in C. with the W. family, beginning with today.
Today marked the end of a three-day weekend during which I babysat the four W. children, between 7 and 15 years old. The Lord taught me a lot during this opportunity, especially since most of the time five or more of the neighbor kids were here, too! Much of the weekend I lounged outside in prayer, enjoying the village setting and redirecting arguing children when necessary. Today was a special treat though, for two reasons. First, we had a small church service with the four children and one neighbor boy, reading Bible passages in German and Romanian. (All my interaction with the family is in Romanian, for though several family members know a little English, they do not know as much as their Oradean counterparts from last week; thus, I am quickly learning more Romanian, though with a Swiss-German accent!) In addition to the church service, our choir director came with his family in the afternoon, and we took the horses up to a meadow high in the hills and rode there and ate brownies before the rain came. Then I got to blaze new trail on horseback with my Saxon-Romanian mentor and friend, T. (the choir director), through rain and forests and briars and pastures and orchards and hills and valleys. It was spectacular, and maybe except for the English saddle, my mother would have loved it!
So yes, life with the W. family has been very good in C. My first day, I did some masonry, facade work, and helped with some painting. But the majority of my first week was spent in the large garden, manual labor that will either break me or transform me into an ox. We have had mostly beautiful weather with some torrential cloudbursts and thunder. The hard work, language learning, and horseback riding has contributed to a healthy fatigue each day, and I have had the privilege of going to bed around or before nine o'clock several nights. I live in a simple brick-masonry house with one room, wood plank floors, and no plumbing. (If you are wondering, I have an outhouse nearby, in front of the horse stable, or I use the toilet and shower across the street at the W.'s house.) I have a wood stove for heat or cooking, and a single-bulb light in the middle of the room. A couple of twin beds, a table and two chairs, two wardrobes, and some bookshelves round out my home, which I really appreciate. It is so nice to have my own place again, even if for only a while. (It is probably about the same size as my former apartment in the United States.) My early nights not only provide sound sleep, but they permit me to rise easily in the morning to meet with some of the W. family for devotions at 6:30am. Again, what a treat it is to be with a family who studies God's Word together!
W
hat else is there to tell you? C. is a bigger village, with three small convenience stores and two bars, if I understand correctly, though I have not had an opportunity to explore. I know there is also a church and a castle, which I hope to visit. Sighisoara is about 20 kilometers away, which makes it difficult to get to. I have weekends off, so I would have gone to town yesterday except for babysitting. I did get to go briefly Wednesday night with the family for choir, and actually ran into the team I worked with last time I was in Sighisoara, but I was unable to visit because I was on the family's schedule rather than mine. I hope to take several pictures of my current village life and the magnificent surroundings, but I have not been carrying my camera because of the work and the rain. Besides, I figure that even with the photos, you will be unable to 
appreciate the beauty I want to describe. I did take many photos from the train ride through the gorgeous landscapes during my trip from Oradea that lasted about 7 hours, including the taxi ride from Sighisoara. We will consider them a "sneak-peek." 
So, in sum, I am extremely blessed. Please pray for my coworker, I., who is 22. He and I get along well, but he has had a hard life, and it will be interesting to see what our Lord has in store for him. (Last night, I had a terribly violent nightmare, which is rare for me, especially since I have not been exposed to any visual violence via television or any other stimulus. I. was in the dream with me, and I have know doubt that the dream represents the spiritual warfare going on around me in this place.) Meanwhile, I am spending more time in prayer to better serve my Lord and this family while I am in C., and to better understand the path before me. The hard work and outdoors life is invigorating, and the cows and horses and goats and sheep and tractors and motorcycles and bikes in the road already seem like home, not to mention the cuckoo birds, swallows, and roosters! Welcome to village life! I hope you can enjoy it from wherever you are, even if it is difficult for you to imagine. Just picture this: an American cityboy up to his knees and elbows in Romanian dirt! What could be more wonderful!?
By now, some of you are probably wondering what happened to me, and you may continue to wonder for a little while if I am unable to access the Internet soon. I have been without regular access since my arrival in Romania a couple of weeks ago. Now that I am in the village of C., I have had no Internet access since my arrival last Tuesday evening, and only once did I manage to use my telephone. You know that I trust in the Lord, and I pray that you do, too, so you will not worry about me when you do not hear from me. As usual, no news is good news! When I finally have an opportunity to spend some time in town, I will buy a SIM card for my phone that will allow me to communicate from this village. I also hope to find a way to have semi-regular Internet access.
If you have not read my last post (which will probably be posted at the same time as this one), read it first--I am sure it will be more interesting! Meanwhile, let me give you a snapshot of my life in C. with the W. family, beginning with today.
Today marked the end of a three-day weekend during which I babysat the four W. children, between 7 and 15 years old. The Lord taught me a lot during this opportunity, especially since most of the time five or more of the neighbor kids were here, too! Much of the weekend I lounged outside in prayer, enjoying the village setting and redirecting arguing children when necessary. Today was a special treat though, for two reasons. First, we had a small church service with the four children and one neighbor boy, reading Bible passages in German and Romanian. (All my interaction with the family is in Romanian, for though several family members know a little English, they do not know as much as their Oradean counterparts from last week; thus, I am quickly learning more Romanian, though with a Swiss-German accent!) In addition to the church service, our choir director came with his family in the afternoon, and we took the horses up to a meadow high in the hills and rode there and ate brownies before the rain came. Then I got to blaze new trail on horseback with my Saxon-Romanian mentor and friend, T. (the choir director), through rain and forests and briars and pastures and orchards and hills and valleys. It was spectacular, and maybe except for the English saddle, my mother would have loved it!
So yes, life with the W. family has been very good in C. My first day, I did some masonry, facade work, and helped with some painting. But the majority of my first week was spent in the large garden, manual labor that will either break me or transform me into an ox. We have had mostly beautiful weather with some torrential cloudbursts and thunder. The hard work, language learning, and horseback riding has contributed to a healthy fatigue each day, and I have had the privilege of going to bed around or before nine o'clock several nights. I live in a simple brick-masonry house with one room, wood plank floors, and no plumbing. (If you are wondering, I have an outhouse nearby, in front of the horse stable, or I use the toilet and shower across the street at the W.'s house.) I have a wood stove for heat or cooking, and a single-bulb light in the middle of the room. A couple of twin beds, a table and two chairs, two wardrobes, and some bookshelves round out my home, which I really appreciate. It is so nice to have my own place again, even if for only a while. (It is probably about the same size as my former apartment in the United States.) My early nights not only provide sound sleep, but they permit me to rise easily in the morning to meet with some of the W. family for devotions at 6:30am. Again, what a treat it is to be with a family who studies God's Word together!
W
hat else is there to tell you? C. is a bigger village, with three small convenience stores and two bars, if I understand correctly, though I have not had an opportunity to explore. I know there is also a church and a castle, which I hope to visit. Sighisoara is about 20 kilometers away, which makes it difficult to get to. I have weekends off, so I would have gone to town yesterday except for babysitting. I did get to go briefly Wednesday night with the family for choir, and actually ran into the team I worked with last time I was in Sighisoara, but I was unable to visit because I was on the family's schedule rather than mine. I hope to take several pictures of my current village life and the magnificent surroundings, but I have not been carrying my camera because of the work and the rain. Besides, I figure that even with the photos, you will be unable to 
appreciate the beauty I want to describe. I did take many photos from the train ride through the gorgeous landscapes during my trip from Oradea that lasted about 7 hours, including the taxi ride from Sighisoara. We will consider them a "sneak-peek." 
So, in sum, I am extremely blessed. Please pray for my coworker, I., who is 22. He and I get along well, but he has had a hard life, and it will be interesting to see what our Lord has in store for him. (Last night, I had a terribly violent nightmare, which is rare for me, especially since I have not been exposed to any visual violence via television or any other stimulus. I. was in the dream with me, and I have know doubt that the dream represents the spiritual warfare going on around me in this place.) Meanwhile, I am spending more time in prayer to better serve my Lord and this family while I am in C., and to better understand the path before me. The hard work and outdoors life is invigorating, and the cows and horses and goats and sheep and tractors and motorcycles and bikes in the road already seem like home, not to mention the cuckoo birds, swallows, and roosters! Welcome to village life! I hope you can enjoy it from wherever you are, even if it is difficult for you to imagine. Just picture this: an American cityboy up to his knees and elbows in Romanian dirt! What could be more wonderful!?
God's Victories
Location: Attic bedroom in hosts' house, Oradea, Romania (about 6:15pm on the 24th of May)
(I have been having trouble getting internet access, so please be patient as you wait for email replies and blog posts. Tomorrow I am off toward Sighisoara, so hopefully from there I can post this one!)
Today is Monday, and in Romania, it is a holiday due to yesterday being Pentecost. The holiday was nice for me, because I am tired after a long weekend. Let me tell you a little bit about it.
Some of you know my friend M., from Hunedoara. She was truly a Godsend this weekend. She traveled nearly five hours by bus to Oradea Saturday after teaching public school all week and while nursing a rotten cold. She skipped her weekend continuing education classes to do so. Then she learned that the buses would not run on Sunday because of the holiday, thwarting her return plans.
Good-naturedly, she dove right in, doing all she could to absorb everything I told her in preparation for the family workshop we would be leading in about two hours. She had come to translate, but her expertise and
experience working with persons with disabilities made her extremely valuable in helping to 
transport my host on his first outing with his broken leg. (Hopefully I can post a few pictures with this of how we transported S. in the back of a car and helped him and his wheelchair up and down a narrow staircase at home and a shoddy gangplank at a construction site!) At the last minute, because the weather turned out to be beautiful, we had the meeting outside of town next to a lake, 17 kilometers from Oradea.
I am so thankful M. was there to help me put things in perspective. Compared to my plans, most of the evening would have to be considered a complete failure! My weeks of preparation and communication seemed in vain as several things beyond our control mixed with cultural differences and human nature to challenge us at every turn. I went for a walk with Jesus away from the thirty people or so who were enjoying the lakeside grill-out after my house of cards had fallen flat. As I stood by the lake praying and thinking about the evening that was not yet over, I was awestruck. A storm was brewing in the sunset, churning clouds into gorgeous towers of shadows and power. A deer streaked across the meadow, perhaps startled by the shepherd's
dogs barking amid the bleating sheep I could not see. Those noises were joined by the call of a cuckoo and other birds, to a back drop of cricket- or 
grasshopper-song. The breeze pushed at me affectionately, knocking off the disappointment that threatened me, and I watched birds dip and dive in the lingering light. The sun was majestic, unmoved by the rain I could see falling on the horizon. The tall grass and reeds kept me company, as if listening with me to the wisdom of my God.
As always, I had given the evening completely to the Lord; M. and I had prayed together again before we started, recommitting it to His glory yet again. During our time by the lake, He reminded me that He does not make mistakes, and that He chose me and M. specifically as His vessels for that evening's work, even knowing ahead of time what would result and the difficulty we would have. In fact, the evening was not a failure; it was a glorious victory for the Lord! Even before we failed, He had planned to use it for His glory, and He did. I saw fathers taking their children around the lake in the rowboat. Another dad reminded his toddler of creation songs as they strolled through the tall grass. Families were fellowshipping together and sharing a feast (what were other families doing on a Saturday night?)! A young man was playing the guitar, other folks were conversing. A soccer ball was kicked around and I saw some of the young girls frolicking around in whatever game they had invented.
And how much more was God doing behind the scenes! What did He do that night for His glory that I will never know about?
In fact, I enjoyed myself that evening. I always enjoy a good challenge, and even the vehicles getting stuck in the mud just added to the adventure. Besides, as I stood and looked around at the land to which the Lord has brought me, I could not help but be grateful. Stunned by the beauty of the hills and trees and meadows and skies and wildlife, I just wanted to drink it in! Rather than a possible "failure" discouraging me from the hard months ahead of me in a foreign place, the Lord's majesty encouraged me and whet my appetite for more of His life in this land! Many of you were praying for us; thank you!!!
Perhaps you do not have time to read more right now, but would you believe that the above is just the beginning of the story of our weekend adventures?
By Sunday morning, we were all moving a little lethargically after our evening together the night before. Finally, M. and I sat down to breakfast together in the house of our hosts, and just as I poured milk on my cereal, looking forward to catching up with my friend now that we had a moment for conversation, my name was called from upstairs. I left my muesli soaking and skipped upstairs, to hear, "J., you are the only one who can help me." That was at 9:35am.
Soon I was on my way to the house of a man I had never met (I had met his wife and a few of their children the previous Sunday; they are missionaries from South Africa) with a bathroom scale. My instructions were to help them weight their baggage, take it and one of their children to the trainstation before their 10:00am train departed, and to bring their rabbit back to the house. Yes, their rabbit. Would you expect anything less in one of my weekend adventures? Just wait, it gets better.
I found the house and its seven-person family and set to work, quickly realizing they would never make it by 10:00, especially since virtually every one of their suitcases was too heavy for the plane they would later catch. It turned out that their train was at 11:00; in fact, the same train M. was supposed to catch. So I called her and apologized that I would be unable to go with her to the train station; instead, could she meet me there?
Eventually I found myself and some of the men in the family (and a neat friend from Pakistan) climbing over industrial piping and about six sets of train rails to get eight or nine suitcases to the train platform from the backside of the station. Then I momentarily left them to meet up with M., who ended up learning that the next train (an hour later) would be a better option for her. After we saw the family and their luggage installed on the train, I (and S., my new Pakistani friend) took Maria to the car to introduce her to the rabbit, which I had locked in the car loose with breakfast still in a skillet, a turtle, and some sort of mouse or gerbil, all which had been left by the missionary family. I know it will not surprise you that not long after M. and I returned with this zoo to the house, she and I and one of the daughters in the household found ourselves running through the neighborhood streets chasing a large while rabbit!
By then, I decided to try to eat my breakfast before M. had to go to the train station. As I scarfed my muesli, I again heard my name called from upstairs! This time I took my cereal with me! Now a new plan unfolded. Why not take M. home by car?
Yes, this weekend, I ended up driving more than all other times I have lived abroad, combined. With S.'s broken leg, I was the only one in the family with a driver's license. The car belonged to a friend, but we had permission to use it, and all Romanian cars have to have liability insurance on them. So this once-nice Volkswagon became my fearless steed for the weekend. The sunroof mostly closed, and all the doors eventually opened, but you never knew if you had to open them from inside or outside. The car alarm went off unexpectedly while the car was parked, playing games with the emergancy flashers that would signal several times without warning as I drove, over and over again in intervals. The drivers' window would not open, but the rest did; the back hatch would hardly close. The air-conditioning no longer worked, but the heat would not stop. I think it still had three hubcaps. It was a good car! And to make it even cooler, I decided to spray mud up both sides of the front on Saturday night, to give it an off-roading look.
Seriously, I was grateful for the car, for it served us well. It took S. and his broken leg (and all our gear piled on top of him) to the family picnic and back. Then it took me and M. from Oradea to Hunedoara via Deva, and then back up toward Cluj-Napoca through Alba Iulia and back to Oradea, in about 9 hours of driving on one tank of gas. The drive wove through breath-taking landscapes as I dodged car-eating potholes, over mountains and chasing the rain that we never caught. Neither did I hit the flock of sheep in the road, nor the enormous cows crossing the street in front of me. Even the hare that shot across my lane while I was streaking down the new interstate-highway outside of Cluj was spared. I outran the tour bus that chased me down switchback curves, and I navigated road-construction areas as I learned the signs. I parked at home early this morning and hit the sack, sleeping in a little before two of the teenagers in the house and I washed the car. I wish I had pictures--we had fun!
Anyway, it was a great adventure because God blessed me with more and more of His beautiful Romanian landscapes (including snow-dazzled mountains outside Hunedoara), as well as with an opportunity to discuss with M. our Spirit-led lives as Christians and to sharpen one another. We also laughed and laughed and laughed! An added blessing was getting to surprise another friend of ours in Hunedoara with a brief visit, and taking a rest-stop to eat a meal prepared by M.'s mom.
If you are still reading, you know by now the moral of the story. This weekend, which should have been a disappointment and failure in so many respects, was instead a time filled with blessings and beauty, with laughter and encouragement, with friends and families, with surprises and lessons, and grace and glory. You see, God's glory does not depend on my success. His work does not depend upon my work. Yet He chooses to use me and even my failures to accomplish His magnificent plans. This weekend, He also chose M., and though our obedience led us through tensions and obstacles and uncertainty and maybe even humiliation, I would do it all again!
How about you? Did He choose to work through you this weekend?
Did you let Him?
You still can!
(I have been having trouble getting internet access, so please be patient as you wait for email replies and blog posts. Tomorrow I am off toward Sighisoara, so hopefully from there I can post this one!)
Today is Monday, and in Romania, it is a holiday due to yesterday being Pentecost. The holiday was nice for me, because I am tired after a long weekend. Let me tell you a little bit about it.
Some of you know my friend M., from Hunedoara. She was truly a Godsend this weekend. She traveled nearly five hours by bus to Oradea Saturday after teaching public school all week and while nursing a rotten cold. She skipped her weekend continuing education classes to do so. Then she learned that the buses would not run on Sunday because of the holiday, thwarting her return plans.
Good-naturedly, she dove right in, doing all she could to absorb everything I told her in preparation for the family workshop we would be leading in about two hours. She had come to translate, but her expertise and
experience working with persons with disabilities made her extremely valuable in helping to 
transport my host on his first outing with his broken leg. (Hopefully I can post a few pictures with this of how we transported S. in the back of a car and helped him and his wheelchair up and down a narrow staircase at home and a shoddy gangplank at a construction site!) At the last minute, because the weather turned out to be beautiful, we had the meeting outside of town next to a lake, 17 kilometers from Oradea.I am so thankful M. was there to help me put things in perspective. Compared to my plans, most of the evening would have to be considered a complete failure! My weeks of preparation and communication seemed in vain as several things beyond our control mixed with cultural differences and human nature to challenge us at every turn. I went for a walk with Jesus away from the thirty people or so who were enjoying the lakeside grill-out after my house of cards had fallen flat. As I stood by the lake praying and thinking about the evening that was not yet over, I was awestruck. A storm was brewing in the sunset, churning clouds into gorgeous towers of shadows and power. A deer streaked across the meadow, perhaps startled by the shepherd's
dogs barking amid the bleating sheep I could not see. Those noises were joined by the call of a cuckoo and other birds, to a back drop of cricket- or 
grasshopper-song. The breeze pushed at me affectionately, knocking off the disappointment that threatened me, and I watched birds dip and dive in the lingering light. The sun was majestic, unmoved by the rain I could see falling on the horizon. The tall grass and reeds kept me company, as if listening with me to the wisdom of my God.As always, I had given the evening completely to the Lord; M. and I had prayed together again before we started, recommitting it to His glory yet again. During our time by the lake, He reminded me that He does not make mistakes, and that He chose me and M. specifically as His vessels for that evening's work, even knowing ahead of time what would result and the difficulty we would have. In fact, the evening was not a failure; it was a glorious victory for the Lord! Even before we failed, He had planned to use it for His glory, and He did. I saw fathers taking their children around the lake in the rowboat. Another dad reminded his toddler of creation songs as they strolled through the tall grass. Families were fellowshipping together and sharing a feast (what were other families doing on a Saturday night?)! A young man was playing the guitar, other folks were conversing. A soccer ball was kicked around and I saw some of the young girls frolicking around in whatever game they had invented.
And how much more was God doing behind the scenes! What did He do that night for His glory that I will never know about?
In fact, I enjoyed myself that evening. I always enjoy a good challenge, and even the vehicles getting stuck in the mud just added to the adventure. Besides, as I stood and looked around at the land to which the Lord has brought me, I could not help but be grateful. Stunned by the beauty of the hills and trees and meadows and skies and wildlife, I just wanted to drink it in! Rather than a possible "failure" discouraging me from the hard months ahead of me in a foreign place, the Lord's majesty encouraged me and whet my appetite for more of His life in this land! Many of you were praying for us; thank you!!!
Perhaps you do not have time to read more right now, but would you believe that the above is just the beginning of the story of our weekend adventures?
By Sunday morning, we were all moving a little lethargically after our evening together the night before. Finally, M. and I sat down to breakfast together in the house of our hosts, and just as I poured milk on my cereal, looking forward to catching up with my friend now that we had a moment for conversation, my name was called from upstairs. I left my muesli soaking and skipped upstairs, to hear, "J., you are the only one who can help me." That was at 9:35am.
Soon I was on my way to the house of a man I had never met (I had met his wife and a few of their children the previous Sunday; they are missionaries from South Africa) with a bathroom scale. My instructions were to help them weight their baggage, take it and one of their children to the trainstation before their 10:00am train departed, and to bring their rabbit back to the house. Yes, their rabbit. Would you expect anything less in one of my weekend adventures? Just wait, it gets better.
I found the house and its seven-person family and set to work, quickly realizing they would never make it by 10:00, especially since virtually every one of their suitcases was too heavy for the plane they would later catch. It turned out that their train was at 11:00; in fact, the same train M. was supposed to catch. So I called her and apologized that I would be unable to go with her to the train station; instead, could she meet me there?
Eventually I found myself and some of the men in the family (and a neat friend from Pakistan) climbing over industrial piping and about six sets of train rails to get eight or nine suitcases to the train platform from the backside of the station. Then I momentarily left them to meet up with M., who ended up learning that the next train (an hour later) would be a better option for her. After we saw the family and their luggage installed on the train, I (and S., my new Pakistani friend) took Maria to the car to introduce her to the rabbit, which I had locked in the car loose with breakfast still in a skillet, a turtle, and some sort of mouse or gerbil, all which had been left by the missionary family. I know it will not surprise you that not long after M. and I returned with this zoo to the house, she and I and one of the daughters in the household found ourselves running through the neighborhood streets chasing a large while rabbit!
By then, I decided to try to eat my breakfast before M. had to go to the train station. As I scarfed my muesli, I again heard my name called from upstairs! This time I took my cereal with me! Now a new plan unfolded. Why not take M. home by car?
Yes, this weekend, I ended up driving more than all other times I have lived abroad, combined. With S.'s broken leg, I was the only one in the family with a driver's license. The car belonged to a friend, but we had permission to use it, and all Romanian cars have to have liability insurance on them. So this once-nice Volkswagon became my fearless steed for the weekend. The sunroof mostly closed, and all the doors eventually opened, but you never knew if you had to open them from inside or outside. The car alarm went off unexpectedly while the car was parked, playing games with the emergancy flashers that would signal several times without warning as I drove, over and over again in intervals. The drivers' window would not open, but the rest did; the back hatch would hardly close. The air-conditioning no longer worked, but the heat would not stop. I think it still had three hubcaps. It was a good car! And to make it even cooler, I decided to spray mud up both sides of the front on Saturday night, to give it an off-roading look.
Seriously, I was grateful for the car, for it served us well. It took S. and his broken leg (and all our gear piled on top of him) to the family picnic and back. Then it took me and M. from Oradea to Hunedoara via Deva, and then back up toward Cluj-Napoca through Alba Iulia and back to Oradea, in about 9 hours of driving on one tank of gas. The drive wove through breath-taking landscapes as I dodged car-eating potholes, over mountains and chasing the rain that we never caught. Neither did I hit the flock of sheep in the road, nor the enormous cows crossing the street in front of me. Even the hare that shot across my lane while I was streaking down the new interstate-highway outside of Cluj was spared. I outran the tour bus that chased me down switchback curves, and I navigated road-construction areas as I learned the signs. I parked at home early this morning and hit the sack, sleeping in a little before two of the teenagers in the house and I washed the car. I wish I had pictures--we had fun!
Anyway, it was a great adventure because God blessed me with more and more of His beautiful Romanian landscapes (including snow-dazzled mountains outside Hunedoara), as well as with an opportunity to discuss with M. our Spirit-led lives as Christians and to sharpen one another. We also laughed and laughed and laughed! An added blessing was getting to surprise another friend of ours in Hunedoara with a brief visit, and taking a rest-stop to eat a meal prepared by M.'s mom.
If you are still reading, you know by now the moral of the story. This weekend, which should have been a disappointment and failure in so many respects, was instead a time filled with blessings and beauty, with laughter and encouragement, with friends and families, with surprises and lessons, and grace and glory. You see, God's glory does not depend on my success. His work does not depend upon my work. Yet He chooses to use me and even my failures to accomplish His magnificent plans. This weekend, He also chose M., and though our obedience led us through tensions and obstacles and uncertainty and maybe even humiliation, I would do it all again!
How about you? Did He choose to work through you this weekend?
Did you let Him?
You still can!
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A Rose From Home
