Three for one deal...

Sorry everyone for not posting the other night. It seems I have a lot to catch up on.

So, Tuesday, we started with a trip to Slimnic. The ladies and Tony went to help out more with the music camp, so that left Pastor Rich, Jerry and myself. However, we ended up going into Slimnic with another team that was in from Huntington Beach. This was the first time that I had seen Radu's van fully packed (and then some).

I did manage to bring the camera with me this time (thanks to Pastor Rich's suggestion), so I got some great shots.







Suffice to say, the drive was quite scenic. Once we got into Slimnic, we dropped off the other team at a church to help run a VBS that was being hosted at the church. So, after a few minutes, we were off to the senior home we were going to be visiting. So, today, I hit a different end of the emotional spectrum (as compared to being angry at what I saw in the Orthodox church).

We managed to arrive well before the director did, so Radu took us around for a small tour. We got to see the two greenhouses they have where they grow their own vegetables,











the back area with the grape vines, raspberry bush and the side garden. After taking in the view for a minutes (and me cleaning off my boots for another 20!!), we went inside and visited with the people staying there. Listening to the stories broke my heart over and over again.

We visited with 4 of the ladies that were staying there. The first lady we visited, Ana, had been deported to Siberia just after WWII. Her dad was able to negotiate with the Russians to stay with some of the family, but she, along with 2 of her sisters and her brother, were taken to work. While her brother was separated from them, she did at least spend the time with her sisters, albeit I'm sure it was still a horrible time anyways. Praise God though that they did all make it back, reuniting with the rest of the family that did manage to be left at the home. She ended up marrying a man, a widower, with five children to help take care of them shortly after his wife died. Now, with her parents, husband and siblings all gone, none of these children keep in touch with her. Her only source of companionship is one of the other residents that has suffered a similar history.



To be honest, I'm not going to post the rest of the stories. Not because they aren't equally as important, but because I'm not sure I can handle recalling their stories or the hurt they must have suffered. But, here are the rest pics of the ladies we visited that I took while there.







Afterwards, we met with the director and had a small lunch. We talked of what a second upcoming team may be able to do for the home and what is needed to start the construction of a new home.

So, with what ended up being the first of two lunches in our stomachs, we headed back to pick up the VBS team and went back into Sibiu. And, you guessed it, lunch was waiting for us when we got back. And, yes, it was very good. And, yes, we were very full afterwards. Now it was time to unwind a bit and get my head straight before the service. Seeing and hearing what I did left me a bit shocked to say the least.

Soon, dinner time approached. However, I don't recall eating much. Maybe I was just full from the two lunches, maybe I was a little nervous getting ready for my message, maybe I was still affected by what I saw or maybe a little of each. In any case, we joined the evening service just as the band was warming up. This was a "youth" service, so the attendance was fairly low (30-50) and about the age range of Alive!, or maybe a little younger. I spent the time praying, asking God to speak to them as I was going to turn off for Him. After all, the last thing I want to be is a hinderance to His message. The topic for the night was accountability, something I'm very familiar with.

Tony got to play with the band that night, which was pretty amazing to say the least. He was, hands down, the main attraction of the night, if that can actually be said. He brought a lot of feeling and soul to the worship that night, both with the band and during his solo. Praise God for such a talented man indeed! :)

The message seemed to go pretty good, albeit a little short from what I'm told. Then again, sometimes the most powerful and memorable messages have been shorter than expected. We all spent some time afterwards talking with the congregation (ok, maybe it was just Tony and we were his fan club lol) and then retired for the evening. However, I found myself starting to think about what can be done with Alive!: what can be changed, what can we start with, how to help those who are struggling, etc. Needless to say, my mind has really stopped since.

Ok, now on to Wednesday (yesterday). It was fairly relaxing in the morning for me, which was good. I needed some down-time to recover and re-align. Joanne, Karen and Tony managed to get back early so we could go see the outdoor museum. This is a museum of all the different houses of Romania, and it was amazing to see. I posted the pics on my Facebook, so feel free to check them out there. It was neat to see the way they designed their homes, including the colors they picked (apparently, the lavender houses repelled some bugs better than the rest due to the color). Unfortunately, it was raining the whole time, so we definitely got wet. Well, all of us except for Tony, who was catching up on some much-needed sleep. :P Thankfully, the camera is water-resistant, so I was able to get lots of pictures without worrying about it. I took over 90 pics, so I'd say I got my 5 lei's worth. :D

Radu dropped us off close to 5 to give us time to get dinner and get ready for our events for the night. Joanne and Karen were going out to meet Connie (she's in charge of the music camp and is also here from the Bay Area) and rest of us were going to another Bible study...or so we thought. Something that was lost in the translation was that a Bible can also mean what we think of as a worship service. So, needless to say, we weren't "holy" that night (meaning, we were dressed casual instead of dressed up) and, apparently, it started an hour before we got there. Whoops!! :) Oh well, it happens.

What amazed me at this service was what God did through Tony and Pastor Rich. Pastor Rich spoke to the congregation about unity in the Body of Christ, namely overlooking petty differences and focusing on what is important. In a congregation that is heavily conservative, I was almost wincing, waiting for the outcry of disapproval due to our appearance and what-not. But, not only was the message accepted, it was welcomed with open arms. Praise God!! Then came the star again. :D Tony played some hymns on his flute and sax for everyone, and the congregation not only loved it but stuck around afterwards to hear more. I'm beginning to feel like a roadie almost. lol :)

Now, one thing to note, is that once we got back, we had lost our internet connection. I was intending for this to be made yesterday, but that didn't quite happen. Oh well, right? :)

Once again, I found myself that night pondering about Alive!. This time, I found myself asking what I can do specifically to better reach those that are attending on an individual level. The answers varied, from "nothing yet" to "be supportive and understanding" to "invest time in Alive! and they will want more". Then I found myself going back to something I've found so encouraging. Through this whole trip, I've been seeing how on-fire these people are for God and how what Christ means to them. It never ceases to amaze and inspire me. To be honest, there were many times I was on the verge of throwing in the towel, but God kept telling me to wait for this trip. I'm very glad I did too, because I would have had a lot more regret otherwise.

So, now on to today. We were going to go back to the museum to see the zoo (I was told there were Romanian dogs and cats to see lol), but instead asked to see some of the other ministries of Betania. First, we went to a home out in Şelimbăr for female orphans over 18. Now, there are some things to understand that make this home such an amazing place. First, orphans are regarded as being very low socially here. Second, as such, orphanages are really not nice places to be at all. Third, after 18, orphans are kicked out of the orphanages and forced to fend for themselves. So, the fact that a place like this exists is awesome in-and-of-itself. This house was built with the money of the one of the members of Betania to give these girls a place to live and a helping hand on their lives. The home collects any and all money and saves it. During this, they are actively helping the girls find jobs that they can do. Once they are established, then can move out with the help of a portion of the money that the home has been saving this whole time. Seeing this realy warms my heart, esp. seeing how much it has helped the girls staying there. Again, I have posted pics on my Facebook for all to see.

Next, we got to see the Christian radio station that Betania supports. This station not only broadcasts God's message to all of Sibiu, but also to many of the neighboring villages as well, such as Slimnic. We got a tour of the small station and got to chat with the director of the station himself. Seeing what they are doing with what little equipment they have has moved me to pursue ways of supplying them with whatever computer equipment I can get my hands on (Ron, guess what I want to talk to you about when I get back ;) ). To me, I'm just glad I can help out. I'm always glad to fill a need. But, this apparently had more of an impact that I thought. More on this later.

Lastly, we stopped by the high school that Betania runs, and apparently that Radu teaches at. Only 2 of the ladies that work in the school were there, as school is out for summer right now. But, we did get to see some of the classrooms and such along with meet the two ladies. Again, I have pics posted on my Facebook.

Now it was time to head back home for some more of that good Romanian food. Only, this time, this was something all-too-familiar to me. We had chicken soup, fried fish, steamed vegetables and herb and butter rice. None of us left that table without being full. :D We had the afternoon to rest, and rest we did. The ladies were off having dinner while Tony finished preparing for the concert tomorrow. Yes, once again, a star. (nothing but love for you Tony! :D ) So, once everyone managed to get back, we got ready and went down for the evening service here at Betania. Rich asked me to get some pics of the congregation, so I brought the camera with me. I guess I'm the designated P.R. person for the trip. I think its because of the camera. (thanks again for letting me borrow it Jen ;) )

So, after getting ready, I grabbed the camera and we went down into the sanctuary. It was definitely a larger congregation that Tues. night. But, after hearing Tony's message, I'm convinced it wasn't large enough. Not only was he playing flute and sax during the service, he also delivered an amazing message about the necessity for unity and support within the Body of Christ. Once again, the star, if it can be said so. However, I had one unexpected event happen to me tonight. I was approached by the director of the radio station tonight. Apparently, he was so moved by my willingness to help them at the drop of a hat that he wants to do an interview with me tomorrow at the radio station!! He was saying that his computer guy was advising him just this morning to get new monitors, and here I come offering to help get new LCDs for him. I'd call that providence, wouldn't you? Needless to say, I'm still in shock that I'm going to be on the radio. I'll post tomorrow what happened.

So, it is now just past 1 in the morning and I am quite sleepy indeed. I'm going to make one quick call on Skype and then go check my eyelids for holes. Goodnight everyone, and sorry for any typos.