Romania and Spain 2009

Reflections of Spainia

2009-07-14T23:09:00.000-07:00

I guess this will be the last blog for me, as we've been home over 24 hours now. I keep saying how different this trip was from my expectations of "doing missions," but I am learning that the real mission of believers is to support, encourage and love one another as we work together to bring others into relationship with Jesus Christ, through the work of the local church or through other outreach activities. Because this was our church's first full team going to Spain, we're still building relationships and discovering how we can partner with the church and their leaders to realize their visions. Our presence alone shows that we care about them; our testimonies and messages bring a different point of view or present old points from new preachers; our participation in their activities and with their families gives us, and hopefully them, a sense of a world-wide family of God.

Mark's presence was huge when he finally got to Spain. Like with Tony in Sibiu, we became roadies again, basking in the glow of Mark's talent which he used to return all glory to God. The Saturday concert was wonderful, with other worship teams singing, the pastor of the Nigerian church singing two songs, and Mark closing the time with sharing and several songs. On Sunday, I got to sing with Mark for the service - gee, we got a lot of mileage (literally) out of "How Great Is Our God" singing the chorus in Romanian.

Now, back in the hot-but-not-humid East Bay, we've gone to Costco to restock the kitchen, Naomi has an orthodontic appointment and Rich has several meetings tomorrow. Routine life returns to normal, but I'm looking expectantly to the Lord for what He wants to do with my life in light of this experience.

I'm not done with my Spainia experience yet, though. Teo will be e-mailing me Immanuel's mother's recipe for gogosi!

Thanks for reading. Think about going yourself!

Joanne

Pics from Spain

2009-07-10T02:31:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of our recent activities in Spain:

Steve leading a Bible study discussion with one of our translators, Christina.

Our wonderful hosts, Priscila and Teo Taban.

Naomi and Christina in Castellon.

The medieval town and fortress at Peñíscola.

Joanne sharing her testimony with another of our translators, Christie.

Today we will baptize Steve in the Mediterranen and Mark will finally arrive in Spain. Keep checking to see more pics.

Is it the end of the week already?

2009-07-10T02:25:00.000-07:00

What’s the saying? “Time flies when you’re having fun!” How about this: “Time flies when you’re on a mission trip!” Allow me to recap the past couple days…

After posting my last entry from Teo’s house (Tuesday morning), we stayed at his house for a bit and shared some good fellowship time (or, as I call it sometimes, we were shooting the breeze). However, as lunch fast approached, we split up to go to 3 different homes. I can’t say enough just how welcoming, accepting and hospitable these people are. Of course, they’re Romanian, so that explains it! :D

Originally, I was going to be joining a family nearby for lunch. However, as the husband was still at work, this would have left me alone with the wife and little daughter…not a good thing. So, Christina came with me, and I’m glad she did. This not only gave accountability but also allowed her to translate to and for me. We shared a lot of stories and I was able to share some of the pics that I had taken. And, of course, the food was great. We had a meat and cheese plate to start, followed by home-made chicken, potatoes and mushrooms. But, the best part was the dessert…homemade crêpes! Apparently, it was her mother’s recipe, and a good one it was too.

However, the time came that we had to leave, as the Bible study was starting at 6 and I was leading. Again, this was for the youth of the church (teens to 20’s). So, after giving my warmest thanks, Christina and I left and walked back to the church. Thankfully, like in Romania, everything is just a short walk away. We managed to arrive “on time”, which means we were a little late by American time but on time by Romanian time. :)

We started off with worship and prayer. I still have a hard time of knowing when to sit and stand, as we stand during worship and sit during prayer but they do the opposite, for the most part. So, my reactions are still a little delayed, but oh well. Vergie gave her testimony about how God is able to do more than most people think possible. This was a powerful message indeed, as many were moved by it and Pastor Luca (the head pastor of the church here in Castellón) wants her to give it again on Sunday morning. Afterwards, thanks to Teo’s suggestion, we split everyone up into groups to answer the three main questions I wanted to cover for the night regarding what it means to be in the family of God. It was great to hear the answers that everyone had, as it gave me more insight into who they are and where they are in their walk with Christ. Needless to say, we had a very good discussion.

Originally, we had planned to go to the beach afterwards. However, due to the rain and the wind, Teo decided to order some pizzas and open up another part of the church for everyone. This gave us an opportunity to mingle with everyone throughout the night, which was great. However, we had some time to burn between my message and when the pizzas arrived, so Rich decided to talk with everyone about their church and encourage them to be active in the direction of the church.

Now on to the next day. As was mentioned before, Vergie was being encouraged to see a doctor, and praise God she did. So, while Helen, Vergie and Rich went to see what was going on, I went with Joanne, Naomi and Christina to explore the city (and the ladies decided to do some shopping as well). So, I managed to get a lot of great pictures of Castellón. I'll post them on Facebook for you all to see.

Afterwards, we went out to Peñiscola, a city north of Castellón. There, we had lunch just before visiting the castle there. This castle was used by Benedict XIII after his exile and was the site of the beginning of the Spanish inquisition. And, yes, I got pictures. I'll need to post the links to the albums in Facebook. Afterwards, Teo treated us to ice cream from one of the local stores. 4 words: melon and chocolate orange. YUM!! :D Apparently, I'm not the only one that likes those. Teo and Manuel had melon as well and Joanne tried the chocolate orange, which she seemed to like.

We came back to Teo's only to leave for dinner again. I can now say that I've had McDonald's in another country. Priscilia had come home the night before and was back at work...for McDonalds. So, we visited her and supported the McD's she works at. And all this before church last night.

This was our first service that we attended while we have been here in Spain. However, it was strangely familiar. This is because it is a Romanian church, so it was very similar to the services we attended in Sibiu. However, we were not the only guests, as another Pastor from one of the neighboring churches was there as well and did a couple of songs for the congregation. Afterwards, Rich delivered a great message (again :P ) on unity in the Body of Christ. This really struck a chord with the congregation, as this is something they are striving to work for with the other churches.

Afterwards, we came back to Teo and Priscilia's house to do some late-night posting and such (or, in my case, a very important phone call ;) ). Shortly after, we called it a night, said our goodnights to everyone and turned in for the evening.

This brings us to today. We are at Teo & Priscilia's right now posting and such before lunch. Tonight, I will be delivering a message on obedience before getting baptized in the Mediterranean. Needless to say this is a big day for us all. Have a wonderful day everyone and I'll post again soon.

Short Expectations

2009-07-09T13:43:00.000-07:00

It´s 10:45pm and we just returned to Teo´s flat after the Thursday night service in order to use his Wi-fi connection for the blogging because our house doesn´t have an internet connection.

I gave a testimony tonight about expectations, because this missions trip has shattered all my expectations, both good and bad, about what I thought God might have in mind. What I said was that as long as I know that God loves me and that God is in control, I should only expect that God will do great things. It´s the ability to see God´s hand that needs more practice.

I think it´s the ability to see the inside of my eyelids that I need right now, so, more later.

Joanne

The Journey Continues

2009-07-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

I love being able to do mission work in Spain. It’s so neat to be in a country where the principle language is Castilian Spanish yet each region has its own dialect, i.e. Valenciana or Catalan. Throw in the fact that we’re working with a Romanian community and that really confuses the languages we work with and with the kind of translations that will take place. And even the Romanians are caught speaking a mixture of Spanish and Romanian as they speak. They understand each other but then laugh when they realize that others might not.

The other thing that is so much fun is that Romanians come from all over Romania. We’ve met people from Timişoara, Arad, Moldova, Bucureşti, and yes, even from Sibiu. They are just as warm, friendly, and generous as their compatriots back in Romania.

The first few days here have been full of spiritual warfare yet we have seen God work in mighty ways. Steve’s Bible study for the youth last night went really well especially since we got a good discussion and interaction going. It began with a wonderful testimony from Virgie. Yet, Virgie has gotten ill and we are encouraging her to see a doctor here in Spain.

Today, we’ll get a chance to see a little bit more of the country. We got to go up north to see Peñíscola. After a marvelous lunch by the seashore, we had a wonderful time exploring the medival town and castle. We have now returned to Castellón for their weekly midweek church service tonight. Tomorrow evening we will baptize Steve when we go to the beach after the Bible study and even later, Mark Kenoly will arrive in Castellón.

Continue to pray for us as we continue to do ministry here in Spain.

A Minute in the Mediterranean

2009-07-08T03:13:00.000-07:00

Spain is quite different from Romania, or should I say, Castellon is very different from Sibiu. Castellon is a city filled with buildings that have businesses on the bottom and apartments on top. We're staying in the outskirts of Castellon in a separate house that one of the church members does not live in any more, so it's considered the "rich" area. Like I said before, not my expectation of the hard-life missionary! Not to mention that the weather is now what we thought we were going to have - hot (in the high 80s) and semi-humid.

It was wonderful to welcome the Spain team, but I didn't know I'd be nursing Naomi the first two days. It seems that the enemy is working hard against this team - Mark not getting his passport, the VBS being cancelled, Virgie trying to get over an allergy cold, Naomi getting sick on the plane - so as you continue to pray with us, I can only imagine what great work God has in mind by the end of our trip to give glory to His name!

Teo has a strong vision for the youth of this Romanian church in Spain. His passion for his calling is inspiring. At this moment, he is taking care of his two beautiful children, Lukas (2-yrs.) and Jonathan (4 yrs.), as his wife, Prisilia, was a finalist in the "Voice of McDonalds" competition, so she is in another city singing her last song. She is singing "Because He lives" to give God the glory. We found out already that she came is second. She'll be back tonight.

Last night, Tuesday, we went to the beach for the "youth" (teenage through early 20s) Bible study, followed by volleyball and soccer. Naomi felt good enough to play volleyball, maybe because she was invited to join one of the teams. Steve played on an opposing team, or is "play" the correct term? (JK, Steve!) Rich and I stuck our feet in the Mediterranean, the very warm waters of the Mediterranean - it seems like such a far-off concept to have become a reality.

I was preparing my mind to change to Spanish, and arriving in Valencia I learned that there's a dialect common to this area called Valenciana, so the signs have both Valenciana and Castilian Spanish. Then when Teo and another church member came to pick us up at the train station (which is how we got from Valencia to Castellon), they were speaking to each other in Romanian. So now I'm confusing everyone by speaking Spanish, English and a little Romanian. Of course, as I listen to them talk, I hear a combination of those languages also.

So to close this first blog from Castellon, adios, pacea, and later.

Joanne

Arrival in Spain

2009-07-08T02:45:00.000-07:00

This is Naomi using my mom´s username to blog. We arrived safely in Spain. Kim Hensley took me to the Wells´ house where we piled our suitcases into their van. We drove to the airport, which didn´t take long thanks to the traffic.

Once we got there I leaded Helen and Virgie Wells to the Lufthansa check-in counter, since they weren´t quite sure where they were supposed to go, because this was their first time out of the country. Surprisingly, it didn´t take that long to check-in even though we were pretty early (about 3 or 4 hours ahead of time). Unfortunately, we didn´t get bulkhead seating because there was a lot of kids on our flight.

By the time we got through security, we had plenty of time to relax at the gate. I got a sandwhich and some fruit for my dinner before the plane. Because she had a wheelchair, we got to pre-board. The Wells sat next to each other, while I sat behind them. I sat next to an older man who also pre-boarded, because he had trouble walking. The man next to me was very nice, even though he didn´t speak English that well. He was from the Ukraine, and spoke Russian. He lived in the US for 22 years, but apparently lived in a community filled with Russians, so he

wasn´t able to speak fluent English.

The flight was about 10 or 11 hours. It was good for the first 5 hours or so for me, because I was able to watch a good movie. But after that, I started to feel really nautious. I ended up throwing up quite a bit twice after that. I´m not quite sure why I threw up, but I´m pretty sure it was because of some food poisoning. After our plane landed, we were able to get to our connecting flight easily because of the good wheelchair service. We even got to ride on one of those cool cart things for the disabled.

The second flight was a little bit hard for me, because I still felt bad. I only threw up once at the beginning, and after I felt a little bit better. I was so happy to finally see my parents when we landed in Valencia.

However, it took awhile to get to our hotel. We had to take the subway and wait 10 stops, then switch trains, and finally on the next stop we were able to walk about one block to our hotel. When we finally go to our room, I couldn´t wait to sleep.

Naomi

And Into Castellón We Go…

2009-07-08T02:23:00.000-07:00

So, today we travelled into Castellón, where we will be doing our mission work. We started off with a quick breakfast then it was time to get packed and ready to go. Teo arrived a little bit afterwards with Manuel, a member from the church, and Christina, another member from the church and a translator for Teo.

We loaded up our stuff into Manuel’s car (who is also letting us stay at his amazing house while we are here) and went to the train station. Since Manuel’s car didn’t have enough room for both the luggage and us, he took the luggage to the house for us and we took the train into Castellón, This gave me a chance to not only get some great shots of Valencia, the trip to Castellón and Castellón itself, but also to get to know Christina a little bit more. The church we are working with is a Romanian church, so a lot of the members are Romanian. Its always great here the stories of the people here and how they came to live in Spain.

So, after we got into Castellón, we were taken to the house we are staying at and shown around. Needless to say, I wouldn’t mind a place like this for myself. : ) The place it pretty nice, to say the least. 4 bedrooms, 1 pretty nice bathroom, spacious living room, downstairs area (converted from a garage), big kitchen, enclosed veranda and a view from the roof that is amazing, especially at night. And yes, I’ll be posting pics to my Facebook account soon.

After being shown around, we went back into town, where two families had prepared lunch for us. We split into two groups and each stayed with one of the families as they shared lunch with us. I think it is pretty safe to say that Spain hasn’t changed the quality or the quantity of the food they make. Vergie, Helen and myself stayed with one of the members, whose brother-in-law leads the church band. And did she every feed us! First, we started with a meat-and-cheese plate, then came the chorba (chowder), then came the white-wine chicken and potatoes made in olive oil, followed by some fruit and a nice nap! :) Between the food in Romania and here, I’m going to need to walk an awful lot just to keep the weight off. lol

So, after the wonderful lunch, we were picked up and went to the beach, where the youth ministry had already started. We joined them for a couple songs, then Pastor Rich gave a message on the armor of God and what it is for. Seeing the attentiveness and the interaction of everyone was a very welcome sight to see. But, of course, being on the beach, we had to have some fun. So, afterwards, we all went out to the beach for some volleyball. And, yes, I jumped in and tried not to make a fool of myself while playing (which was a task in-and-of-itself lol). But, most everyone there welcomed me into the games (inviting me even) and we all had a pretty good time.

Now, there is one other thing to note about the beach. This is where, after accepting Christ into my life over 10 years ago, I will be baptized. As such, I had to at least feel what the Mediterranean was like. The best way to describe it was that it felt like a warm bath. The water was nice and warm and, coupled with the cool breeze off the ocean, made for a very relaxing evening. As much as I miss Romania already, this is definitely nice.

With nightfall fast approaching, we caught a ride back to the house to settle in for the evening…and for a nice hot shower! As much as I loved the beach, sweat and sand are just not a good mixture. And, with already being hot from the day (about 86 deg. with very high humidity), I was ready for a nice shower to “re-humanize”. It was still pretty warm afterwards, but it was nice to feel “normal” again and not grimy.

Now, with the rooftop access, I just had to grab the camera and take some pics. I managed to get some great shots of the sky and of the city. I’ll be posting those soon. Since we don’t have internet access at the house we are staying at, we will be posting in spurts and I will be uploading pics to Facebook whenever I can.

After a good night’s sleep, Joanne made us bacon and eggs for breakfast (thanks again!!) and we all ate under the veranda. Apparently, it had rained last night so it is pretty nice this morning. So, that means it is time to get some pics to upload. Have a great day everyone and I’ll post again soon.

Missed Opportunity

2009-07-07T23:47:00.000-07:00

Hello Spain Mission Team

I am looking for posts from Spain but haven't seen one yet... it is midnight here in Fremont on July 7th. That's why I am up at midnight... Im still on European time. Kim asked Karen, Tony, and I to do a brief report on our experience in Romania July 12th. A full report will be made when you return. Today was usher fellowship coffee at Panieras. I missed an opportunity in the parking lot this morning to minister to a person in need. As I was getting in my car, a woman called to me from 20 yards away asking for spare change. I had just given all my pocket money to a friend who is homeless who comes for coffee weekly, so I motioned back that I had no money. I should have gone over and offered to pray for her. She might have accepted. I thought of that as I arrived home, so I did pray for her then (and for me). I will look for her again on Thursday morning when the second group of ushers meets at Panieras. I can be pretty dense, it seems, in doing God's work. I am no longer amazed at how dense Jesus' disciples were at times. Rich, Joanne, Naomi, Steve, Virgie, Helen, and Mark... pray for me here at home, as I pray for you.

Jerry

There's no place like home...

2009-07-07T15:23:00.000-07:00

After a final meal in Munich (Burger King!) Tony, Jerry and I headed off to the airport for our flight home. I was dreading the return flight after our experience on the way out, but it was much better in comparison. First off, fewer kids and much quieter. Secondly, it was a newer plane with more leg room and individual movie screens for each seat. The plane arrived on time and all went smoothly with customs and luggage. Lee Nichols was kind enough to pick us up and get us home. It was great to reconnect with Katelyn and our dog Maggie, not to mention sleep in my own bed again.

Coming back to work today was tough, as I try to catch up with almost 2 weeks of e-mails and debriefs and get back on track. I am hoping that one of my learnings from the trip will be to keep work more in perspective -- something they excel at in Romania.

Greetings to the Spain team. It seems odd not to be hanging out with the group after our Romanian experience. Hope that Spain is treating you well. Hasta la Vista! Karen

Pics of the Romanian Presidential Helicopter

2009-07-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

The Presidential Entourage.

The Presidential Helicopter.

It was neat to see it.

On the Way to USA

2009-07-06T01:00:00.001-07:00

Here I am in the Munich Hotel-quite a change from our apartment in Romania -- doing my last blog from Europe. In a few hours Jerry, Tony and I will be leaving for SFO. We just said goodbye to Rich, Joanne and Steve, as they headed to the airport for their new adventure in Spain.

First off, my Dad is back home from the hospital and doing well, so thanks to all who prayed for his recovery.

Others have blogged on our sight seeing trip on the 4th. It was great to see more of Romania and the palace was amazing. It was just a great day with Connie and the team to just enjoy each others company as well.

It is impossible to write about all the little things that I have learned and experienced over the last week.

I have been challenged musically-- both with the guitar class in music camp and singing in front of 600 people Sunday morning. It was great to see people's faces as Joanne and I broke into Romanian for the chorus of "How Great is our God", and how can you beat having Tony backing you up on the sax?

I have loved seeing the families, especially, the children in Romania. You see siblings taking care of each other, the church community involved with the children, and a slower, more family focused way of life in Romania. The town square was a neat place where you see people just hanging out together and enjoying the outdoors.

We have all commented how feverently people in Romania pray. Their church service on Sunday was 2 hours long and filled with a lot of praise music and prayer, but even though the service was in Romanian, it did not seem that long to me. Many people welcomed us in church, and there were even some people from the US who had lived in Romania doing mission work for 8 years,who said they enjoyed hearing some English during the church service.

The highlight of my trip is still my interaction with Laura that I blogged about earlier on the trip and how I was able to learn about her life in the orphanage and minister to her.

I am so not looking forward to the upcoming 12 hour plane flight, but also can't wait to be home again and to see our family.

Sherbert has also enjoyed her adventures in Romania, and thinks life might seem a bit boring after she returns. Karen

Munich Musings

2009-07-06T00:04:00.000-07:00

It's Monday morning in Munich, and in 25 minutes we'll leave our hotel to walk downstairs to the airport terminal and wait for the flight to Valencia, Spain, with Rich and Steve. We'll say goodbye to Jerry, Karen, and Tony as they stay an additional five hours before starting their journey home.

Last night, we had dinner downstairs in the area between the two airport terminals. It's hard to describe because it's directly connected to the airport terminal, so it's not exactly like a hotel restaurant. It's a great big open area with stores all around, including a Burger King (you have to pay extra for the ketchup), a sausage cart, and a huge supermarket with fresh produce and meats. At dinner, we debriefed and heard how God stirred the hearts of the team. I hope they'll post their thoughts on the blog after they got home.

For me, the world is big, but God is bigger. He works in all cultures, languages and circumstances. I'm still processing my reactions, but initially, I highly recommend missions trips because they make you pay attention to God more in all the differences that you experience. It jars you out of your complacency and, dare I use this word, apathy.

The dynamics of the team will change greatly as we welcome Helen and Virgie Wells, and our daughter Naomi, then later, Mark Kenoly. I am expectantly waiting to see God's workings unfold through this team.

Hopefully we'll have an internet connection in Valencia....

Pacea Sibiu, Hola Castellon

2009-07-05T23:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm in one of my homelands now, as I'm writing from my room at the hotel in the Munich airport. Having to say goodbye to Romania was bittersweet, and rather hard to do.

We started our last day by attending the morning service at Betania. Radu told us that the morning service was usually pretty packed, and he wasn't kidding either. I can honestly say I've never seen that many people at a church service before in person. Karen and Joanne did "How Great Is Our God" and Tony, well, was Tony. :) Pastor Rich re-delivered his message from Friday night, which seemed to have a big impact on the audience again. Also, we had the opportunity to take part in Communion with them, which was very neat. All-in-all, a great service indeed.

Afterwards, Radu joined us for our last lunch together in Romania, which, as usual, was pretty tasty. To burn off some of the calories, some of the team went back up into the Big Square one last time while I packed and got ready. I'm glad I was thought of though, as they brought me back one last gogosi (and the last apricot one the place had). :D

So, with all of us packed up and loaded into the Radu-mobile again (yes, I've got a pic of it that I'll post), we went off to the airport. What we didn't know was that the Romanian president was in-town, so police were all over the place. We actually passed right by his motorcade going the opposite direction. Plus, once we got through security at the airport (and had to say goodbye to Radu :( ), we got to not only see his personal helicopter but also see him and his entourage get in and leave the airport. Definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

We landed in Munich yesterday a little late, but safely nonetheless. We made our way to the hotel and got our rooms. Just seeing the room makes me feel waaaaaay too lower-class to be in it. But, who I am to say no? ;)

So, now I have to get ready to head off to Valencia. Pacea Sibiu, pacea Bordens & Tony, pacea gogosi. Auf wiedersehen München, land meiner Vorfahren. ¡Hola Castellón, la tierra de mis antepasados!

Wilkommen Munchen

2009-07-05T13:59:00.002-07:00

Well, we made it to Munich. The team had a great time at dinner tonight debriefing a little bit about our time in Romania. We're all tired but welcome the time to spend some down time here in Germany before either heading home or going on to Spain.

Hopefully, we can tell you more about our journeys tomorrow.

Farewell Romania, Hello Spain

2009-07-05T13:59:00.001-07:00

Did I comment on my team? They have been amazing this week. I have also seen their world view expand and they are beginning to see the world from God's view and gain His heart for it. It was fun to have off day here be the Fourth of July. We celebrated by seeing more of Romania and spending time with fellow American, Connie. It was a good time for the Music Camp members to debrief with her and for all of us to see more of Connie's heart for the children of Romania and Ukraine.

I'm gearing up for my message at Betania this morning. After that it will be hard to come back and pack and get ready to leave. We have continued to strenghten our relationships here and have started new ones. I look forward to returning next Spring with another team.

And I'm glad that we have one night in Munich to switch gears and prepare for Spain. Please continue to pray that Mark Kenoly will travel safely on his own later in the week. Pray for the team that is getting ready to leave and meet us in Valencia. Joanne and I are excited to see Naomi as part of that team. Pray for safety and rest for all of us.

The last two days of Sibiu

2009-07-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is. The last night here in Sibiu. I'm a little sad about leaving, as I've grown attached to the area. Here's what has happened over the past couple days...

Rich, Jerry and I all went to the radio station for the interview. Turns out they wanted to interview Rich as well. They asked him about the topic of accountability, which seems to be a relatively new idea here. As for me, they asked me about my ministry back home, what my trip here has done and where everything is going. So, all my brothers and sisters in Alive!, you're now famous in Romania!! :) Now, what they do is they record the interview and then translate it before distributing and airing the interview. So, not only will this be aired in and around Sibiu, but also in other parts of the country as well.

After the interview (and, of course, more good Romanian food), we went up to watch and support the Music Camp International concert. To sum it up in a few words, it was astounding! I cannot believe what Connie did with these kids in only 4 days. What was funny was that I left the camera back at the church, since I was going to be filming Tony for him during the concert. But, God had other plans. Connie comes over with her camera (another Canon DSLR) and asks me to take pictures of the concert. So, I was at it again. Only, this time, I had a lot of parents to deal with. But, I was able to get some good pics for her, which was good.

Afterwards, we had to head back home to get "holy" for another church service (i.e. get dressed up). But, not without picking up some gogosi! :D Rich gave a great sermon and seemed to touch a lot of people there that night. Everyone seems to be so thankful wherever we go of our service to them. But, to be honest, I feel like I'm the one that should be giving thanks, as they have ministered to me more than I feel I have to them.

Then came today. We all went out to Siniai (yes, even the ladies and Tony), which was about a 3 hr. drive. And, since she was on the way, we picked up Connie to join us. The trip was pretty neat, with a lot of scenic shots to take (and, believe me, I did). It started raining as we got close, which wasn't all that great, but oh well. It let up once we got close to the palace we were going to be going through. And, yes, I brought the camera. The palace was beautiful, as was the surrounding scenery. Look for pics soon on my Facebook (all 250+ of them).

Afterwards, Connie recommended we try papanasi (pronounced pa-pa-nash). Now, I love gogosi very much, but papanasi just might edge it out. If you don't know what it is, do a Google search for it. It was great! Plus, I was able to pick up some things for all the people that were able to send me here, as a token of my thanks.

So, once we finally made it back, we took Radu and Emma out for dinner as a show of our appreciation. It was great to be able to get to know them better and bond with them more. I'm sad I won't get to share in their humor for a while, but it definitely gives me something to look forward to.

Well everyone, that's just about it for now. I'm going to be getting some sleep so I can get ready for service in the morning then leaving for Munich in the afternoon. I'll try and post from Munich, but if I can't, I'll see you all in Spain. Goodnight everyone, and happy Fourth of July from Romania!! :D

News from Fremont and Romania

2009-07-03T22:01:00.000-07:00

I got word from my Mom in Fremont yesterday that Dad collapsed and was taken to the hospital. He has been recovering from open heart surgery, and had been doing very well when we left. The good news is that they believe it was due to the doctors prescribing too much blood pressure medication, and we hope he will get to come back home today. It is hard to be so far away and getting this news, but you can pray just as well from Romania as from Fremont, so that is what I have been doing. I'd appreciate your prayers for Dad as well.

It is kind of strange to get up today and know we are not going to help at music camp and see the kids. As Joanne mentioned, the concert went really well and the kids were just amazing. One of my favorite things to watch was the parents, who were just packed into the church, gazing at their kids with wonder at what they had accomplished in just a few days. The cameras and videos almost made it look like a press conference for some major event. I feel very blessed to have been a small part of helping the kids at camp. Karen

Overflowing

2009-07-03T21:29:00.000-07:00

The Catholic church on the main plaza of Sibui was overflowing with people during the Music Camp concert. It is a beautiful church with murals, carvings, and sculptures, but one pastor commented afterward that the church had not been that full as long as he could remember. So, the Lord really blessed the Music Camp ministry in its first arrival to Sibui. The people were overflowing with joy as well, as they flowed out into the plaza.

Jerry

Sherbert's Romanian Adventures

2009-07-03T11:17:00.000-07:00

Each time Karen goes away on a trip, Katelyn sends her stuffed bear, Sherbert, along. Sherbert has been to a variety of Asian and European countries, along with several states, but this is her first visit to Romania. She wants Katelyn, and anyone else who is interested to know about her trip.

Here is Sherbert in the Frankfurt airport. She and her family got a little bit turned around getting to the right gate, but she still made it in plenty of time. She is happy to have her boarding pass ready to get on the plane. She is a bit tired from the long and noisy flight from SFO, but still looks good!

Sherbert sure was happy to get to her room at the church after we arrived in Sibiu, Romania. Here she is right after we arrived hanging out on her bed. It was so comfortable after being on 3 planes for so many hours getting here. Aaahhhhh....

Saturday Sherbert went off with us to Family Camp on the outskirts of Sibui -- at Porunbacu de Sus. The resort was up in the mountains in a very beautiful area. Sherbert saw gypsies and people on the road in horse drawn carts on the way there and was very excited about that. Here is Sherbert in our room at the camp, just hanging out before things got started.

Family Camp was lots of fun! Sherbert enjoyed "riding" on the donkey in the park area a lot. She also enjoyed watching all the small children who were hanging out on the playground.

Sherbert wanted to make sure that you saw her balancing on this bridge at the resort. It was too far for her to jump over the small stream, so she was happy they put the bridge in for her use.

Back in our room at the church after the retreat, Sherbert wanted to explore a bit. Here she is sitting in the tile heater. The tiles had different pictures that she enjoyed. It is pretty warm here in Sibui, so we haven't actually used the heater, although it looks like it would do a good job warming the place. Sherbert thought it was interesting that many of the old churches have heated kneeler for when it gets very cold in the winter.

Here is Sherbert reading our blogs on Steve's computer. (of course, Karen had to actually read them to her, but she liked the pictures the best.) Seeing the blog gave Sherbert the idea of doing her own blog so Katelyn and the world could hear about her Romanian Adventures.

Here is Sherbert and Radu, our host, sitting in the kitchen in our "apartment". She really likes Radu and was very happy that he agreed to take a picture with her. Tomorrow Radu will be hosting us on a siteseeing trip, and Sherbert is hoping to see Dracula's Castle. (Well, she is just a little scared about Dracula, but brought some garlic along, just in case.)

We went to the "Astra" museum of Traditional Folk Civilization, which had many buildings moved from different parts of Romania. It also had a gift store, where Sherbert helped pick out a couple of items to bring home. She likes shopping.

Today we heard from home that someone had used Karen's ATM card here in Romania and the bank thought it might have been stolen. We are not sure, but we think Sherbert might have snuck out to use it. She is quite a mischevious bear.

Well, it is now 10:00 pm and after Sherbert's bedtime. We hope you enjoyed hearing about her trip. Karen

Music Camp Concert

2009-07-03T10:46:00.000-07:00

A picture is worth a thousand words...

Tony in the middle of the recorder class in which he "helped".

(Check Tony's blog to see what happened when he played two at once.)

Joanne and Iulia, the Musical Games teacher for whom Joanne was an aide on Monday and

Tuesday. She's a kindergarten teacher and I learned how to speak quietly to the students. (Yes, that's a picture of P Diddy behind us.) I helped with the Orff percussion instruments on Wednesday and Thursday.

Karen helping Ovi, the teacher of the guitar class.

A real long shot of the Catholic church with the students lined up just in front of the altar, and the orchestra set up in front of them.

The MCI teachers and staff (and volunteer aides) at the restaurant.

R-L: Karen, Joanne, Tony and Connie Fortunato, the director of MCI.

Music Camp International (MCI) is now officially over and I can't believe I'm kind of sad. We were sitting in the staff room and they were speaking in Romanian but they were all laughing, and Karen and I commented that we just enjoyed being with such a fun-loving and loving group. Our dinner was really nice at the restaurant around the corner from Betania. Tony sat next to Floare and her husband (she's her "Sunshine" and he's "Tony Baloney"). Karen and I sat next to Connie, and it was wonderful to hear how God has worked in her life to develop MCI. Look up www.musiccampinternational.org for more information. I now know that God did indeed want Karen and I to be helping at MCI this week in this city: 1st) to help a ministry where Connie is letting God's light shine in very dark corners, and, 2) this year Connie didn't do teacher training, so she didn't have enough people to help. She usually has 20 people waiting in line to fill 10 spots. What an opportunity for us!

I'm posting some pictures taken by/for all three of us to show you a little of who we worked with and what we did. In truth, it's getting late and I can't figure out how to manipulate the pictures and why my pictures are so dark, so this is what you're gettin now.

Here's a short video of Tony in the concert, improvising in the song "This Little Light of Mine."

A Church full of revolutionaries

2009-07-03T02:40:00.000-07:00

I think it would be redundant to go over the last few days. Everyone has done a wonderful job with their entries. What I want to share is our experience today with the manager of the radio station here in Sibiu, Ilie Jinar.

After Steve and I each recorded interviews that will later be broadcast throughout Romania through this station (Radio Vocea Evangheliei) and its eight sister stations in the network, we left to go down the elevator (the station is located on the 9th floor). It's a very old elevator, about 35 years, and was built during the communist era. Ilie made the comment that it's amazing that on the roof of a building that was built by the Ceauşescu regime stands an antenna for gospel radio that is broadcast around a 50km radius of Sibiu.

This prompted a conversation, question-answer session, about the day of revolution. Ilie shared about where he was and what he was doing. He knew of a woman who was working in a bank on the great plaza who was killed by gunfire. He and many others from Betania were in the plaza that day to demonstrate against the Ceauşescu regime. He shared about his apartment being in a building caught between two opposing forces and how his kids implored him to get them to safety. And he related how he got his family out to safety. And the emotional moment when they heard on the radio that Ceauşescu was dead and for the first time hearing Christmas carols and hymns being broadcast (the revolution was in December, 1989).

Ilie's comment was that man tried to forge and form a history of Romania that would not include God, but God prevails and history will record His sovereignty over the nations. I think it's a lesson that is constant in the minds and hearts of many at Betania. Their leaders and pastors are among the many millions of Romanians who are revolutionaries that brought down the communist regime. Our God is sovereign over the nations and He will reign forever.

Just in case you're missing my blog...

2009-07-02T22:30:00.000-07:00

I'm doing a quick blog before Music Camp just to say that I'll be blogging later. The problem is that we have to read each other's blogs before writing so that we don't repeat ourselves, and there are some very good (and prolific) writers in this group.

Pray for us today for our crazy day of the final day of Music Camp and the performance with 200 children, a 27-piece orchestra, and various other instruments (hand chimes, hand bells, violins, recorders, and guitars), plus Tony's improvised solo on "This Little Light of Mine" (if the director gets permission to do "jazz" in church)!''

Later,
Joanne

Three for one deal...

2009-07-02T15:06:00.000-07:00

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.

Sister Church

2009-07-02T12:05:00.000-07:00

It is a joy to attend our sister church here in Sibui and visit their ministries in the community. We are definiately one in spirit and one in the body of Christ.

Jerry

Music Camp, Dessert, and Church

2009-07-02T11:33:00.001-07:00

Well, it has been a while since I posted due to our schedule and our day of no internet. Joanne, Tony and I have been working at music camp all week and tomorrow is the concert. It is amazing what Connie Fortunato and her team have been able to accomplish in just a few days.

I have been working in the guitar class because I mentioned to Connie that I could chord on the guitar. Well this class has taught the group how to play Bach Minuet in G on the guitar. My job was to help the kids figure out which string to pluck and where to put their fingers for each note. Just one problem-- I didn't know how to play any of these notes on the guitar prior to coming. I found that I could keep one step ahead of the class (barely) and was actually able to help the kids. Long story short-- I learned how to play Minuet in G this week as well!

Tony has made a lot of fans at music camp this week. He played his flute and sax along to "This Little Light of Mine" in the combined choir rehearsals. We hear the kids calling out "Hi Tony!"
He will be playing along with the philharmonic tomorrow during the concert, and is excited about that.

In addition to walking around Sibui and just enjoying the town, we also went to an outdoor museum yesterday where they moved replicas of different buildings from different parts of Romania. It was very cool, and we stayed there for a couple of hours in the rain and still only saw about half of the sights. We also checked out the gift shop on the way out.

Joanne and I met with the team from Music Camp last night and listened to an organ concert at the Lutheran Church and it was very good. The pews were very uncomfortable, so I had to stand up in the back of the church about half way through to save my back, but my ears worked just as well there.

We walked (and walked) with Connie's team to the university dining room for lunch today after the session and tried yet another Romanian dessert (they have all been good so far). Though directionally challenged, we were able to easily find our way back "home" pretty easily.

Tonight was a service here at the church. Tony played flute and sax at the service and preached quite a sermon. I enjoyed continued practice in singing praise songs in Romanian.

Tomorrow will be a big day as the kids will perform for each other at the school in the morning and then we need to move all the instruments to the Catholic church where the performance will be. The kids will then rehearse with the full orchestra before the concert starts at 3:00 pm. We will also be going out to a celebratory dinner at a nearby restaraunt tomorrow evening and that will mark the end of music camp.

I have really enjoyed spending time with the kids and singing along to the same music that Katelyn learned when she was in Schola Cantorum with Connie.

I am enjoying the experience of Romania and Music Camp. Karen

Bible Study and Prayer Meetings

2009-07-01T02:45:00.000-07:00

I am attending Bible Study and Prayer Groups in Romania... and although half of what is said is in Romanian, I am getting a lot out of it, because we go so often. The main thing God is teaching me in Romania is to be prayer based and to not only study the Bible, but demonstrate to others the spirit of the scriptures. Of course, I already knew these things are necessary, but seeing things in a different setting seems to bring it to light all the more.

Jerry

I love Sibiu, Romania!

2009-06-30T08:06:00.000-07:00

Today is Tuesday. It's pouring rain, with lots of thunder and lightning. God's sound and light effects in real time! ' Let it rain - Holy Spirit Rain Down - Love Rain Down on Me' I don't know what I expected, but I didn't expect this. I have a private room (thanks Steve) and we share a kitchen where lots of delicious food mysteriously arrives for us. This is not helping my training routine at all! Also the rain is hindering my running.

I got to play saxophone at a bible study last night for a struggling church that Betania is helping. The Romanian language is beautiful, and even though I couldn't understand what they were singing, I know the Spirit was there. We did Joyful, Joyful and How Great Thou Art. music truly is the universal language. Everything was fine until the questions started coming about church discipline. "What do you do when a church member marries an unbeliever?" Sheesh! How about love them both with the love of God? That's essentially what Pastor Rich said. It seems they kicked the poor women out of the church who couldn't find a good man her age in the church and married a man from the Romanian Orthodox Church. Then they got rid of the pastor. He didn't perform the ceremony but went to their house and prayed for them. Now they are without a pastor and without an opportunity to minister to the newly maried couple. Being objective has its advantages. Now I need to look at how I treat people who don't fit my preconceived notions of what christianity should look at.

Music Camp International was a blast! Connie Fortunato has a great team assembled. She has incredible energy, but what realy impresses me is her patience. Amazing how she juggles teaching this many kids (about 185), the staff, the symphony, and all the logistical demands. I got to help teach recorder to four different groups of kids. I worked with the alto recorders. With one group we breezed through the material and were bored, so I started playing two recorders at once in harmony. That was too much of a distraction to the other group, though, so I stopped. Near the end of the mass choir rehearsal Connie asked me if I wanted to play the flute while they sang "This Little Light of Mine". I couldn't run fast enough to get my flute! Then I remembered, 'no running in the hallway'. I loved playing with them and they all seemed to enjoy it.

Well, gotta run to rehearse for service tonight.

Peace and love from our Father above, Tony B.

Church, Church, Church, and ... Church and.... Church

2009-06-29T21:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, so Steve told you about our tour of the old town yesterday. Let me elaborate on a few things.

Flavius is a wonderful young man. He is Ovie's cousin, if you remember one of the earlier blogs where Steve posted some pics. He was employed as a truck delivery driver but was laid off about seven to eight months ago. And he also pastors two small churches in the area of Avrig, a large village about 30 kilometers southeast of Sibiu. He is very proud of his hometown of Sibiu and was very happy to be able to show it to us.

The history of the Lutheran or Evangelical Church building is a major illustration of the history of Sibiu and of Transylvania in general. In an area where the Orthodox Church is so dominant it is the Hungarian and Germanic influence that is best seen in this church building. It took over 200 years to build this great cathedral and it is ironic that after a few decades after completion, the congregation and church building become Protestant because of the Reformation.

I really wanted Jerry and Steve to see the Orthodox Church because it is the dominant faiith expression in Romania. There is so much in that place that is so steeped in tradition. The lines of people that were waiting to kiss and pray before icons. And as we were leaving the huge line that waited patiently to worship before a chest full of the bones of a saint. This is the faith that dominates and oppresses the vast majority of Romanian people. It is easy to forget that the work of the Gospel here must be seen in the background of this.

When we walked into the Roman Catholic church, the irony of the Reformation became clear. This building is much more modest and scaled back from the Evangelical church that was originally built by Roman Catholics. The few people praying in there is again indicative of the stranglehold that the Orthodox church has on the people.

In the afternoon, I went to the ecumenical prayer gathering in a small Evangelical (Lutheran) church just outside the town center (a few blocks from the Orthodox church building). It is again easy to forget the influence of the modern world and Western Europe on this community. Yet here again, though most were evangelical Christian, there was an influence of secular, ecumencial thought that entered into the prayers for Sibiu, Romania, Europe, and the World.

Finally, after picking up Tony at the airport, we went to a men's bible study in a small, ultra-conservative evangelical church. Here the oppression is in narrow-minded, almost legalistic adherance to church rules and regulations and a warped perception of what holiness is all about. Our discussion was lively even though we, at the time, did not know or realize the background of the conversation. I thank God that we didn't. I believe in our many journeys of the day through so many different churches and expressions of what people think Christian faith is all about helped me to focus and teach what I thought biblical principles of churchmanship is. I'm so grateful that, on the surface, these men were open and willing to accept what I had to offer. And I pray that we, as Americans and Christians, helped to focus them in the right direction.

Today, we go to Slimnic and I hope to share more of what God wants us involved with in that ministry to seniors.

International Music Camp and Stereotypes

2009-06-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

Today, Karen and I started our first full day at the Music Camp. There are 200 kids, and the day is broken up into 4 classes: 2 sectional rehearsals and 2 elective classes (choosing from musical games, violin, guitar, and another that I don't know.) The class teachers teach 4 times. They end with a joint choir rehearsal. I'm helping with the Musical Games (rhythmic notation) class, and the teacher is using the rhythm syllable system that I'm familiar with, so she had me teach two of the classes. She said that the students pay more attention because I speak English, and they're concentrating on that as well as the music theory. I've still got the "teacher look" when trying to get the kids to be quiet in the big choir, and now I can say "listen" and "no talking" in Romanian. Kids are kids and teachers are teachers; I guess there's no stereotyping there - just the reality of human nature and professions. We're enjoying the 10-minute walk to/from the Music Camp, as it crosses the Piata Mare (Big Plaza) and we get a quick view of Romanian life as the people go through their daily routine.

The last member of our team, Tony Bolivar, arrived safely tonight and had enough energy to go to a men's bible study, saxophone in hand. I can't wait to see what Connie will have him do at the Music Camp.

As I've said before, this is not exactly the camping-in-the-wilderness/hard-physical-labor/ sacrificial missions trip that many people associate with the word "mission." It's making me think what exactly a "mission" is supposed to be, or rather, how the expectation/stereotype of the word has kept me from recognizing that I am called to do a mission for God all the time, every day. What is that mission? It can be different things in different situations, but this mission is to come alongside and encourage/support/ admonish/care for/love the saints around the world. If our mere presence (or modest attempts at Romanian praise singing) can do that, then we are fulfilling our mission here, now. It's still a situation where we praise God for His almighty power, thank Jesus for His sacrifice to bring us into the Father's presence, and ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and guidance to do the Father's work, wherever we are. And to be in a foreign country means that we're only expectant for His plans, not ours. That's an expectation I should live with.

Pace (pah-chay) [peace],
Joanne

Our first official day as tourists

2009-06-29T12:34:00.000-07:00

So, after getting back last night, I think its pretty safe to say the universal feeling was "tired". So, today was a light day, at least for the guys. Joanne and Karen went to help out today at the music camp, so that left Pastor Rich, Jerry and myself free. So, Radu had a friend of his, Flavius, take us around Sibiu and show us the city. I never realized just how much history is in this "little" city. I say little because, while it is physically small, it is also dense, equalling the population of Hayward in about 1/3 the size.

We started the tour with a stop by the Lutheran (Evangelical) church via the Lesser Plaza. Now, once again, I forgot to bring the camera with me, but Jerry was kind and let me borrow theirs. So, as soon as I can get a media card reader that works, I will post the pics from the walk today. Anyways, we took a tour of the church, which was huge inside. It was originally a Roman Catholic church, but was converted just after completion due to the Reformation. Both Jerry and I found it funny that the Lutherans converted some of the artistry to fit their beliefs, like covering up Mary Magdalene on one of the paintings. We got to see just about everything, including the gravestones for the "honored" dead, i.e. the privileged class who made large contributions to the church. We also got a little history while in the church, seeing how the town was intricately constructed to be a fortress with each set of buildings acting as a layer of defense against invaders.

Afterwards, we went over to the school that Flavius used to attend as a child. We got to see the projects on-display from the graduating class (8th grade). We also got to hear a little bit about his childhood as he attended the school.

Now, this next part gets me a little aggravated, so please excuse me if I seem to get a little belligerent. Next, we went to the Orthodox church. We actually went in while a service was starting. I couldn't believe the intricate architecture and artistry in this place. It was amazing to say the least, even if it was spiritually off-kilter. But, why does a church have something this elaborate and expensive when poverty runs rampant?!?! Why does a church, one of who's purposes is supposed to be help the sick and needy, have this much money wrapped up in one building?!?! What happened to being charged to help those in need?!?!

Anyways, coming back down off my soapbox, we moved on to a park up the street. This seemed to be right out of the movies. Congregated in a small area were dozens of people playing chess, bridge and backgammon with trees, statues and a fountain as the backdrop. So, as we continued to walk through the park, we ended up running into a familiar set of faces. As it turns out, Adi and Moni had taken their daughter to the children's hospital for a checkup. It was nice to run into them again after the camp.

Continuing on, we got to see one of the old city walls and a couple of the watchtowers. After so many centuries, these still stand tall as icons of Sibiu's withstanding of the siege from the Turks. Its amazing to see how well they are not only preserved but integrated into the ever-developing city.

We continued on into the Big Plaza. First, we got to see the Roman Catholic church. I had to chuckle a bit when I noticed that the Catholic church is smaller than the Lutheran church. :) It was fairly empty, with only a few people inside who were there to not be tourists, so I didn't feel bad for snapping a couple of pictures. Afterwards, we got see some of City Hall, albeit not a whole lot. However, as most of us were getting hungry, we decided to head back to our room at Betania.

We actually made it just in time, as lunch was just coming in for us as we walked in. They had prepared green bean soup and cabbage/pork rolls for us, which were, again, really good! The only problem is, now I was ready for a nap. And take one I did. I ended up missing the prayer group in the afternoon and woke up shortly before Tony arrived. But, I did need that nap, as I was very sleep-deprived from the past couple weeks.

So, Tony got a chance to settle in just before Radu returned to pick us up for a Bible study that was being held at another church in-town. It was a little interesting at first, as we walked in right in the middle of their worship session. But, once again, their hospitality surprised me and they welcomed us in. One of the gentlemen even gave me his song book so that I could join them as they sang along and flipped to each song as we started a new one. What was really amazing was seeing Tony grab his sax and join in. Afterwards, we spent the evening discussing some of the issues they were each facing within the church and sharing some of our own experiences with these same issues. What was really great, at least from my stomach's perspective, was that we got to end on a very sweet note...with gogosi!!!! :D

So, here I sit at the end of the night (almost midnight) and just about ready to go to bed. Have a great rest of the day everyone and I'll see you all soon.

Pics from Family Camp

2009-06-28T15:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'll post a few now. Enjoy. :)

Entrance to the resort:

The main dining area (not where we ate and had the meetings):

Everyone playing soccer (before I joined in):

Just about everyone that came to the camp:

Ovi and his wife Debbie (I hoped I spelled their names right):

Adi, his wife Moni and their daughter Mina:

Radu and his wife Ema:

And some of the scenery:

Day two of Family Camp

2009-06-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

Good evening everyone. Time for another update from me...and I'll try not to fall asleep at the laptop as I type it. :)

So, I awoke this morning to some rather troublesome news. Apparently, Ari and his wife Moni had to take their little girl to the hospital while I was asleep at their house. Turns out she has a minor infection. She's doing better now, but I remember what those are like from my own childhood and still can't help but feel sympathy for her.

However, the camp must go on. So, after getting everyone ready, we all head out to go back to the resort for the second day. Which meant that I was going to up to speak on the topic of how to build a spiritual life as a couple. Needless to say, I was a bit nervous, as I always seem to be when I get ready to speak. Part of that I think is that I take too much ownership of the message, worrying that I won't be able to get across to them what God wants me to. I guess the big word that I need to remind myself of is "surrender"...surrender to the fact that I not up there to change lives, but to let God changes lives through me. I really hope that the couples that attended were listening to what God was saying to them and pulled something from it, but maybe that's just me still trying to take ownership of something that isn't mine to own, but rather to be a part of.

In any case, we packed up and got ready to head out. But, not without seeing some more of the resort we were staying at. One of the dads took us up the road a bit to the second lodge for a wonderful view of the foothills, the valley and the Carpathian mountains. And, of course, this was the one time I left the camera behind. GAH! Oh well, it turns out it was good I did, as some of the guys were there with a soccer ball. And who was I to turn down some ball-time with them again? :) But, after some brief warm-ups, we (the team) had to head back down for lunch, as we had to leave early to get back in time to drop off the ladies of our team for the music camp rehersals. So, after another round of great Romanian food, we went back to Sibiu and Betania. I'll admit, these past few days have been a blur, with the time difference, losing a day and being on the go with little sleep.

Anyways, we got back into Sibiu and dropped the ladies off. A few minutes later, the rest of us were back in our room in Sibiu. We had a little time on our hands to rest up and get ready to head to the small church in Roşia. This is the church that the teams before me helped to build, so it was very humbling to sit in the presence of the work that God has done through them. In any case, we joined them just as they had started worship. I was intrigued at how their service was held, having multiple times of worship followed by prayer. Afterwards, Pastor Rich and I introduced ourselves, since we were the only two not really participating in this service. Joanne and Karen followed us with a praise song done partly in English and partly in Romanian, accompanied by Emma (Radu's wife).

Now, it was Jerry's time to shine, so to speak. He got up and delivered a very powerful message that seemed to move a lot of the crowd. Radu followed him with yet another great message while Emma translated for us. After the service, we were shown around the new church, starting with the lower floor and new classroom and kitchen they are finishing up. Next, we were taken upstairs and shown the current classrooms they use, the room they are hoping to use to host guests as they come along and the room they are wanting to set up as a computer lab. And, of course, everyone starts looking at me once the word "computer" was mentioned. Go figure! :D

After taking in all that the church has and is offering to the village (and, of course, the awesome scenery around...and again, no camera lol), we came back into Sibiu for some downtime and dinner. I can't say enough just how hospitable the people here are. We walked into our room to find the table set and dinner waiting for us. And yes, it was very good indeed. :) So, after spending some time relaxing and finally getting in my first shower of the day (I know, pretty gnarly), I'm ready to hit the sack. So, have a great rest of the day (or night, wherever you may be) and I'll post again tomorrow.

Also, for those of you wondering and/or asking, I'm going to try and post some pics soon. But, as of right now, I've got 223 of them to go through. But, I will say, I'm really glad I got Jennifer this camera. Its been a big hit and very handy.

Goodnight everyone.

Jon & Kate + Super Nanny= Minstry

2009-06-28T11:38:00.000-07:00

Luckily everyone else filled you in on the details of our last 2 days, because I had a pretty special experience I wanted to share. Sometimes God puts you in a place you need to be, even though you don't know it, and that is what happened to me.

The original plan for the trip was that Joanne and I would stay in Sibui while the guys went to family camp, but once we arrived in town we figured out that we could all go to Family Camp and Pastor's Wife, Joanne was given the task of running a women's break out group. While I prepared a couple of things to say during the break out I was very much in a "back seat" mode.

So we get to the resort and Pastor Rich uses a Jon and Kate plus Eight example to illustrate scriptural advise on marriage. I kept thinking it was too bad my daughter, Katelyn, wasn't there to hear a Jon and Kate sermon as it is one of her favorite shows.

That evening Joanne did a great job running our women's group, and channeling her "inner Jojo" when asked about disciplining children. Joanne asked if any of the women had questions and one woman asked a question related to something she was struggling with. I had been sitting there thankful that not much was required of me, but after Joanne answered her, I felt like I needed to let Laura know that her struggle was also a struggle for me. After talking briefly, I thought to myself, maybe I didn't really express what I wanted, but let it go.

The next day Laura sat across from me at breakfast and asked if we could talk privately. She said that she felt like I might be able to help her with a situation and we ended up going for a walk and talking at length. She lived in an orphanage for her whole life, and had an amazing story to tell about how it has impacted her life. She is now an engineer and married with 2 wonderful kids, and on the surface looked to me like she had an almost perfect life, but she carries many of the burdens of her childhood. Even though our lives are totally different I was able to talk with her and provide her with some thoughts that she seemed to value. I asked if I could pray for her and she cried and said no one had prayed for her 1:1 in a long time. It was an amazing experience to hear about her life and connect with her, and to learn from her experience, and I felt that I now knew at least one of the reasons that I came to Romania.

Laura happened to be the same person who had "How Great is our God" in Romanian in a song book that we used to get the Romanian words for our last minute musical performance in the village church this evening. That song coming together was a miracle in and of itself.

Some other time I'll have to tell you about horseback riding, amazing views, and the beautiful Romanian children at family camp. I was surprised the women asked about ideas about disciplining their children because to me they seemed very well behaved and loving children, and certainly not in need of a Super Nanny intervention. Their church family is literally a family to them. Karen

PS. Jerry did a great job with his first real preaching gig!

Family Retreat

2009-06-28T10:38:00.000-07:00

Our weekend at the resort for the family retreat was very nice, definitely not my idea of roughing it for a missions trip. The families were very welcoming and the kids were really cute. 5-year-old Iris sang "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and "Are You Sleeping?" in English. After the message, Karen and I met with the women for questions about marriage and parenthood...which I was supposed to answer. With the Holy Spirit's wisdom (and a little channeling of Super Nanny), we got through it. I made a triangular origami box to illustrate how our 3-way relationship to God progressively gets us closer together. How's that for using one's little gifts!

Today (Sunday),we had breakfast, a morning session where Steve gave a very good message, and then lunch. We drove back to Sibiu in time for Karen and I to get to Connie Fortunato's International Music Camp introduction. That's where we'll be this whole week from 9am- 2:30pm. There are about 200 students from 10-14 years old. Connie started right in with learning music, so I had to dig into my memory for the Curwen hand signs for do-re-mi, for those of you who know what that is. Unfortunately, I also had to jump into the "spit out the gum" and "no talking" mode from junior high, too. We're going to have a concert on Friday afternoon with a full orchestra.

We had a 10-minute walk back to the church from the school where the Music Camp is so that we could leave for Roşia, a gypsy village about 30 minutes away by car. On Saturday night, Rich asked Karen and I to sing a song at the church, so we decided on "How Great Is Our God" because the chords are simple and the chorus was simple enough to sing in Romanian. Now, remember the marriage seminar, and the fact that Rich and I were married the longest of anyone there? Well, we're still working on our mind-reading because I thought I had asked Rich to write the words to the song because we didn't know both verses. So as we're in the car on the way to the church, I asked Rich for the words and he didn't have them. I pulled out the paper with the Romanian words and started writing the English words as Rich played the song on his iPhone. Fortunately, Emma agreed to sing with us to reinforce the Romanian chorus, but she also sang the English with us, even though I only wrote the beginning words of each phrase. God uses His servants when we totally give Him the outcome, as we did for our song. It was Jerry's turn to give the message, and he did a very good job as well.

Upon returning to the Betania Church, we found the table set with potatoes, cabbaage salad, chicken, bread, and dessert in the refrigerator, plus our coldcuts tray had been replenished and new loaves of bread were on the side table. They are very generous here!

I think it will be nice to have a regular schedule for the upcoming week, but Radu has plans for us to see Sibiu also, so I'll still be blogging about new and interesting things. Although I have every intention of keeping it short, the descriptions just take time. You'll just have to come to Romania one day to experience these things yourself.

Thanks for reading, and keep praying for God to use us in these everyday things that we're doing!

Joanne

Village Church

2009-06-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

This afternoon we got back from the family retreat in the mountains and drove to a village church in the foothills. This is a church other FCC ministry teams helped build. The message I had prepared weeks before, fell into place exactly with the music and scripture prepared by their worship team.PRAISE GOD... and that was the message PRAISE GOD.

Jerry

Day one of Family Camp

2009-06-27T13:54:00.001-07:00

Ahhhh, what a first day. So, lets start at the beginning...

I ended up going to sleep shortly after I made my last post to the blog. I was sitting in my room and felt like the room was moving all around me. Definitely not a good sign! So, after a couple phone calls, I called it a night. God was telling me my body and mind needed the rest more than the message needed preparing. And who was I to argue? :)

So, after a few hours of sleep, I woke up to a thunderstorm starting, albeit I thought it was just going to be rain. So, I closed the window as much as I could without closing it all the way. And, of course, I was now wide awake. So, I opened the laptop, fired up Word and away we went as God directed me in what to prepare in the message. So, as I typed away, I notice a flash...then, about 8 or so seconds later, followed by thunder. Oh boy, here's coming a thunderstorm! Now, here's where my geek-ness comes into play. Instead of thinking "oh man, that means I'm not going to sleep anytime soon I guess", I start thinking "I should probably unplug the laptop just in case". Eh, whatever, I'll keep working. So, again, away I typed. Then came one more lightning strike followed by thunder. This time, though, it was only a few seconds apart. Then came the third set. Only about a second apart (if that) and it shook the building. And then it was time to unplug the laptop! :D

Anyways, as the thunder rolled on through the night, I continued preparing until it was finished. So, at 6 am local time, I layed back down for a couple more hours rest, which was great. As the morning approached (I know, its already morning, but follow me here), I was awoken by a high-pitched scratching...by a pidgeon that decided to land on my window. And so starts the day!

Radu and Emma picked us up around 9:30 to take us up to the camp. And it was a perfect opportunity to play tourist. So, out came the camera and the memory card became a little more full. Then we arrived at the camp...which meant more pictures!! :) The camp was being held at a resort set back into the foothills of the Carpathian mountain range, so you can imagine what kind of pictures I took. After everyone arrived and we settled into our dining and discussion hall, we congregated to begin the camp. First, we had prayer and worship, which was great. It always fascinates me to hear the same songs I know in a language I don't. To see a different culture worshipping God in a different language but with the same songs is an amazing sight to me. So, next up was Pastor Rich with his message. He preached out of Ephesians 5 on the importance of submission, not only for wives to their husbands but for husbands to their wives along with both to God. A very good message indeed. Now, what was even more amazing about this messsage is that it set up a lot of what I will be covering tomorrow (as I was rescheduled between my last post and this morning). What makes it amazing is that I felt I needed to add more support for it, but God kept telling me "no". And now I know why. :)

Now it was time for everyone to move into the rooms we were staying at. We moved our stuff into the room on the third floor, which was amazing to say the least. However, it would only sleep four...and there are five of us right now. As it turns out, more couples ended up coming to the camp than anticipated and their were not enough rooms for everyone. What a problem to have, right? There's too many families wanting to strengthen their marriages and their relationships with God for me to stay there. :) So, I am now staying with another one of the ministers, Ari, and his family. I'll add more details about this in just a bit. So, after all the families and couples got settled in, we met back downstairs for lunch. This was my first real experience of Romanian food (besides the aformentioned gogosi, pronounced gogosh). The food was great, and included a vegetable soup to start with followed by chicken served over garlic mashed potatoes. Very good indeed!

Now we were faced with a small problem. After taking in all that great food, what do we do to work it off? Their answer...soccer! I haven't played in over ten years, and although I was tempted to play, I decided to take more pictures. After wandering around with the camera playing tourist, the Bordens showed me where everyone else went. So, I went down to the soccer field...and took more pictures of them playing and everything else around the field (the small ponds, the river, etc.). But, after turning down a couple of invitations to play, I finally decided to put the camera away and play. And boy was I out of practice...and out of shape! But, no matter. The object wasn't to win, but to have fun and, as one of the guys put it, survive to the end of the game. So, in I went and played I did. Somehow, I actually managed to score 2 goals. Go figure! :) Needless to say, this was a great bonding experience for me with some of the Romanians that came.

After a nice shower and a change of clothes, we moved on to the couples time. This is where the couples sit and discuss their marriage in an effort to strengthen not only their marriage but also their relationship with God, both individually and as a couple. Our team decided to spend the time bonding as a team, discussing past experiences along with our trip thus far. I was actually a little sad that it had to end as soon as it did, but who am I to argue with dinner. :) So, off to more great Romanian food we went.

And oh was it great! We had seasoned, grilled pork chops served with skinned, baked red (I think) potates and salad. Needless to say, I'm still a little full!

So, with a good dinner in the stomach, it was time to move on to the last part of the day. For this, we split off into 2 groups, one for the husbands and one for the wives. In this time, we discussed not only how the message from this morning impacted each of us but also how we are putting forth the effort to enrich our spiritual lives in regards to our relationships (well, their marriages and my relationship :) ). For me, I got to hear about ways to do this not only in a marriage but also with kids in the picture. So, after we heard from everyone, we paired off and prayed for each other. And, being that I came here to serve, I made myself available to anyone.

And, God being who He is, had a gentleman by the name of George sit with me and we began to share about our weak points and then prayed. What's truly amazing is that this man, some 6000+ miles away in a completely different culture, has a lot of the same struggles in his life as I do. Now, not wanting to turn down an opportunity, we prayed for each other and, afterwards, shared ways that we can continue to grow stronger in our walks with God and be more Godly men to the lady in our perspective lives (him to his wife, me to Jennifer). I came to serve, but ended up being served as well. God is good, yes?

So, with the evening over and everyone free to do as they wish (ping-pong and pool were the 2 games being played) Ari and I packed up along with his family and others to come back. Ari and his family have opened their home to me to stay for the night so that everyone else can stay on-site for the family camp. Truly, these are amazing people God has brought around me. So, after a great discussion in the van, we arrived at their home. And, after some Romanian ice cream (which, yes, is pretty great indeed :) ), I sit here now updating you all on the day that has just passed. Unfortunately, the family camp doesn't have an internet connection, so the rest of the team won't be posting until tomorrow. So, look forward to seeing what they experienced.

Until then, goodnight everyone and God bless. I'll post again soon, and please forgive any typos. It is 15 min. to 1am here and I'm running on maybe 7-8 hrs. total of sleep for the past 2 days. Time for some sleep.

Comfort Zone

2009-06-26T22:36:00.000-07:00

Family,

They told me one purpose of this mission trip was to remove us from our comfort zones and challenge ourselves to see things in a new God centered way.

I know many of you were worried if I would be able to make this trip as I am just recovering from an angioplasty surgery. It was a very tiring trip in which we stayed awake almost 24 hours on the trip to Romania, with a few hours of sleep stolen in very confining airplane seats.

Don't worry. I am fine. Pastor Rich was the head scout as we hit three airports and found our way to the right gates. He was great. Even though Steve was strapped down with carry on equipment (tech guy) he always strood to let me have a seat on the buses that take you to and from the planes, if it was crowded (and it was always crowded). It is great to have my best friend and wife Karen along to support me in every way.

I am definately out of my comfort zone, away from family and friends who are supportive and Christian. One infamous episode of the trip was that I had a man sitting behind me on the 10 hour flight to Frankfurt, who would not let me put my seat back. He cursed at me everytime I tried to lean back and he would hit the seat and jolt me to keep my seat upright, even when the plane was darkened and everyone was sleeping. I don't know if I should say he was French and rude, or just rude... but I could only do my best to not lose my temper. TALK ABOUT THE LORD testing you.

As we left Munich, I was dragging my carryon by the shoulder strap rather than carry it and I was very tired... everyone could see it and as we were descending six flights of stairs, I just prayed on every flight for God to give me a second wind and strength... AND HE DID. As I got on the plane for the last two hours to Romania, I felt it come over me. As most of the team slept, I was awake and reading Fresh Wind Fresh Fire. I told Pastor Rich I HAVE AM REFRESHED and how I had my prayer answered. When we got to Romania I took a 20 minute nap, but other than that I walked to the square, uphill, upstairs, and across two large plazas. I watched the activity of Sibui in the plaza... kid playing in the fountain, an old lady feeding circling flocks of pigeons, and families strolling. It is a beautiful, peaceful, friendly place that God delivered me to here in Sibui.

Today, I am going to a Christian, mountain retreat to minister to families struggling to be what God intends for all of us.... to be happy in life through being happy in the LORD.

Your Brother In Christ,
Jerry Borden

2009-06-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

Jerry and I are sharing his e-mail for blogging purposes-- isn't that what marriage is all about? A timely sharing since we will both be on panel discussions at Family Camp today.

The blogs so far were discriptive of the trip here. The flight took forever, and I finished a long novel in my nifty e-reader on the way. Jerry will have to share his experience, but I will just say the flight had the loudest ambience of any I have taken -- between a tour group constantly visting with each other and many babies and small children, sleep was not a real option, even for a skilled plane sleeper like me!

We are staying in housing at the church and it is like a giant apartment. The refrigerator was filled with goodies for us, and it is a great place to stay. I made up for the minimal sleep while traveling by sleeping great last night. (There was quite a thunder storm at 2:30 in the morning, but even that didn't keep me awake for long...) I think we have avoided the worst of jet lag on this trip.

We walked around the town square yesterday and I really like the architecture and ambiance of the area. Kim-- we are looking forward to getting that Sorbet.

Katelyn-- we miss you and hope you have a great time at Hume!

My Version of the Plane Day

2009-06-26T21:46:00.000-07:00

Isn't it interesting how God put us in different seats to have different experiences? On the first long flight, I sat next to a French woman who taught English to 11-14 year-olds, so we shared our teaching experiences (her 40 years vs. my 4 years), how classroom management has gotten more difficult as the family units break down, and how teachers don't get paid enough for the task of preparing the future leaders of our countries. I guess some things never change.

At any rate, 24+ hours after rising for our day of flying, we arrived safe and sound to the picturesque town of Sibiu. The old, old buildings belie the fact that it's a living, vibrant city. The church actually seems "modern" compared to the buildings across the street. We are staying in the apartment-like attachment to the church, on the second and third floors. The second floor has two bedrooms, two baths, and a kitchen and dining area. On the third floor, up a very steep set of stairs, there are three bedrooms and the computer room. We sent the young whipper-snapper Steve to the upstairs room.

It's now Saturday morning and we're preparing to go to a family retreat that runs today and tomorrow morning. Steve and Jerry will be giving messages, and Rich and I might be leading separate discussion groups for men and women regarding marriage, family, kids, etc. It's a good thing God uses people who aren't perfect in the areas He leads us to discuss!

Keep praying for God's mighty hand to pour blessings on these people through our best efforts, backed up by the Holy Spirit.

A First Good Night's Rest

2009-06-26T19:46:00.000-07:00

Okay, everything that Steve and Kim went down pretty much the way they related it. I have to apologize for my short blogs on the way to SFO and on the plane. I was doing a quick email to the blog from my iPhone and my thumbs are not the greatest for inputing. (That's when you get short quick little email replys for those interested).

Steve didn't point out that we had a chance to walk up to the old town from Betania. Everyone, except for Jerry, got their taste of gogosi. It was our tribute to Glenn Rose as we walked around the town. After we got back to Betania, Radu and Emma Cimpean arrived to greet us. Radu, the associate pastor at Betania, had just driven in from Sinaia, a three hour drive from here. We went over the plans for the week and outlined some thoughts for the family retreat which begins today.

The primary word for Romanian ministry is "FLEXIBILITY". So we're working on what we have to do and maintaining an open mind to the fact that everything is subject to change at a moment's notice. I LOVE IT because that is pretty much what missions is all about.

Well, as Steve put it, we'll get back to you soon on what's happening.

We made it!

2009-06-26T11:46:00.000-07:00

Yup, we made it. And boy was it a loooooooong trip getting here. The 747 to Frankfurt wasn't the most comfortable in the world (as I was told to expect), but it did the job just fine. I was fairly tired from lack of sleep the past few nights, so I was hoping to get some sleep on the flight. Unfortunately, that only happened in spurts (partly due to me not being able to sleep on a plane and partly due to some rowdy passengers next to me). But, the food was pretty decent, at least as far as airplane food goes. And I'm glad I brought my iPod with me so I had something to listen to, as the movie selection really did nothing for me. Go figure. :)

As Kim pointed out, I packed the least of everyone. 1 carry-on and one small bag for the camera, that's it. And in that carry-on, I managed to fit a week's worth of clothes, my laptop, most of my materials to prep for the lesson I need to work on after this and my toiletries. Not too bad for the small bag I have.

So, the first stop was Frankfurt. This meant we were on the above-mentioned 747 for 10 hrs. roughly. Yeouch! So, we arrived in Frankfurt at 9:45-ish their time, 12:45-ish CA time. So, we get off, ride the airbus to the terminal, go through customs (the guy snickered at my brand-new passport :) ), go back through security and get on the second plane. This one takes us to Munich...a whopping 1 hr. flight, if that. I believe it was something like 186 miles away. Real short flight. Munich was a breeze and we get on our last plane, this time going to Sibiu, Romania. By far, this was the smallest plane I had ever been on. It wasn't a turbo-prop, but it wasn't much bigger. So, after a couple hrs. of being on the last plane, we made it in to Sibiu, our final destination.

First up was customs. My nice-and-shiny new passport didn't want to work with their machines, so that meant a slight delay. Oh well, it happens. Then was getting the rest of the luggage. Again, no real biggie for me. However, I'd like to note that Pastor Rich had to explain his bags to security...go figure. :P Anyways, we were greeted by some members of the Betania church, where we are currently staying right now. They took most of our luggage for us, loaded us up in 2 cars and took us here. And the driver was nice enough to slow down or stay stopped for a few seconds at times to let me get some (hopefully) good pictures in. :D

So, now I need to get my message together for tomorrow's family camp. Until tomorrow night everyone, take it easy and I'll talk to you soon. Much love for you all.

- Steve
Eccl. 4: 9 - 12

On the plane

2009-06-25T14:10:00.001-07:00

We're on board the plane awaiting departure.

Rich

How they REALLY got to the airport

2009-06-25T13:59:00.001-07:00

Okay, so Pastor Rich posted simply that the team is on their way to SFO. Here is how it really went....

Tony lent his van to Kim...it seats 7 without much room for luggage. So, Kim picks up the Bordens first. Waving goodbye to their daughter and puppy, we all head over to pick up the Hongs. Hmmmm, luggage space is getting scarce and Naomi, Rich and Joanne's daughter, notes that the van is getting lower to the ground. Oh, don't forget that Naomi needs to bring her Hume Lake AND Spain luggage with her....

With 6 of us in the van, our luggage and an enormous but delicious smelling cantaloupe in the van, we waddle over to pick up Steve.

Now if you know Steve, he is a big guy. Could probably lift all our luggage by himself if he had enough fingers. Of all our team members, he packs the lightest. Looks like he plans on being gone 2 or 3 days. That's a relief since we can just squeeze him in with all the luggage we already have. And thank goodness Naomi is tiny enough to sandwich in the way back with her parents.

Fully loaded, the van drives kind of like a boat, squishy and sloggy. Sorry about all the technical terms...look them up on dictionary.com or something. Everyone confirms that they indeed have their passports and tickets. Whew.

Everyone piles out at SFO and we give quick hugs/waves goodbye. It feels weird to just flop them out on the sidewalk and drive off. I am usually the one leaving on a plane! The van feels all young and spry again as Naomi and I head home...with a stop for lunch on the way. I wonder if the team got their bulkhead seats or not. I wonder if they have seen the menu for the meals they'll get onboard. I wonder if Steve will be able to catch some z's on the ride over. Really, I just wonder a lot. Can't wait to read how things are going!

Almost on our way

2009-06-25T13:00:00.001-07:00

We've checked in, had lunch, made it through security, and are now at
the gate waiting to board.

Rich

On the way to SFO

2009-06-25T10:54:00.001-07:00

We're on our way to SFO. The whole team is here except for Tony
Bolivar, who will leave on Sunday.

Rich

I'm almost ready, I swear

2009-06-24T22:47:00.001-07:00

Well, I just finished up my last meeting with Alive! for the summer. It was good to kick back, chit-chat and have some pizza with everyone. And now, to finish getting ready.

Jennifer, my lovely girlfriend, is letting me borrow her DSLR camera for the trip, so after that, I just need to make a quick run to the bank, do some laundry and pack. I'm still a bit nervous, as this is not only my first mission trip but also my first time out of the country. I'm excited in that I'll get to see my homelands on this trip (both Spain and Germany), but also anxious to see what God is going to be doing, both in me and through me. Part of me really wants to take this all in and make it about me, but I know and believe this is a real growing opportunity for me to leave myself behind and operate at God's discretion. However, this is definitely not easy to do, as this is waaaaay out of my comfort zone (considering my comfort zone will soon be some 6000+ miles away).

So, with all that said, its time I finish getting ready to go and get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.

As I always say to those near me as I try and get a laugh out of them, love, peace and chicken grease. :)

Final Countdown

2009-06-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

24 hours to go! Team Romania is almost ready to launch. Looking forward to all that we will be doing there in Sibiu. It was great connecting with Teo on Skype this morning about Team Spain. Pray for Mark Kenoly's passport to be renewed in time for Team Spain's departure on July 5.

Countdown Continues

2009-06-18T22:27:00.000-07:00

It's now 7 days before we leave for Romania. The Spain Team will leave on July 5. There is still much to do in preparation to go. Our schedules are pretty set and now it's basically getting stuff and packing. Pray for Steve and Jerry as they prepare messages for Romania. Pray for Mark as he deals with family tragedy. Helen is in the midst of getting things together for the children's outreach in Spain. Virgie is visiting family in Pennsylvania and Oklahoma before heading to Spain. Tony has a busy week of rehearsals and two performances before joining us in Romania. Naomi will have Junior High camp at Hume Lake before heading to Spain. Boy, we are busy, busy, busy. Praying that we will be productive as well.

Gearing Up for Romania

2009-06-16T23:23:00.000-07:00

It was great to talk with Radu on the phone (through Skype). I'm feeling really good about our planning for the family retreat. Pray for us as we prepare. Some of us are running around trying to get last minute things to pack for our trip. Praise God that my Fremont Bank cash card finally came in the mail. Now I know that we will have access to our funds for the mission while we're in Europe. That's a big load off my mind. We had a wonderful meeting with Connie and I feel more confident than ever that we're going to be used significantly in Romania.

Countdown

2009-06-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

It's 14 days until we leave for Romania. The Spain team leaves in 24 days.

Team Meetings

2009-06-08T21:55:00.000-07:00

Pray for our teams as they get ready to leave. We'll be having a Spain Team meeting on Saturday, June 13. And on the next day, Sunday, June 14, the Romania Team will meet. At both meetings we'll be finalizing plans and preparing how we will minister in both countries.

Pure Passion

2009-06-08T12:07:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who came out and supported our teams by attending the Pure Passion Concert on June 5. We had an outstanding time of worship and celebration as we watched Ralph Anderson in a mime; listened to Tony Bolivar on his saxes accompanied by Victoria Theodore (Stevie Wonder's keyboard player; and grooved to the music of Mark Kenoly and Kingdom Voice. Ron Kenoly closed the concert by leading us in a very special worship song. We also were able to help the Kenya Team raise money at their silent auction.

Countdown to 2009 'Spainia' Trip!

2009-05-22T14:16:00.000-07:00

Yes, I said Spainia...this year we have a mix of people going to Romania, Spain and some are going to both! So please be praying for them as they navigate packing, raising funds and other details.

Archived on this blog are the posts the 2008 team made if you would like to see what happened last year!

Arrival in Spain

2008-10-15T11:00:00.001-07:00

Pastor Kevin and Pastor Rich safely arrived in Barcelona on Monday. They were met by Priscilia and Teo Taban and went on their way to find their hotel...which I will let them tell you about!

Pastor Ben from our sister church in Sibiu, Romania was also in Barcelona and was able to join them for dinner. I wonder what they ate and if it kept them up all night!

They had a good drive south down the coast of Spain to Castellon where they checked into their hotel (of a much better quality than the Barcelona hotel I hear). They have been able to call and report but online access is spotty, so posts may be infrequent. Priscilia is a wonderful hostess and the guys seemed very happy in her care. Priscilia and Teo's two children find their two asian guest very facinating to look at and run around saying, "ola!" all the time.

Well, I will give the guys a little more time to report in on the blog...hopefully with a picture or two!

Greetings from Romania

2008-10-11T10:29:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of our gracious host Radu and his lovely new bride, Emma. Next to Pastor Kevin you can see the back of our translator, Adi. It was a real joy to meet Adi and share what God is doing in his life. Pray for him as he is on his way to Thailand for a 10 day conference on missions.

Pastor Kevin shared about the Senior Home in Slimnic in the previous blog. It was both encouraging and heartbreaking to hear many of the stories from these seniors. Two had served in prison camps in Siberia just because they were of German descent when the Red Army rolled through Romania at the end of World War II. It didn't matter that they were girls or young women. Because they had German blood, they were shipped off to Russia. It has been encouraging to see how they are all blessed by Jesus to be in the home. Their faith is strong and they seek ways to love Jesus more each day.

Thank you FCC

2008-10-11T08:23:00.000-07:00

The Good News Senior Home in Slimnic has 28 residents. More than ten of whom have little or no means of support. All of them are widowed or have lost their children. However, thanks to the efforts of our VBS children, FCC donated enough money to heat the facility for one month!

Nistor and Rodica, the Directors of the home, wanted us to pass along to you their heartfelt and sincere "Thank you FCC!"

By the way, yes, that is a greenhouse in front of the facility. They are doing everything they can to cut costs while providing a high nutrition diet for the residents. Moreover, in an effort to become self-sustaining, they would like to expand and upgrade the facility. Doing so would attract seniors who could pay a market rate for their stay. The additional income would help to balance out the costs for those of meager resources.

Nistor told us of one senior who he found living in a stable. Yes, just like Jesus. Only, this senior was abandoned, surrounded by rats, and his without care to the point that his toenails had grown so long they curled around to the bottoms of his toes. Yet, this man came to the home and, during his stay, committed his life to Jesus.

It is through project such as these that FCC is reaching out and helping people in desperate circumstances.

Blessings,

Pastor Kevin.

Romanian Pastors

2008-10-09T12:58:00.000-07:00

It's been a real joy to meet these young Romanian pastors. They've been sharing their stories and it's been incredible to see the Kingdom impact that these young men and their families are making throughout the country. They're from every region and corner of this nation. It's been really good to see how they are accepting Pastor Kevin's challenges to think outside the box and look at changing ministries to engage the reality of a post-modern world. I'm supposed to nurture them and encourage them and they are doing the same things for me! It's going to be sad to see our conference end tomorrow.

This Gogosi is for you, Glenn

2008-10-09T06:05:00.000-07:00

We had to do it. Glenn Rose would have been proud! These gogosi (pronounced: go-GOHSH) are full of chocolate and warm and mmmmm and -- hey, I think we've got a couple of minutes to go grab another!

Today I had a wonderful conversation with Helen Poplocean (Pastor Ben's wife). We talked all about Glenn and how we have been touched by him (and Becky). It brought Helen to the point of tears -- sadness, yet fully confident and thankful to the Lord.

We're in Day Two of our three-day Pastors Conference. Pastor Rich and I are speaking to approximately 15 young Romanian pastors. It is a privilege for us to invest in this way in the future of Romania. And all of this is possible because of the generous and faithful community at FCC. So many of the people that we meet know of "the Fremont Church" because of our twelve-year sister church relationship with Bethany Baptist church in Sibiu. We thank the Lord for how He is using the gifts provided through you, our family at FCC.

Blessings!

Pastor Kevin.

Arrival in Sibiu

2008-10-07T09:40:00.000-07:00

It looks like they were able to get new connecting flights from Munich so they are able to get to Sibiu by 9 pm on Tuesday night...and hopefully get some sleep in a actual bed before participating as speakers at the retreat/conference on Wednesday.

Thank you for your prayers!

Plane Delay!

2008-10-06T17:14:00.000-07:00

Our two fearless pastors had to endure 3 hours on the plane...at the gate!

The flight was delayed, so please pray that they will be swiftly rebooked onto new connecting flights so that they will be able to arrive in Sibiu the night before the conference starts! A tough feat since there are very limited flights to Sibiu.

And so it begins...

2008-10-06T15:53:00.001-07:00

Just to let you all know we've been sitting on the Tarmac at SFO for the past two hours. We're going to miss all of our original connections on Germany but God's working on other plans.

Made it to SFO

2008-10-06T13:55:00.001-07:00

The guys made it to the airport in plenty of time...can't wait to hear about their flight in another 14 hours or so!

2008-10-06T11:04:00.001-07:00

We're on our way to the airport.

Romania and Spain 2009

Reflections of Spainia

Pics from Spain

Is it the end of the week already?

Short Expectations

The Journey Continues

A Minute in the Mediterranean

Arrival in Spain

And Into Castellón We Go…

Missed Opportunity

There's no place like home...

Pics of the Romanian Presidential Helicopter

On the Way to USA

Munich Musings

Pacea Sibiu, Hola Castellon

Wilkommen Munchen

Farewell Romania, Hello Spain

The last two days of Sibiu

News from Fremont and Romania

Overflowing

Sherbert's Romanian Adventures

Music Camp Concert

A Church full of revolutionaries

Just in case you're missing my blog...

Three for one deal...

Sister Church

Music Camp, Dessert, and Church

Bible Study and Prayer Meetings

I love Sibiu, Romania!

Church, Church, Church, and ... Church and.... Church

International Music Camp and Stereotypes

Our first official day as tourists

More Pics and a Video

Pics from Family Camp

Day two of Family Camp

Jon & Kate + Super Nanny= Minstry

Family Retreat

Village Church

Day one of Family Camp

Comfort Zone

My Version of the Plane Day

A First Good Night's Rest

We made it!

On the plane

How they REALLY got to the airport

Almost on our way

On the way to SFO

I'm almost ready, I swear

Final Countdown

Countdown Continues

Gearing Up for Romania

Countdown

Team Meetings

Pure Passion

Countdown to 2009 'Spainia' Trip!

Arrival in Spain

Greetings from Romania

Thank you FCC

Romanian Pastors

This Gogosi is for you, Glenn

Arrival in Sibiu

Plane Delay!

Made it to SFO