I didn't sleep well last night. I've been having a lot of back pain and a late dinner involving cheese gave me leg cramps. I should have known. I always get leg cramps if I eat a salty food before bedtime! But our contacts were leaving and we decided to cook them tacos, complete with homemade tortillas. I couldn't pass it up, but dinner didn't start until after 9 pm, so the cramps were inevitable. So combining the leg cramps, neck and back pain, and this cold/cough that I can't seem to shake, didn't give me a lot of rest.
During the restless night I kept thinking that I would either skip the morning prayer meeting or skip my afternoon ministry and catch up on my sleep. I felt so much pain in my legs and I could not get comfortable no matter what I did. I prayed that the pain would go away, so I could finally get some rest, but it didn’t happen. But I woke up feeling surprisingly rested. How could that be? I didn't fall asleep until after 2 am and I remember being awake from 4 to 5:30 and then again at 6:30 and 7:30. It didn't make sense that I felt ready to start the day. I realized He must have big plans for me today. I didn't want to skip any of those things anyway, and on top of my regular ministries I had planned to help our contact with some administrative duties. I got ready and set out to have a very busy, but productive day.
I had packed a lunch to be able to start administrative tasks immediately after the prayer meeting and when we saw the pastor, he informed us that his meetings had been switched around and he actually needed the administrative folks to show up 2 hours earlier than normal. Perfect! I was already ahead of the game. I set out to burn 50 CDs of a presentation that I had spent the previous days translating to Romanian from English (using Google translate and my minimal translating skills). I made some progress before it was time for me to walk to my afternoon kids club.
Jessica, who normally goes with me, had stayed behind to support raise. Another sister, Marian, had badly wanted to come along, so it was the perfect opportunity. We walked briskly the couple of miles to the house, and were greeted by the kids running to us in the street as usual. That is always the moment where my spirits are lifted no matter what kind of mood I am in. Nothing can beat the hugs I get from those kids!
We all piled into a room and the fun began. Singing songs, Bible stories, hilarious answers to serious questions, and games filled the next 2 hours. When it was time to leave, I couldn't bare the thought, but we made the trek back toward the church. One of the local missionaries asked us over for coffee and though we were a little pressed for time, we gladly accepted. We had promised to clean out the pastor's van before the end of the day, but we can always make time for coffee and chatting. In the middle of a lovely bran muffin, our friend received a call saying that a man was dying and also a couple was coming for a surprise visit to the pastor's house for dinner. A surprise visit on the night before they are to leave town for a one month mission trip across Europe.
We prayed immediately and then set out to help in any way that we could. We cleaned the van in record time and headed over to the dying man's house to pray for him. He had cancer. It was clear that he only had a few hours to live. We entered a tiny room where he resting quite uncomfortably and we knelt down on the floor and began to read scripture and pray. I touched his leg and he felt like a skeleton. He was in a lot of pain. The man kept asking for the pastor by name, but saying that he was too afraid to accept Jesus as his savior.
We were just about to read/explain Luke 23:39-43 to him, about the criminal being crucified next to Jesus who believes moments before he dies. Jesus tells the man that he will be with him in paradise that day. The pastor arrived and had a conversation with the man in Romanian. We listed and prayed to ourselves. I kept repeating that wherever two or more are gathered in His name, there is love. And perfect love casts out all fear. We heard the man say "da da" (yes yes), but we were not sure what the context of the conversation was at that time. Before we knew it, people were saying "amen" and we were packing up to leave.
When we go to the van, we asked the pastor what was said and what had happened. He said that he had told the story of the criminal being crucified next to Jesus. The very story that my teammate Kristen had wanted to tell and the man had accepted Christ as His savior. It was a moment for celebration amid great sadness. It was the unexpected, but fitting ending to a day full of divine appointments and redirection.
My plan to go back to bed and sleep didn’t make sense. But what I went through last night was just a preparation. I could relate to him as he lay there. The pain and discomfort that I experienced was not as extreme as his. But I know what it is like to feel hurt, restless, tired, afraid, and heavy with burdens. Tho it seemed may have seemed logical after a night of no sleep to go back to bed, it wasn’t how His plan was supposed to unfold. And something deep in side me (that voice in your head that sounds smarter than you, that’s God) knew what I was supposed to do. As I explored World Race blogs before I began this journey, I often read that it would be the most amazing and hardest thing I have ever done. Today and every day, that is so very true.
My plan to go back to bed and sleep didn’t make sense. But what I went through last night was just a preparation. I could relate to him as he lay there. The pain and discomfort that I experienced was not as extreme as his. But I know what it is like to feel hurt, restless, tired, afraid, and heavy with burdens. Tho it seemed may have seemed logical after a night of no sleep to go back to bed, it wasn’t how His plan was supposed to unfold. And something deep in side me (that voice in your head that sounds smarter than you, that’s God) knew what I was supposed to do. As I explored World Race blogs before I began this journey, I often read that it would be the most amazing and hardest thing I have ever done. Today and every day, that is so very true.I didn't sleep well last night. I've been having a lot of back pain and a late dinner involving cheese gave me leg cramps. I should have known. I always get leg cramps if I eat a salty food before bedtime! But our contacts were leaving and we decided to cook them tacos, complete with homemade tortillas. I couldn't pass it up, but dinner didn't start until after 9 pm, so the cramps were inevitable. So combining the leg cramps, neck and back pain, and this cold/cough that I can't seem to shake, didn't give me a lot of rest.
During the restless night I kept thinking that I would either skip the morning prayer meeting or skip my afternoon ministry and catch up on my sleep. I felt so much pain in my legs and I could not get comfortable no matter what I did. I prayed that the pain would go away, so I could finally get some rest, but it didn’t happen. But I woke up feeling surprisingly rested. How could that be? I didn't fall asleep until after 2 am and I remember being awake from 4 to 5:30 and then again at 6:30 and 7:30. It didn't make sense that I felt ready to start the day. I realized He must have big plans for me today. I didn't want to skip any of those things anyway, and on top of my regular ministries I had planned to help our contact with some administrative duties. I got ready and set out to have a very busy, but productive day.
I had packed a lunch to be able to start administrative tasks immediately after the prayer meeting and when we saw the pastor, he informed us that his meetings had been switched around and he actually needed the administrative folks to show up 2 hours earlier than normal. Perfect! I was already ahead of the game. I set out to burn 50 CDs of a presentation that I had spent the previous days translating to Romanian from English (using Google translate and my minimal translating skills). I made some progress before it was time for me to walk to my afternoon kids club.
Jessica, who normally goes with me, had stayed behind to support raise. Another sister, Marian, had badly wanted to come along, so it was the perfect opportunity. We walked briskly the couple of miles to the house, and were greeted by the kids running to us in the street as usual. That is always the moment where my spirits are lifted no matter what kind of mood I am in. Nothing can beat the hugs I get from those kids!
We all piled into a room and the fun began. Singing songs, Bible stories, hilarious answers to serious questions, and games filled the next 2 hours. When it was time to leave, I couldn't bare the thought, but we made the trek back toward the church. One of the local missionaries asked us over for coffee and though we were a little pressed for time, we gladly accepted. We had promised to clean out the pastor's van before the end of the day, but we can always make time for coffee and chatting. In the middle of a lovely bran muffin, our friend received a call saying that a man was dying and also a couple was coming for a surprise visit to the pastor's house for dinner. A surprise visit on the night before they are to leave town for a one month mission trip across Europe.
We prayed immediately and then set out to help in any way that we could. We cleaned the van in record time and headed over to the dying man's house to pray for him. He had cancer. It was clear that he only had a few hours to live. We entered a tiny room where he resting quite uncomfortably and we knelt down on the floor and began to read scripture and pray. I touched his leg and he felt like a skeleton. He was in a lot of pain. The man kept asking for the pastor by name, but saying that he was too afraid to accept Jesus as his savior.
We were just about to read/explain Luke 23:39-43 to him, about the criminal being crucified next to Jesus who believes moments before he dies. Jesus tells the man that he will be with him in paradise that day. The pastor arrived and had a conversation with the man in Romanian. We listed and prayed to ourselves. I kept repeating that wherever two or more are gathered in His name, there is love. And perfect love casts out all fear. We heard the man say "da da" (yes yes), but we were not sure what the context of the conversation was at that time. Before we knew it, people were saying "amen" and we were packing up to leave.
When we go to the van, we asked the pastor what was said and what had happened. He said that he had told the story of the criminal being crucified next to Jesus. The very story that my teammate Kristen had wanted to tell and the man had accepted Christ as His savior. It was a moment for celebration amid great sadness. It was the unexpected, but fitting ending to a day full of divine appointments and redirection.
My plan to go back to bed and sleep didn’t make sense. But what I went through last night was just a preparation. I could relate to him as he lay there. The pain and discomfort that I experienced was not as extreme as his. But I know what it is like to feel hurt, restless, tired, afraid, and heavy with burdens. Tho it seemed may have seemed logical after a night of no sleep to go back to bed, it wasn’t how His plan was supposed to unfold. And something deep in side me (that voice in your head that sounds smarter than you, that’s God) knew what I was supposed to do. As I explored World Race blogs before I began this journey, I often read that it would be the most amazing and hardest thing I have ever done. Today and every day, that is so very true.
How long has it been since you went sledding? If you're lucky it was just the other day. For me it's been a lot longer. There was an opportunity a couple of years ago, but I had just gotten a concussion the day before, so I decided it might not be that great of an idea. Today Maria, Tiffany and I went to the Saturday kids club at the church. I was on a different ministry last weekend, but I was pretty sure I knew what to expect. We sing a few songs and if we're lucky we dance around while we're doing it. Then maybe we would get to do a craft and have a snack and a lesson. Sometimes we're not sure exactly what is going on, because it's all happening in Romanian, but the kids are more than happy to teach us words each day and our vocabularies are growing larger and larger. I can now count to ten and name many different farm animals and several colors. I can ask how you are doing and tell a child they are doing a good job. When we arrived, we sang a few song and then a lot of Romanian that we couldn't decipher was spoken to the children for a few minutes. I thought it was an explanation of some prizes they might get at the end of the day. The instructor, Dorothy, was showing them some sledding discs and passing the largest one around. A few minutes later, it became apparent (through a translation) that we were ALL GOING SLEDDING!!!!!!!
We walked a few blocks away to a street that was still covered in slow and nicely sloped. There were a half or dozen or so discs to sled on, a fisher price looking sled, several sheets of plastic and some plastic bags. There kids were off and running, taking turns and trying to navigate their way around each other and down the hill. I was content to take photos and laugh with them all, but when one of them asked me if I would like to join, the answer was a simple YES! A beautiful little girl named Bianca and I ran up the hill and situated ourselves on the sheet of plastic that didn't even look large enough for one of us to sit on. We interdigitated and before I knew it we were careening out of control down the hill. A few spins and a lot of laughter got us to the bottom in one piece. Once again, I felt alive.
How do I capture this feeling and hang onto it all of the time? How do I manifest this type of joy from the moment I wake up until I fall asleep? If I could even experience that for one hour, I would be so overwhelmed and happy. I desire positive experiences, positive thoughts, and joy beyond anything I can comprehend. I have been so lucky to experience this in small moments each day. His glimpse of what more there could be if I would trust Him with all of it. If I would only trust Him enough to pray for these things. So that is my prayer today. Not to be filled with that kind of joy, but to believe the truth that I ALREADY AM!
"It's not enough to rage against the lie...you've got to replace it with the truth." Bono, U2
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. John 15: 8-11
One of my , teammates, Jessica, is from Florida and hasn't done much playing in the snow until Romania. She struggles to get around without slipping and falling, but she shovels snow when it is her turn and wants to make the very most of it. It's not palm trees and beaches, but it is a new and entertaining experience. We walk a couple of miles to our ministry site, someone's house, every Thursday together. Our contact used Jessica's walking speed as an example of showing the kids what "love is patient" means. We had made plans to build a snowman at some point today, because it warmed up to a little above freezing and the snow had gotten wet enough for packing. This was illustrated to us by the snowballs that a group of teenagers threw at me on our way to ministry. I might have egged them on a bit.
On our way home from ministry, the kids always walk us to the corner about 5 blocks away. I got distracted by taking photos of one of the girls and her son and got a little bit behind in the walk. I turned around and saw Jessica making a snowman with the kids. I got out my Flip camera to film it and a snowball fight broke out. That minute of craziness was definitely something I needed. I desire so much to live in the moment, let loose, be free, and other catch phrases. But seriously, I do. I think I used to be much more of a free spirit, but walls have come up and I have changed. I know it is still in me. I know the walls of protection, the insecurity, and the unsure feelings can all be blown away. I know who I am in Him. He loves me right where I am at and wants to see me walk in all that He has created me to be. The kids helped me walk in that for a moment today. Our lessen with them was about love today. And while getting pelted in the back of the neck and in the face with snowballs, I felt truly loved today!
On our way home from ministry, the kids always walk us to the corner about 5 blocks away. I got distracted by taking photos of one of the girls and her son and got a little bit behind in the walk. I turned around and saw Jessica making a snowman with the kids. I got out my Flip camera to film it and a snowball fight broke out. That minute of craziness was definitely something I needed. I desire so much to live in the moment, let loose, be free, and other catch phrases. But seriously, I do. I think I used to be much more of a free spirit, but walls have come up and I have changed. I know it is still in me. I know the walls of protection, the insecurity, and the unsure feelings can all be blown away. I know who I am in Him. He loves me right where I am at and wants to see me walk in all that He has created me to be. The kids helped me walk in that for a moment today. Our lessen with them was about love today. And while getting pelted in the back of the neck and in the face with snowballs, I felt truly loved today!One of my , teammates, Jessica, is from Florida and hasn't done much playing in the snow until Romania. She struggles to get around without slipping and falling, but she shovels snow when it is her turn and wants to make the very most of it. It's not palm trees and beaches, but it is a new and entertaining experience. We walk a couple of miles to our ministry site, someone's house, every Thursday together. Our contact used Jessica's walking speed as an example of showing the kids what "love is patient" means. We had made plans to build a snowman at some point today, because it warmed up to a little above freezing and the snow had gotten wet enough for packing. This was illustrated to us by the snowballs that a group of teenagers threw at me on our way to ministry. I might have egged them on a bit.
On our way home from ministry, the kids always walk us to the corner about 5 blocks away. I got distracted by taking photos of one of the girls and her son and got a little bit behind in the walk. I turned around and saw Jessica making a snowman with the kids. I got out my Flip camera to film it and a snowball fight broke out. That minute of craziness was definitely something I needed. I desire so much to live in the moment, let loose, be free, and other catch phrases. But seriously, I do. I think I used to be much more of a free spirit, but walls have come up and I have changed. I know it is still in me. I know the walls of protection, the insecurity, and the unsure feelings can all be blown away. I know who I am in Him. He loves me right where I am at and wants to see me walk in all that He has created me to be. The kids helped me walk in that for a moment today. Our lessen with them was about love today. And while getting pelted in the back of the neck and in the face with snowballs, I felt truly loved today!
It is officially the highly commercialized holiday known as Valentine’s Day. Although I’m not sure they celebrate it here in Romania. We have drawn “secret Valentine” buddies and purchased gifts for them. There is also a rumor that the men on the team that I am here with are making us baked french toast for breakfast. I am excited to see what kind of things the day brings. My ministry for the day will be shoveling snow again. Hopefully it will bring me a story or two of His love to pass along to you.
We know that love is the most important thing in this world. I prayed with my teammate Tiffany earlier tonight and we dedicated the day to Him. He is the one who taught us to love and through whom all love flows from. His love is a perfect love and we desire so much more of it. I figured it was the perfect day to thank the two people who taught me about Jesus. So thank you Mom and Dad!! I love you!
Thank you Mom for
having soft boiled eggs for breakfast me when I was little
Dancing to Footloose with me
Getting “lost” with us (taking us on long drives to no where)
Doing a cartwheel for us to prove to us that you could
Calling me Susie Q, Meg Peg, Meggie Poo, Nut Meg…
Making snacks for my friends and I when we would study or watch movies, you make the best nachos and popcorn!
Letting me drive your car until I got my own
Coming to see me for the weekend all of the time
Helping me to transition into my life as a grown up in Seattle after college
Being my best shopping partner
Thank you Dad for
Taking me fishing
Buying me sour cream and onion chips and cream soda after school
Packing my lunch with Circus Animals
Taking me outside to use your telescope to look at the moon
Warming up the truck to drive me to school and prayer breakfast
Making me breakfast or lunch when I came home from school
Calling me Precious and Little One
Not getting mad when I steal change out of your bowl
Teaching me how to shoot and taking me hunting
Cooking with me from my Mickey Mouse cook book
Always shoveling the walkway
Always buying Mom and I a gift on Valentine’s day
Thank you both for
Letting us get so many crazy pets
Always letting me talk things out
teaching me that the world might not be fair, but we always have a choice
Buying me a clarinet so I could learn to play an instrument
Coming to my college graduation so far away
Coming to all of my choir and band performances
Dragging us out of bed when we were little to see the northern lights
Sending me the best care packages in college
Never giving up on me
Supporting me through all of my ups and downs
Celebrating every victory with me and crying through the defeats
And for loving me and teaching me about where love comes from
**Fixed the links that weren't working. Something got lost in translation between Picasa and it's dreams to become part of Google+**
One of the advantages to having fast internet is being able to finally upload all of my photos. I'm going to work my way backward month by month. So here are the photos from Swaziland. I've been sick this week so I am going to try to get some rest tonight and get well soon. So there isn't a story today. Please enjoy the photos, I really enjoyed the month!
My teammates and I during our days off. Please don't laugh too much at the photo of my mosquito ridden foot. I tried to delete it and google+ won't let me! errrgghhh! Team Time!
When we arrived in Draganesti, we jumped off of the train into 3 or 4 feet of snow. We walked in a slip and slide fashion to a car and were driven to our ministry location. We were given an evening to settle in and the following day to rest before beginning our ministry. The first ministry that I signed up for was an after school program for children at the church. We found out in the morning that because of the cold weather, school had been cancelled for a couple of days and thus, so was the after school program. This meant that the people assigned to that activity would be moved over to snow shoveling.
I didn’t question how snow shoveling fit into ministry, but our contacts were nice enough to explain it to us. In this community, keeping your walkways shoveled is a respectable thing to do, so it is important for the church and the mission house to be well kept. If we take the opportunity to shovel the sidewalks and walkways of our neighbors, we give them a reason to trust and appreciate us. There is a lot of fear and lack of trust as the rate of crime in the community is increasing and the unemployment rate is 70%. There is also a language barrier that gets in our way when we’re speaking with to the locals. We learn a few phrases and do our best to use body language and be respectful of their customs, but for the most part, we need a translator. This also frees up our contacts so that they can spend more time talking to the people of the community and sharing Jesus with them in a way that we are not able to.
I was happy to help out in this way. I’m not afraid of a little hard work or even a lot of it. I like physical activities and I really don’t mind manual labor. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I have a bad neck and back and probably shouldn’t go go go as much as I do. But I figured one day of shoveling snow would be fun. Especially since I had newly acquired gloves, a scarf, a coat, and a hat. I was all set to go. My partner for this adventure was Jessica, born and raised in Florida. Her first snow experiences have been on this mission trip. She is not experienced in walking in it, let alone shoveling it.
We started shoveling and Jessica held her own like a champ! With just a moment of instruction from me, she was off and running. After removing the snow, we found an intense layer of ice. We spent much of the next two hours breaking the ice apart so that removing the snow wouldn’t make walking even more dangerous. We were able to set goals and clear out a pretty large area. I was a little sore the next day, but I would (and with the recent snowfall, I know I will) definitely do it again. I had a lot of fun and I really think it was an important part of our ministry that day! Ministry might not always look like holding babies and evangelizing, but it’s always important and a part of His plan.
On Thursday, my ministry in the afternoon was to go with my teammate Jessica to a children's Bible study in one of the gypsy neighborhoods. We were to meet with a woman named Veronica and walk to the house where the Bible study would be held. I really have gotten used to the cold weather. While it doesn't feel warm by any means, I enjoy our walks to ministry. I love seeing all of the buildings covered in snow and icicles. I try to smile at people as they walk by, even though I have been warned that it is not in their nature to smile back. It's still worth a try!
I have to admit that I was a little concerned about what this experience might entail. I was keeping an open mind, but after my experience with the gypsy woman in my kitchen a few days before, I thought at the very least, it would be an adventure. As I walked there, Veronica explained what was expected of us. We would speak to the children about Exodus 20: The Ten Commandments. Oh goodness, do a group of 6-12 year old children really sit still for 2 hours to hear about The Ten Commandments in another language? I wondered how we would explain adultery to them, and what kind of examples we could give them for why it is wrong to steal, when they might see it every day as a part of life. Veronica said that they understand the commandments in theory, but they need to be given examples so that they understand how to apply them to their lives.
As we turned the corner off of the main road, I saw 7 children RUNNING down the street toward us. "Is that them?" I asked Veronica. I was pretty excited. This was definitely a good start. She said of course it was them, and they always run to greet her. She lit up as she saw them and gave each of them a hug. We walked to a home arm in arm with the children and were introduced to the whole family that lived there. One by one more people trickled into the room where we were having the lesson. We were certainly a sight to see. Two young, fair skinned blonde women probably don't show up in their house very often. They were all so bright and warm and offered us drinks and cookies. The children were so eager to get the lesson started. We walked our way through the commandments, with Veronica translating for us. Jessica gave great examples and we asked the children questions as we went along.
I have never lead a devotional for children who showed this kind of enthusiasm before. It was inspiring. What if my time with God everyday looked like that? They were so smart and beautiful. I couldn't stop smiling. It might have been my most favorite moment on the face so far. The joy that God placed in my heart yesterday filled me so full. It's Friday evening and I find myself wanting it to be Thursday again already. I helped out with an after school program today and two of the same children were there. They ran to me when they saw me and hugged me. When we were leaving, they asked me to pray for them. What an amazing feeling! The whole Race, I have known that eastern Europe held something special for me. I think I am just beginning to see what amazing things he has in store!
On Thursday, my ministry in the afternoon was to go with my teammate Jessica to a children's Bible study in one of the gypsy neighborhoods. We were to meet with a woman named Veronica and walk to the house where the Bible study would be held. I really have gotten used to the cold weather. While it doesn't feel warm by any means, I enjoy our walks to ministry. I love seeing all of the buildings covered in snow and icicles. I try to smile at people as they walk by, even though I have been warned that it is not in their nature to smile back. It's still worth a try!
I have to admit that I was a little concerned about what this experience might entail. I was keeping an open mind, but after my experience with the gypsy woman in my kitchen a few days before, I thought at the very least, it would be an adventure. As I walked there, Veronica explained what was expected of us. We would speak to the children about Exodus 20: The Ten Commandments. Oh goodness, do a group of 6-12 year old children really sit still for 2 hours to hear about The Ten Commandments in another language? I wondered how we would explain adultery to them, and what kind of examples we could give them for why it is wrong to steal, when they might see it every day as a part of life. Veronica said that they understand the commandments in theory, but they need to be given examples so that they understand how to apply them to their lives.
As we turned the corner off of the main road, I saw 7 children RUNNING down the street toward us. "Is that them?" I asked Veronica. I was pretty excited. This was definitely a good start. She said of course it was them, and they always run to greet her. She lit up as she saw them and gave each of them a hug. We walked to a home arm in arm with the children and were introduced to the whole family that lived there. One by one more people trickled into the room where we were having the lesson. We were certainly a sight to see. Two young, fair skinned blonde women probably don't show up in their house very often. They were all so bright and warm and offered us drinks and cookies. The children were so eager to get the lesson started. We walked our way through the commandments, with Veronica translating for us. Jessica gave great examples and we asked the children questions as we went along.
I have never lead a devotional for children who showed this kind of enthusiasm before. It was inspiring. What if my time with God everyday looked like that? They were so smart and beautiful. I couldn't stop smiling. It might have been my most favorite moment on the face so far. The joy that God placed in my heart yesterday filled me so full. It's Friday evening and I find myself wanting it to be Thursday again already. I helped out with an after school program today and two of the same children were there. They ran to me when they saw me and hugged me. When we were leaving, they asked me to pray for them. What an amazing feeling! The whole Race, I have known that eastern Europe held something special for me. I think I am just beginning to see what amazing things he has in store!
It's definitely an adjustment to go from 90 degrees to negative 9 degrees overnight. Some of my teammates might have struggled at little bit at first, but I think we're all in the swing of things now. We're loving our ministry and getting a kick out of second hand shopping. Maybe it's because I was born in Alaska or maybe it was the harsh eastern Washington winters, but I had a little bit different reaction. Seeing the snow and feeling the bite of the cold was invigorating to me. It was just what I needed to avoid the slump that sometimes happens to Racers or missionaries in general around the middle part of their trip. I feel more alive here. I love breathing in the cold air. It makes me miss my parents and my brother. I miss my dog and how she would seem so confused by the snow that would only come every other winter in Seattle. But missing all of that just makes my heart warm. That warmth keeps me nice and cozy on long walks when the cold threatens to turn my nose and cheeks rozy for hours.
I love walking around with a camera when I get to a new place. Today was no exception. Tho I have walked the same route for days, I feel like I see it differently when I am ready to capture it for others to see and to make a memory for myself. It's just a start, but here are a few pictures of the town of Draganesti. I will update this blog with more over the next few weeks.
It's been pretty cold in Europe, I'm not sure if you keep up with the international news. I am very excited about the change in weather. Having the nice warm African summer was wonderful, but I enjoy the change of pace. It is invigorating. I thank Jesus that we have a house with four walls, a roof, and radiant heat. Makes for a great place to put our socks to dry them out when they get wet! There are so many people dying from that cold. It's heartbreaking to read about it. We are so very blessed to have thick comforters and two pairs of socks to wear each day.
A term you will hear World Racers use is "drop." As in "are you going to drop those skirts or take them to eastern Europe with us?" I dropped a lot of summer clothes before we left Africa. I had a lot of dresses that were not going to be very useful in the winter. The day after we arrived, we visited a thrift store a few buildings down and began to assemble our new wardrobes. I love thrift store shopping in America, and it's just as much fun here! It's a great way to bond a group of people. We tried on so many things, in search of boots, coats, and sweaters. We also found some gloves, hats, and scarves. I think people had the most fun trying on the sweaters. I was able to find a couple of pairs of boots and a sweater. I was also given a coat and gloves. I think I'm all set!
The thing that we weren't really expecting, is that the heaters in homes here cannot keep up with the record breaking cold temperatures. So while I was anticipating wearing my new found treasures when I was out and about, it seems they are also quite useful in the home. Okay not only useful, necessary! It is quite typical that I will be wearing 2 pairs of socks, two pairs of pants, 4 shirts, and a hat...at the dinner table! I thought you might want to see the fashionable choices that we are making over here! I keep hearing my dad's voice in my head telling me to pack my long underwear! I love you Dad! I should have packed them! You are so wise!
Jamie and Maria in matching sweaters. What a find!
After a 5 hour bus ride to Johannesburg, short 9.5 hour flight to Istanbul, and a quick 2 hour flight, we arrived in Romania! Because it was Sunday, or contacts could not pick us up at the airport, so we found a bus that took us to a train station 45 minutes away. We had heard that there was a lot of snow and freezing conditions in Romania, but what we did not know, is that 47 of the countries major highways were closed and 145 trains had stopped running. Without any issue, we purchased tickets to take us to Draganesti (pronounced Dragon-esth) where we would be staying for the month. We sat in the train station for an hour waiting for our train to arrive. It was some kind of crazy cold! I got my sleeping bag out and wrapped myself in it and tried to take a mini nap at the train station. When it arrived, we all put on our packs and attempted to board. Oh my goodness, have you ever tried to get 13 people wearing a pack on their backs and carrying a daypack onto a train? we’ve done it so many times now, that you would think it would be easy. Instead it’s just something that we dread just a little bit. There is no easy way to accomplish this task. It usually involves a lot of running, pushing, shoving, and knowing us we are usually are in the wrong car and have to make our way awkwardly to where we are supposed to be sitting. It was a struggle to stay awake on the train after being up all night. We had one interesting thing on our minds. The train only stops for 60 seconds to let you off. I’m not even sure 60 seconds is enough time for one person with a pack and a daypack and a pillow (me) to jump off of a train, let alone 13. We staggered ourselves to 4 different doors and hoped for the best. When we pulled up, there was no platform, just a two foot jump down to 4 feet of snow. Jump!? Did I say jump? I meant fall…gracefully of course. We had all heard the story about our squad leader in Romania when he was on his first World Race. He got left behind on the train. Thank goodness for stories like that to help us prepare. A couple of people fell flat on their backs, but we all made it off of the train and were welcomed be our Romanian contacts. They were so friendly and amazing, it made the whole experience totally worth it.
They drove us a short distance to the mission house where we would be staying. I can’t say the temperature inside felt much different from outside. It seems the heating systems aren’t used to this type of cold either. We were given a brief tour with the promises of a more in-depth tour the next day. We were told to use the back door to come and go, and to keep the front door locked because we were living in a gypsy neighborhood. We were also told that there were two women living upstairs. Our contacts had purchased the fixings for sandwiches and when the contacts left, we settled in for dinner. During our meal, there was a knock at the front door, then a knock on the window. One of the guys got up and used the key to unlock the front door to see who was there. A woman who looked to be in her late twenties walked right in. My initial though from how confident she was in walking into the house was that she must be one of the women who lived there. That thought very soon changed when she looked at me, rubbed her belly with one hand and said “bambino.” Then held out her hand to me. I turned to the teammate who let her in and said “she is not the roommate, she just told me she has a baby and she wants money or food.” The rest of the group was gathered around the dinner table and most of them seemed stunned. We handed her one yogurt and she proceeded to grab five of them. I tried to grab them away from her before she got the last one, but she was quite fast. Then she took a loaf of bread, but still wanted more. She started to try to walk deeper into the house, but one of the girls stopped her by standing up and bumping into her. Another girl handed her a bag to put all of the things she had just taken from us into, and we ushered her out the door. The whole incident must have lasted less than 2 minutes, but we were all in a state of disbelief. Did we really let a gypsy woman into our house within 30 minutes of arriving?! Yes. Yes we did. This is going to be one exciting month! Stay tuned…
After a 5 hour bus ride to Johannesburg, short 9.5 hour flight to Istanbul, and a quick 2 hour flight, we arrived in Romania! Because it was Sunday, or contacts could not pick us up at the airport, so we found a bus that took us to a train station 45 minutes away. We had heard that there was a lot of snow and freezing conditions in Romania, but what we did not know, is that 47 of the country's major highways were closed and 145 trains had stopped running. Without any issue, we purchased tickets to take us to Draganesti (pronounced Dragon-esth) where we would be staying for the month. We sat in the train station for an hour waiting for our train to arrive. It was some kind of crazy cold! I got my sleeping bag out and wrapped myself in it and tried to take a mini nap at the train station. When it arrived, we all put on our packs and attempted to board. Oh my goodness, have you ever tried to get 13 people wearing a pack on their backs and carrying a daypack onto a train? we’ve done it so many times now, that you would think it would be easy. Instead it’s just something that we dread just a little bit. There is no easy way to accomplish this task. It usually involves a lot of running, pushing, shoving, and knowing us we are usually are in the wrong car and have to make our way awkwardly to where we are supposed to be sitting. It was a struggle to stay awake on the train after being up all night. We had one interesting thing on our minds: the train only stops for 60 seconds to let you off. I’m not even sure 60 seconds is enough time for one person with a pack and a daypack and a pillow (me) to jump off of a train, let alone 13. We staggered ourselves to 4 different doors and hoped for the best. When we pulled up, there was no platform, just a two foot jump down to 4 feet of snow. Jump!? Did I say jump? I meant fall…gracefully of course. We had all heard the story about our squad leader in Romania when he was on his first World Race. He got left behind on the train. Thank goodness for stories like that to help us prepare. A couple of people fell flat on their backs, but we all made it off of the train and were welcomed be our Romanian contacts. They were so friendly and amazing, it made the whole experience totally worth it.
They drove us a short distance to the mission house where we would be staying. I can’t say the temperature inside felt much different from outside. It seems the heating systems aren’t used to this type of cold either. We were given a brief tour with the promise of a more in-depth tour the next day. We were told to use the back door to come and go, and to keep the front door locked because we were living in a gypsy neighborhood. We were also told that there were two women living upstairs. Our contacts had purchased the fixings for sandwiches and when the contacts left, we settled in for dinner.
During our meal, there was a knock at the front door, then a knock on the window. One of the guys got up and used the key to unlock the front door to see who was there. A woman who looked to be in her late twenties walked right in. My initial though from how confident she was in walking into the house was that she must be one of the women who lived there. That thought very soon changed when she looked at me, rubbed her belly with one hand and said “bambino.” Then held out her hand to me. I turned to the teammate who let her in and said “she is not the roommate, she just told me she has a baby and she wants money or food.” The rest of the group was gathered around the dinner table and most of them seemed stunned. We handed her one yogurt and she proceeded to grab five of them. I tried to grab them away from her before she got the last one, but she was quite fast. Then she took a loaf of bread, but still wanted more. She started to try to walk deeper into the house, but one of the girls stopped her by standing up and bumping into her. Another girl handed her a bag to put all of the things she had just taken from us into, and we ushered her out the door. The whole incident must have lasted less than 2 minutes, but we were all in a state of disbelief. Did we really let a gypsy woman into our house within 30 minutes of arriving?! Yes. Yes we did. This is going to be one exciting month! Stay tuned…
