Romanian Christmas Carolers

This morning we experienced a Romanian Christmas tradition - two boys rang the door bell and said something we didn't understand. But we had been told to expect people who would ring the bell and sing a Christmas carol - so we said "da" and they sang this song (play video below). Afterwards it is the custom to give hot tea or candy or some coins - we gave Christmas chocolates and oranges.

Olivia's Christmas Greeting from the Meadors

Olivia wants to wish you Creciun Fericit (Merry Christmas)! We hope this Christmas brings a new sense of God's gracious presence in you life. Matthew 1:23 reminds us that the very first Christmas gift was God himself coming to be with us. May your celebration be centered around Him.

Olivia's Christmas Play

Olivia's Gradiniţa (Day Care) presented the play "Alba Ca Zapada" or "Snow White" for Christmas. Olivia played the Mirror. She loved being on the stage (even when she wasn't supposed to be).

Sighişoara

While in Sighişoara last weekend we stayed in the home of Dorothy Tarrant within the old city walls. The place is magical - complete with a bell tower and cobblestone streets. Snow dusted roof tops greeted us through the windows of our upstairs bedroom each morning. Dorothy is the director of Veritas, a Christian non-profit organization working to make a positive difference in the lives of the people of Sighisoara through educational programs. You can get more information at their web page www.veritas.ro

District Assembly

We just returned from Sighişoara for our annual District Assembly where we organized a new church in a neighboring village called Ţigmandru. The church has about 20 charter members and now worships in a brand new facility. Roberta Bustin is doing a great job pastoring both of these churches!

Thoughts for Romania and the world

Isaiah 43:18-19 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” This is the scripture reference that our Field Coordinator Joel Mullen has chosen for the Southeast Europe Field. Pray these verses with us for Romania. I (Cindy) read the following in a devotional written by Tim Green a professor at Trevecca Nazarene University: “Jeremiah (29:4-9) admonishes the people to pray for the healing and well-being of the society in which they live. Rather than cursing the darkness around us, we are to speak blessing to our world and become instruments of God’s transforming grace.” I want to speak God's richest blessing to Romania. I want to speak God's richest blessing to the world. I want to believe BIG! Let’s allow Him to use us as instruments of HIS transforming grace.

Clara with Romanian Youth at Camp 07

Clara Halmagian, who attends our church in Bucharest, lacks just three courses to complete the educational requirements for ordination in the Church of the Nazarene. She's completed a two year degree in Christian Ministry from European Nazarene College, a law degree from a Romanian University, and is currently working on another degree in International Relations and European Studies. While she was born into a Christian home, and has been in church all her life, she came to realize that it was not enough, and prayed to receive Christ into her life. Clara has been involved in the Church of the Nazarene both on the district and local level for fifteen years. She served as associate pastor, and currently works in youth ministry in the “Blessings Church” in Bucharest, and works in our district office. She loves studying the Bible, learning new things and applying them to her ministry situation. Clara has faced challenges as a woman called to ministry in a country where Orthodox influences are strong. But Clara feels strongly that God has called her to share good news with others. She credits God who gives her the strength and great missionary teachers who were very good at encouraging and helping her in her journey and studies.

Check Out Olivia's page!

Olivia has a new page, all by her self. Click the link at the top of the page to find out what's going on in her world.

Massage with a Message

Dan is a member of the Church of the Nazarene in Bucharest, Romania. He works with a Nazarene Compassionate Ministries program giving therapeutic massages to the patients in a local hospital, where we also sponsor a feeding program in the geriatric section. He offers physical relief and God's blessing to his patients, some of whom he has brought to church.
Please help us pray for the future direction of Compassionate Ministries and if you would like to financially support these kinds of ministries, please contact us by email.

Bus lag and a toilet mishap

We are finally recuperated from our trip to Turkey for the Eurasia Regional Conference. It was a 27 hour bus ride there and more than 30 hours back by bus and train. We were absolutely wiped out. But it was worth it to be with our Romanian participants and the Conference was fantastic - great speakers, seminars, and the biggest food buffet I have ever seen. The resort was on the SW coast of Turkey at a place called Antalya. Acts 14:25 calls it “Attalia” where Paul preached. We also visited the ruins of Perga mentioned in the same verse and the ancient city of Ephesus, which was amazing (see our blog for pictures from Ephesus). I was blown away as we gathered to worship with 500 plus Eurasian Nazarenes – to hear the buzz of translators all around the room and feel the presence of the Holy Spirit working in our hearts like there was no difference between us! We witnessed the ordination of the first Nazarene pastor in Iraq and were inspired by daily themes suggested by the regional vision: “In Christ, like Christ, for Christ.”

Now we are back home in Bucharest, and it does feel like home. Our shipment arrived last week. It was like Christmas pulling our things out of boxes that had been packed away since early June. Only one dish was broken, everything else arrived in great condition.

We started language study this week with our teacher Roxana. She is in her early 30's, married, and has her own business as a language tutor. She speaks perfect English as many young Romanians do. The hardest part is fighting the traffic. The first day it took an hour and a half to drop Olivia at day care and get to our tutor's apartment. Today we left the house earlier and arrived at the tutor's an hour early, so we used the time to chill and study a bit. It feels funny starting over from scratch with a new language - not even being able to tell the lady at the bakery how many pastries we want! It is humbling but I think it is just what I needed. I'm finding myself relying much more on God than on Scott. Roxana tells us that our pronunciation in Romanian is very good, Cindy is probably doing better than me! She has younger ears and brain cells. We have to take our shoes off at the door and she has “slippers” for us to wear in her apartment. If I don't learn to speak Romanian I will blame the footwear. I asked to use the “WC” today (restroom), and when it came time to flush I didn't find the normal round button on top of the tank, so I pushed a button on the wall that I thought was right and sprayed air freshener in my ear. So, I'm not from around here! This is, by the way, what it is like at first to live cross culturally - re-learning what you thought you knew.

Olivia likes her school. They feed her breakfast and lunch, which she loves! Each child brings a toothbrush and cup to brush after each meal, and 2 pairs of shoes - outside/ inside. Olivia's teacher speaks basic English, but for the most part Olivia hears Romanian from 8am to 1:30 each day. Sitting at the table tonight she started counting in Romanian on her own! It is amazing what her brain soaks up. She watches Mini Max - a cartoon in Romanian each morning and really likes that even though she doesn't really understand what they are saying. So far her transition has been very easy and we are so thankful to God for that.

We are conscious that many people are lifting us up in prayer and for that we are grateful. I know that God is helping us each day as we trust Him.

La revedere (bye),

Scott

Max - Our little neighbor

Olivia met Max on Friday. They hit it off immediately. They don't speak each other's language, but they managed to play together. When Max's dad told him it was time to go home, his head dropped and he stood still for the longest time until he finally gave in and walked home. I took some pictures and video of their first play date. Olivia is doing so well - she is adjusting beautifully.

Check out this quick video of a ride on the metro (subway). The next frames are maggots - used for fish bait:)

Here is Olivia's latest art!

First impressions

Buna Ziua (Good day):

Two weeks have passed since we arrived in Bucharest. God has definitely been with us every step of the way! We praise Him for his faithfulness. Here are a few of our first experiences:

Best things we've eaten: Ciorba de perisuare (a sour soup with veggies and cream) and all kinds of different cheeses!

Worst thing I've eaten: raw bacon (by mistake – hey, it was shaped like lunch meat!)

Best cultural experience: we were invited to hear one of the teens from our church perform at the “George Inescu Music Festival” open air concert at the Revolutionary Plaza.

Most frustrating experience: Not speaking the language! I ordered 2 coffees and 2 chocolate crepes. I got 3 coffees and 1 crepe. Don't let them fool you - speaking Spanish doesn't get you very far in Bucharest!

Most fascinating experience: Monica, the pastor's wife, took us on a walking tour of downtown Bucharest where she participated in the 1989 revolution. She showed us the places where the main events occurred and shared her memories and feelings.

What I really enjoyed: Parcul Carol (a park around the corner from the house). There are wide open plazas with fountains and tree lined walk ways where Olivia rides her bicycle. Lots of families are walking and playing together on the playgrounds, skating, etc. It was fascinating to see how Olivia opens doors for us to talk to people. Now we just need to learn how to understand them!

What I disliked the most: twice I've stepped in dog poop and tracked it into the house. This is why Romanians remove their shoes at the door (I'm a slow learner).

Most unusual thing: The escalator at the grocery store is a ramp instead of stairs. You push your shopping cart onto the ramp and it stays in place without rolling out of control because the wheels are magnetic. Very smart!

Some of our new Romanian Friends

Cristi and Monica are pastors of our church in Bucharest. They have helped us settle in so many ways, picking us up at the airport with our 15 bags!, watching Olivia, cooking for us, translating (both speak fluent English!) and taking us on a tour of the city. We thank God for their help and the kindness of the people of the Blessings Church and the district Advisory Board.

Bucharest here we come!

We are sitting in the airport waiting for a plane from Kansas City to Washington DC, connecting to Zurich, Switzerland, then on to Bucharest Romania. We arrive tomorrow (Sunday Sept. 9th) around 1pm. As we type these words we are so impressed with God's abiding presence with us - preparing the way before us. We know God is there inviting us to join him in His work of reconciling the world.

We were anxious about our extra bags! We are allowed two bags each not to exceed 50 pounds. We have that plus five additional bags. We packed the shuttle van full of luggage and barely had room for Olivia and her car seat. It would have been a shame to have to leave her in Kansas City! As the van pulled up to the curb in front of United Airlines, a man with a large cart loaded our backs, pushed them inside, weighed the bags, loaded them back on the cart, pushed the cart over to security and checked the bags in. It was the easiest baggage check I have ever done. We gave him a nice tip and hurried over for a "Cinnabon" for some "nourishment."

While we were eating two couples from our missionary intern class came into the airport to say goodbye and pray with us. What a privilege and blessing to be a part of a group that really does understand the process and transition that we are facing.

So, by this time tomorrow we should be on our "final approach" landing in Bucharest.

Keep checking in - we hope to keep this blog updated with all the latest ways we have embarrassed ourselves as we learn the Romanian language & culture.

Blessings!

Scott, Cindy & Olivia