$6.74
What we pay per gallon for diesel!

The Stamp

A Bank withdrawal is harder than you would think since we have to take along a special rubber stamp of our official logo, wrapped in paper and tied up with a rubber band for the ink sludge accumulated over fifteen years. The stamp requires a black ink pad, also wrapped and tied and the bottle of refill ink. Then there's the sheet of paper stamped a thousand times to test that the stamp is properly inked and positioned. All of this is carried in a jumbo zip lock bag inside a black carrying case. It just feels so 20^th century! Why do we do this? “Because the Bank requires the stamp” we were told “and that is the way it has always been done here.”

I asked about a self inking stamp. “Oh, you can't do that” we were told “because in order to get a new stamp you need a document of some sort from some department of some government office ... and we don't have the document and probably can't get the document without causing the end of the world....”

But one of my spiritual gifts is hardheadedness, so I found a place where they make self inking rubber stamps, thinking they would be eager to make a sale and wouldn't care about the missing document. WRONG! They do care about the missing document.

Later the epiphany hit! - what if the man at the self inking stamp store would sell me a blank self inking stamp? I could make my own! So I went back. He studied me like he was thinking “if this American would buy a blank stamp, what else could we sell him!” I rushed home, used a razor blade to slice the old stamp off the wooden base and glued it onto my new self inking stamper. My hand trembled as I pushed down, gently to test the stamp – caaashuuunk. It worked! I couldn't wait for the moment to whip out my new stamp in front of our office administrator. He said “I didn't think I would live to see this day”:)

Six months later...

Ce Faceţi? Well, that's about as far as I can go after 4 months of language study – ha-ha. We have been studying for 4 months and we praise God that we are detecting small steps of progress. About a month ago we actually began hearing words that were familiar instead of just a bunch of unknown sounds. It has been interesting to discover the differences and similarities between Spanish and Romanian. The first few months Spanish always came out first, instead of "Buna Ziua" in response to someone's greeting we would automatically spit our "Buenos Dias" - a very weird experience. We have sat and looked at each other and said, "Why did we agree to go anywhere again?" BUT, God, our most perfect Father, has calmed us and confirmed for us that we are where He wants for us to be. We praise Him for the peace He gives us in the midst of our moments of frustration with the language. One of the most interesting things we have discovered about Romanian is how influential communism has been in the development of the language. Before the revolution (1989) there were no names for certain colors (mauve, purple, etc.). After the revolution color entered the country. Why you might ask - the clothing available was all made of basic colors. Bright colors didn't exist! They didn't wear bright cheery colors! WOW! That is just one example of how influential communism has been in the language. And of course the language is just one aspect of this most intriguing culture.

Driving in Bucharest is another cultural lesson – I (Cindy) am proud to say that I do drive now. It took me a few months to get it settled in my mind to do it. It is amazing the level of independence you lose when you go somewhere so foreign, so different. It is also an amazing opportunity to fortify your dependence on God and the faithfulness that He has to fulfill His plan for your life. We are doing our best to not begin "administering changes" right off the bat - why? Because we have so much to learn about what has happened in the past, what is currently happening, and dreaming and planning with an educated understanding for the future. The entire country of Romania is our assignment. We are praying constantly for God's guidance because we truly are walking in the dark. BUT thankfully we aren't in charge, God is, this is His gig. He is leading us one step at a time. We have had to implement some changes that began prior to our coming. Scott has already led his first district assembly as D.S. We have visited our three congregations (Bucharest - capitol city, Sighisoara & Tigmandru - located in central Romania). Through relationship building with our fellow laborers we are learning so much about their culture (attitudes, mind set, daily life, pressures of society, their theology, etc.). God is moving in our churches. He is reconciling souls. He is transforming families. He is building His church.

Olivia is attending a Romanian daycare. Overall she has done well. She has had her moments of adjustment, of course. She is learning Romanian. She has schooled us a few times on how to correctly say a word - funny hu?! We are guessing that in a few more months she will really get it and speak it well. She loves our church and she is settling in well. We are blessed.

We have had the opportunity to travel to Turkey (we were able to visit the ancient cities of Perga and Ephesus), Switzerland, and Bulgaria. We will be going to Macedonia and Hungry in the next few months, and I will be taking a course in Albania in August. God's blessings are rich and abundant, even in the midst of great trial and uncertainty. He is our loving Father, who is full of grace. May He receive all the glory.

2 weeks in Sighisoara

We went to central Romania to spend some time with our two churches in the area, to continue our language study, and to stayed with a Romanian family. The two weeks were filled with an array of experiences. Here is a glimpse:

• We ate soup and bread everyday for lunch. The soup was the first course…we were then offered a second course that usually consisted of some meat with a starch of some kind. We didn't eat a lot of fruits or veggies.
• Our host family got a lot of their food from the farm. We drank milk straight from the cow!! It was good - thick and slightly sweet. We think the way they "pasteurized" the milk was by boiling it on the stove. The eggs, potatoes, cheese, honey, and meat were more of the "fresh" foods that we ate. Bread was served in abundance - at every meal. One morning we were offered fried fish! Now that's a first! Interesting hu?
• Our host mom didn't think that Olivia was dressed warmly enough - she was constantly giving her new socks, hats, and tights. She loved having Olivia in her home.
• Our first week of language study was great! The second week we began the week with foggy, overstuffed minds. We have discovered that 2 to 3 weeks of intense study is good, but a break is needed to allow all that we have taken in to settle in our minds. It is an interesting experience. We had a great teacher. Her name is Elena. We plan to study with her again in the future.
• We visited our two churches (Sighisoara & Tsigmandru). We went to pray meeting at our Tsigmandru church. This church is located in a village where a lot of the people live in poverty. Our church has become a refuge for many of them. God has begun His work of reconciliation. There are great plans for the future. We believe that God's plans are to transform the village one family at a time. Please pray for this small community. Believe in God's great mercy for the people in this village. Believe that He wants to give them hope and new life!
• We sipped a cappuccino in a medieval citadel. We meandered through the grounds of a fortified church. We had lunch in the kitchen of a Hungarian lady who handcrafts beautiful Hungarian pottery (no we didn't go to Hungary - she lives in the Romania town called Corund). Olivia played in a playground in an underground salt mine. This salt mine has existed since the Romans!!
• We met with our leaders and we talked, planned, and prayed for current situations and for God's future plans to be fulfilled. We prayed for Cristian who has had limited mobility in his right knee since birth. Cristian is a new follower of Christ. Please pray for Cristian.

We would like to ask you for your prayers for God's continued work. Please pray for the people of Romania.

Breaza

Breaza

Breaza is the name of a town north of Bucharest where our church owns some property. It is a very nice piece of property. We are asking God what He wants to do with the property. We are praying about it becoming a retreat center. A lot of work will go into such a project. It would be worth it to have a place where people could come and find rest, refreshment, restoration, and much more. Pray with us would you? This property belongs to God - all for His glory and purpose.

Language Study

We have to praise God today because we are beginning to "hear" Romanian. We want to thank you for your prayers for us and we ask that you continue to pray for our language study. It is an important part of living, working, and ministering to the people of Romania.

Mulţumim Mult! (Thank you very much)