From Romania, with Love

Hello all. Greetings from Beius, Romania. All is well here as we have completed our ninth day in Romania. It's hard to believe that the time has passed so quickly.

In time, I have plans to flood you with pictures, but for now, just words. To be honest, I don't think a camera can completely capture all that I've experienced so far.

If you haven't heard, I've been part of a ministry called Romanian Evangelistic Medical Mission for the past week and a half. What am I doing on a medical mission, you might ask? Well, let me tell you, I am quite the expert at taking a person's blood pressure right now. Anytime you need to know how the systolic and diastolic are doing in your life, you get me a BP cuff and I will give you all the info. you need to know. I have heard irregular heartbeats, been given strange medical complaints like, "lazy gallbladder," and I have handed more lollipops to kids than I can count.

I have traveled to small town churches and gypsy villages. I have been preaching and singing when needed as well. I've also had the opportunity to see some of the sights around and about.

A Romanian open air market is a sight to behold. I have been invited for espresso in a gypsy (Roma) home. I have made friends with a young man who aspires to be a mountain climber.

God has been good. He has given us safety, a clear task, and many opportunities to observe and bear witness to his goodness.

All that said, I miss my family, too. I am looking forward to that first hug from my wife and daughters. The regular routine of home sounds appealing as well.

So, if you're reading this as a family member or friend, greetings to you from Romania, a country a world away and not often on the radar of American minds. Yet, this is a vibrant place, where graduates from the local schools travel two by two, arm in arm, to serenade their teachers at the end of the year. This is a place where fireworks rat a tat tat at midnight, signaling the end of a politcal rally for a local mayoral race. This is a place where the town goes silent during a match of the national soccer team but where cheers of a scored goal echo over backyard fences.

Noapte buna (Good night.)