Home again Home again!

Sunday morning Ter had to call us at 10:30 his time in order for us to wake up at 5:30am, to be ready for Beni to pick us up at 7:30. Mihaela asked us about 3 times what time we had wanted breakfast, because each morning we've asked for it about 9 and then we don't usually arrive till 9:30. so when we asked for it at 7am, she (very understandably) was finding it hard to believe. Each day our breakfasts have been delicious and very beautifully prepared and laid out.....this Sunday morning was no different. Beni arrived only about 15 minutes late, and we got on our way to the church at Anina....Alex was coming along for the ride and to be our "photographer". It is 250 km to Anina from Timisoara....a very bumpy, very winding road, and right after breakfast is probably not the best time to make that 2 1/2 hour trip, but fortunately, I think for both Lisa and me, we kept our eyes on the horizon (little trick to prevent carsickness and seasickness), and our minds on the Lord! Anina is higher in elevation, and there's one taller mountain to go over - this time it was quite foggy - reminded me of home! It had also begun to rain and the temperature had cooled off a lot. It's still a surprise to me when we walk into this church, because we enter at the side front door where the pastors are - there's definitely NO sneaking in. This time, 4 other pastors were there as well because they were ordaining a new minister, so we were really happy to be able to help celebrate this day with these lovely people. Both Lisa and I had been there before, as had both our hubbies, so we each brought greetings from Terry and Mark. Many of the people remembered Terry having played the trumpet there before and gave greetings back. I played several songs at different points throughout the service, and Lisa spoke briefly....each of the pastors gave a sermon, yes they did. Lisa and I have commented often throughout our trip about the children and teenagers in some of these 2 and 3-hour church services! They're used to that sort of thing.
This church served a really nice meal, and I enjoy being able to talk with some of the people during this time. When the time came for us to leave, we drove up to a hillside overlooking the town and some of the surrounding mountains. They are building the New Hope Church up there and the foundation is already in. All 5 of the pastors drove up there too, and we all got out to look at the beginning, take some pictures and pray together for this church. There are also many apartment buildings in this area that are still unfinished and unoccupied. Evidently Ceaucescu intended to move all the townspeople of Anina up here, out of the town center because his wife had some crazy notion that the rich soil of the town of Anina could be burned for fuel. There is also no school in this area, and another building right next to the foundation of the church could be finished for a wonderful school building.....a large first floor area would work for the administration and counseling offices. Anina is a really pretty town, just a little far away from Timisoara. But, as a point of interest, Anina is the home of Arnold Schwarzeneger's parents and grandparents! They moved to Austria, and when their son began to get famous, the town of Anina, Romania wanted some of his mementos for their museum. The Austrians refused, but later when Arnold became the "governator" and reinstated the death penalty in California, the Austrians just gave away his things to the people of Anina. Beni said that now Austria wants some of them back, but the mayor of Anina has said it "will cost many Euros!"
We took a different route back to Timisoara, getting back mid-afternoon or so......had plans to meet Eugenia and Kriss at Starbucks, and then talk over exactly what Beni has in mind for the buildings. When he was in the states, he spoke to about a dozen people in our home and one of the things he mentioned is that Carla and Alex really need a place to live other than their tiny apartment. We have some guys who are praying about traveling there to do this, and also build a ministry headquarters and a couple other buildings to house women at risk, teens, and a counseling center. Big plans, but God is still in control. If He wants it to happen, the biggest plans in the world will be accomplished.
Beni drew this up on a napkin (how many great companies and great buildings have begun on napkins?) By the time we looked at our watches, it was time to get to Eclesia Church, where the Dugulescu family attends. The 6:00 service began with lots of music, and there are some talented musicians in many of the churches we've been in. The plan was the same as usual - I'd play about 3-4 songs and Lisa would speak about 5 minutes. We also heard some of the kids (and a few adults) play some hymns on their mandolins. What a pretty sound! This is the church whose picnic we went to on Saturday, so we already knew most of the people. There is usually a lot of music in this church and they love to sing, so it was such a blessing. When I played, they hummed along with me, which always just gets to me! The Romanians love music, and when they hum along with me, it's rich in harmony and joy. Afterward, Adi (guess he was the "in charge" music guy) asked if he could upload my CD onto his computer and use it with the church.....of course I told him to take whatever he wanted, and then as I was putting the violin and music away, the Lord put the thought in my mind of just giving Adi the sheet music. He couldn't believe that I would do that, but he remembered Terry from last year, and was so grateful that I'd just give him all of Terry's written music for me. Everyone we've met is always so appreciative of any little thing we do.....and then it makes me want to do more!
I think that's one of the secrets that I've discovered through the years. When someone is grateful and expresses appreciation, it pours over onto the person who gave or did something. You can't be grateful without having some of it trickle down on the others you encounter. A grateful heart is such a beautiful thing.
After this church service which lasted from 6-8:30 or so, the same group of us (WorldTeach team, Dugulescu family) went to the square to walk around. This seems to be a favorite Sunday evening activity all over the world! The weather had cooled off, but it wasn't rainy, and there was a floral exhibition (free admission - what a concept!) in the Opera House, so we all went inside. Alex and Kriss are 2 of the most loving teenagers I've encountered, and they came out with a potted plant for Eugenia....."just because". It wasn't a special day, they just wanted to give her something! I remember just wanting to give my mom a little gift.....maybe not much, but just something to show her my love, and these kids seem to be the same. Then, since we hadn't eaten since about 1-ish at the church in Anina, we went to KFC (yeah, I know, not my fav, but Alex and Jaclyn like it, and also Marius Dugulescu's 2 boys). We took up a whole corner, and ate our dinners.....actually I was the "healthy one" according to Georgi. I just couldn't think of all that fried chicken, so had a salad, and for a fast-food salad, it was quite good.
I'm usually more careful about eating salads in other countries, but this one was fresh and crisp. I am so thankful to God that no matter where we ate on this trip, neither one of us got any little food "bugs". That can wreak havoc especially when you're away from home, and I've had my share of food poisoning (one really bad episode when I was pregnant with Karyn and had taken Jimmy to Hamburg and Berlin!).
Finally the day wound down and we had to say our goodbyes to at least some of the group........Ligia gave Lisa and me each one of her CDs from Arvid Petersen, a Norwegian worship leader who has become a great friend to the "Jesus the Hope of Romania" ministry and gives benefit concerts when he comes there. Went back to the Guest house to begin packing........ Kriss, Georgi, Carla, Beni and Eugenia each came by to spend a bit more time with us. When it was just Lisa and me, we half seriously contemplated just staying up all night.....we'd have to rise at 4:30. But after packing everything, each of our lights went out anyway, until the phone call from Terry at 4:30am (9:30pm for him). I didn't think I'd fall asleep, but my first conscious thought was......."why in the world is Terry calling on the fax machine?" 'cause their telephone ring sounds exactly like our fax at home. The phone stopped ringing but before I could think more about exactly what happened, it rang again, and this time I was ready! I jumped out of my bed and ran into the office area to answer. As I said, "Good morning" to Terry, he told me to have a safe trip and then he said "Good night" to me!
I know this might be longer than usual, but, oh well, you've stuck with me this far and I really appreciate it, and I'm sure there's still a lot more processing to be done in my heart and brain.......well, maybe you'll stick with me longer.
Beni, Georgi and Alex came to pick us up on time at 5am and it was just about a 20-minute drive to the airport, where everything went very smoothly. We did see Marius Dugulescu on his way back to Parliament.....he flies to Bucharest every Monday morning to work and then gets home later on in the week to spend the weekends with his family. On to Munich.... about an hour and a half flight...our luggage was checked through to the states, so all we had to do was be responible for our personal carry-on bags, but my violin just gets heavier and heavier! Really fun trying to walk through the very narrow aisles in the planes, inadvertently hitting people with one end or the other....kinda remind myself of the 3 stooges. Ok, no comments! As we had 4 hours to "kill" in Munich, we checked out all the shops, bought chocolate candy for each of "our boys" and then "just happened" to pass a spa shop. With all the bumpy, winding roads and all the kilometers we had been riding the last 10 days, Lisa and I each decided to get a 30-minute chair massage.......oh my goodness, I forgot how good that feels.....drifted off to sleep several times, it felt so good. She also got her nails done and I had a facial......just nice to have a little pampering sometimes. With just enough time to get to the gate, we walked to the area where everyone was gathering to hear the announcement, "ladies and gentlemen, with all the volcanic ash still in the air, the plane has been delayed for at least 2 hours...that could improve, but just stay in the area." We did meet several other couples who had been stranded for the last day - Lufthansa had voluntarily put them up in a nearby hotel and given them meal vouchers, though we did see many cots set up in places in the airport, possibly for people with very early morning flights. Maybe some of our US airlines could follow their example! We've been handed alcohol vouchers when we were going to be stranded for 8-10 hours......but no food, and very rarely a hotel. Lisa and I both called our husbands, Mark is usually up at 5:30 to work out before he leaves for the office, but I know that Terry can do some GOOD sleepin' when I'm not around to harass him early in the mornings, so I felt badly for waking him up. It actually took 3 separate calls for him to even hear the phone!!! He, as usual, was totally cheerful even though I woke him up, and was glad to be apprised of the situation. I did say I'll call back in an hour with an update, unless I'm on the plane, and, sure enough, with Lisa and I both praying for a quick resolution of this problem, we were called for boarding within the first hour. Fastening seat belts, we heard the announcement that this flight would take 10 1/2 hours.....so apparently we would take a more northern route from Munich to Charlotte. Sure enough, I got some great pictures of Iceland and Greenland (why is Iceland all green and Greenland all ice?)
Also watched 5 movies.....that oughta keep me for the next year! Sleep comes more easily when I'm watching TV or a movie, so although I got the gist of each story line, I did get in a few catnaps. And though I can miss meals at home without really thinking about it, for some reason, when I'm flying, I get absolutely ravenous! Lufthansa serves good food. I can skip their desserts, though....maybe it's just harder to do rich tasting airline desserts!
Although we arrived in Charlotte and got through immigration and customs well past the time for my next flight, USAir had protected me on the next flight out at 8:05. Called Terry, read for a while, then boarded the plane for the last leg of this long journey. Well, second-to-last, as we would still have over an hour's drive...I can usually keep going until all my responsibilities are discharged. But I was sure beginning to fade VERY quickly.....had a forehead slapping moment when I realized that I had packed the little makeup bag with the luggage key INSIDE the locked luggage! Was proud of myself for thinking that since it's a TSA approved lock, someone at the Atlanta airport should be able to help me unlock it!!! Wow, how brilliant that was for being up 24 hours straight! Terry and I have always wondered how such a large airport can be so inconvenient and have so many people who aren't very helpful.....like those of you who have traveled, we all have our "favorite" airports, or the ones that are just so efficient and well-planned out. I suppose because Atlanta's been so big for so long, and is so landlocked, that they can't do much to improve access, parking, add a cell phone lot, whatever. But it's not a "fun" airport to try to navigate. When I saw Terry's smiling face waiting for me, I knew I was HOME! I've lived a lot of places but for me, wherever Terry is, is my home, and we love being together so much.....we're always talking, always wanting to be together.....even at home, we usually end up in the same room just because. Believe me, I know how fortunate I am to have a husband who enjoys being with me and really listens when I talk. He also has never let me carry anything (goes under the category, "why I love traveling with my husband")
but I always feel so funny walking through airports carrying only my purse, while this wonderful man beside me has my violin, his trumpet bag, and both our carry-ons!!! I'm sure people think, "who does she think she is, the Queen?" What they don't know is that to my hubby, I am! He constantly treats me like a queen and I do tell him just about every day how much I appreciate that. Women all over tell me how rare it is to find a gentleman......I've been fortunate to live with 2 of them, my dad and Terry.....and the uncles and grampa in my family were also thoughtful, polite and mannerly. Anyway, I digress .....really???
Surprised ya, didn't I?
Ter walked all around the baggage area - in fact, both baggage areas, because everyone he spoke to - who was wearing a TSA uniform, sent him to another place, and several said someone would be able to CUT the lock off. Well, they're the ones who tell you to get TSA approved locks in case they need to get into your luggage! Communication, people!!!
He finally found just the right person to talk to who was able to open the lock (not cut it!) and we got on our way.....whew!
Hayley had told us just to stay overnight in Cumming instead of driving all the way home, so we took her up on it, making sure she knew we were getting in late so when we used our key to get in, she wouldn't be startled out of sleep and think it was intruders! .... great to live close enough to kids who actually want to see us often and invite us to "have sleepovers"!!! They are such good kids, and my Mother's Day card from them said, "love from your Georgia kids!" Meisha was in the car when I got in, and of course I took her into my lap and hugged her, telling her how much I had missed her.....she crawled back into the back seat, kinda like "yeah, right, you leave for 10 days and then think I'm gonna just be thrilled to see you?" She's like that. When we rescued her, we weren't sure just what had happened, but we do know she must have been horribly abused, so she finds it a little hard to re-connect - she withholds her love for a short time after we've been gone. By the time we got to Hayley's, though, Meisha crawled into the bed and kept nuzzling my neck for so long I thought I'd actually have to put her out of the room to get any sleep, but God graciously allowed me to drop off so quickly and sleep all the way through to 6:30 (WITHOUT my "better living through chemistry" help)......Meisha plastered against my body all night long! Got up and dressed so I could say hi to Hayley before she left for work, then Ter and I left for home, stopping by the Starbucks to celebrate. With all my writing about hanging out at Starbucks in Romania, you might think I was drinking all the time, but actually my usual order was water while we were over there. So this morning I REALLY savored that first sip .....and then to be greeted by Ron, our favorite person there......."Hi kids, haven't seen you in a while...." Well, it was just "over the top!" That's how ya want your employees to treat their customers....and that's also how Starbucks trains their employees as well, but the way Ron does it, you know he's just that kind of guy. Always reminds both Terry and me of our dads, who never knew any strangers, only friends they hadn't met yet. Ron greets all the clients with such friendliness, and will come over to chat as well, so you really feel welcomed at this particular store. I'm a people-watcher, if you hadn't guessed.....and love meeting new friends and learning about them and their families.
Before we knew it, we were winding our way back up the mountain, and the house looked so good I thought Terry had brought someone in to clean it. He's so helpful and conscientious.....he was quick to point out that all my plants survived......there was a lot of rain while I was gone, and that really made everything look so green and lush.......it's a beautiful view any way ya cut it.
Thank you so much most of all for your prayers....it's such a great feeling to know certain people who, when they say they'll pray for us, WILL do it - more than once. Terry and I always consider it such a privilege to be able to pray for people, and when we say we'll pray for you, we do, probably most days of our week. I've got a running list of people's names......every once in a while the list is not nearby and I usually pray "God bless what's his name?" like Julie Andrews in "Sound of Music". We feel the responsibility believers have to the other members of this big family, and we don't want to be the "breakdown" or the weakest link in the chain of prayers for other believers. I would never discount a single prayer because James 5:16 says the "prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (MSG) I know firsthand what it feels like to be supported by many people praying for me, and I'm so grateful...... I want to provide that kind of support for my friends who trust me to pray regularly for them and their situations. We've probably all memorized the verse that says "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess, 5:17) because it's so short, and it's one of many verses that exhort us to pray for each other often...Paul says in Eph. 1:15 and 16 that after he heard of the faith of the Christians and their love for each other he often gave thanks for them, mentioning them in his prayers. Are we living so that others hear about our faith and our love for each other? Do we "cease not" to mention fellow believers in our prayers? I am so convinced that the reason I've had so many healthy days and safe miles in my life is a direct result of the faithful [daily] prayers of my grandparents, parents, and those of my friends who are diligent to pray on a very regular basis for me.
I'll be adding to this blog as I process the last 10 days.....as I pray for God to show me what's next.....as He reveals more and more of Himself to me......and also as I figure out how to get the pictures on my new MacBook Pro!!!!! I love it, but I still need more lessons on how to best use it.....disappointed in the fact that I couldn't publish pictures with each blog, but I'll keep you posted....maybe you'll just get 'em on facebook, but just stay tuned! Thanks again for following.