PRAYER REQUEST: That Lisa and I can continue to bless those we come in contact with....we have no idea who that will be, or where we'll go for the next 5 days, but we'll definitely keep you posted. Also, that I can learn as much as possible about other needy ministries I can connect with people in the states who have asked me how they can help.
Please also pray for Eugenia...she had very little time to study in the last several days, and this is an important law exam tomorrow morning at 9am. (remember we're 7 hours ahead here)
Thinking I would just crash last night when we returned to the university, I walked in quietly...we're all on the same hall with small rooms, a desk and non-working TV, non-working fridge, and private bathrooms, but all the lights were on, and voices were laughing next door to Carla's and my room. We knocked on the door and Puiu opened it....invited us in. Brian and Lisa were already there and soon we were joined by Beni and Eugenia. Brian regaled us with some great Welsh jokes and then Puiu asked me if I had slept well the previous night. When I responded in the negative, Beni said something to him, and he went out to his car....came in a few minutes later with a plastic bottle of his homemade plum brandy! He also had glasses for everyone, who toasted each other with "cheers, noroc, salud" and a Welsh one I can't remember. It was a great de-briefing to a very stressful day for everyone. John peeked his head in but said they would join us but Mary had a splitting headache, so they were going to bed. When our "party" broke up, I did crash.....and slept great! (thanks to Puiu's plum brandy, I'm sure!)
This morning we all met for breakfast one more time before we all went our separate ways. We had called a taxi for the Isch's trip to the airport, so we waited till they got picked up. Since Carla's car couldn't fit all 4 of us gals' suitcases, Puiu and Dorina took one of the bags and we planned to meet up at a restaurant along the way.
The drive is always so beautiful because we're going along the Olt river and through the Carpathian mountains.....just gorgeous scenery, and we also saw snow on some of the taller peaks! I hung my head out the window with my camera for much of the drive....yes, I did wrap the camera strap around my wrist! Driving through Sibiu is always very nostalgic for me as that's where I got my daughter Gabi from.....#10 Hegel Street, to be exact. Sibiu is a beautiful city in Transylvania and I have wonderful memories of staying in a hotel right on the square and listening to the church bells.
Just at the place where the road split - one way to Arad and the other to Timisoara, we met up with Puiu, Dorina and Brian, and had a light supper. I love gulash so that was my meal.....it was spicy but excellent!
We had planned to take extra bag back into our car, but as we still had 4 hours left and not an extra inch of space, Puiu said they'd just bring it sometime later in the week. So, the final, final goodbyes were said and we set off once again. This part of the drive was a bit more ordinary......when I caught myself looking at the clock 8 times between 8pm and 9pm, I knew I was pretty much DONE! However, we still had more miles to drive, so Lisa and I began talking about all the silly games we used to play with our kids in the car......so we finally arrived in Timisoara at 9:45. It didn't take 12 hours like they said, it was only 11 hours and 45 minutes!!!!! Most of the way it's just a 2-lane road.....much like a rural road with lots of potholes! Speed limits are non-existent, passing lanes are whenever you want to, curves and hills are no exception!.... and everyone is quite polite anyway!
Dropped Eugenia off at home and promised to pray for her exam Thursday at 9am, then came on to Ligia's guest house. Terry and I met Ligia last June on our trip, and it was her father, Peter Dugulescu, who prayed in the square at Timisoara when the Revolution began.....of course there was a slaughter in the square including many children, but when Peter started to pray, the people began shouting, "there IS a God! there IS a God!" Ligia runs a wonderful ministry that her father started, "Jesus, the Hope of Romania" which has several "branches"....there is Onesimus House, where we visited on our trip....Bethany House which houses elderly and some disabled girls, and now she also has a brand new guest house where Lisa and I are staying. We each have our own room.....mine has a lovely 4-poster bed! There's a big-screen TV...I'm watching CSI now, IN ENGLISH! Phones in the rooms, coffee maker, computer and fax machine........nice courtyard where Georgi served us pizza at the picnic table under the gazebo, and a separate kitchen and dining room where we'll have our meals. This is WAY more than we ever expected and much better than the hotel we expected to be taken to. Thank you Lord....we are comfortable, and all our US phone calls are free! Yea! I thought there wouldn't be much to write about since all we did was drive today, but then God blessed us with this really fabulous place to stay! It was also wonderful to see Georgiana....we had met her also last June and she is such a loving and sweet 21-year old girl.....very quick to smile and serve. When she saw me, she got excited, ran to me for a hug and the traditional kiss on each cheek, and said "Hi Jill!" We had a great time catching up.....she's graduating high school this year.
I can tell I'm flatlining and need to stop writing so I don't say anything too inane. So, thanks again for praying for yesterday.
I'm sure more will come as I mull over what several of the people said. One comment is that though OUR "work" is finished, the Human Rights Committee's work is only just beginning....and one thing we'll all have to continue to pray for is that they stand firm on the issues. Already before our meeting was even over yesterday Marius Dugulescu had a press conference, and they were trying to put words in his mouth. (surprise, surprise! Do reporters REALLY do THAT???) With the rights for unborn children as an issue, some of the press were trying to say if Romania is anti-abortion, they may as well just return to communism! This will be a long hard uphill climb for these dear people and we need to keep them in our prayers for many years to come.
Goodnight my family and friends....thanks again for reading and praying.
The man I love
Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina
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Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
The "afterglow"
Well, we have all changed out of our Sunday-go-to-meetin' clothes, back into jeans, contacts out, and as you can tell, I must be at S'bucks if I'm sending this. What a day this has been! Seems like few of us slept soundly....except for Dr. John and Mary.
Breakfast was a bit more subdued than yesterday, probably because most of us were feeling the solemnity of what we were about to witness. Beni, Dr. John and Mary all left early to take the tour of the Palace. The rest of us had already done so on previous trips, so we stayed back to get ready at a more leisurely pace. I did some more "practicing"....just listening to the hymns and reading over my music. Eugenia, Lisa, Carla and I left together around 11-ish....and proceeded to circle the Palace about 3 times before we found the proper parking gate! Just as we got parked, Beni, John and Mary emerged from their tour, and we also met up with Brian, Puiu and Doina.....all walking into the entrance together, surrendering our passports and bags to be searched.
We arrived in plenty of time to sit around, but as we all agreed, better to sit around than to rush in at the last minute.
Conversation still came easily for most of us. Puiu and Doina are dear people who don't talk much...with the grief they have just endured, losing their young son just about a year after his wedding, it's no wonder they are quiet. Brian is a fascinating Welshman and I have enjoyed talking with him because we've visited many of the same places. Lisa has spent many practice periods cutting and working on her speech....Eugenia is always just sweet and quiet, and Carla runs us all! (well, someone has to). Of course we also harass her about it.
Finally we are motioned to go into the room with the huge round table and I think I counted about 66 of us sitting at the table, as well as some guests in chairs in the corner. There are booths for the translators, headphones and microphones at everyone's place. As with any trip to a foreign country, we think we need to be flexible but as one person put it, "flexible is too rigid! You must be fluid!" If I get any more fluid, I'm going to just slip away down the drain one day! I was supposed to do a 30-minute concert before the meeting, but, after all, we ARE in Romania. Does anything begin on time? I submit that it does not! At least, this meeting didn't. So, along with Eunice's computer somehow freezing up, we only had time for one song before we started. As I always pray for God to choose the songs and in what order, somehow "What a Friend we Have in Jesus" found its way onto the stand. I use that term loosely because I have no idea what the contraption was on which I clothespinned the music! But my violin case had to be set on the bottom of this thing just to keep it from falling over! This hymn was my mom's favorite, and it just seemed the right way to begin. Later on, Mary and John Isch both said that was a "God thing" because at the last minute, Mary had been asked to read a letter from a New Jersey Senator who couldn't be here, and she was just panicked....she does not do foreign languages, and there were so many Romanian names in this letter, she was certain she'd never get through it. She said my song reminded her to just "take it to the Lord in prayer". So, thank You Lord that You chose that hymn!
There were so many people who spoke, and most of them far exceeded their original 10-minute limit......at one point Marius Dugulescu, the moderator, asked everyone to cut down to 5 minutes. Well, that really worked! NOT. So we went about an hour past our 3pm coffee break. Beni felt badly that the opening didn't go so well, computer-wise so he told me I should just play at the beginning of the next part - we would just look for another computer. Leo saved the day for us, and both Beni and I have promised to pray 3 times a day for a wife for him....so he let us use his computer!!! This time, before we began the second half, I played "It is Well with my Soul", "Amazing Grace", and "How Great Thou Art"....they're each fairly long, so it was over 15 minutes of music, which everyone seemed to enjoy....in fact, I had several people just standing around me taking pictures, moving to another side for another one.....calling home on their cell phones so a wife or husband could listen!
Carla said there was very loud applause when I finished. I'm not even sure I heard it. I was so relieved that the computer didn't freeze up, and God just moved my fingers to the right notes. The second portion went quicker.....well, we were already about an hour late......so Marius asked everyone to limit to 3 minutes. Poor Lisa had already cut so much of her speech I worried about her trying to cut out any more. John, on the other hand, had asked Beni several times, and Beni told him not to cut anything. About halfway through John's sermon (because that's exactly what it was!) I saw Beni say something to Lisa, who said something to Mary, who wrote something on a piece of paper and push it over to John, who looked at it and kept on going! He was havin' a come-to-Jesus meetin' and nothin' was gonna stop him. It was glorious and when he did finish, everyone broke out in spontaneous applause. It seems that everyone there was blatantly pro-life and they were making the most of this moment. Marius then said he was going to ring a bell at the 2-minute mark and people would have to stop. He's young, though, and most people went a bit beyond, but tried to be sensitive to the lateness of the hour.
Has anyone noticed I didn't say a thing about lunch? Just checking to see if you're really reading this :)
Probably about 5pm....an hour and a half later than the original ending time, we did finish and were escorted downstairs into a lovely room with a beautiful buffet, where everyone was encouraged to interact with the others.....it was literally almost 8pm when the last of us left the room.....just for fun, I've got a picture of a sign that says tourists aren't allowed past a certain point.....but guess who went past that point???! Hey, not just me.....all of us did on our way to the food!
Carla and I drove John and Mary back to the University, and then servant-hearted Carla asked me if I wanted to come to the mall so I could tell you all about this wonderful day and try to communicate with Terry. Thank you again for your prayers..... none of us could have done it without the power of God flowing through us, and again, we all feel so honored to have been invited here to be a part of this Committee launch. It's late.....I'm tired, Carla is waiting......good night everyone......and please remember to pray for our long car trip tomorrow. Beni has to go to a funeral of a Dugulescu family friend, so he's going the opposite direction.....John and Mary fly to Vienna, and everyone else will be leaving for their respective homes.....new friends, new brothers and sisters, new ideas, new day for this beautiful country! Good night.
Breakfast was a bit more subdued than yesterday, probably because most of us were feeling the solemnity of what we were about to witness. Beni, Dr. John and Mary all left early to take the tour of the Palace. The rest of us had already done so on previous trips, so we stayed back to get ready at a more leisurely pace. I did some more "practicing"....just listening to the hymns and reading over my music. Eugenia, Lisa, Carla and I left together around 11-ish....and proceeded to circle the Palace about 3 times before we found the proper parking gate! Just as we got parked, Beni, John and Mary emerged from their tour, and we also met up with Brian, Puiu and Doina.....all walking into the entrance together, surrendering our passports and bags to be searched.
We arrived in plenty of time to sit around, but as we all agreed, better to sit around than to rush in at the last minute.
Conversation still came easily for most of us. Puiu and Doina are dear people who don't talk much...with the grief they have just endured, losing their young son just about a year after his wedding, it's no wonder they are quiet. Brian is a fascinating Welshman and I have enjoyed talking with him because we've visited many of the same places. Lisa has spent many practice periods cutting and working on her speech....Eugenia is always just sweet and quiet, and Carla runs us all! (well, someone has to). Of course we also harass her about it.
Finally we are motioned to go into the room with the huge round table and I think I counted about 66 of us sitting at the table, as well as some guests in chairs in the corner. There are booths for the translators, headphones and microphones at everyone's place. As with any trip to a foreign country, we think we need to be flexible but as one person put it, "flexible is too rigid! You must be fluid!" If I get any more fluid, I'm going to just slip away down the drain one day! I was supposed to do a 30-minute concert before the meeting, but, after all, we ARE in Romania. Does anything begin on time? I submit that it does not! At least, this meeting didn't. So, along with Eunice's computer somehow freezing up, we only had time for one song before we started. As I always pray for God to choose the songs and in what order, somehow "What a Friend we Have in Jesus" found its way onto the stand. I use that term loosely because I have no idea what the contraption was on which I clothespinned the music! But my violin case had to be set on the bottom of this thing just to keep it from falling over! This hymn was my mom's favorite, and it just seemed the right way to begin. Later on, Mary and John Isch both said that was a "God thing" because at the last minute, Mary had been asked to read a letter from a New Jersey Senator who couldn't be here, and she was just panicked....she does not do foreign languages, and there were so many Romanian names in this letter, she was certain she'd never get through it. She said my song reminded her to just "take it to the Lord in prayer". So, thank You Lord that You chose that hymn!
There were so many people who spoke, and most of them far exceeded their original 10-minute limit......at one point Marius Dugulescu, the moderator, asked everyone to cut down to 5 minutes. Well, that really worked! NOT. So we went about an hour past our 3pm coffee break. Beni felt badly that the opening didn't go so well, computer-wise so he told me I should just play at the beginning of the next part - we would just look for another computer. Leo saved the day for us, and both Beni and I have promised to pray 3 times a day for a wife for him....so he let us use his computer!!! This time, before we began the second half, I played "It is Well with my Soul", "Amazing Grace", and "How Great Thou Art"....they're each fairly long, so it was over 15 minutes of music, which everyone seemed to enjoy....in fact, I had several people just standing around me taking pictures, moving to another side for another one.....calling home on their cell phones so a wife or husband could listen!
Carla said there was very loud applause when I finished. I'm not even sure I heard it. I was so relieved that the computer didn't freeze up, and God just moved my fingers to the right notes. The second portion went quicker.....well, we were already about an hour late......so Marius asked everyone to limit to 3 minutes. Poor Lisa had already cut so much of her speech I worried about her trying to cut out any more. John, on the other hand, had asked Beni several times, and Beni told him not to cut anything. About halfway through John's sermon (because that's exactly what it was!) I saw Beni say something to Lisa, who said something to Mary, who wrote something on a piece of paper and push it over to John, who looked at it and kept on going! He was havin' a come-to-Jesus meetin' and nothin' was gonna stop him. It was glorious and when he did finish, everyone broke out in spontaneous applause. It seems that everyone there was blatantly pro-life and they were making the most of this moment. Marius then said he was going to ring a bell at the 2-minute mark and people would have to stop. He's young, though, and most people went a bit beyond, but tried to be sensitive to the lateness of the hour.
Has anyone noticed I didn't say a thing about lunch? Just checking to see if you're really reading this :)
Probably about 5pm....an hour and a half later than the original ending time, we did finish and were escorted downstairs into a lovely room with a beautiful buffet, where everyone was encouraged to interact with the others.....it was literally almost 8pm when the last of us left the room.....just for fun, I've got a picture of a sign that says tourists aren't allowed past a certain point.....but guess who went past that point???! Hey, not just me.....all of us did on our way to the food!
Carla and I drove John and Mary back to the University, and then servant-hearted Carla asked me if I wanted to come to the mall so I could tell you all about this wonderful day and try to communicate with Terry. Thank you again for your prayers..... none of us could have done it without the power of God flowing through us, and again, we all feel so honored to have been invited here to be a part of this Committee launch. It's late.....I'm tired, Carla is waiting......good night everyone......and please remember to pray for our long car trip tomorrow. Beni has to go to a funeral of a Dugulescu family friend, so he's going the opposite direction.....John and Mary fly to Vienna, and everyone else will be leaving for their respective homes.....new friends, new brothers and sisters, new ideas, new day for this beautiful country! Good night.
Whew! Thank you Lord!
PRAISE: Tuesday May 4 is now officially over. Romanian history has been made. Now the prayer will be that they can shine the light all across Europe. Each of the Americans on our team, and several other American speakers were all very clear on the gospel message. Praise God for His answered prayer and thank you for your intercession!
PRAYER: Wed. is a 12-hour drive for us, from Bucharest to Timisoara. Please pray for safety, and also pray for Eugenia who has one of her law exams on Thursday. Every spare minute here, she's been studying!
I will begin yesterday since we never even got to the mall:
Monday evening our supper was at the Marriott across from the Palace itself! The hotel has a wonderful Italian restaurant “Cucina”, and we were taken back to a large table...several people were already there, and others joined us, including Beni and the group he had been ministering with - Dr. John Ish, prominent Indianapolis cardiologist, and his wife Mary, Rev. Brian Gregory, the Welsh founder of The Friendship Foundation UK-Romania (now lives in England with his wife), and Puiu and his wife Doina, from Arad, who recently lost a 23-year old son to cancer. Eunice, our hostess, is responsible for putting together the program today, and she had invited about 20 of us from other countries and different areas of Romania, all with the common goal of being an encouragement to the members of Parliament in this momentous new chapter in their history. The food was delicious and beautifully presented, the conversations were free-flowing. When you’re among believers, you’re always with family, and this new family had a great time together. The evening went long, as if people were reluctant to leave, but around 10:30, Beni’s group, who had driven for about 12 hours, stood up to leave...we 4 gals took that as our cue. A few stayed to have dessert, but our 2 groups came back to the University where for some, the conversations continued!
I tore myself away from the one in Lisa and Eugenia’s room in order to at least look over my music...hadn’t had a spare minute to even think about practicing! (usually there are very few of those anyway) Took out the violin and just “fingered” several of the passages in each hymn. Somewhere around 1am, Carla came in. Our day was over, though even in the dark, I continued to go over the music in my head. I didn’t FEEL any nerves, but sleep just wouldn’t come, so I just alternated the words to the hymns with prayer. It’s now 6am here in Bucharest, and today marks the beginning of hope for many of those who have never known their own worth or dignity. Most oppressed people don’t think they even have rights, and all of us who have come are praying that along with human rights, more and more people of Romania will begin to understand and accept their worth in God’s eyes, and this will begin a ripple effect that will spread throughout Europe...and the world!
PRAYER: Wed. is a 12-hour drive for us, from Bucharest to Timisoara. Please pray for safety, and also pray for Eugenia who has one of her law exams on Thursday. Every spare minute here, she's been studying!
I will begin yesterday since we never even got to the mall:
Monday evening our supper was at the Marriott across from the Palace itself! The hotel has a wonderful Italian restaurant “Cucina”, and we were taken back to a large table...several people were already there, and others joined us, including Beni and the group he had been ministering with - Dr. John Ish, prominent Indianapolis cardiologist, and his wife Mary, Rev. Brian Gregory, the Welsh founder of The Friendship Foundation UK-Romania (now lives in England with his wife), and Puiu and his wife Doina, from Arad, who recently lost a 23-year old son to cancer. Eunice, our hostess, is responsible for putting together the program today, and she had invited about 20 of us from other countries and different areas of Romania, all with the common goal of being an encouragement to the members of Parliament in this momentous new chapter in their history. The food was delicious and beautifully presented, the conversations were free-flowing. When you’re among believers, you’re always with family, and this new family had a great time together. The evening went long, as if people were reluctant to leave, but around 10:30, Beni’s group, who had driven for about 12 hours, stood up to leave...we 4 gals took that as our cue. A few stayed to have dessert, but our 2 groups came back to the University where for some, the conversations continued!
I tore myself away from the one in Lisa and Eugenia’s room in order to at least look over my music...hadn’t had a spare minute to even think about practicing! (usually there are very few of those anyway) Took out the violin and just “fingered” several of the passages in each hymn. Somewhere around 1am, Carla came in. Our day was over, though even in the dark, I continued to go over the music in my head. I didn’t FEEL any nerves, but sleep just wouldn’t come, so I just alternated the words to the hymns with prayer. It’s now 6am here in Bucharest, and today marks the beginning of hope for many of those who have never known their own worth or dignity. Most oppressed people don’t think they even have rights, and all of us who have come are praying that along with human rights, more and more people of Romania will begin to understand and accept their worth in God’s eyes, and this will begin a ripple effect that will spread throughout Europe...and the world!
Monday, May 3, 2010
for Terry Winch (is there any other one?)
Hi Ter,
I tried to send you an email from my other email acct. but it seems not to have come....I did get yours. So, I'll just either send or draft one from tjw5199 and you'll have to check the "sent" or "draft" folders on that acct. Love you
I tried to send you an email from my other email acct. but it seems not to have come....I did get yours. So, I'll just either send or draft one from tjw5199 and you'll have to check the "sent" or "draft" folders on that acct. Love you
Buna ziua (good day)
PRAYER REQUEST: Tuesday, May 4 at 1:00 pm Romanian time (we're 7 hours ahead) will be the presentation in the Parliament building. That's the biggest one for today as we prepare our hearts (and Lisa's speech, and my playing fingers!) for this very momentous honor of launching the Committee on Human Rights and Dignity.
Hello! I'm so excited to be back online again....after my 45-minute flight to Charlotte.....on the airbus for a 7 1/2 hour flight to Munich. Lisa and I had seats together and talked for several hours before and during dinner.....discovered we were sitting next to 16-year old Jacob whose parents were missionaries near Constanta (there's a squiggly line under the second "t"). Jacob has lived all of his life (so far) in Romania, speaks fluently and also a little bit of Turkish. Of course we all had lots to talk about since his parents run a baby home that now has 11 kids. There is no more Romanian adoption and many babies are just left in hospitals by their young single mothers, so the Reed family takes them in.....they're with Charity Baptist Missions in Eastern Europe since 1992 and just come back to the States to raise money. What a pleasure to meet this lovely family....our only disappointment is that we probably won't be able to visit them and their "baby home" this trip.
God answered your prayers that we wouldn't be sitting near any screaming babies......but I forgot to ask that you'd pray for the tallest person on the plane, who sat behind me! When I tried to put my seat back, I met some resistance.....so checked that I was pressing the proper button, and tried again. The third time, I was hit on the head! Yeah, you heard me. This guy behind me just tapped me on the head and said something in German.....since I don't speak it well, I can only surmise that he was saying something like, "yeah, no, that's not gonna be happening!" So the sleep that I longed for did not even begin to come all night long. Great time for prayer and reading, though....sitting straight up in a cramped situation is really not my idea of fun, but then again, I could be wrong. We did manage to go through immigration in rainy Munich and get back on the proper plane for Bucharest....another uneventful trip, although Bucharest had the sun out to welcome us, along with Carla and Eugenia's bright smiles! They had just driven 12 hours from Timisoara (yes, we have a 12-hour drive ahead of us on Wed.) to Bucharest, the first time either of them had been here!
With the help of the GPS we arrived at the Baptist University where we are staying, dropped off our things and then walked to the mall. There were 4 levels, so it took us a while to get through it, after we ate our lunch at the Lebanese restaurant. I've been looking forward to having Shawarma, and theirs was good! After we walked back, it was still light out, so Carla said we had to stay outside and talk to keep ourselves awake! Lisa and I tried like crazy to get connected....even pacing in the street outside the gate to find some internet connection....without success, so, disappointed, we gave up. I managed to stay up till around 9:30pm.....Carla had left for a meeting and I thought I would read.....think I turned only one page before I gave up, and slept, not quite straight through, but very well - for me.
At around 7:30, I awoke for good to the sounds of kids running through the hall....there is a kindergarten that is run by this establishment and the children were coming in for their breakfast.
Ours was served at 9....typical Romanian breakfast of cheese, sausages, ham, olives, and a small amount of scrambled eggs. The coffee was good and hot and just what we all needed. After breakfast the 4 of us went outside to have our devotions and "play" a bit on the playground.....suddenly the area was alive with the happy screams of the children, the thud of a bumped head, a wailing child and the soothing sounds of his teacher comforting him. We enjoyed watching them for a while, and then came back to the mall where I'm sitting at Starbucks writing this.
So, thanks for all your prayers for safety and luggage on the trip.....grateful and appreciative. Ceau till next time
Hello! I'm so excited to be back online again....after my 45-minute flight to Charlotte.....on the airbus for a 7 1/2 hour flight to Munich. Lisa and I had seats together and talked for several hours before and during dinner.....discovered we were sitting next to 16-year old Jacob whose parents were missionaries near Constanta (there's a squiggly line under the second "t"). Jacob has lived all of his life (so far) in Romania, speaks fluently and also a little bit of Turkish. Of course we all had lots to talk about since his parents run a baby home that now has 11 kids. There is no more Romanian adoption and many babies are just left in hospitals by their young single mothers, so the Reed family takes them in.....they're with Charity Baptist Missions in Eastern Europe since 1992 and just come back to the States to raise money. What a pleasure to meet this lovely family....our only disappointment is that we probably won't be able to visit them and their "baby home" this trip.
God answered your prayers that we wouldn't be sitting near any screaming babies......but I forgot to ask that you'd pray for the tallest person on the plane, who sat behind me! When I tried to put my seat back, I met some resistance.....so checked that I was pressing the proper button, and tried again. The third time, I was hit on the head! Yeah, you heard me. This guy behind me just tapped me on the head and said something in German.....since I don't speak it well, I can only surmise that he was saying something like, "yeah, no, that's not gonna be happening!" So the sleep that I longed for did not even begin to come all night long. Great time for prayer and reading, though....sitting straight up in a cramped situation is really not my idea of fun, but then again, I could be wrong. We did manage to go through immigration in rainy Munich and get back on the proper plane for Bucharest....another uneventful trip, although Bucharest had the sun out to welcome us, along with Carla and Eugenia's bright smiles! They had just driven 12 hours from Timisoara (yes, we have a 12-hour drive ahead of us on Wed.) to Bucharest, the first time either of them had been here!
With the help of the GPS we arrived at the Baptist University where we are staying, dropped off our things and then walked to the mall. There were 4 levels, so it took us a while to get through it, after we ate our lunch at the Lebanese restaurant. I've been looking forward to having Shawarma, and theirs was good! After we walked back, it was still light out, so Carla said we had to stay outside and talk to keep ourselves awake! Lisa and I tried like crazy to get connected....even pacing in the street outside the gate to find some internet connection....without success, so, disappointed, we gave up. I managed to stay up till around 9:30pm.....Carla had left for a meeting and I thought I would read.....think I turned only one page before I gave up, and slept, not quite straight through, but very well - for me.
At around 7:30, I awoke for good to the sounds of kids running through the hall....there is a kindergarten that is run by this establishment and the children were coming in for their breakfast.
Ours was served at 9....typical Romanian breakfast of cheese, sausages, ham, olives, and a small amount of scrambled eggs. The coffee was good and hot and just what we all needed. After breakfast the 4 of us went outside to have our devotions and "play" a bit on the playground.....suddenly the area was alive with the happy screams of the children, the thud of a bumped head, a wailing child and the soothing sounds of his teacher comforting him. We enjoyed watching them for a while, and then came back to the mall where I'm sitting at Starbucks writing this.
So, thanks for all your prayers for safety and luggage on the trip.....grateful and appreciative. Ceau till next time
Saturday, May 1, 2010
It's TODAY!, part deux
It took so long to connect to the WiFi at the Atlanta airport that I could only write for a couple minutes before we had to board the plane......just a little aside.....Atlanta charges for their WiFi, and as I mentioned, it takes so darn long to connect.....I connected, FREE, I might add, in about 30 seconds at the Charlotte airport. Thank you Charlotte!
But, again, I get ahead of myself....last night, because of the gorgeous view, we left our drapes open in the room.....woke up to a bit of a gray day but not foggy, thank goodness. Terry had ordered room service....so I had a leisurely time getting ready while he went downstairs to bring me probably my last Dark Cherry Mocha Breve from Starbucks for a while. Although there is a new Starbucks in Timisoara, and one in Bucharest.....with traffic the way it is, I'm sure we'll just refrain from going.....I can handle it, yes I can. Just before breakfast, he handed me a Starbucks bag with one of those new "green" to go mugs.....AND 10 envelopes! He allowed me to open the first one, an anniversary card in which he had written a poem for me! Way to make a gal cry! There are 9 more cards, one for each of the next nine days. He trusts me to open just one a day??? Yes, he can, I like to savor the fun stuff slowly too...besides, it's a little part of him I can enjoy each day. Of course, I also have those silly pictures we took last night in the photo booth!
Because we hoped to beat the rain, we started out fairly soon after breakfast for the airport - we were going to take the MARTA so had to walk just about 3 blocks. And, thank you Lord, no rain. Easy ride to the airport, met a Lutheran minister/professor on the train and our chat helped to pass time as well.....he thinks he knows my brother-in-law. Do I hear someone whistling "It's a Small World?" Shake yourself!!!
Checking in was a snap.....just patted my checked luggage and asked it to please arrive in Bucharest the same time I do! Terry and I took some time to just sit and enjoy each other before we parted....a couple dozen service personnel were arriving, and got huge applause from those in the arrival area....always brings a lump to my throat. I am the mom of 2 Marines, one of whom went to Iraq and returned safely. I know how blessed I am....many other moms aren't so fortunate. When the time came for me to go through security, we finally had to say goodbye, and I kept looking back to see Ter waving at me, until I could no longer see him. I'm gonna miss my man! Though we try, there are those times when we do have to travel without each other, and we both hate it every time! Knowing we're just where the Lord wants us makes it a little easier, only just a little, though.
Had to eat something.....you know, to take the place of the wonderful airplane meals we used to get? Just an FYI, Sbarro has a garden salad for $3.99. I did walk up and down the gate area, just to check.....and they're at least 3 bucks less than anyone else's. I'm still a cheap date, even for myself!
Boarding the plane the gate attendant looked at my violin and said, "don't think that's going to fit on the plane".....I smiled and took the yellow tag he gave me, put it in my pocket, and proceeded to carry the violin AND my carry-on bag. One little phenomenon that I've noticed on these commuter jets...as you look down the aisle to the back of the plane, it seems that the seats get smaller and narrower....but as I walked to my seat in the back, I can tell you for sure that it's not an illusion. They ARE smaller! And someone made a huge mistake with my seat assignment...I was seated behind a 10-month old darling little girl who did nothing but smile the entire trip! I actually checked my ticket to make sure I was in the right place, because my place is usually next to/in front of/beside the loudest crying baby on the plane! No joke. Of course this WAS only a 45-minute flight....there's always another chance on the flight to Munich!
Well, Lisa is somewhere in the airport....we discovered we have seats near each other so I'm glad about that.
[one hour later] Lisa and I have been sitting here talking for the last hour, but I'm thinkin' I need to post this before we board. I'm so grateful for those of you who are reading, praying and following.....you are loved. Please pray for calm babies and some sort of sleep on this flight. Thank you Terry for making this anniversary such a wonderful one, even though I'm leaving you alone for most of it. I love you
But, again, I get ahead of myself....last night, because of the gorgeous view, we left our drapes open in the room.....woke up to a bit of a gray day but not foggy, thank goodness. Terry had ordered room service....so I had a leisurely time getting ready while he went downstairs to bring me probably my last Dark Cherry Mocha Breve from Starbucks for a while. Although there is a new Starbucks in Timisoara, and one in Bucharest.....with traffic the way it is, I'm sure we'll just refrain from going.....I can handle it, yes I can. Just before breakfast, he handed me a Starbucks bag with one of those new "green" to go mugs.....AND 10 envelopes! He allowed me to open the first one, an anniversary card in which he had written a poem for me! Way to make a gal cry! There are 9 more cards, one for each of the next nine days. He trusts me to open just one a day??? Yes, he can, I like to savor the fun stuff slowly too...besides, it's a little part of him I can enjoy each day. Of course, I also have those silly pictures we took last night in the photo booth!
Because we hoped to beat the rain, we started out fairly soon after breakfast for the airport - we were going to take the MARTA so had to walk just about 3 blocks. And, thank you Lord, no rain. Easy ride to the airport, met a Lutheran minister/professor on the train and our chat helped to pass time as well.....he thinks he knows my brother-in-law. Do I hear someone whistling "It's a Small World?" Shake yourself!!!
Checking in was a snap.....just patted my checked luggage and asked it to please arrive in Bucharest the same time I do! Terry and I took some time to just sit and enjoy each other before we parted....a couple dozen service personnel were arriving, and got huge applause from those in the arrival area....always brings a lump to my throat. I am the mom of 2 Marines, one of whom went to Iraq and returned safely. I know how blessed I am....many other moms aren't so fortunate. When the time came for me to go through security, we finally had to say goodbye, and I kept looking back to see Ter waving at me, until I could no longer see him. I'm gonna miss my man! Though we try, there are those times when we do have to travel without each other, and we both hate it every time! Knowing we're just where the Lord wants us makes it a little easier, only just a little, though.
Had to eat something.....you know, to take the place of the wonderful airplane meals we used to get? Just an FYI, Sbarro has a garden salad for $3.99. I did walk up and down the gate area, just to check.....and they're at least 3 bucks less than anyone else's. I'm still a cheap date, even for myself!
Boarding the plane the gate attendant looked at my violin and said, "don't think that's going to fit on the plane".....I smiled and took the yellow tag he gave me, put it in my pocket, and proceeded to carry the violin AND my carry-on bag. One little phenomenon that I've noticed on these commuter jets...as you look down the aisle to the back of the plane, it seems that the seats get smaller and narrower....but as I walked to my seat in the back, I can tell you for sure that it's not an illusion. They ARE smaller! And someone made a huge mistake with my seat assignment...I was seated behind a 10-month old darling little girl who did nothing but smile the entire trip! I actually checked my ticket to make sure I was in the right place, because my place is usually next to/in front of/beside the loudest crying baby on the plane! No joke. Of course this WAS only a 45-minute flight....there's always another chance on the flight to Munich!
Well, Lisa is somewhere in the airport....we discovered we have seats near each other so I'm glad about that.
[one hour later] Lisa and I have been sitting here talking for the last hour, but I'm thinkin' I need to post this before we board. I'm so grateful for those of you who are reading, praying and following.....you are loved. Please pray for calm babies and some sort of sleep on this flight. Thank you Terry for making this anniversary such a wonderful one, even though I'm leaving you alone for most of it. I love you
it's TODAY!
Yeah, I never did get online yesterday....what with finishing up the packing, practicing again, and finding out that Terry was "whisking" me away to the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel in downtown Atlanta for our "pre-anniversary" celebration, I was kept busy the whole time. This is the tallest hotel in the western hemisphere, and staying on the 60th floor gave us an awesome view of Atlanta, the capitol building, Braves Stadium, the Olympic park, and the aquarium, among other points of interest. He said we had 6pm dinner reservations, so we had some time to relax....or rather, he relaxed, and I re-checked just about everything in my suitcases...eliminating a few more things I figured I could do without. After weighing the suitcase at home and finding it to be a couple ounces over 50 pounds, I gave it my best and figured I took out about 3 pounds' worth of stuff........when I checked in here today, sure enough, it was 47 pounds. Man, I'm good!
But, I get ahead of myself. Just for anyone who cares, here's a little bit of useless trivia. Do you know it IS possible to "refill" a travel-sized toothpaste tube from your larger one? Just in case.......
Ter said it would take about 5 minutes to walk to dinner, which, as it turns out, was on the 72nd floor of the hotel....in the SunDial restaurant! You guessed it! It revolves! It was the clearest evening, a lovely sunset, and 360 views of all around Atlanta, along with Miss Ann, the best server we've probably ever had. In her 27 years working here she has served 3 or maybe 4 presidents, and several CEOs, including the Donald and Lee Iaccoca....(can't remember how to spell THAT one!) Interestingly enough, Miss Ann said the presidents and "bigwigs" she had taken care of were the most gracious and thoughtful people.....nice to hear. On the other hand, she said, "how do I say this? I've served many sports guys, and they were...can I say short?" Her words. Just sayin'
Terry handed me a box, which I of course opened to find a citrine necklace and earrings....citrine is my favorite stone, and, who knew? one of the 11th anniversary gifts is citrine! He actually checked! What a guy! After the most scrumptious dinner AND dessert, (well, it was our 11th anniversary eve, after all) Ter said we had "one more stop" to make and we caught a cab. Dropped us off at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History. Huh? Dinosaurs? As we walked in, there was some great live music playing, and we bought 2 tickets to the IMAX film. However, as we walked down the stairs to where the band was playing, who walked up but Hayley! Ter's younger daughter and 3 of her friends were there to join us and help celebrate the day! Great surprise, and though we've seen Hayley quite often, we had some catching up to do with Kelly and Tiffany, whom we had not seen since Hayley and Jason's wedding. Brittany was new to us, and she was actually working so we just said a quick hello. Hayley got us some perrier and coke, and then "insisted" we go to the photo booth for pictures! It was really funny to find out later that they could watch us from the outside on a screen.....they were laughing when we came out, but they were a great part of the fun we had. Went into the IMAX theater for a wonderful documentary film on Saudi Arabia...... breathtaking photography and a great narration by a young Saudi photo-journalist who went back to "find himself" and discover who his people were. Really enjoyed that one, and made so much more fun by having the 3 girls there too. Afterward, Terry told them I was leaving for Romania today and they all came outside, laid their hands on me, and prayed for me! Pretty powerful to have "20-somethings" (yeah, I know your ages!) mature enough in their faith to pray for this ahem, 39-many-times-over woman. Brought tears to my eyes, and I know these girls are the real deal. One of them asked what is the most pressing need in Romania, and Terry replied that really, it's a "golden age" of sorts....people are so open and hungry for the gospel, and the churches are full.....many of the missionaries who go into other European countries come from Romania.
The gals mentioned they're starting another small group Bible study with some of their other friends....at all levels of spiritual maturity....we'll sure pray for them too...especially Kelly, who is leading the first one in 2 weeks! We hugged, our taxi came, and parted ways....got one more call from Hayley when we got back to the hotel.
It was a perfect sendoff.....mostly because I was so distracted by all the fun. Calling our flight now....lots more to tell.
But, I get ahead of myself. Just for anyone who cares, here's a little bit of useless trivia. Do you know it IS possible to "refill" a travel-sized toothpaste tube from your larger one? Just in case.......
Ter said it would take about 5 minutes to walk to dinner, which, as it turns out, was on the 72nd floor of the hotel....in the SunDial restaurant! You guessed it! It revolves! It was the clearest evening, a lovely sunset, and 360 views of all around Atlanta, along with Miss Ann, the best server we've probably ever had. In her 27 years working here she has served 3 or maybe 4 presidents, and several CEOs, including the Donald and Lee Iaccoca....(can't remember how to spell THAT one!) Interestingly enough, Miss Ann said the presidents and "bigwigs" she had taken care of were the most gracious and thoughtful people.....nice to hear. On the other hand, she said, "how do I say this? I've served many sports guys, and they were...can I say short?" Her words. Just sayin'
Terry handed me a box, which I of course opened to find a citrine necklace and earrings....citrine is my favorite stone, and, who knew? one of the 11th anniversary gifts is citrine! He actually checked! What a guy! After the most scrumptious dinner AND dessert, (well, it was our 11th anniversary eve, after all) Ter said we had "one more stop" to make and we caught a cab. Dropped us off at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History. Huh? Dinosaurs? As we walked in, there was some great live music playing, and we bought 2 tickets to the IMAX film. However, as we walked down the stairs to where the band was playing, who walked up but Hayley! Ter's younger daughter and 3 of her friends were there to join us and help celebrate the day! Great surprise, and though we've seen Hayley quite often, we had some catching up to do with Kelly and Tiffany, whom we had not seen since Hayley and Jason's wedding. Brittany was new to us, and she was actually working so we just said a quick hello. Hayley got us some perrier and coke, and then "insisted" we go to the photo booth for pictures! It was really funny to find out later that they could watch us from the outside on a screen.....they were laughing when we came out, but they were a great part of the fun we had. Went into the IMAX theater for a wonderful documentary film on Saudi Arabia...... breathtaking photography and a great narration by a young Saudi photo-journalist who went back to "find himself" and discover who his people were. Really enjoyed that one, and made so much more fun by having the 3 girls there too. Afterward, Terry told them I was leaving for Romania today and they all came outside, laid their hands on me, and prayed for me! Pretty powerful to have "20-somethings" (yeah, I know your ages!) mature enough in their faith to pray for this ahem, 39-many-times-over woman. Brought tears to my eyes, and I know these girls are the real deal. One of them asked what is the most pressing need in Romania, and Terry replied that really, it's a "golden age" of sorts....people are so open and hungry for the gospel, and the churches are full.....many of the missionaries who go into other European countries come from Romania.
The gals mentioned they're starting another small group Bible study with some of their other friends....at all levels of spiritual maturity....we'll sure pray for them too...especially Kelly, who is leading the first one in 2 weeks! We hugged, our taxi came, and parted ways....got one more call from Hayley when we got back to the hotel.
It was a perfect sendoff.....mostly because I was so distracted by all the fun. Calling our flight now....lots more to tell.
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