The above picture is one of my favorites of winter in Sighisoara so far. It's the covered German staircase that is right around the corner from our house. I actually like climbing it just for the fun of it every now and then. What a beautiful town we live in.
On Tuesday morning I walked into elderly club expecting to help prepare a Christmas meal for later on in the day. Unbeknownst to me, all that needed to be done. We began by peeling potatoes, multe cartofi (many potatoes). As soon as we got to the bottom of the box I did a little dance in celebration, but stopped mid-dance as David brought in another sac de cartofi (figure that one out). We peeled 46 kilograms of potatoes all-in-all (for you Westerners, that's about 100 pounds). Once we had finished that, we moved on to setting the table, putting together Christmas packages, lighting candles, filling glasses full of cider, turning on the Christmas carols, and making sure that everyone had their fair share of chicken, potatoes, and pickled green tomatoes. We took ten minutes to eat ourselves and then began the process of cleaning it all up. Not only did uneaten food need to be piled, but dishes cleaned and washed, mugs and cups emptied and washed, everything brought in from the "dining room" to the kitchen (which involves a trip outdoors). Then we needed to prepare the room for a teenage group to come perform and sing. It took some convincing to get the elderly women to sit and wait for the group, but once we had they were happy to see the youngin's come. The ladies sang loudly and clapped even louder when time for applause came around. On their way out they thanked, and kissed, and blessed each one of us who had helped with the day's festivities. Next it was the teenager's turn for a snack and some tea and that took setting up and preparing as well, but luckily (as my parents have taught me) teenagers make great slaves and they joined in the cleaning process to quicken the shut down of the place for the night.
My "couple of hours" of help turned into a 10am-6pm production. An event I don't think I will ever forget. It was so much more than just "helping out". David, Mea, Magda B., and I spent much of our time singing, talking, and laughing. I learned more about the Romanian armada (army) from David as he told stories about serving as a soldier in the days of the revolution. Mea's laughter was contagious when one of us made a slip of the hand or slight mistranslation. Magda's quiet concentration and patience, along with encouragement provided a perfect mix among the group. The people we served were so gracious and thankful it almost broke my heart. It was as though we had made their year just by giving them their own Christmas party. It really didn't take much on our behalf and it meant so much to them...it was such a blessing.
So not only had I done enough potato peeling to make up for my entire childhood and washed enough dishes to make up for my lack of a collegiate food service job, but God taught me yet another lesson about serving others and using time wisely. Just a few hours can make a world of difference. Praise God.
One of the three vats of peeled potatoes.
David mashing and flavoring.
Mea cutting up some pickled tomatoes.

( I may have one of Magda B. before the week is over. =] )
Check back this weekend for an update on the "Canned food drive" and the Baragan Teen Ministry.
Thanks to everyone for their continual prayers and encouragement. Know that I love you and wish I could give you a huge hug. Consider it sent via blog. Blog-hug (kinda like bear-hug, 'cept a little less strong). =]

R.I.P. Lappy

Lappy the laptop has officially "bit the dust". It's time of death was about 7:32PM Sunday December 16th. I think I killed it. I was pressuring it to copy all my pictures on CDs and I was pretty relentless about it. Since each time I started it up the screen said "Back-up all files immediately. There is a hard drive failure. Replace hard drive. A crash is imminent." I decided it would be wise to follow directions and back it up. Hence, Lappy was working hard (but not very well) to copy a big set of pictures at it's time of death. I know I should have been nicer and let Lappy go out peacefully, but what can I say I'm ruthless. So Lappy's done...when I try to caress it back to life it simply puts up an angry black screen that says "Error in operational system..." Sigh. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. I'm okay with it, but I am a bit sad that I hadn't copied any of my Romania pictures yet and that means they are all lost in a world of darkness somewhere amongst the broken failure that is my hard drive. Perhaps there is still hope, so I will hang on to Lappy's corpse until official declaration of death by someone more worthy than I. Until then, I will trek to the House on the Rock and climb up the big 2 flights of stairs it takes to reach a computer that will allow me contact with the outside world, not only because it's good for you to know what's up on this side of the world, but also because I love to write now. And once Lappy quit I realized the one thing that can't be taken away because of that is this, my blog. And so I write with joy, knowing that my words, this memoir of my experiences, is the best I have and I'm so happy to have it. =]

Keep on truckin' through...

Life is real busy right now. I guess it's Christmas, so that is to be expected...at the same time I was sorta hoping Christmas in Romania meant a 3 week break where all I do is sleep in, drink hot chocolate, and read by the fire. Hah. Dream on.
Nah, I knew it wouldn't be that lackadaisical but here's to fantasizing about it.
Reality check:
-Last week Saturday we had Round 1 of the "Canned food drive" all afternoon
-Had Thanksgiving #2 on Monday and said "official" goodbyes to American students
-American students left on Wednesday
-Thursday was Annie's (the nurse) last day in Tsigmadru before vacation and medicine storage/care had to be sorted out for the next 5 weeks while she goes to England
-Today I went out in Tsigmadru and spent the day planning (with both the kids and the teens) their Christmas program and party for next week
-Tomorrow is Round 2 of the "Canned food drive" during the afternoon and at night we have the Veritas/volunteer Christmas dinner
-Sunday I am going out to Tsigmadru in the morning to "film" with the teens (they are making a Christmas movie for the church) ...I'm an angel.

It was just last week that I said goodbye to Hans. And just last week that we celebrated mos craciun (said mosh crah-choon) day. Also just last week that we stayed home and made gingerbread houses and cookies. How is that possible?
Less than 12 days from now is Christmas. That's just sheer insanity. On one hand I'm in complete denial: It's not winter and no WAY is Christmas in a little more than a week. On the other hand I've embraced it: We witnessed a desperately hot summer and beautifully colored fall, naturally it's time for winter. Along with that reality I would enjoy some snow...I would even be happy if a blizzard came along, although it's almost risky saying so.
I love snow. I love putting on layer upon layer of clothing until I actually break a sweat from the effort, then walking outside into the bitter cold and still feeling the stiffness of my gloves and jeans through all layers as the cool air drifts over them. I love the smell of a fresh snow (or frost). I love the feeling your nose gets after being outside once you've escaped the frigidness and entered into a warm and cozy house. I love pulling out sweaters that have been tucked away since last winter and wearing my slippers (by my own choice) because they keep my feet so toasty. I love laying on the carpet with the boys under a warm blanket watching Elf together. I love drinking a hot cup of real, rich and creamy hot chocolate in the early morning when my eyes barely want to open. I love the fact that because I'm entering a time of tradition, there are all sorts of new cultural differences to delight in and be a part of. I love that here Christmas is less about stuff and more about people. So even though it's crazy busy...
I love winter and Christmas-time in Romania.

Forgotten Videos

I forgot that I promised a video too. =]
Here is the "Ott in Rome" video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBMs35S-95U
Here is a video of the Kid's Club in Tsigmadru singing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRf6iUoEIp0
When you're bored, check them out!

Wonders of Winter

I believe I promised some pictures. =] Here are some from the past few weeks:Playing in the Christmas lights in the park.
The front of the "Nazarene Center".
Kid's club on opening day, singing one of their favorite songs "Cine al creat..." (Who Created...).
Ali, Chila (dunno how to spell her name), and I at House on the Rock for the candle walk.
Winter sky view from my favorite window.
Ginger bread house fun: Liam applying icing cement. I didn't dare interrupt him.
Nolan using some imagination to decorate his house.
The boys' finished products! Nolan's on the left and Liam's on the right. (Liam had some help) =]
The front of mine as a finished product. =] Yeah I'm a bit of a craft nerd. Haha. All Liam wanted to know was "when can I eat it?"

Thanks to everyone who has been lifting me up in prayer! My spirits have been steadily rising since the last time I wrote.

Loss for words

So I felt the need to write tonight, although I have no idea what I'm going to say. Today is another day where words elude me, so why am I dedicating a post to words I can't articulate? Because it's important to see the struggles along with the triumphs. And since many of the people who read this are my support team and prayer warriors-I'm calling in the troops on this one. I need some prayer.
This week has been hard for me. I don't want to say it's "culture shock" because it's not. I still absolutely love being in Romania and believe whole-heartedly that this is where God wants me this year. Each day I feel blessed simply to have the opportunity to walk out of my door and into such a beautiful place. But somehow, I still feel defeated and weak. I still feel like I'm battling something greater than myself, bigger than I have ever dealt with. And the feeling of defeat has left me confused. I know that not every day can be filled with happiness. With gum drops and lolipops, rainbows and balloons. I know that sometimes a few days of solitude is just what God has prescribed and ends up building you up and growing you more. I know I will survive it and God will probably teach me something I hadn't known before. I know that because of what we are doing here, I am dealing with spiritual warfare. I know that I'm not just feeling like I'm in a battle, I am in one. But knowing all of these things doesn't make it any easier for the time being and right now I wish I knew exactly how to come out of it.
But I don't. You know why? God is the ultimate planner and he's got the schedule out of view from my prying eyes at this moment. He knows what he is doing and just because I can't look at a calendar and say "well, at least it will all be over in 4 days" doesn't mean that there is no guidance, no plan, no future. It's times like these that one of my favorite verses plays over and over in my head. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 Those are powerful words.
So I can go on, I can get up in the morning and know that even when it's hard God's guiding hand is there. I can pick myself up off the ground each time I feel knocked over and forgive the knockee, maybe even thanking them for the lesson learned. I can rejoice in the fact that God is teaching me something new and unprecedented. I can be joyful, even when I don't feel happy.
God is here. And I will praise him in the storm.