Construction Update

This week I have had the pleasure to work with a group from Michigan. They are here to do various things around the Veritas ministries, but also wanted to help do construction on the new church building in Tsigmandru. They were a tremendous help to me by laying the uderlayment and flooring. We were able to put underlayment in Roberta's lab, the small classroom, and the hallway in between. Then we laid the flooring in the hallway and the classroom. The team was most helpful to me by simply working out the best way to do the flooring. Coming up with the procedure is more than half the battle in a foreign country. I have included some pictures and I would like to give a big thank you to the group for all their help and support. Maurice

Ministry Success!

We apologize for the lack of posts lately. This past Sunday we had a special memorial service for Magda Cini's mother for the Nazarene church in Tsigmandru. She was buried in the Orthodox cemetery and therefore had to have a Orthodox funeral. Roberta, the pastor, felt that we needed to have a second Nazarene memorial service that focused on the hope that we have in death and eternal life.<

Monday we all went to Targu Mures to apply for our Visas that will allow us to stay for a year. It was an interesting and exhausting experience. It took most of a work day for eight of us to make multiple stops and wait in lines. In the end the adults finished this step of the process, we now have to wait a month, but we were not prepared for the extensive requirements for the boys' visas. Needless to say- we need to get a lot more paperwork to get the boy's Visas.

Now for the great news. Today was the first day for the Mamarte (Ladybugs) Club in the Baragan area of Sighisoara. This is the first new ministry that we, meaning Karen, have started since we arrived. Up until this part we have helped out in pre-existing ministries. The leadership really felt that the church needed to reach out to the Baragon area of the city, where there is only one Orthodox church but where sixty percent of the population live. This club is the first of three that we hope to help begin. Karen, Magda Balaban, and an American student named Abby, who is here for a semester abroad started this new ministry. Karen was nervous when she left today that no children would show up. They used the existing elderly club in Baragon to hand out invitations to their grandchildren and children in their apartment buildings. There was no way to know if anyone would show up, but when she arrived there were already four children outside waiting. In the end seven children showed up and asked if the could bring there friends next week! We are so happy and pray for continued growth and success. We also pray that this will be a spring board to start other groups in Baragon. It is also very important to use to develop these ministries with strong Romanian leadership so that it can be sustained long after we leave. Maurice

A little more about Mamarute- It is a club for children 4-8 on Wednesdays from 3-4:30. We do crafts, singing, games, snack, stories, and practice english. We had such a wonderful time with the children today. We worked on the english letter "L" for "Ladybug", played Uno to work on our colors and letters, did the "Hokey Pokey", and made ladybug hats (that is the picture above). We also gave them a scripture verse in both languages about god's creatures. They took this home with them. We also read the Berenstein Bears "The Spooky Old Tree" first in romanian and then english. The older children are very eager to learn english. We are trying also to connect the children's club to the elderly club. Whether this be by making cookies or coming to help once in a while. Please be in prayer for this new group as well as for the connection to the elderly club and church. - Karen

Today was a new cultural experience for us. I feel I need to describe this so you can get a taste of Romanian culture. We went the the funeral for the women we talked about in our last blog. In the States as well as probably most of Western Europe, death is sterilized. We keep a safe distance and the dead are fixed up to appear as they did in life. Death is different here. I won't explain morbid details but give enough to get the picture. The family is responsible to go to the hospital and get the body (as was pointed out to me yesterday- I said "body" and not "her"). The family must cloth the body, carry it out to the car, and bring it home. The body is then laid out in the house in an open casket. Embalming doesn't exist here. Burials happen within a day or two for this reason.

The day of the funeral the casket is then brought into the courtyard of the house where the Orthodox priest gives a liturgy. Today was pouring rain and cold. After the liturgy the casket was taken to the cemetery. Her wish for her funeral was that her grandchildren would carry her casket through the village to the cemetery. She had 70 of them. She also lived on the opposite end of the village from the cemetery so the grandchildren followed by family and friends (150 people) walked the 1 km to the cemetery in the rain on the main street. Rather than baskets of flowers at a funeral they make these 1-1 1/2 meter tall pine branch cluster that stand against the wall. There are flowers on the front of these but the flowers always in an even number like 12. We go to the cemetery and 30 of us each had one of these. As the funeral procession comes into the cemetery we form almost a long tunnel by hold these branches up on the air (like military swords are held to make an arch). The procession then passes under these. There is also a group of musicians that lead the procession. A violin, a trumpet, and an accordian. We walked up the hill which was quite treacherous with the rain and so many people. At the top was a perfectly rectangular hand dug grave. The casket is then lowered in the ground and the priest does a few more things at the grave side. Then the grave is filled completely back in and mounded. A wooded cross is placed in the ground. Then all the pine branches are laid on top. It made the most beautiful mound of flowers and pine. By this point I was cold and wet. When we got down to the bottom of the hill we were all invited into the community center where long tables and wooden benches were lined with soup bowls. We ate delicious soup, followed by cabbage, and then a hearty bowl of potatoes and meat. For many in the village this was rare meal and truly a blessing.

As I considered this new experience I think about what our friend Hans said yesterday. Romanians may live in a house with three generations- you will see babies being born, babies being made, and people dying. Families are very close. I don't write any of this to say that the Romanian way is bad- it is just different and it makes me wonder when our culture had to made death look so clean.

Even though Magda's mama came to the Nazarene church she was buried Orthodox. The Nazarene church doesn't have a cemetery so the only place to be buried in the village is the Orthodox cemetery which mean it must be an Orthodox burial. On Sunday night we will be having a memorial service at the Tsigmandru Church. Tomorrow I will be going out there to practice music with some men and women from the village for the service. Please be in prayer that this will be a time of healing for the family and an opportunity for the people of the village to turn their eyes to God and rely on him for strength in this difficult time.- Karen

Today is a somber day for us here and the entire Church of the Nazarene "family". Magda Cini, who is the leading Romanian lay person for the church in Tsigmandru, lost her mother in a tragic accident. She was crossing the busy road just prior to the evening church service in Tsigmandru when she was struck and killed by a vehicle. It was just as the entire congregation was gathering, so it was especially shocking. We ask for prayer for her family and the entire Nazarene church community in Tsigmandru. Maurice

Motherhood and Other Stuff

Well today I think I can say that as a mother I have taken a giant step into assimilating into the Romania culture and it feels really good. First- I took the boys to get there first haircut in Romania. I am not quite ready to try the clippers myself. The three of us went to the Frizarie (hair cut place) this morning. My limited Romanian doesn't include many hair cut words but I do know what the words for scissors and clippers are. In the states I keep Liam's hair a little longer than Nolan just because his is blond and looks bald when I cut it too short. But- I had no choice here as I couldn't say 3 on the side and 4 on the top. They wouldn't understand it anyway. Both boys got their hair cut pretty short and sat still the whole time.

After lunch they had a playdate of sorts with the children of our property manager (Emil). Emil's wife Liana is a very sweet Romanian women and she loves the boys. She has two boys of her own (Lian and Andre) who are a few years older that Nolan. They asked Nolan and Liam to play soccer with them. Believe it or not we played right on the street. When a car came everyone just yelled "masina" (car) and everyone moved off the road. I played with them and we had a great time. Stephanie Levan was right when she said children would help open doors here in Romania.

After soccer Liam wanted to go to Andre's house. We played Europolis which is the European version of Monopoly. The cities of Romania are on the cheap street. I had to go because I had language lessons but the boy's did not want to go so I left them there for an hour. Big step for me because the boys don't speak Romanian and Liana and her boys speak very little English. It didn't matter because children have a great way of communicating through their expressions. I went to pick them up and they were having a great time. They were invited to come play soccer tomorrow after school. God has really blessed us with a Romanian family as friends and it is great that the boys are making new friendships.

On another note- I am trying to get to know the adults in the Tsigmandru church and God has laid it on my heart to pray with them at times. One of the men from the village is having heart surgery on Thursday and wants people to come to Tigre Mures to pray with him. Roberta asked if I would like to go along with her to the hospital and pray for this man. Please keep him in your prayers as well.

Maurice had a productive day as well. While I was out forming relationships he was painting at the Sighisoara church. There is so much to be done here at this church that Maurice is going to spend one day a week at the Sighisoara church doing projects.

Keep the boys in your prayers. School starts tomorrow and we all need to get up earlier than we have over the summer. - Karen

Today I went to Targu Mures to purchase hard wood flooring for the ministry center in Tsigmandru. It was a long and exhausting day, buying things in Romania takes longer than in the States. So when you buy a major purchase such as I made today, it takes a very long time. It is not just the language difficulties, it just takes more paper work and patience. There is no checking system here in Romania and credit cards are rare. So if you want to make a major purchase like I did today, you have to carry a large wad of Romanian money around in your pocket. I try to shop and pretend that there is not five thousand Romanian Lei on my person. The purchase is done, some of the flooring is being delivered, and the remainder will come in a month or so. Now we need to prep the very uneven sub floor for the flooring installation.

Upon returning to Tsigmandru, I meet up with Melanie for the younger teens club. This was the first time that 9-13 year olds were separated from the younger children for a program of their own. This was done because siblings of this age are required to care for their younger brother and sisters. So when there is kids club these 9-13 year olds are "working" and not enjoying themselves or being ministered to. They are forced to grow up very quickly. So this group was formed to separate them so they can just be kids. What a great success it was today. Thirty children showed up and had a terrific time. I found myself participating in a game of "shuffle your buns." These was a new concept to these kids but they had great fun. They also played a game where we tied a balloon to their ankles, and pairs faced off to stomp the other balloon until it breaks. There was not a person in the room, adult or child, who was not laughing uncontrollably. It was great to see the laughter and the freedom to just be a kid. It was very refreshing to me and to them the children. Maurice

Ministry Update

Today is a day "off", so I am going to try and catch you up on our current ministeries here in Romania. This will be a long entry that will cover the last two weeks. Maurice

Beregon Update:
We have had our first meeting at the Beregon apartment and are going to begin work on two particular ministries to start. The first is a pre-teen ministry that may be able to work through the school system. We have learned that there is a couple that runs a Young Life program in a different area of Romania. We are hoping to make contact with them and gain insight into youth ministry in Romania. The Orthodox Church is the predominant church in Romania. Children who participate in protestant sponsored activities are often ridiculed and excluded. The Young Life leaders we want to make contact with have a great working relationship with the Orthodox priest in the area and we want to see what that looks like.

The second ministry we are looking at is a “20 Something” bible study. There is very little opportunity for social activity among this age group in a safe and positive environment. Please be in prayer as this ministry develops.

Tsigmandru Update:
We had our first church leadership meeting on Tuesday 8/28. The meeting was combined group of Romanians, Americans, and Dutch all working together in developing a church plan. The first baptism is being planned for late October. There are many challenges surrounding this because there is not a baptismal at the church and there is not a lake or stream at the church where baptisms could be done. We are looking at purchasing a small portable swimming pool so that the baptisms can be performed at the Tsigmandru church. It is a very exciting time in the life of the church. There continues to be new believers in the Tsigmandru church and my eyes just filled up with tears as I saw so may accepting Christ during last weeks service on the Prodigal’s son. Please be in prayer for the village of Tsigmandru and those who are seeking Christ in their lives.

We also discussed the continuing construction on the church. Maurice, Roberta, Hans (the man from the Netherlands who is living at the church), and Marius ( the local Romanian working on the church) will be meeting later this week to discuss the flooring options for the church. These are some major expensive decisions that need to be made soon. The hope is that if the flooring can be ordered and ready to install by the time a small team from Pearce comes in October. At that time the flooring will be installed. Roberta is praying that the church will be finished by the time of the Nazarene District assembly which will be held in Tsigmandru. At that time the church will be dedicated. There is still much to do before then and we are seeking God for strength to get it done. The plan includes getting the people of the church involved in painting so that they feel that it is really their church building. The majority of the church leadership will be gone for September and part of October so Roberta and asked Maurice to oversee the finishing of the inside of the church.

One other major topic of discussion was putting together a document which outlines the position of the church leadership on teams coming to support the church. The goal is to bring into harmony the needs of the teams with the needs of Tsigmandru. This includes items such as giving gifts and candy to the children, participation in worship, setting limits for children that are understood and followed by the team. We want to make sure that teams are expressing the love of Christ through acts of love and service rather than through material possessions. The last thing we want to do is promote materialism. Please be in prayer for the church leadership as we develop this document.

Stamping Update:
Melanie and I were able to work with two elderly clubs last week. We did a stamping project with each of them. They really enjoyed it and it was great to be able to practice my Romanian. The elderly club at Beregon was really excited about stamping and are looking forward to future projects that we can sell. This will help them raise funds to support an elderly club day trip this fall. I have realized that I had plenty of stamping supplies but not much paper. This was a major concern if we were to continue stamping projects especially once we are no longer here. Great news- I was able to find a craft store in town that carries paper similar to what we need and there are many colors. It will cost about the same as the paper I but in the States. I was also able to find beautiful ribbon in the colors of the Romanian flag. We will begin making cards in Romanian colors in two weeks. We are also going to have a day where the women can come and have their pictures taken. We are going to make a photo frame to put them in and they are very excited about that.

Music Ministry Update:
Melanie and I have been playing piano and helping to lead the worship in Sighisoara the last couple of weeks. With the language barrier it is a challenge but Melanie is picking up the music quite well. The piano has it’s own issues. Middle C and Upper C# and D don’t play at all. I have resigned myself that it is the heart of worship that matters and that God doesn’t care if the piano doesn’t sound quite right. We have also been able to invite the older ladies in the church to come up and lead some songs in Romanian. This has been great to see and they seem to appreciate it.

Kids Update:
Well what can I say other than PRAY, PRAY, PRAY. Rarely a day goes by when Liam does not sustain some new injury. The worst came last week when we were walking up the huge staircase in the dark and Liam tripped. He landed face first on a railroad tie and squished his nose pretty good. He has had a stuffed up nose since then and we have started his breathing treatments as a result. He is quite a trooper though and nothing keeps him down for long. The boys seem to have a great ability to meet new Romanians. Liam hangs out the window and gestures to the women across the street. They can’t actually speak to each other but she gives Liam and Nolan chocolate anyway. They also helped us meet our neighbors yesterday. They hang over her gate while they are playing in their fort. She invited us over and we had cakes, crackers, and juice. They she brought gummi worms out for the boys. They had a big German Shepard dog name Muldo and the boys had a great time with her. We were invited to our landlord’s house for a Romanian barbecue. It was really yummy and we had a chance to practice our Romanian. Nolan and Liam played football (soccer) with their little boy and had a great time. They were frustrated with no being able to understand the other kids but Nolan was so proud of himself. He said that when they asked him their names he said “Nolan si Liam” which means Nolan and Liam. Next week they both start kindergarten. We spoke to the teacher last week about Nolan’s level of work (he already did Kindergarten and needs to go to second grade when we get back). His teacher said that there is another child who has similar needs and that if we give her the home school work for reading, writing, and math that she will have special times to work on these with the boys. That was really a blessing.

Ana Maria Update:
Ana Maria is the 20 year old Romanian studying in Grand Rapids. She has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and it has spread to her lungs and hip. Her mother was able to travel to see her last week. Ana Maria is having chemotherapy and they are still optimistic. Please keep her in your prayers. use it is a summary of the last two weeks.