You think of Dracula’s castle but I think of apple trees and praying for GypsiesJ My new team, yes we changed teams in Costa Rica before our 83 hour travel to arrive here in Transylvania, consist of Tia( awesome team leader), Lynsey(our accountant who makes sure we are in budget and don’t starve), Shawna, Amy, Kristin, and myself. Our team name is Cypress, like the tree, that is deeply rooted and cannot be shaken or destroyed. A pretty cool and prophetic name for ourselves and what we want from this season in our lives: to be deeply rooted and unshakeable in Christ.
Ok now back to Romania life…well not too fond of not knowing what’s going on or being said, although in our first Gypsy home I totally understood when the woman asked where we were from! The change in temperature is much welcomed. Romania has the BEST apples I’ve ever tasted in my life, so crisp and sweet! I look out into the country and I feel like I’m in a movie in the old country. The houses are so pretty, huge stacks of hay that look like hut homes, horses as a mode of transportation, the beautiful Gypsy dress, so much vegetation, it’s so simpleJ
Our living accommodations for the month are stinking awesome. We get a house with actual beds, washing machine, stove, fridge, tables, table settings, hot showers (limited water usage of course because it comes from a community well), and a TV although it’s all in Romanian and it doesn’t get used much, it’s still niceJ We have grapes that we can pick to eat, an apple tree to shake the apples to fall from, and beautiful rose bushes in our front yard, country living at its best.
Our days are filled with going to the many surrounding villages to pray, sing, and bring the word of God into their homes. The villages are mix of Hungarians, Romanians, Traditional Gypsies, and Home Gypsies. I must say Gypsies are some of the most beautiful people I’ve seen. In the few days of ministry we’ve done so far, the villages have been so welcoming and offering us their best, so thankful for us being there, when really for me is I’m so thankful to them for inviting us into their homes and sharing their time with a bunch of North American strangers. They have been such an open community and so nice. That’s not to say the culture is vastly different in beliefs and customs the heart of people is still so genuine. Romania so far has been good to me:)
