I Love Romania!

This month was the first time my team cooked our own meals instead of the ministry cooking for us. It was fun but crazy at times. There were definitely more than a few late night grocery store runs or doing all the shopping the day of cooking all three meals. 

Based on the two cooks for the day, it was always interesting to see what was on the menu. Kate and Misty loved cooking up a special, time- and ingredient-intensive meal. Rose and I preferred lighter and healthier options. Amanda and Katie W. cooked food that reminded them of home. Emily liked cooking something somewhat special and low-fat. Dan mainly cooked easy-to-prepare, high-carbohydrate meals (pastas, breads, and vegetables). Nathan and Chase took the quick and easy route but compromised on taste and healthiness at times! And, Missy and Sammie Jo liked to keep it simple and easy as well. 

Although there was a hot water heater in our dormitory/hostel, it didn’t always work well or at all. Let me tell you, an arctic shower is a humbling experience. I can pretty much bet that we will have cold/arctic showers at least once every month of our Race. There was black mold in our bathroom as well because there was no shower curtain, just a 2ft x 2ft plastic “tub.” Fun times.
 

This month there were two housekeeping ladies who washed all of our clothes in the hostel washing machines. Although there was a musty smell to our clothes, it was such a blessing to not hand-wash this month!
 

There was not a time that at least 2 – 4 of the 13 of us were sick during the month. Migraines, continual fevers, abdominal pain, colds, flus, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea plagued many of us.
 

Cristi Golas, our ministry contact, is an amazing and unique man of God. I have so much respect for him and his wife. Vale, Vali, Raluca, Alin, Marte, Marian, Dutzi, and Marius also were fun to work with and impacted our teams so much. Mama G was an amazing mother-figure for all of us and would bend over backwards to help us with any need. Mama G is a cross between Mary Poppins and Meryl Streep from “The Devil Wears Prada” movie. Don’t mess with her!

At the beginning of the month, Dan, Nathan, Sammie Jo, Kate, and I played some late-night soccer (4 on 4) with the youth in Razboieni. I reamed my shins with an opposing player on three separate occasions and therefore am still healing from the massive hematomas and bruises that resulted. So much fun, yet so painful. 
 

Two times a week we would meet Cristi and some of the ministry contacts for a time of prayer and worship (Nathan played his guitar and Sammie Jo sung). It was a good and peaceful time praying together as a community. 

The youth of Razboieni were a ton of fun to sing, dance, and play with. We spent a good amount of our ministry time investing in relationship with these children via worship music and accompanying dance moves, English classes, and Bible study classes (e.g., topics included love, relationships, and forgiveness). 

Apparently these are found throughout Europe. They are also known as crosswalks but are a bit different than American ones. Instead of waiting for the red light to turn on, cars to stop, and then walking across the street, you instead walk perpendicular to oncoming traffic in hopes that the driver will stop in front of the zebra crossing. It took me a while to feel comfortable walking in front of oncoming traffic. It just doesn’t seem right!

Ugh. The infamous shaorma, a popular Romanian fast food. So good yet so bad for you. 

On one of our free days, we drove from PiteÅŸti to Brasov to visit a fortress, castle, and cave. The countryside and forests are absolutely gorgeous, and the snow-capped mountains are spectacular. 
 

In my opinion, Romanian is a beautiful language. Also, since it is a Romance language, some Spanish and Romanian words are similar, so I didn’t feel completely helpless when trying to read signs, food labels, etc. 
 

Praise God because Ukraine is chock-full of them!