Meeting with Students in Suceava!Please pray for this event in April that God would give wisdom to Ionel, volunteer staff, and the students as they begin to plan and talk with a few churches about working together on this event. Thank You!!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
OSCER in Iasi and Suceava
Last week Mike traveled up to the north-east corner of Romania to visit the student groups in Iasi and Suceava. He was with Alex Ilie the OSCER national director. Overall it was an encouraging trip. The groups in both cities are growing. One of our goals in going was to help the group in Iasi to prepare for an outreach event we will have in April with a team from the UK led by Luke, a former teammate who now works with UCCF, IFES in the UK. While talking with the students they said that this fall they had felt God calling them to get out and do more in evangelism. They see this event as an answer to their prayer!! We were very encouraged to be with them and a prayer meeting with 25 students. The leaders apologized that there were so few students! They said they usually have 35 students!
Meeting with Students in Suceava!
Please pray for this event in April that God would give wisdom to Ionel, volunteer staff, and the students as they begin to plan and talk with a few churches about working together on this event. Thank You!!
Meeting with Students in Suceava!Please pray for this event in April that God would give wisdom to Ionel, volunteer staff, and the students as they begin to plan and talk with a few churches about working together on this event. Thank You!!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Christmas Sights and Sounds
Just before Christmas break the elementary students at BCA made gingerbread houses. Kris organized this event for 25 students. All the children had a Great time!!
During December all the student groups across Romania had a special meeting to celebrate Christmas. Students invited their friends to the meetings and they sang carols and had a short presentation of the meaning of Christmas and how it is relevant to us today! Here are a few pictures from these meetings.
As we have lived in Romania we have become familiar with the Christmas customs here. One is going Christmas caroling on Christmas eve! Another one is that children come around singing Christmas carols at your door the weeks before Christmas and expect money or candy. Also there are folks who go around with a small band and someone dressed as a bear or a goat and play some kind of unique melody and wait for people to toss money to them out of their apartment blocks. Since we live on the ground floor we got these videos from a friend here in Bucharest! Enjoy!
During December all the student groups across Romania had a special meeting to celebrate Christmas. Students invited their friends to the meetings and they sang carols and had a short presentation of the meaning of Christmas and how it is relevant to us today! Here are a few pictures from these meetings.
Students in Pitesti
Students from Bucharest
Students from Brasov
Students from Bucharest
Students from BrasovAs we have lived in Romania we have become familiar with the Christmas customs here. One is going Christmas caroling on Christmas eve! Another one is that children come around singing Christmas carols at your door the weeks before Christmas and expect money or candy. Also there are folks who go around with a small band and someone dressed as a bear or a goat and play some kind of unique melody and wait for people to toss money to them out of their apartment blocks. Since we live on the ground floor we got these videos from a friend here in Bucharest! Enjoy!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Christmas 2008
In Romania there is not just one day of Christmas, but two!! The 25th and the 26th are both holidays. We had two celebrations this year.
Then on the 26th we had a more American dinner with Turkey and all the trimmings! We had another American family and a Romanian family over. They came in and sang a traditional Romanian carol (see video below) to us and we enjoyed a HUGE meal and games into the evening.
A Redskin hat and an Eagles Shirt! We are ready for at least one team to move on in the playoffs!!
On the 25th we had a more traditional Romanian Christmas with a woman from our small group from church. She made sarmale (cabbage roles) and Mămăligă (made from corn meal and a bit like grits). We ate and enjoyed time together!
Then on the 26th we had a more American dinner with Turkey and all the trimmings! We had another American family and a Romanian family over. They came in and sang a traditional Romanian carol (see video below) to us and we enjoyed a HUGE meal and games into the evening.
Monday, December 15, 2008
News in Romania
Well the new Romanian government has been formed between two old political rivals. Here is what the Eight O'Clock Online Edition had to say about this:
The Democrat-Liberals (PD-L) and the Social-Democrats (PSD) struck a deal for a joint governance, signing the protocol of collaboration called “Partnership for Romania.” The PSD leader Mircea Geoana estimated it ‘a historical moment’, when political forces apparently irreconcilable join after 20 years their efforts. “We have grown up. It was a complex process of negotiation, the formula found by PD-L was the only one able to assure the stability of Romania,” Geoana said. The Social-Democrat leader stressed that his party and the future Government will assure the protection of the minorities’ rights, referring to the discontent of UDMR (party of ethnic Hungarians) that it was not co-opted to governance.
This protocol will be valid until 2012.
The Democrat-Liberals (PD-L) and the Social-Democrats (PSD) struck a deal for a joint governance, signing the protocol of collaboration called “Partnership for Romania.” The PSD leader Mircea Geoana estimated it ‘a historical moment’, when political forces apparently irreconcilable join after 20 years their efforts. “We have grown up. It was a complex process of negotiation, the formula found by PD-L was the only one able to assure the stability of Romania,” Geoana said. The Social-Democrat leader stressed that his party and the future Government will assure the protection of the minorities’ rights, referring to the discontent of UDMR (party of ethnic Hungarians) that it was not co-opted to governance.
In his turn, the PD-L leader Emil Boc declared: “We start with one objective: an efficient and stable governance in hard times. We have coalesced in this document both right and left wing measures.” Boc and Geoana announced that they will back different candidates at the presidential elections from 2009. “We are partners, but also political and electoral competitors,” Boc said.
This protocol will be valid until 2012.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Thanksgiving 2008
We were able to return to Rucar, where we had English Camp this past summer, to celebrate Thanksgiving in Romania with 4 other American families last weekend. We had good food, cold temperatures outside, snow and a good time together!
Over the years we have read the Lincoln proclamation of 1863 setting aside a day of Thanksgiving. Part of the proclamation reads, "I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens."
We do give thanks to our great God for His overflowing love and grace to us! Thanks to you too who stand beside us as we minister to staff and students in Romania!!
Here are a few photos of how 5 families celebrated Thanksgiving in Romania!
Over the years we have read the Lincoln proclamation of 1863 setting aside a day of Thanksgiving. Part of the proclamation reads, "I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens."
We do give thanks to our great God for His overflowing love and grace to us! Thanks to you too who stand beside us as we minister to staff and students in Romania!!
Here are a few photos of how 5 families celebrated Thanksgiving in Romania!
Lots of time for games and coffee, tea or hot chocolate!!
Rebekah celebrated her 14th birthday as well on Sunday! Hard to believe how the time flies!!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Romanian News This Week
Here are some headlines from this week in Romania!
The elections are over now and the process of trying to form an alliance government is the talk of the town, since no party won an absolute majority of the vote. What 2 parties will get together to form the government? This is an important step in seeing who will be the next prime minister of Romania. Maybe next week we will know. In the elections only 34.50% of registered voters turned out.
In a move to try and improve domestic car sales the government raised the tax on imported and second hand cars in Romania. Dacia-the Romanian car manufacturer, has closed down production for a few weeks and hopes to reopen in mid-December.
On the bright side of things Romania's economy registered an economic increase for the third quarter of 2008 of 9.1% compared with the same period last year. This is the largest increase in the EU for the third quarter.
The elections are over now and the process of trying to form an alliance government is the talk of the town, since no party won an absolute majority of the vote. What 2 parties will get together to form the government? This is an important step in seeing who will be the next prime minister of Romania. Maybe next week we will know. In the elections only 34.50% of registered voters turned out.
In a move to try and improve domestic car sales the government raised the tax on imported and second hand cars in Romania. Dacia-the Romanian car manufacturer, has closed down production for a few weeks and hopes to reopen in mid-December.
On the bright side of things Romania's economy registered an economic increase for the third quarter of 2008 of 9.1% compared with the same period last year. This is the largest increase in the EU for the third quarter.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Romanian News this Week
We wanted to try and keep you up-to-date with a few current events in Romania. Here are a few news items:
--Talks of a possible strike in the education field as professors have issued demands for a 50% wage increase. Currently teachers are paid 700 lei (about $250) monthly. If the government doesn't respond there could be teachers strike at the end of this month.
--Romania is preparing for Parliament elections on November 30. This is the first time people will actually vote for individual people not just vote for a party that would name the parliamentarian representatives.
--Talks of a possible strike in the education field as professors have issued demands for a 50% wage increase. Currently teachers are paid 700 lei (about $250) monthly. If the government doesn't respond there could be teachers strike at the end of this month.
--Romania is preparing for Parliament elections on November 30. This is the first time people will actually vote for individual people not just vote for a party that would name the parliamentarian representatives.
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