Working with Adolescents in Iasi

This past weekend I spoke at at Brethren Church in Iasi, Romania (Northeast Romania near the Moldovan border). This is the group leading worship through music. I had a great time working with this group that I had also worked with this past summer in camp. I spoke on the topic of "Stop pretending and be yourself". The idea being that many teens are trying to be someone they are not in order to garner attention and popularity. I love working with this group who has such a passion for the Lord. Enjoy the singing.

Busy weekends!

To give you an idea of just how busy I can be on the weekends. Here is an idea:

Saturday morning, up and out the door by 6.30 in the morning in order to be at a small village about 1 1/2 hours north of Bucharest in Baicoi to help in a children's evangelistic outreach with friends. Even though we arrived one hour early to prepare games and crafts, the kids were already at the door of the church when we got there.

We sang songs, played games, memorized Bible verses, and held dramas.

Kids working on a Bible memorization activity

After finishing up with the kids at 12, it is off to youth group at my church. This past Saturday we started making Christmas cards and crafts that we will be selling as a fundraiser for our winter retreat.

Some of the cards

I made the one with the moose! Isn't it nice? After youth group got done at close to 9 pm--I was off to board-game night with friends.

Then Sunday came: church in the morning and then we had a special baptism service last Sunday night where 14 people publicly professed their faith through the waters of baptism, including Elena from our small group.

By the time Sunday evening came to a close, I was wiped out!

Romanian Presidential Elections: Round 2

On Sunday, Romanians went to the polls to elect a president and vote on a referendam on whether or not to reduce the number of members in the Parliament from 471 to 300 and have, essentially a unicameral government. Under Romanian law, the president must achieve at least 50 percent of the vote. After Sunday's vote, current President Trăian Băsescu (above left) led the very socialist Mircea Geoană (former Romanian Ambassador to the US) by about 3 percentage points, meaning there will be a run-off on December 6th. This is a very important election for Romania. Please see the article below from the Associated Press.

By ALISON MUTLER
Associated Press Writer

BUCHAREST, Romania - Romania's centrist president will face a socialist former foreign minister in a Dec. 6 runoff election, partial results showed Monday, in a race key to helping the country emerge from a political and economic crisis.
President Traian Basescu received 32.8 percent of the vote, while Mircea Geoana won 29.8 percent, election authorities said in first official results based on around 74 percent of the vote counted. Conservative opposition leader Crin Antonescu polled 20.3 percent, finishing third in a field of 12 candidates.
Romania's government collapsed last month amid squabbling between the two-party coalition, and the International Monetary Fund has delayed access to a euro1.5 billion ($2 billion) IMF bailout loan while the country struggles to set up a new government.
The president is key to reviving the government because he nominates a prime minister, who Parliament must then approve and who would be responsible for forming a new coalition.
Reports of possible fraud in Sunday's election emerged as far more people than normal cast ballots at 3,500 special voting centers that were set up for Romanians who need to vote outside their area of residence because they are traveling.
The Electoral Committee said more than 430,000 people voted at such locations, and witnesses claimed some were being bused there after already having cast ballots elsewhere.
Authorities said two people were arrested in the southern city of Giurgiu for trying to buy votes. There were widespread reports throughout Romania about people being offered incentives — from sugar and oil to blankets and flowers in exchange for votes.
Basescu and Geoana called the election one of the most important votes in Romania since 1989 and the fall of communism.
Basescu, who no longer belongs to a political party because of constitutional requirements, has lost some public support because of his stormy relationship with Parliament and the country's deep economic crisis. Geoana, who heads the left-leaning Social Democrats and is the leader of the Senate, favors a broad coalition government, while Basescu wants to form a government from the Democratic Liberal party he used to lead.
Romania's economy, already in a deep recession, is expected to shrink about 8.5 percent this year. The country needs the IMF loan to pay state salaries and pensions, but is unlikely to get it this year. That would force 1.3 million state workers to take eight days of unpaid leave in 2009. Unemployment in Romania, one of Europe's poorest countries, already stands at 7.1 percent, up 3 percent in the last year.
Voters also took part in a binding referendum Sunday asking if they want to reduce the number of lawmakers in Parliament and abolish one of its two houses. Basescu, who called the referendum, wants a one-chamber Parliament with a maximum of 300 lawmakers, down from the current 471.
Critics say a smaller parliament would lead to the president having too much power. Partial results showed Romanians overwhelmingly voting to reduce the number of lawmakers and remove one chamber. Parliament and the president now share power equally.

Birthday celebration at Small Group

Every Sunday night I lead a small-group Bible Study through the Gospel of Luke. We have 13 people in our small-group. It is a time to learn from one another, pray together, laugh together, and encourage one another. This past Sunday was a special day because we celebrated Elena's birthday with cake and appetizers. It was a great day!

Bucharest metro goes on strike!

Tomorrow the Bucharest Metro will go on strike. Bottom line? One big, ugly headache in the city. Everyday close to one million people use the metrou to get around this big, growing metropolis. It is not rare to hear people say that the best thing the communists did in the city was build the metrou. (I utterly affirm this acclomation!). It is BY FAR the easiest, fastest, and most eficient way to get around the city. But with drivers and metrou workers unsatisfied with wages and hours, they have announced that they will go on strike indefinitely. The above ground traffic will be a nightmare. Please pray for all of us "Bucharesteniens'" patience and nerves. We will need it! And pray for a quick end to the strike. One of my best friends works at a foundation where kids go for daycare and kindergarten education. Because of the strike, they will have no way of getting to the foundation because of overcrowded and limited transportation. As we say in Romanian: CE NASHPA!

Dracula is Dead

Here is an interview with the former US Ambassador to Romania about his new book "Dracula is Dead." Please take a look at this interview to get a little slice of where Romania is at today.

You see everything in Romania ;)

I just love life in Romania! Never boring :)