Viaţa la Maxim!

Next week I am participating in a city-wide outreach event in Bucharest called Viaţa la Maxim (Life At Maximum). This event is a collaboration of churches and organizations in Bucharest working together to raise awareness about the evangelical churches in the city. One of the major questions that youth leaders face in Bucharest (as in most places) is how do you get the non-Christian youth to ever step foot in a church like one pictured above? I have heard so many ideas of people who have their own agendas of how to reach out to the lost youth of today. But personally, I think the answer is pretty simple: we start reaching the lost youth of today by simply sharing life together with them. It isn't rocket science, it just means that the youth of today are not into hidden agendas, they just want someone to a) invest in their life b) genuinely care about them c) not judge them and perhaps most importantly, they are looking for people who will d) listen to them. The Viaţa la Maxim project is an effort to build that first connection. We will be meeting in several parks around Bucharest, having sports tournaments, art, prayer-walks, city clean-up, dramas, music, and contests in addition to small group interactions. Through the week-long event, our prayer is to see some connections being made between Christian and non-Christian youth. We are not there to preach, but rather, open the door to sharing life together.

Please pray for us as we make final preparations and pray that God will open some doors for new relationships to be formed.

Reasons to visit Romania!

August is the month of vacations in Romania. If you haven't seen someone in a while, odds are they went to some of the places pictured below. Like most places this summer, it has been extremely hot in Bucharest. Last week temperatures were over 100 degrees for days and this week they are sitting in the mid-90s--oh joy! Moreover, Bucharest is quite humid. So how do we 'Bucharestians' survive the heat? Well, we head to the mountains or flock to the seaside. I have been way too busy with projects for that, but plan to head to the water when I get a chance--my mom always said I was a fish. And my favorite type of water? COLD!! I was the weird kid who loved swimming in Lake Superior. As I always say, you don't go swimming to be warm, you go to cool off! Well, here are some pictures of why Romania is such a popular European tourist destination in the summer.

The cultural palce of the city of Iaşi, Romania

In summer, every Romanian and their brother flocks to the Black Sea Coast

A typical scene in the Romanian countryside

The Fagaraş Mountain Range

The "snake roads" of the Fagaraş Mountains are both scenic

and a "rollercoaster thrill ride" :)

I Love Camp!

I just got back from spending about a week and a half in camp, working with teenage boys from a suburb of Bucharest. I had a great time. Thank you to all of you who were praying for my time at camp--God blessed us greatly! The last night of camp, I had the privilege of praying with a 17- year-old boy to receive Christ in his heart. What a privilege! He has since called me in Bucharest to speak to his pastor about being baptized. I have many opportunities to follow-up with these kids in Bucharest and encourage them in their faith walks. Below are some pictures from camp in Romania--one of my favorite places to be!

My group of teenage boys at camp

We enjoyed beautiful weather,

allowing us to have lessons outside

My good friend Cat may kill me for this picture, but he was

just a natural at "Pudgy Bunny"

Escorting the Apostle Paul on one of his missionary journeys

The Kids loved the Slip 'N' Slide