The Lighter Side

Only in Romania.... Yup!

Beautiful parking job there guys!
Dacia: the ultimate moving truck!
and sooooo multi-functional :)

Well...it's one way to store your bike
On the left is the men's bathroom (squattie-pottie), on the right is the women's bathroom, & in the center it says "office"......hmmmmmm

This guy brought his own chair for the tram ride

The sign translates: For this brand of cheese you are permitted to take only two blocks per person. Hmm? Maybe it's reverse psychology

I love this one: Do not throw your garbage or else you'll get a ticket and a beating!

Our Romanian Saint

If you have never heard of the name Richard Wurmbrand, then you have some research to do. He is an amazing man of faith to whom all Christians in Romania owe a great deal of gratitude. Here is his biography taken from his minstry Voice of the Martyrs:

Many people called him the ‘Voice of the Underground Church’ and others referred to him as the ‘Iron Curtain St. Paul.’ This humble man who began the ministry of The Voice of the Martyrs was the Rev. Richard Wurmbrand, who passed away February 17, 2001. Richard’s life was a partnership with the equally amazing Sabina who he married on October 26, 1936.
Richard Wurmbrand was born the youngest of four boys in a Jewish family on March 24, 1909, in Bucharest, Romania. Gifted intellectually and fluent in nine languages, Richard was active in leftist politics and worked as a stockbroker.
After their marriage, Richard and Sabina were converted to Christ in 1938, chiefly because of the influence of a German carpenter, Mr. Wolfkes. They joined the Anglican Mission to the Jews in Bucharest. Richard was ordained, first as an Anglican, and then after World War II, as a Lutheran minister.
During World War II, Richard and Sabina saw an opportunity for evangelism among the occupying German forces. They preached in the bomb shelters and rescued Jewish children out of the ghettos. Richard and Sabina were repeatedly arrested and beaten and, at least once, were nearly executed. Sabina lost her Jewish family in Nazi concentration camps.
In 1945 Romanian Communists seized power and a million ‘invited’ Russian troops poured into the country. Pastor Wurmbrand ministered to his oppressed countrymen and engaged in bold evangelism to the Russian soldiers.
That same year, Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand attended the Congress of Cults organized by the Romanian Communist government. Many religious leaders came forward to praise Communism and to swear loyalty to the new regime. Sabina said, “Richard, stand up and wash away this shame from the face of Christ.” Richard warned, “If I do so, you’ll lose your husband.” She replied, “I don’t wish to have a coward as a husband.” Thus Richard declared to the 4,000 delegates, whose speeches were broadcast to the whole nation, that their duty is to glorify God and Christ alone.
Between 1945 and 1947, Richard distributed one million Gospels to Russian troops, the books often disguised as Communist propaganda. Richard also smuggled Gospels into Russia. On December 30, 1947, the People’s Republic of Romania was proclaimed.
Richard Wurmbrand kidnappedOn February 29, 1948, the secret police arrested Richard while on his way to church and took him to their headquarters. He was locked in a solitary cell and assigned as ‘Prisoner Number 1.’
In 1950, his wife Sabina was also imprisoned. She was forced to serve as a laborer on the Danube Canal project, leaving their nine-year-old son Mihai alone and homeless. Following her release in 1953, the Romanian authorities informed her that Richard had died in prison.
A doctor masquerading as a Communist Party member discovered Richard alive in prison. In a general amnesty, Richard was released in 1956 after serving eight-and-a-half years in prison. He was warned never to preach again. While in prison, he went through horrific tortures at the hands of the brutal secret police. Despite the treatments and the warnings he received from his persecutors, Richard resumed his work with the ‘underground’ churches after his release.
He was re-arrested in 1959 through the conspiracy of an associate, and sentenced to 25 years. He was accused of preaching ideas contrary to Communist doctrine. Due to increased political pressure from Western countries, Richard was granted another amnesty and released in 1964.
In December 1965, the Norwegian Mission to the Jews and the Hebrew Christian Alliance paid $10,000 in ransom to the Communist government to allow the Wurmbrand family to leave Romania. Reluctant to leave Romania, Richard was convinced by other underground church leaders to leave and become a ‘voice’ to the world for the underground church. Richard, Sabina, and their son Mihai left Romania for Norway and then traveled on to England.
The birth of a unique ministryRichard began his ministry of being a voice for persecuted Christians in England with Rev. Stuart Harris, where he also wrote his testimony of persecution, Tortured for Christ. Later, Richard moved on to the United States, and in 1965 he appeared before a U.S. Senate Internal Security Subcommittee, where he stripped to the waist and revealed eighteen deep torture wounds on his body. To this day he is the only man to be allowed to be partially naked at the U.S. capitol. His story spread rapidly, leading to more and more speaking engagements.
In 1967, the Wurmbrands officially began a ministry committed to serving the persecuted church, called Jesus to the Communist World (later named The Voice of the Martyrs). In the same year, Richard released his book, Tortured for Christ.
In October, the first monthly issue of The Voice of the Martyrs newsletter was published in the USA. By the mid-1980s his work was established in 80 restricted nations with offices in 30 countries around the world.
In 1990, after the fall of Nicolae Ceausescu in December 1989, Richard and Sabina returned to Romania after 25 years in exile and were warmly received. A printing facility and bookstore were opened in Bucharest, and the officials of the city offered storage below the palace of Ceausescu, the very site where Richard had been held in solitary confinement.
Richard retired from the day-to-day work of The Voice of the Martyrs in 1992, but he continued as a consultant and member of the board of directors, maintaining a keen interest in the work until his death.
During his ministry, Richard wrote 18 books in English and others in Romanian, some of which have been translated into 38 different languages. His most well-known book is Tortured for Christ. He received numerous honors and citations for his work during his lifetime.
Richard will be remembered with great affection as an outstanding man of God, passionate for the cause of Christ, powerful in evangelism, and persevering in suffering for the sake of Jesus who he loved. Sabina, who passed away August 11, 2000, will be remembered as a woman of great integrity, mighty faith and serene godliness.

If you get a chance, I highly recommend reading Tortured for Christ, but will warn you that it is real and graphic.

A slice of OC International's work

One of the things we do here at Oc International is mobilize local Christians to be active in their communities, active in outreach, and ultimately, we help to equip and mobilize Romanian Christians to actively respond to their role in the Great Commission. We here at OC International feel that Jesus never intended Matthew 28:18-20 to be the "Great Suggestion." We helped to translate Neal Pirolo's book Serving as Senders into Romanian, and my colleague Russ Mitchell wrote the opening forward. The book is a practical guide for churches and Christian leaders about how to support missions through education, evangelism, prayer, financial support, and by ultimately going to share the good news. The book has been used throughout Romania in churches, Bible institutes, and foundations. Just an example of some of the work we are doing at OC International in Romania.

Casa Poporului

Just came across this photo of the people's palace in Bucureşti, which was built by Romania's former commnunist dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu as his office (he never did, nor ever intended to live there). It is the second largest building in the world after the Pentagon. Thought this picture helped to capture how massive it is.

Food for thought....

Just been doing some reading and came across some quotes that I really like and thought I would share:

Live as though Christ died yesterday, rose from the grave today, and is coming back tomorrow. --Theodore Epp

No one can ignore Jesus forever--anonymous

Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to the garage makes you a car --Laurence J. Peter

To be like Christ is to be a Christian. -- Daniel Webster

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire? --Corrie Ten Boom (Holocaust survivor...my sister is named after Corrie Ten Boom)

It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible! --President George Washington

The Bible is the best of all books, for it is the word of God and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and in the next. Continue therefore to read it and to regulate your life by its precepts. --John Jay - 1st Chief-Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (all I can say is BOY HAVE TIMES CHANGED.....)

The ATM Machine

One of my favorite phrases to tell people when they come to Bucharest is that"it's not good or bad, it's just different." That about sums it up in this photo. Bucharest is constantly in construction and this is an example of the old part of the city where they are re-building the pedestrian street. The ATM is still working, just take your life into your hands! Below is an old Roman Empire archeological dig..... can you believe I live in a place THAT old!?!? COOL.... This is just one more reason I adore my beloved Romania--it's just fun and interesting!

Romania: Simply Beautiful

take a look for yourself why so many people consider Romania one of the most beautiful countries in Europe.

New Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church

The Romanian Orthodox Church recently elected a new patriarch. He is said to be an ecumenist--which is good news to us who work amongst the evangelical churches in Romania. In a country where nearly 90 percent of the population identifies itself with the Orthodox Church, it is music to our ears that the Orthodox Church in Romania might be moe open to working with us rather than against us in spreading the Gospel of Christ. The Romanian Orthodox Church is the second biggest in the Orthodox world, after Russia. Many evangelicals in Romania have been notably frightened of the influence the Romanian Orthodox Church has on Romanian society and politics: they have extreme political influence (no president in Romania can win the presidency without some type of blessing from the Orthodox leadership), and were extremely involved in the activities of the secret police in Romania under Ceauşescu's communist leadership. The Orthodox Church has made efforts in the past to be declared the state religion, in effect, making it almost impossible for evangelicals to get a building liscence to construct a church. The Orthodox Church has a long, rich history, that has been clouded by much controversy and corruption in the Romanian context. This is an extremely ritualistic and superstitious society--largely due to the influence of the Romanian Orthodox Church. So much can be said about their influence on Romania. But, we in the evangleical circles are glad to hear that the new patriarch has already made it his goal to work towards building bridges with Christians throughout Europe. Below is an article from the Associated Press:

The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church on September 12 elected a new patriarch -- 56-year-old Moldovan Metropolitan and Archbishop Daniel Ciubotea, who was regarded as the favorite among the candidates.Ciubotea is seen as a modernizer within the church, but his reputation has been tainted with accusations that he had ties to the country's communist-era secret police. Ciubotea, who becomes the sixth patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, expressed his gratitude to the Holy Synod upon his election. "We only want to thank the Holy Synod and the members of the Electoral Religious Commission for the trust they put in me," he said. The Holy Synod chose Ciubotea from three candidates: Ciubotea, Cluj Archbishop Bartolomeu Anania, and the bishop of Covasna and Harghita, Ioan Selejan. The three were narrowed down from the initial pool of 30 high-ranking members of the clergy. Ciubotea had been serving as the interim patriarch after the death of the previous Patriarch, Teoctist, in late July 2007. Western Education, Suspicious Background Western-educated Ciubotea is known as a "modernist" who has supported reforms and has been open toward the ecumenical movement. He has also angered many traditional monasteries in Romania's eastern region of Moldavia. Ciubotea spent a long time in the West, studying theology and working in various Catholic and Protestant institutions. But it is that background that has cast a shadow on Ciubotea's reputation. Many in Romania have said he was allowed to live abroad because of his collaboration with Romania's feared secret police, the Securitate. Mircea Dinescu, a representative of the Romanian national council that studies the Securitate archives, recently announced that the council knows of a group of top Orthodox clerics who had collaborated with the secret police. Dinescu did not disclose any names, but media reports have said that Ciubotea was one of those implicated. The council invited two of the candidates, Ciubotea and Anania, for an interview, but they refused. After the elections, the council today announced that it might fully disclose its findings about collaboration between the clergy and the secret police. Ciubotea wasn't the only candidate who was suspected of having a murky history. Similar accusations were also made toward the 86-year-old Anania. From 1965-76 he held important positions in the hierarchy of the Romanian Orthodox Church in the United States. A former Securitate head, Ioan Mihai Pacepa, who defected to the West in the late 1970s, has said that Bartolomeu was sent to the United States with a "mission." The third candidate, 56-year-old Selejan, was the only one not sullied by accusations of involvement with the secret police. No Acknowledgment Of Collaboration The issue of collaboration between the Securitate and the clergy has received much public attention in Romania. The late Patriarch Teoctist was criticized by many for opposing investigations into clergy members who had been accused of collaboration. After the fall of the communist regime, the church did not acknowledge the extent of the clergy's collaboration, nor did it remove tainted officials. Alexi Kshutashvili, a Georgian theology expert living in Romania, says the issue of collaboration is a difficult one. "The Romanian media often talk about this -- that those members of the clergy who were allowed to study abroad, in Western countries, during the communist period, were in some way affiliated with the secret police, at least on the level of signing some declaration of collaboration," Kshutashvili said. "Now to say that one was an agent of the secret police is another thing, and is difficult to say," he continued. But Kshutashvili said it is known that Ciubotea "did enjoy certain support from the political establishment, including these [latest] elections." RFE/RL's Bucharest correspondent Sabina Fati says some people are not happy with the close ties between the church and the government even today. The church receives most of its funding from the state -- and, according to Fati, the clergy often interferes in the political process. "The church in turn helps the state -- most blatantly during the electoral campaign, when clerics openly support one or another candidate," Fati said. Romania's Orthodox Church has regained its popular and influential position in postcommunist Romania. Almost 87 percent of the country's population identifies with the denomination. But Fati says that the country's clergy are not held in particularly high regard. Opinion polls show that "70 percent of believers do not really trust the priests," Fati said. The new patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church will be inaugurated in three weeks.

Speaking at YWAM Conference in Medias

Today I returned from speaking to the staff of Tineri pentru Misiune (Youth With a Mission YWAM) in the city of Medias, Romania. What a great group of people! I partnered with my boss in teaching lessons about youth ministry as well as issues in world missions today. I discussed key priniciples of an effective youth ministry and gave advice to the staff about cross-cultural communication and enculturation, specifically, the importance of a missionary to study their culture and learn its worldview and values through observation, experience, questioning, and research. I had a great time sharing my knowledge and experience with these young adults who are already active in missions themselves. It is encouraging to see what potential and desire some Romanian Christians have towards missions --all the more reason why I believe the youth of Romania are special and the generation who I whole heartedly believe will someday revolutionize the European continent. They are bright, informed, educated, and most importantly, on fire for the Gospel. Praise the Lord!

It's always nice to get on the train and enjoy the beauty of Romania's majestic countryside, certainly evidence of God's wonderous creation. And it's even nicer to share my testimony, equip and mobilize other Romanian leaders towards quality and effectiveness in their ministries. Praise God for these workers and may they richly bless the Kingdom!

The Newest Thing to Hit Bucharest

Well, they say Starbucks is everywhere and now it's in Romania too. The first store opened last spring and now there are several scattered throughout Bucureşti. Romanians do love their coffee, but Starbucks is quite expensive. It's a bit out of the price range of the working/middle class. I'm just thankful that I was never a coffee drinker, nor my parents. Not being a coffee drinker saves money! Anyway, more signs of western influence everyday here in my beloved Romania...soon Applebees will be opening as well.

Romania Hosts European Ecumenical Assembly

From the Associated Press: The city of Sibiu in central Romania, which has been designated a European Capital of Culture for 2007, has become Europe's "ecumenical capital" this week as Christians from across the continent meet for the Third European Ecumenical Assembly (EEA3).
The Conference of European Churches has organised the 4-9 September meeting with the Council of European (Roman Catholic) Bishops' Conferences (CCEE), bringing together thousands of Christians from Europe's main Churches. The two church bodies combined account for almost all of Europe's Roman Catholic, Protestant, Anglican, and Orthodox Churches.
Archdeacon Colin Williams, General Secretary of the Conference of European Churches, said he hoped the meeting would "give impetus to the search for greater unity between the churches of Europe".
"CEC and CCEE are determined that all that we do together in Sibiu will enable the voice of the church to be heard more clearly in relation to the issues which affect our continent today - migration, justice, peace, environmental issues, relationship between faiths," said Williams.
More than 2000 delegates are expected to gather in Sibiu for EEA3, which follows previous assemblies in Basel, Switzerland, in 1989, and Graz, Austria, in 1997. It is the first such gathering in a predominantly Orthodox and former communist country. The theme of the meeting is "The light of Christ shines upon all. Hope for renewal and unity in Europe".
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeos I, seen by many of the world's Orthodox Christians as their spiritual leader, preached at the opening service. Other keynote speakers include Metropolitan Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Dean Margarethe Isberg of the (Lutheran) Church of Sweden, Bishop Wolfgang Huber, who heads the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), Cardinal Walter Kasper, the Vatican's top official for Christian unity, and Metropolitan Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, and the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, the Rev Samuel Kobia, are also scheduled to speak.
The Sibiu meeting comes at a sensitive time in the quest for Christian unity after a recent Vatican document dismayed many Protestant leaders by stating that their denominations are not churches "in the proper sense".
"If the Vatican says the churches of the Reformation are not churches in the proper sense, then it is setting up an ecumenical roadblock," German Protestant Bishop Huber said in a speech at the end of August.
The meeting also comes as the Romanian Orthodox Church seeks to elect a new leader after the death of Patriarch Teoctist at the end of July. He became Patriarch in 1986 during the era of Romania's communist dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu. Teoctist stood down following the country's December 1989 revolution but was reinstated as head of the church after four months.

Nightwatch

A classic Romanian sight ....notice the Night Watchman waking up on the garage roof. No one would dream of having a construction sight without a guard spending the night, every night. Or else.... everything could be hauled off by thieves. If it's not nailed down, it's stolen. If it's nailed down, it's pried up! Most businesses (including some schools) have people spend the night, every night, inside of them to prevent theft. This shot was taken by one of the teachers near a Christian school in Bucureşti.