Ski trip to Sinaia

When you live in the big city, especially a city full of traffic and stress like Bucureşti, you need to get out into the countryside every once in a while and enjoy the beauty of God's creation so evident in the Romanian Carpathians. If nothing else, to take care of your body and soul, you need to get out of the city every now and then. This Saturday I went with some friends from church up to the mountains to go skiing. I am still a beginner, but had a lot of fun. The view was incredible--we were up at an altitude of over 2000 meters. It was a great time to spend with friends and a great time to refresh and renew! Me on the skisThe incredible view

More Randomness

And you wonder why construction projects take forever in Romania

Volcanoes in Romania

Romania is truly blessed with a terrain that offers a lot of diversity. This active volcano in Berca, Romania is a case in point.

Discipleship Group

Every Sunday evening my church meets in over 25 different small groups around the city to pray together, study God's word together, and to encourage one another. We are studying the book of Jeremiah this semester and learning a lot about repentence, what it means to put God first in your life, false idols, and God's wrath sent upon Israel in allowing the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem because of the Israelites' disobedience. We have been left amazed at how relevant Jeremiah's words are for our world today, especially since we live in a world that follows so many false gods, idols, etc.
In our group we have some who will be getting baptized. Praise the Lord. We have a number of new Christians, so please pray for us as we try to show them the love of Christ and encourage them in their walk with Christ.

I HATE TRAFFIC!

Some of these I have posted before, but bear repeating. I just have to vent about the traffic in Bucureşti--it is terrible. The above picture is taken at the square near where I live. In the picture below, please notice the cars to the left of the tram, they should all be to the RIGHT of the tram. I live about 13 kilometers to the main airport, and unless I am driving there at 4 in the morning it takes me at least an hour-and-a-half to two hours. My family lives 55 miles from the Minneapolis airport and can get their faster--that should tell you just how bad traffic is in Bucureşti. Just tonight I did 5 kilometers in an hour, an hour, can you believe it? There are over 1.2 million more cars registered in the city since '95--and the infrastucture of the city was NEVER designed for that many cars. I guess living here is a lesson in patience, that's for sure.

Romania: Land of Caves

Romania is known for its thousands of caves. This particular cave is called Pestera Muierilor - the cave was called this because of the women hidding in it during the many wars we had with the Ottomans and even during the two World Wars. I can't imagine how it was for them to improvise a living in here, as it is very cold and dark. They for sure had no electric light. Well, i hope none of us will have such experiences for the future.

Traditions and the Baptism of Jesus

One of the most important days for Christians is the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. In Romania, this is celebrated on the 6th of January by the Eastern Orthodox Church when the priests throw a cross into the river or lake. Immediatedly, many people jump into the frigid waters to get the cross. The one who finds it is said to receive many blessings and "luck" in the new year. The water is considered to be holy. Interesting.

A Dusting of Snow

It has been snowing off and on in Bucureşti. Here are some pics, notice how we park the cars on the sidewalks :)

Peppers Anyone?

Seen around Bucureşti

The Big Bully of Europe

Perhaps you have heard of what we in Europe like to call the "big bully". His name is Vladimir Putin, and Russia is his "mafioasa". Take a look at the following article in the Associated Press:

RUSSIA cut off all gas supplies to Europe today in a dispute with its neighbour.
Russian gas giant Gazprom stopped sending any gas to European consumers at 5.44am GMT today, Ukrainian state gas company Naftogaz said.Russia confirmed the cut-off, but said it was Ukraine's fault because it had shut down the last pipeline carrying Russian gas.Early today, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Croatia, Serbia and Turkey all reported a halt in gas shipments, while France, Germany, Austria, Poland and Hungary reported substantial drops in supplies.Tens of thousands of people have been left without heat in the bitter winter cold as governments scramble to find alternatives.Romania's president called Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin aftergas supplies were halted.Traian Basescu called Mr Putin after a second pipe bringing Russian gas to Romania through Ukraine was turned off this morning.Romanian economy minister Adriean Videanu held an emergency meeting with producers and distributors to assess the situation. The pipe coming from Ukraine to northern Romania pumped 30% of Russian gas imports.Mr Videanu said Romania has sufficient gas reserves for the winter. He said electricity and heating plants will use coal and heating oil instead of gas. Yesterday a pipe bringing 70% of Russian gas to Romania through Ukraine was turned off.

The good news is that Romania is rich in natural resources and has lots of reserves. The bad news is that countries like Bulgaria, Bosnia, Croatia, and Poland receive almost 100 percent of their gas from Russia and currently temperatures in Europe are well below freezing.

NEW YEARS IN THE MOUNTAINS

We just returned from our winter retreat with our youth group up in the mountains near Miercurea Ciuc, Romania. It was a great time of building relationships, looking into God's word, deep discussions, and lots of fun in the beauty of God's creation in the Carpathian mountains. I got to go skiing and am proud to say that I am making improvement.

We looked at what it means to be a Christian who makes a difference in the world, breaking down each session to look at specific characteristics a Christian should have: forgiveness, wisdom, humility, faithfulness, etc. One of the talks that left everyone talking and chewing on was the fact that for a Christian, forgiveness is not an option, it's obligatory. But man is it hard to put into daily practice. Deep stuff. We praise God for a great weekend.

Sledding accident

Take a look at what Alex in our youth group did when he went sledding....aoleu!

My Church Choir in Bucuresti at our Christmas Concert

I am not able to directly share the songs on my blog, but you can click on the links below to go directly to the youtube site to hear our choir. Click any of the links below.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7scfzPnRvc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32BHiDY1EG0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClHhNNn4Snc&feature=related

Scenes of Christmas

What does God have to say about it?

You say: 'It's impossible' God says: All things are possible (Luke 18:27)

You say: 'I'm too tired' God says: I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-30)

You say: 'Nobody really loves me' God says: I love you (John 3:16 & John 3:34)

You say: 'I can't go on' God says: My grace is sufficient (II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

You say: 'I can't figure things out' God says: I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5-6)

You say: 'I can't do it' God says: You can do all things(Philippians 4:13)

You say: 'I'm not able' God says: I am able (II Corinthians 9:8)

You say: 'It's not worth it' God says: It will be worth it (Roman 8:28 )

You say: 'I can't forgive myself' God says: I Forgive you (I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

You say: 'I can't manage' God says: I will supply all your needs (Philippians 4:19)

You say: 'I'm afraid' God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear (II Timothy 1:7)

You say: 'I'm always worried and frustrated' God says: Cast all your cares on ME (I Peter 5:7)

You say: 'I'm not smart enough' God says: I give you wisdom (I Corinthians 1:30)

You say: 'I feel all alone' God says: I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)

Doar prin iubire

Many of you ask me to share some Romanian Christian music. Here is one of the pieces from my friend Cat's band "Profides." The title in English is "Only through love"

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I took these photos at the park behind where I live. I love the Christmas lights in Bucureşti--they certainly add color and needed cheer to life in the big city. Christmas is such a special time. Some kids have been in our bloc caroling already!

La Mulţi Ani România!

Today, the first of December, is Romania's National Day, which of course, is celebrated with much fanfare: huge parades, fireworks, music, free-food, etc. As a national holiday, it is also an opportunity for many to get out of the city and up to the mountains. This year I went skiing up in the mountains. One of the best things about Romania is taking the train. The mountains are only two hours to the north of Bucureşti, and as such, many students hop on the early morning train (rather cheap here: only about $6-7), ski for the day, and return with one of the hourly trains returning to the capital. I love it! Getting around Romania on the train is fast and easy. It is also a TRULY Romanian cultural experience. Students are known to sing on the train, gyspsy children often hop on at various stops to sell goods, and it is a great way to strike up a conversation with others. We often play games on the train too. On the way back from skiing, the train was quite crowded, so there were no more seats. No problem, this is Romania! You can still buy a ticket and stand in the hallway, which is what we did. Three hours standing in a tight walkway--with blasting heat. Ahh, it's a great experience. Seeing as it is Romanian National Day, everyone collaborated in singing the Romanian National Anthem. It was crowded, it was hot, and it was a long ride. But you know what? I LOVE it. Why? Simply put? It's simply Romanian--I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. So God Bless Romania! I sure hope you celebrated :)))) Hai Romania!

The parade through the northern part of Bucureşti

Skiing at Predeal, a city just a few hours to the north

The Gara at Predeal. While waiting for the train, we played chirades among the students waiting for the train. This is also a purely Romanian experience. Chirades (called "Mima" in Romanian) is often played by students while waiting in line. Keep in mind that us Romanians are Latin: loud and passionate. Hence, imagine what Chirades is like:)))