Seara de Tineret!

At our youth meeting on Saturday, we celebrated the 8th of March, which is also women's day in Romania, by giving all the girls flowers. We had a good turnout and were challenged to look at the necessity to confess our sins to God, for HE is gracious and just. Being that it was also women's day, our pastor didn't spare any opportunities to give all the guys a hard-time to get married :)

One of my favorite parts of our youth meetings is listening to people share testimonies. On Saturday we got to hear a girl at our church share about some of her struggles with her family when she came to accept Christ. It was the encouragement of friends that really helped her to give her life to Jesus. Talking to some of the youth after the meeting, it was obvious that her testimony had a major impact in challenging even some non-Christians who came to our youth group for the first time.

Please pray for us as we work with the youth of our church, to grow in knowledge and understanding, and to ultimately grow in repentance and love each and every day.

Jessy Dixon Concert

On Friday, youth from several evangelical churches in Bucharest joined together to form a choir to sing with Jessy Dixon, a multi-grammy award winning Gospel singer who recorded with the likes of David Phelps, and the Gaither Vocal Band. It was a 'rockin' concert, and truly a one-of -a-kind experience in Romania. It is not everyday that a Romanian Church hosts a black gospel concert. Some of Jessy Dixon's pieses include "Moses Take your Shoes Off," and "Destined to Win." It was a great time!

Marţisor

Mărţişor is the traditional celebration of the beginning of spring in Romania on the first of March. The day's name is the diminutive of March (in Romanian Martie), and thus means something like "little" or "dear March". Nowadays, men offer women a talisman object also called Mărţişor, consisting of a jewel or a small decoration like a flower, an animal or a heart, tied to a red and white string. However, giving a little nickel tied to a red and white string is an old custom and was originally designated for both men and women. It was believed that the one who wears the red and white string will be powerful and healthy for the year to come. The decoration is a symbol of the coming spring. A woman wears it pinned to her blouse on this day and up to two weeks after. Occasionally, women also give such gifts to men. In some parts of Romania such as Moldova or Bukovina, the symbol of spring was a gold or silver medal which was worn around the neck. After wearing the coin for twelve days, they bought sweet cheese with the medal, because it was believed that their faces would remain beautiful and white the entire year.

Spotlight on Braşov, România

One of my favorite cities in Romania is Braşov, only a 2-and-a-half to three hour drive north of Bucharest in the Carpathian mountains. the city has a strong Saxon influence and includes both an old, medieval center surrounded by a fortress, and a newer, more modern, commercial district. Braşov is a city in the Transylvanian region of Romania and the capital of Braşov County, with a population of 294,596, according to the 2006 census, it is the 7th largest Romanian city. The first attested mention of Braşov is Terra Saxonum de Barasu ("Saxon Land of Baras"), in a 1252 document. The German name Kronstadt means "Crown City", and is reflected in the city's coat of arms, as well as in its Medieval Latin name, Corona. The three names of the city (Braşov/Brassó, Kronstadt, and Corona) were used simultaneously in the Middle Ages. From 1950 to 1960, during part of the Communist period in Romania, the city was called Oraşul Stalin (Stalin City), after the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.

The famous Black Church with one of the largest pipe organs in Europe

Industrial development in Braşov started in the inter-war period, with one of the largest factories being the airplane-manufacturing plant (IAR Braşov), which produced the first Romanian fighter planes, which were used in World War II against the Soviets. After Communist rule was imposed, this plant was converted to manufacture of agricultural equipment, being renamed «Uzina Tractorul Braşov» (internationally known as Universal Tractor Braşov). Industrialization was accelerated in the Communist era, with special emphasis being placed on heavy industry, attracting many workers from other parts of the country. Heavy industry is still abundant, including Roman, which manufactures MAN AG trucks under licence, as well as native-designed trucks and coaches. Although the industrial base has been in decline in recent years, Braşov is still a site for manufacturing agricultural tractors and machinery, hydraulic transmissions, auto parts, ball-bearings, helicopters (at the nearby IAR site in Ghimbav), building materials, tools, furniture, textiles, shoes and cosmetics. There are also chocolate factories and a large brewery. In particular, the pharmaceutical industry has undergone further development lately, with GlaxoSmithKline establishing a production site in Braşov.

Centrally located Braşov is a good starting point for trips around Romania. The city is situated at fairly equal distances from several tourism destinations in the country: the Black Sea resorts, the monasteries in northern Moldavia, and the well-preserved wooden churches of Maramureş. It is also the largest city in a mountain resorts area. The old city itself is very well preserved, and is best seen by taking the cable-car to the top of Tâmpa Mountain (995 m), a beautiful lookout.

St. Nicolas Church
The main Piaţa at night
Braşov is home to a new indoor waterpark

Like most major cities in Romania, Braşov has a vast tram and bus network

Temperatures from May to September fluctuate around 23°C / 75°F. Braşov benefits from a winter tourism season centered on winter sports and other activities

Fireproof Trailer

It is not often that I make movie recommendations, but this is a movie I really think people who are either married, or at least thinking about marriage, should watch. I admit that the acting isn't Oscar quality, but the message of the movie is excellent and is one that needs to be processed, especially in a world where so many marriages end in divorce or abuse. Personally, I am fed up with all the trash and lack of values being promoted in Hollywood movies these days, and have been utterly shocked by some of the movie recommendations coming from Christians. That said, I wholeheartedly recommend this movie: Fireproof (go and rent it). I pray that it will be an encouragement to you and your family.

As seen in Constanţa

This is a tree in the middle of the parking lot at the new shopping center in Constanţa, Romania

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!