Busy writing articles!

Currently I am writing several articles about the need for real, authentic, and effective youth ministry in Romania. OC International in Romania distributes a newsletter "Ţinta" (the point) that is distributed to over 2000 churches in Romania. When we did a reader response survey, roughly 90 percent of those who receive the newsletter responded that they actually read the articles and that it is at least somewhat impactful. This is a huge responsibility and an opportunity to speak to pastors and church leaders openly about the needs the importance of youth outreach in Romania. Please pray for me as I rely upon God's wisdom in writing these articles. It helps that I have a journalism background. I pray that the articles will be a blessing for the Church in Romania and ultimately spur dialogue and healthy church reform.

Erin Miller's in Romania!

Erin Miller from Immanuel Church in Princeton, MN is here in Bucureşti for two weeks working with a foundation called Children to Love, where she is helping to bring some smiles to hundreds of orphan children in Romania. Erin has been studying abroad this year in Germany and decided to do a backpacking trip around Europe on her spring break. I am thrilled that Erin so willinglz offered her time and service to make a difference in the lives of Romanian orphans. I have enjoyed getting to know Erin better and showing her this country that I love so much. Erin enjoyed eating clătite, a Romanian dessert much like a thin pancake, stuffed with creamy chocolate, and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Erin has been working hard at the various orphanages and seems to be liking Romania a lot, but admits Eastern Europe is much different than Germany. I will be taking Erin to my church and she will be enjoying a nice, traditional meal with my dear Romanian family, the Tamaş'. I'll keep you updated.

Romania, oh how I love thee!

Yep, IKEA will be opening in Bucureşti this coming week...my colleagues can hardly wait

Bucureşti traffic? It's a nightmare. Believe it or not, this is the main so called "interstate" running a ring around the city. Nope, there is no accident, just a lot of selfish drivers in an exercise of "survival of the fittest." And see those cars to the left of the tram? Well, "legally" they should be to the RIGHT of the tram. Okay LORD, I repent! I will never, ever, ever complain about the traffic of the Twin Cities again :) And you thought you had a challenging commute to work!

This is how we dry clothes in Bucureşti...myself included

Just when I thought I've seen it all, there is always a new surprise awaiting in Bucureşti

I love this pic. because it is quintessential Romania. If it's Saturday, the guys meet their buddies at the local park bench :)

Youth Network Meetings

Our youth leader network meetings are off and running. After a lot of planning and preparation, we had our first official meeting last week. The purpose of the group is to provide a forum for youth leaders to come together to pray for one another, encourage one another, and simply help each other. As I have visited various churches across denominational lines in Bucharest, it was more than apparent to me the utter need for youth leaders to get together. Although the turnout on the first night was not what we wanted (traffic and scheduling are quite difficult in Bucureşti), we have a good, solid group of young leaders and even more leaders who are very interested in pooling together youth leaders to build one another up. I am looking forward to the opportunities we will have to discuss topics such as discipleship, guy/girl relations, staying Christian in college, etc., that we will be discussing. The youth leaders who did attend expressed their enthusiasm in bouncing ideas off of one another and seeing what we can do better together that we cannot do alone.

Since we also have youth leaders from various denominations, we hope sometime in the future to take our youth groups to visit other youth groups and churches. For instance, Baptists visiting Pentecostal churches, etc. The need for healthy dialogue and respect among the evangelical churches in Bucureşti is a pressing need. This is just one idea we have to help build bridges. A "fun" idea we have is to sometime in the future do "The Amazing Race: Bucureşti" among different youth groups in the city, or sport tournaments, etc. We are certainly not short of ideas!

Please pray for us as we draft our constitution of common values, purpose, and discuss real and relevant issues related to youth ministry. And please pray especially that this network will be a blessing to everyone involved and ultimately contribute to producing fruit that will last.

Church Visit to Oradea

Recently, I visited some churches in and around Oradea, Romania with fellow leaders in my church in Bucureşti in order to get some ideas both for our youth and music ministries. We learned a lot and were able to do some strategizing of our own. I especially enjoyed the time just sitting down and brainstorming, in addition to listening to the beautiful church choirs. Oradea is a beautiful region of Romania, and I enjoyed the fresh air and mountian views.
Emmanuel Church in Oradea

The city-center of Oradea

The Choir

Ethnomusicology Course

My OC International team here in Bucharest has helped organize a course on ethnomusicology over the next two weeks, being taught by Dr. Roberta King, a professor from Fuller Seminary in California. Dr. King has traveled around the world, teaching on the importance of both understanding a theology of praise and worship, as well as the criticalness of cultural relevance in music communication. The students participating in the course represent various denominations and backgrounds. It is our prayer that these students will, in turn, be able to impact their own churches in articulating a Biblical theology of praise and worship and engage their congregations in true, authentic, and culturally relevant worship. Dr. Roberta King

Some of the students

Logos High School Retreat

I just participated in a three-day retreat with Logos, a Christian high school in Bucureşti. I spoke to the students about praise and worship and how worship is not something we go to do just on Sunday mornings, but should be a reflection of how we live our entire lives--in worship and honor to the Lord Jesus Christ. We also spent significant time brainstorming how we can use our talents in the Church and community. We had a fun time at a camp facility in Ojasca, playing games, singing songs, going on excursions (even swam in the river...many of you know that I love cold water--and well, it was a nice day, so I thought, why not?), and spending time in God's Word. I look forward to more opportunities in the future where I can hopefully encourage this group of young leaders to use their God-given talents for the glory of His kingdom. I can't wait to see all that they are going to do to help reach Bucureşti and greater Romania for Christ. The group shot

We had fun jamming out and learning some new songs

We visited a volcano nearby the camp facility

Some of the formations surrounding the volcano

La Mulţi Ani Cat!

This past weekend we had a surprise birthday party for my good friend Cat! It was a lot of work, but he was genuinely surprised and everyone had a fun time singing songs, playing games, and praying that God will continue to use Cat for His glory. Cat is an extremely talented piano player, having won multiple contests even at the age of 5. He has a great heart and loves the Lord. Happy Birthday Cat!

Preparing the Next Generation of Worship Leaders

One of the projects I am working on here in Bucharest is an "Association of Music School", where a small group of talented, young, Christian musicians in Bucharest would offer lessons in various instruments (piano, drums, guitar, and voice) in an effort to help prepare the next generation of praise and worship leaders here in Bucharest. There is a real need in multiple evangelical churches in Bucharest to find and develop the youth who will eventually lead worship in their churches. A small group of my friends and I began discussing how we could best help to address this situation, and through those discussions, our idea has progressed into a small music school. Students will be taking individual lessons taught by experienced musicians four times a month in addition to coming together one Saturday each month to practice how to work together as a music team. For instance, working on ear exercises, rhythm, blending instruments, and how to communicate with one another while performing music. Moreover, since this is a specialized music program for Christian music leaders, we will be discussing a theology of praise and worship and the importance of not just playing music, but actively engaging the congregation in collective worship. Thus, we will be emphasizing the spiritual life of each student. I will be helping out both with voice lessons and a theology of praise and worship. Currently we are in the process of publicizing and handing out fliers to churches like the one above. Please pray for us as we progress in this exciting new endeavor!

Preaching in Dobroieşti

Sunday I was invited to preach at a small church-plant in a suburb of Bucureşti. This is a young church with a big vision for impacting a very unreached zone of the greater metropolitan area for Christ. I preached from Matthew chapter 13, where Jesus uses various parables to describe both what the Kingdom of Heaven is like and how it lshould operate within this, a fallen world. I also adressed many of the challenges that lie ahead for Romania, spiritually, as a member of the European Union. Certainly, there are aspects of EU laws that are not exactly in connection with the Kingdom of Heaven. Just as Jesus states in Matthew 13 about the weeds among the fields of wheat--there are certainly "weeds" sprouting up around Christians in Romania...one being rising secularisim in the West. Please pray along with me that Romanian Christians will remember that our utmost allegiance is to the Kingdom of God and to follow and obey His Word. We are called to be salt and light in this world. It will be interesting to see how the Body of Christ in Romania responds to EU temptations. Hopefully we will all remember that it is the Lord Jesus Christ who is our true king.

Did You Know?

The city of Sibiu, Romania is the European Capital of Culture for the year 2007! It is a beautiful city surrounded by the snow-capped peaks of the Carpathian Mountains. Sibiu is one city in Romania that has actively preserved much of its ancient medieval architecture. Here are some pictures of this charming city of Transylvania. If you would like to read more about Sibiu, please visit http://www.sibiu2007.ro/index_en.phpSibiu is known for its winding streets and medieval fortresses

The traditional folk costumes of the Sibiu regionSibiu city center

The Carpathian mountains surround the city

Old town Sibiu

Teamwork, Momentum, & Vision

I just got back from attending a youth leadership conference in Bucharest that really encouraged me! The main purpose of the conference was simply to start the new year with a show of unity in working together to reach the youth of Romania for Christ. The content of the seminar was excellent--wish all of you would have been able to be there to hear it. We covered such issues as: the top ten needs of the youth in Romania, teenagers and the mass media, identity, ideology, and the battle many youth have between mind and body.

Here are some interesting points that I walked away with:

*73% of Romanian youth become Christians before the age of 21

*Time & Space are key concepts in understanding teenagers. Very few have a concept of time and when it comes to space-- they want room to be creative, make mistakes, grow, and learn.

*Focus is everything! Youth like to rally around a cause, be it for better or worse. Look at Hitler's youth propaganda movements, the 60's, Tianneman Square, or simply politics. It's important for all of us who have connections with youth to help them find their focus in life, a Godly cause to rally around, and help and encourage them on the journey. Nowhere have I learned this more than here in Bucharest. The churches that seem to be doing well with their youth programs are the ones who rather than planning activities for the youth, instead, demonstrated trust in the youth by giving them responsibilities directly related to the cause of the youth group and the Church as a whole.

Overall, it was some great stuff. I am looking forward to meeting with more youth leaders and starting youth network meetings this year. I will keep you updated about the hills and valleys!

Holiday Highlights

My friend Andrea was in Romania after Christmas to visit friends. We worked together at Christian Student Fellowship at the University of Minnesota. It was good to catch up, show her where I work and entertain everybody with some classic 'MinnesOOOOtan' slang.

On Christmas Eve I sang with my friend Cat and shared a short Christmas message with a friend during a special Christmas program at a church plant about 25 kilometers to the east of Bucharest

Caroling with youth in Bucharest was fun. Our group was comprised of experienced musicians, so we were even able to jazz up some Christmas favorites!This is an evangelistic, youth choir in Bucharest that travels on weekends to various communities in outreach events. The director invited our caroling group as special guests for a Christmas concert.

New Years & the European Union

Happy New Year from Bucharest, Romania! It's official, Romania has joined the European Union. My Romanian family, the Tamaş', and I went to the city center (Piaţa Universităţii) to see the fireworks. Leaders from all over Europe were in Bucharest to officially welcome Romania into the EU. After a 15 minute movie of the history of the Romanians on large video screens, the fireworks started. We caped the night off with prayer for Romania and for God to give the leaders wisdom and patience in this time of transition. I am thankful for friends and family here in Romania who helped me have a great Christ-centered and fun start to 2007! The Fireworks lasted about 15 minutes

The Romanian Flag waving in the windows of the National Theatre

Mama Tamaş, Felix, Oana, and I (Cat took the picture)

The Pomp & Circumstance

Crăciun Fericit!

Merry Christmas everyone, or in Romania we say Crăciun Fericit (Cruh-chee-oon Fer-ee-cheat). I have been busy singing with a caroling group around the city of Bucharest. It has been a lot of fun singing and sharing the message of Christ. We also sang on a local Christian radio station for a half-hour and have since been invited to come and sing at several evangelical churches. Today we participated in a concert at a Christian high school. Somehow (still trying to figure out how), I was chosen to play Santa Claus for the occasion in some dramas and entertain the smaller children who came. It was all fun. I am enjoying my first Romanian Christmas. But, still no snow. In Romanian Santa Claus is Moş Crăciun

Our group singing at a Christmas concert

My Bucharest: a City of Contrasts

A few pictures to give you a taste of Bucureşti, Romania:

Piaţa Obor: a major swap market district in Bucharest. Roundabouts are also very common

When the first snowfall hit in November. Unfortunately, it didn't last very long. This has been the warmest December of my life. And being from Minnesota, it just doesn't feel right not having snow for Christmas. The concrete blocks dominate the city's architecture.

The Ferentari Neighborhood

I wanted to give you some visual images of what my city, Bucharest, is like. These are images of the Ferentari neighborhood, in the southern portion of Bucharest. This is widely considered the poorest area of the city with the highest amount of crime. Certainly not one of the prettier neighborhoods of Bucharest, but nevertheless, gives you a picture of what some areas do look like. Over 80 percent of Ferentari is ethnic Roma (gypsy). For many, the main mode of transportation is still horse and wagon. It is common for boys like in this picture to go around neighborhoods collecting scrap metal and other things found in the trash to re-sell.

Many streets in this district are unpaved

Classic Beauty & Modernization

Probably the most beautiful architecture of Romania are the painted monasteries,

like this one (Voroneţ)...

and the old Orthodox Cathedrals, castles, and fortresses.

It's not like the(former) twin towers of New York, but the World Trade Center Plaza of Bucharest is still a modern building.

Glass is being used more and more in some of the newer
architecture in Bucharest. I'm happy!

The city contracted with Mercedez-Benz for new city buses

Casa Shalom (House of Peace)

One of my favorite things to do in Bucureşti is visit children's homes and orphanages. The other day I visited Casa Shalom, which houses orphan, street, and abused children in a beautiful foundation on the outskirts of the city. The foundation is led by Becky Dan-Walsh, an amazing woman of the Lord who has dedicated her life's service to impacting Romania's lost children for Christ. Even before the fall of Ceauşescu, Becky was visiting Romania, smuggling Bibles. Once Romania's doors opened to the West, Becky has been reaching out to Romania's thousands of orphaned and neglected children. Her foundation, Casa Shalom, provides food, shelter, mentorship, and a Christian education for children from all sorts of backgrounds. Many of the children used to call Gara de Nord, the city's main train hub, home. Today the foundation is in the process of building a second dormitory in hopes of housing even more children. When I visit, I sing with the kids, play games, pray, and simply talk with them about how things are going. Please join me in praying for these children, for their future and relationship with the Lord. And please pray for Becky to have wisdom and God's protection as she fervently serves the needs of these precious children.

Marius & I playing the piano together. Before coming to Casa Shalom,

Marius was living in the orphan ward of Bucureşti's Cotroceni Hospital

Simona & Vasile...Simona was brought to Casa Shalom by her mother
and Becky took Vasile from the Cotroceni Hospital in Bucureşti

The new dormitory going up

Casa Shalom's main building

Of course, this being Romania, we had to play a
game of fotbal (soccer).