Beautiful Weather

We are enjoying somewhat of an indian summer here in Bucharest, so it has been nice to get out and spend time with the Lord in nature. One of my favorite things is to go rowing in the parks and sing. Thank you Lord for the beautiful weather!

Absurd Priorities

It's happening! Here is a picture of the President of the International Olympic Committee meeting with officials in Bucharest to look at plans for new facilities being built in the city for athletics (a good thing and much needed in this city). YET, this is just the next step in the process of Bucharest's overly outrageous bid to host the 2020 summer olympics. Believe me folks, our country has much more pressing issues to worry about than spending lots of money we don't have on hosting an event we are not ready for...but this is to me a classic example of the ineptitude of some of our politicians here--schools, pensioniers, roads, the general economy all are in crisis, but we want to bid on the 2020 summer olympics??? Unbelievable, but it's happening. To be fair, they say it would bring attention and much needed investment into Romania. In addition, Romania will also be bidding for the 2022 winter olympic games to be held in the Prahova Valley (Sinaia, Busteni, Predeal, Brasov). Apparently, the IOC is very interested in seeing the olympics being awarded to developing countries, and areas of the world that have not hosted the games...hmmm. I still champion the Minneapolis/St. Paul bid!

Fellowship in Targu Mures

Had a great time reconnecting with friends, contacts, and spiritual advisers in the city of Targu Mures, Romania. I am always blessed and encouraged by these people of the faith. Here is a shot of me playing volleyball with the youth of Betel Pentecostal Church at a fall picnic. We had a great time, and even better weather.

Camp Reunion

We had a reunion party for the kids who were in camp this past June, where we looked at pictures, played games, sang camp songs, shared favorite memories, and ate snacks. It was a good time to see the kids again. This camp was truly the "experience of a lifetime" for them. Many asked us, "when are we going back to camp??" My friend Luminita and I also visit the families, distributing supplies and talking to the families quite often. It was a great party. Here are some pictures!

Three brothers

Another group of brothers, who need a lot of prayer!

Singing songs

I'm Salivating!

This photo is courtesy of my friend Ruth Hutchins who recently went to the Minnesota State Fair. If you know anything about me, you know that this in my eyes is HEAVEN! Yummmmmy. I am a quintessential hotdish kid---I am SO jealous I didn't get to try this. Minnesota ROCKS! New Romania updates coming soon.

Stadium controversies in Bucharest

These are pictures of the old national stadium in Bucharest that was torn down over a year ago in order to build a new, retractable-roof stadium up to Western European standards. The old stadium used to house former communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu's elaborate propaganda displays and several matches of the Romanian national fotbal (soccer) team. Romania is scheduled to host the European championships, and many other international games once the stadium is done. The mayor of Bucharest, Sorin Oprescu, would like Bucharest to bid for the summer olympics in 2020, or later. If you have ever seen the conditions of athletic facilities in Bucharest and around Romania, you would realize how ridiculous this effort is by mayor Oprescu. Any olympic bid would require arguably the most aggressive building and athletic facility overall of any other olympic city in history. (Another city likely to bid on the 2020 olympics: Minneapolis/St. Paul., MN. I think they have a real shot). Regardless, many Romanians are excited about the new stadium. It is actually across the street from where I live in Bucharest--so I'm sure match nights will be crazy. I only hope they will build adequate parking---a definite crisis in this buzzling metropolis!

Artist renditions of the new stadium

Romanians dig up Ceausescu's graves

BUCHAREST (AFP) – Gravediggers exhumed Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife's remains on Wednesday for tests to dispel doubts about the identities, two decades after their execution by a firing squad.
The exhumation at Bucharest's military graveyard of Ghencea came at the request of the family who have long suspected the bodies in the burial plot were not those of the Ceausescus.
Although the test results are not expected for months, one relative said he thought the remains were indeed that of the Communist strongman who ruled Romania from 1965 until 1989, and his wife Elena.
"I tend to believe the remains are those of my in-laws, but I cannot be a hundred percent sure until the DNA tests are performed," Mircea Oprean, the widower of the Ceausescus' late daughter Zoia, told reporters.
"I saw the bodies, my father-in-law's was quite well preserved. I recognised his black winter coat with some holes in it," presumably bullet holes, he added after the exhumation.
Ever since the couple were shot dead after a mock trial on December 25, 1989, and then promptly buried, doubts have lingered over the burial.
Fearing the tombs might be desecrated, leaders of an uprising which brought down the regime decided to bury the Ceausescus surreptitiously at night under crosses bearing false names, according to witnesses.
The couple's three children, of whom just one son, Valentin, is still alive, repeatedly said they doubted their parents had actually been buried there.
But for years, authorities blocked their attempts to have the two bodies exhumed.
"If my wife Zoia had been alive, this would have been the happiest day of her life," Oprean said.
Valentin Ceausescu, a physicist who shuns the limelight, was not present at the graveyard.
After DNA samples were taken, the two bodies were reburied.
An AFP journalist at the scene said she had seen fresh soil on the two graves, several yards apart.
Oprean said he planned a full funeral ceremony if the tests confirmed the remains were those of his in-laws.
If they did not, he said he would sue the authorities for hiding the truth.
Oprean moreover accused former president Ion Iliescu, who took power in the aftermath of Ceausescu's fall, and his aides of having "murdered" the couple.
A former top official in Iliescu's administration who supervised the burial in 1989 said the tests would finally prove he had told the truth all along.
"The Ceausescus' remains will definitely be found in those tombs," Gelu Voican-Voiculescu told Realitatea TV channel.
The DNA tests could take up to six months, the director of the national Romanian forensic institute said.
As soon as the exhumation procedures were over, dozens of those nostalgic for the communist regime gathered around the tombs.
While most Romanians do not regret Ceausescu's demise, a lengthy recession has prompted some to remember the past more fondly.
Ana Ruse, a 76-year-old pensioner, recalled her "immense joy" when she watched the Ceausescus' execution on television but felt differently now.
"In 1989 we were hoping things would change for the better. We were happy, feeling free, because we had been living here as if in a prison," she told AFP.
"But today we nearly feel we were better off under Ceausescu. We all had a job, we could raise our children."
Twenty years after the toppling of the regime, many of the dramatic events of the time are still shrouded in mystery.
Some Romanians still question the circumstances of the Ceausescus' execution, the aftermath of which was broadcast around the world.
But prosecutor Dan Voinea, who drew up the charge sheet against the couple -- the dictator's wife was first deputy prime minister in the 1980s -- and later investigated the uprising, said the doubts were not justified.
"I was at the execution. It happened very quickly; the cameraman didn't even have time to film it," he told AFP last December.

Camp for Gypsy Kids

In June, a group of 12 came from my parent's church at Immanuel in Princeton, MN to help me run a camp for extremely poor gypsy children from Bucharest together with one of my best friends, Luminita. It was a blessed week, but quite exhausting. For many of these kids, it was the first time in their lives that they had EVER been to camp, slept in their own bed, or taken a REAL shower. The theme of the camp was "Jesus is my forever friend". Through crafts, music, creative Bible lessons, and small groups, we demonstrated the love of Christ to these precious children. A special thank you to everyone on the team and to Immanuel for making this camp happen. It was certainly a blessed time and a memory that these kids will take with them for life. Please pray that the seeds planted will produce much fruit.
Mari will be entering the 1st grade

Greva!

Bucharest is in the midst of another transportation strike, as metrou workers and bus drivers, tram drivers, etc. are upset about their salaries. Kind of hard for the Romanian government to find moeny for just about anything in the Global Crisis. Today the metrou was closed from 4 in the morning until noon--just enough to wreak havoc on those going to work. Over 2 million people use the metrou each day---so you can imagine the traffic...and mess!

A fruitful conference!

Thank you to those of you who prayed for our Partners in Mission Conference this past week in Sovata, Romania. We had a very productive week. Leaders of all the major regions of Romania met to strategize, set goals, and to appoint point people to see church and spirtual growth happen in each region of the country. This is a MAJOR step forward. I was especially impacted by the messages of our guest speakers from Latin America. Very powerful! Please continue to pray that God will work through us to see the Great Commission fulfilled in Romania.
The thermal lake (constant temperature of 30C) in Sovata, Romania where the conference was held.

Me singing in the worship band

Reading scripture

Our Latin American brothers from Guatemala and Argentina

Partners in Mission Conference

OC Romania is co-sponsoring a conference in Sovata in northern Romania this week called "Partners in Mission" between missions agencies, NGOs, churches, pastors, etc. to form regional teams throughout Romania to better reach the thousands of communities and villages in Romania that do NOT yet have an evangelical church. The scope is simple: to collaborate better to see the Great Commission fulfilled in Romania and to talk about our role as Romanians in bringing the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Please pray for the conference to bear much fruit.

CD Release

My music director, Slavic at my church here in Bucharest will be releasing his CD this Sunday and singing many of the pieces on his CD labeled "O Great Lord". Slavic is an extremely talented musician and one of the most humble, genuine Christians I have ever met. He is not only our director, but one of our best friends. We are blessed to have him at my church.

Around Romania

Labor Day Picnic

The 1st of May is Labor Day in Romania and we had a picnic with our youth group out in the woods at the edge of Bucharest. We had about 70 people come--it was a great day. We grilled, we sang songs, we played games like volleyball and ultimate frisbee (above), and simply enjoyed the nice spring weather and great fellowship. Thank you God for such a nice day!

Seussical Musical

My colleagues who teach missionary kids at Bucharest Christian Academy played an integral role in producing and directing the Seussical musical this past weekend with many of the kids at the school. They did a fabulous job. For such a small school, the production was quite impressive. They rented a small theater in a city park and put on a few perfomances after months of planning. I'm sure the kids had a blast. I especially loved the Seuss hair-do's :)