Romanian Pictorial
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personal testimonies
I wanted to share with you a recent trip to Romania, complete with photos. It began on August 21 and involved a ten-hour layover in Barcelona. My friend, Jose, was there to pick me up and we had time to have a meeting before catching the plane to Bucharest. In the 8 P.M. meeting in Barcelona, I shared a message, which I hoped to develop also in Romania on The Year of Jubilee. Another good friend, Ionut, was at the Otopeni airport at 3:45 A.M. and drove me to his home for some rest before a trip into the mountains.
We arrived at the comfortable inn near Rucar in time for an evening meeting. David Harasemiuc, very proficient on the keyboard, led the singing. He is from a family of musicians and, being a lover of violin, I especially enjoy his sister, Patricia's, ability with that instrument. This girl, playing the violin, is not yet a teenager, (if I remember correctly) and is the daughter of long-time friends, Daniel and Cristina. Ionis, son of my translator and her husband, joins in song.
I began a series of three Bible studies on The Year of Jubilee. Perhaps in the near future I can share the content on this BlogSpot.
The house has 10 guest rooms and comfortably housed 60 people. On Saturday, more arrived, totalling around 80 altogether. I take you with me up the stairs to the next floor....
.... down the wood-paneled hallway....
.... and into my room, bath attached. Being 75-years-old, I don't mind enjoying a little comfort these days, especially when I speak close to two hours, three times a day.. The private bath, especially, is something that I appreciate immensely, when I am traveling.
My ipod camera is not the best, but it captures a little of the landscape surrounding our meeting place.
(You may click on any photo for a larger view.)
Everyone gathers for fellowship and wonderful Romanian food in the dining room.
Here's a sample: Sausage, potatoes and "mamaliga", covered with cheese. For you southern U.S. people, "mamaliga" is similar to grits.
Miki,
who translated every word and her gracious husband, Luci, who took care
of the five children, while she did so. I have to brag a little on Miki. I never feel so much freedom in sharing the word, than I do, when she is translating. That's a wonderful blessing for me and for the listeners. And Luci is a great friend and a humble Christian brother.
Laurentiu, Simona and their children live in Ireland, but were able to be at the retreat. Laurentiu holds Bible studies in their home.. I gave the message at their
wedding many years ago. Before that, Laurentiu received the Lord in one
of my first camps in Rumania.
There was also a girl from England, who attended every meeting, in the mountains, as well as in Bucharest.
My dear friend, Nelu, a humble leader in the service of his King, was holding evangelistic tent meetings nearby. In spite of that, he found a way to attend several of our meetings, both in Rucar and Bucharest. To his left is a family from Brasov. The husband is a Romanian/German and his wife is a Russian/German. She has attended camps before. These are great people!
Here
is David again, the keyboard player, and his fiancée. Their wedding is
on October 19 and they invited me to speak. You can start praying about
that now, if you will, because I very much want to comply. A little
while ago, I was trying to recall the weddings, in which I have been
involved in Romania. I believe, this would be the 17th. They are from the north of Romania and the wedding will be near Suceava, where I frequently visit. There were several from Suceava for the week-end.
I have been in camps with these sisters, Nicoleta and Andreea, since they were teenagers. I married Ionut and Nicoleta and they were my hosts, along with their two girls, in Bucharest.
Andreea, who is a dental assistent, managed to pursuade me to have my dentures adjusted in a very nice clinic, where she works in Bucharest. Thank you so much, Andreea!
We had a series of meetings in Bucharest, after the retreat, where I shared from the book of Galatians. I tried to show the dangers of the invasion of false teachers in the church, by looking at the marriage supper of the Lamb in Revelation 19. With that backdrop, the men who intrude and attempt to take over Christ´s bride, seem all the more malicious. A good number from Bucharest were also in Rucar.
While taking a walk with several of the people, I had to stop to take a photo of these two Sara´s. They are best friends, though living at different ends of the country. The little sweetheart with glasses is Luci and Miki´s only girl (among four boys) and the other belongs to Ionut and Nicoleta.
We had a final meeting on Sunday morning in the pavillion at the inn, then ate lunch together before holding a baptismal service, across the road. A little pool in the stream was just deep enough for biblical submersion.
We had to say 'goodbye' to the mountains after a wonderful time of fellowship in the Word and in prayer and praise. We returned to a sweltering Bucharest and continued with meetings in an air-conditioned church, fortunately.
After the Wednesday night meeting, we talked late into the night and I didn't bother to go to bed. We left for the airport at 2 a.m. and and it was still morning, when I arrived in Spain on Thursday, August 29th.
Thanks for your prayers. It was a great trip!
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