And the saga continues of our adventures in my Dad’s home land: Romania. If this is your first time reading this, we moved in 2003 and were working on getting settled in. When we first arrived the house was bare of furniture, appliances (like an oven, refrigerator, washing machine, etc), cabinets, and electricity. We had to make due for the first few weeks like this.
I have to apologize: while I have tried to correct the grammar and spelling mistakes and re-work some sentences to make more sense, I haven’t had a ton of time to edit as I would have liked to. You’ll have to bare with me.
If you missed the first few posts check here to catch up.
September 10, 2003
I got a washing machine and stove yesterday, plus some pans, blankets, and even peanut butter. Life is good!!!
September 15, 2003
Yesterday Fedi was gone all day getting parts for the car. The kids and I went on a hike and got really lost. It was the strangest feeling. I thought I had a feel of where we were on the mountain but ended up going in a complete circle when we tried to get home. That’s when I started to get worried. It was also getting late and even started to drizzle. Finally, we found a pretty well traveled horse wagon trail and followed it up hill for about 20 minutes (in exactly the wrong direction). Then knowing we needed to be going down and not seeing where this trail would start heading down as I thought, we turned around and ran in a fast pace going down. We soon came to the place where we first started our hike in unfamiliar territory. We made it home after 7:00 p.m. shortly before dark. I was very thankful to God and feel it was a lesson learned. The kids didn’t seem too worried but they were getting tired as we hiked almost 3 hours. These woods have a wild feel to them. Just knowing there are wild boar, wolves, & bears keeps you on your toes.
The kids seem to be adjusting fine. The difference in food has bothered Ryan a bit but Steven is devouring everything. Having no TV really hasn’t seemed to bother any of us. In fact, I think it has been good for us. I know I get the dishes done nicely every evening out of sheer boredom.
If Fedi is gone until late as he was the last 2 nights I get a little scared and lonely. The problem is I can’t lock the doors and have lights at the same time. The generator we have is not vented so we have to have the garage doors wide open when it is on.
It is good though, to see the kids happy and Fedi happy. Fedi is talking to people about God, making friends and supporting the little church here. Friday, Fedi will go with a group from church door to door again to evangelize. Rebekah goes with him. Otherwise, we have no plans. It’s more just doing what we see to do every day and waiting for God’s plan to unfold.
The waterpower is probably two weeks away from being done. We are making the dam for the little pond more elaborate than first planned and Fedi has been delayed by car repairs.
September 17, 2003
September 24, 2003
Monday-big work day on the water power. We got the shed in place.
Tuesday- We went in town for the T.V. interview on home schooling. First we got to an internet club and did some emailing, then the interview-no big deal- then we left the kids at Csillas & ran around getting parts for the hydro power. It was hot and tiring. Later we picked up Csilla and went to find a couch for the living room. We are having one made, and that I am excited about. It will cost about $200, and folds out to a queen sized bed and includes an extra mattress for a child. There are drawers underneath for storage. It is just what we need for guests. I planned even in America to set up a guest room from the donation money. So, now we have used $910 from the $2300. We should be getting our first guests this weekend. At church last week the pastor from Fedi’s home town said his wife was really discouraged from work and would like to get away. They are great people and I am excited to have them.
We got home and there were people there. It was the surveyor and the former owner getting the exact coordinates and boundaries for our land so we can complete the final paper work. We were walking the boundary with them when the cow rancher’s son Attila came up the hill. He said his bull had rammed the former owners car. He really did. It was parked in the meadow by our house where the cows pass through and he rammed it at least 3 times. We have been trying to stay away from the bull, but he even comes up to our yard sometimes. The kids are careful though and there is always plenty of warning that the cows are coming because several of the cows have bells.
Oh yeah, while we were in town we saw the tiniest humming bird. He was just a little larger than a bumblebee. He didn’t seem scared of us at all as he went from flower to flower. We examined his teeny-weeny feathers and beak…fascinating.
Today Fedi found a big beetle while he was digging. We looked it up in Anni’s science book and there it was. It is called a mole cricket. His front feet are like the moles claws for digging. Then he has a pincher on them for cutting small roots.
I keep making progress with Hungarian. Every time we go anywhere, if we see anyone we know it’s a twenty- minute conversation. I always just stand there and try to pick up words.
September 28, 2003
Lots to write about. Thursday Fedi went into town to go with Leventa to talk to two mayors about showing the video of Jesus life. These are little villages where the Catholic priests wield a lot of power. The mayors need their permission. It went well, at least they said they would talk to the priests about it and they seemed open for the idea. There is a group though, that goes door to door, including Fedi, Leventa, and some of the young kids from church with the sound track from the movie on tape. They don’t need permission for this. Leventa is really fired up for this mission. Friday that is what they did again.
Anyway, later Thursday, Fedi met this old man who has had a prison ministry for years. He and his wife are very poor, no refrigerator, car, phone. But they have tracts bundled up all over in their house. He said the prisoners need tooth brushes, soap, and toothpaste, etc. We have a bunch of this stuff Uncle Ed gave us so we will give it to him. He pays to copy all the tracts. His wife sews donated rags together to the proper size for sheets for the prisoners. They really have been self sacrificing. Fedi can be of a big use for the translating. This man speaks only Romanian. There is a man from Hungary who wants to help him but he speaks only Hungarian. Fedi spent some of the evening translating between the two. The old man, his name is John, will try to get permission for Fedi to go in with him. We told Dad about this development and as I told Fedi, he was pretty fired up. He told us to use donation money to help this man and he will send up more. Well he doesn’t need to do that yet, we still have $1300 left. Monday we plan to give this man some. Prison ministries can be effective, I think, because the people there are lonely, away from family and friends. They are appreciative of help. They are currently being punished for something, so a change of life could be tempting. Anyway, it’s a big open door. John told Fedi they had been praying for an American connection.
Friday, Fedi worked on concreting the shed for the waterpower. I did school with the kids. In the afternoon he took the girls with him to buy some more concrete and then to evangelize in the evening. I think Rebekah won’t keep going with him though because she says all she does is spend hours standing and waiting.
With Sarah Reinhard converting and now two more girls from Rebekah’s class converting, I know she is giving it some thought. I don’t think she feels any conviction of sin, though, or fear of hell. Here in Romania only married women wear head coverings. I think, though, if Rebekah converts it won’t be a problem for the pastor to explain to the church why we are doing it different.
On to Saturday. A huge day! Fedi had arranged for some help with the waterpower. Csilla, Jozeph, and the girls came first. Then, Leventa, Edith and their 5 kids and another man. I helped Csilla make a Hungarian gulash and salad for lunch. Later Arpi and Maria came to spend the afternoon as originally planned, though. One other young couple from church showed up with their two little boys. This was Annika (the T.V. reporter who did the home schooling interview) and her husband who is an engineer. They stayed for supper too. Supper was the customary cold cuts, bread, salami, cheese, and different spreads.
Fedi seems really happy that so much got done and to have so many friends around. The men worked hard. The kids all played happily together (all 13 of them). Anni and Reka caught a baby mouse. They played for hours with him until he finally died. Reka cried. When they started to let the dam fill up, it lowered the water in the creek so they ran around catching trout, crawdads and a kind of bottom dweller fish. They put them in the pond we made. We have had a big pile of concrete sand in front of our house since we moved in. The kids all made elaborate sand castles and fortresses with paths and tunnels. It is all decorated with moss and flowers and fall leaves.
Speaking of which, there are beautiful flowers growing all over these mountains and thick soft moss.
Steven woke up Sunday morning, looked outside and was shocked that the sand castles were still there. He is used to the beach I guess.
Fedi went to morning church at Arpi and Maria’s church in his home town. I am too tired from yesterday. We will all go to evening church together.
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