What a day it has been thus far!!! I can't believe all that I've already done and many of you are just getting up at home. It's only 9 AM in Johnson City, but much has happened with the Oradea team today. WOW!!!
Where to begin for Sunday??? We were to meet our driver and translator downstairs in the lobby at 8:30 this morning. Today is the Lord's Day and we were going to a church in a nearby village. When I say a village church in Romania it is the equivalent to a small city in Tennessee. I at first had in my mind that the village churches were outdoor, small, quaint tent-type towns. Not so. The one we visited today, Topas de Crisis was more like the size of maybe Jonesborough, TN, but no real obvious shops or anything like that.
We arrived at the village church right at 9:20. The attendees that were already there were praying so we stayed outside until time for service to begin at 9:30. Cornaluge (maybe Cornalush) instructed us in this way: Ladies-sit to the right, Men- to the left. OK, excuse me....WHAT??? Yes, indeed, I heard him correctly. Tthe sanctuary was divided with men on one side and ladies on the other. First time EVER for me to sit opposite my husband during church. It felt so odd to me, but of course, it's their culture, their church, and we respect their customs. Definitely different for me to be away from my boys.
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| The village church at Topa de Cris |
Back to the meeting with our driver....we met Cor-na-luge (No idea how to spell this one, so here's the way it sounds! :) His driving, well....I think it even scared Dustin and Daniel a bit. My oh my how in the world do they teach their children to drive here. We did find out over lunch that you have to be 18 at least before you can receive a drivers license in Romania. What a relief to this mom!!! Anyway, he drove very fast, over the center line almost ALL the time, passed cars on curves and tailgated anything in front of him. Ivonne and I decided it was better to just talk to each other, face-to-face and NOT watch the road. WE felt much better that way. On the way home, Ed held the grip on top of the car ceiling the WHOLE WAY back. That should give you some idea of the harrowing ride we had. Fun.....the boys said. Scary is what I say. But, we prayed before we left both times and I think I really understand why they insist on praying before they drive! :)
The service was wonderful. (Almost 3 hours). We had no translator for the service, but even without understanding what was being said or prayed, we understood their devotion and heart for God.
I simply have to close early.....we are being picked up in 15 minutes for another service tonight. Please pray for the boys. They are tired and we have another 2 hour service to sit through tonight. Also pray for us as we sing this evening. We want to be a blessing in every and any language.
God's blessings to you. Pace
Kim
Thoughts from Randy:
So the drive to the church was slightly exciting but I was honestly never afraid-for-my-life scared. Cornalush was very aggressive and fast but he was also very good. Now the last time Kim and I were in Romania our driver was just as aggressive at passing on curves but he wasn't the best driver. Also, he had a van that blew smoke when he pressed the gas pedal down. I honestly think that old van accelerated due to the force of the smoke coming out the tail pipe. No, today was nothing like that. We had a VW that could haul mail.
I was sitting in the front seat with Cornalush and our interpreter, Daniel. A couple of things stood out about our conversation.
First, I was quizzing them about what is meant by a "village". Seeing as how we were going to one of them there villages I wanted some idea of the size. I already suspected that a village probably meant something different than it did to me. Indeed, the difference between a village and a city is - drum roll, please - taxes. Yes, Cornalush said that you pay taxes in a city and you don't in a village. He probably means local taxes for infrastructure and government. Villages do not have this. In fact Cornalush said that a village could be as large as 20-25,000 people. Our village this morning, Topa de Cris, was on the smaller side - around 1,000 people or so.
Second thing - Daniel, our student interpreter, is from Timisoara. This was pointed out to me by Cornalush and stated in such a way that made it apparent that being from this city is and should be a source of pride. Why is this? Timisoara was where the 1989 revolution began, where the first martyrs for freedom were made.
I don't have much to add to Kim's comments on the morning service. Ok, maybe just a few.
Good singing - At both the village church and at Emanuel these people know how to praise God with their voices. They are both good and fervent in their worship. Several kids came up to sing or read during the service and that was a special blessing, just as it is when the kids read scripture at Heritage.
Ed gave a great sermon on Moses and David. The thought I took away - Forget 40 days and 40 nights. What would happen if the church spent one hour per day on their face before God? You have to start somewhere.
Regardless of many people knowing some English, their favorite songs are the hymns, especially the Doxology which they obviously recognize. I had a hard time finishing the song this morning when I looked up and saw a lady in the back crying.
Lunch was incredible and was hosted by Elijah's sister and brother-in-law who live in the village. Their son is also named Daniel and has a wonderful voice. It was another four course meal, starting with appetizers ( sausage balls, cheese, stuffed white peppers, salami like slim jims, a potato salad-like ball, and an eggplant spread), chicken soup, main course of mashed potatoes and a fantastic chopped up roast, and the finale (more like a coup de grâce) was tiramisu.
An explanation for Kim using the word pace to close her post.
Pace (pronounced paw-cha (like in chase)) is a traditional greeting that believers give one another in Romania. It means peace.
It's after midnight so we'll blog about tonight's events at Emanuel sometime tomorrow.
Randy out.
Thoughts from Randy:
So the drive to the church was slightly exciting but I was honestly never afraid-for-my-life scared. Cornalush was very aggressive and fast but he was also very good. Now the last time Kim and I were in Romania our driver was just as aggressive at passing on curves but he wasn't the best driver. Also, he had a van that blew smoke when he pressed the gas pedal down. I honestly think that old van accelerated due to the force of the smoke coming out the tail pipe. No, today was nothing like that. We had a VW that could haul mail.
I was sitting in the front seat with Cornalush and our interpreter, Daniel. A couple of things stood out about our conversation.
First, I was quizzing them about what is meant by a "village". Seeing as how we were going to one of them there villages I wanted some idea of the size. I already suspected that a village probably meant something different than it did to me. Indeed, the difference between a village and a city is - drum roll, please - taxes. Yes, Cornalush said that you pay taxes in a city and you don't in a village. He probably means local taxes for infrastructure and government. Villages do not have this. In fact Cornalush said that a village could be as large as 20-25,000 people. Our village this morning, Topa de Cris, was on the smaller side - around 1,000 people or so.
Second thing - Daniel, our student interpreter, is from Timisoara. This was pointed out to me by Cornalush and stated in such a way that made it apparent that being from this city is and should be a source of pride. Why is this? Timisoara was where the 1989 revolution began, where the first martyrs for freedom were made.
I don't have much to add to Kim's comments on the morning service. Ok, maybe just a few.
Good singing - At both the village church and at Emanuel these people know how to praise God with their voices. They are both good and fervent in their worship. Several kids came up to sing or read during the service and that was a special blessing, just as it is when the kids read scripture at Heritage.
Ed gave a great sermon on Moses and David. The thought I took away - Forget 40 days and 40 nights. What would happen if the church spent one hour per day on their face before God? You have to start somewhere.
Regardless of many people knowing some English, their favorite songs are the hymns, especially the Doxology which they obviously recognize. I had a hard time finishing the song this morning when I looked up and saw a lady in the back crying.
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| A bunch of happy and stuffed people |
An explanation for Kim using the word pace to close her post.
Pace (pronounced paw-cha (like in chase)) is a traditional greeting that believers give one another in Romania. It means peace.
It's after midnight so we'll blog about tonight's events at Emanuel sometime tomorrow.
Randy out.
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