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Online Journal - November 2006 Archive
November 29, 2006 -
Wednesday -
One of the house
parents from
Oaza (Rafi)
and
I
traveled 1 1/2 hours north to the city of Oradea today to pick
up 80+ Christmas presents for the Oaza kids. A church in the UK
donated them for the Oaza kids and for a similar ministry to
orphaned/abandoned kids in Oradea. The drive was tiring (it
always is on Romanian roads) but the results were worth it. If
you were a kid, wouldn't your eyes light up at the sight that
was in our car today!
Scott Click to send us a comment
November 28 - Tuesday - It was a very different Thanksgiving this year…but a good one. It felt strange to be in a place where no one knew it was a major holiday. No Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade…no football (American football, that is)…no family… We did spent the evening with some other missionary families in the area enjoying a potluck Thanksgiving dinner. Several of the missionaries in attendance were not American but they came to enjoy the great American traditional food…the British know good food when they see it! We enjoyed some turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and many other treats. No pumpkin pie but the company was great! (Nothing can ever go to waste here…we were thrilled to be able to share a few of the “leftovers” with some ladies on the street as we came home.) :-)
I did manage to make a pie the following day from a butternut squash. I had to revise the recipe somewhat (they don’t sell evaporated milk over here) and modify the baking style (it was a deep dish, casserole pie)…but my family loved it! I’ll keep buying the butternut squash as long as it is in the market.
Scott did take the opportunity to speak on being thankful (versus worry) in his sermon on Sunday. Thus far, we don’t see the commercialism of Christmas that we are accustomed to in America, but admittedly the west is coming here. Not more than a couple of blocks from our home a new mega-store is being built. This may certainly bring more western “things” but will probably put our little neighborhood market out of business. We hope not…the owner is really a very nice man to us and knows everyone in our neighborhood!
Today one of the young men from the children’s home, Oaza, came over and we baked pizzas, breadsticks, and “American-style” cookies. The home he lives in does not have an oven at this time so Arnolt (and Lee, his house parent) asked if they could come use our oven. We had a good time! Our little mini-oven doesn’t hold much so we baked in shifts. (hopefully you can view the video clip below)
The teens and children of the church are busy making preparations for our Christmas program. Stephen is recording the entire “show” which will be shown in video format on Christmas Eve (Sunday morning). The children plan to invite their friends to come watch the “movie”. Stephen and Lydia will be playing music for Christmas (we hope) and the church has asked me to sing (in Romanian!?!)…probably not yet!
As the year is winding down…we feel we are winding up…continue to pray for my ladies Bible study, the kids schooling, our language study, one-on-one friendship/mentoring meetings with several people in the church, helping support the ministry of Oaza… These are items with which we need daily guidance and wisdom! Thanks for praying!
Thankful for you…Paula
November 23, 2006 - Thursday
November 17, 2006 - Friday - Well, it's official. After one year and few days on the market, our house in America is SOLD. While it still feels a little sad to not have our home in Columbus, Ohio, we are so thankful for 1) the sale, and 2) for God's provision over these last 12 months as we've waited for this sale. And we are so thankful for all of you who have persevered in prayer with us about this sale. THANK YOU! Scott & Paula, Stephen & Lydia.
November 15, 2006 -
Wednesday -
We had a busy
weekend…
Larry
and Katie
Winckles came down from Budapest, Hungary for a brief
overnight visit. On Saturday, we took a short trip to show them
the sites in
Timisoara. After their departure back to Budapest, Gabor,
from the
Budapest
church, came for an overnight stay and to worship with us on
Sunday. It was great to have friends visit, but we hope we
didn’t send any “germs” back to Budapest with them. Stephen and
Lydia both became ill over the weekend (a first for our time
here…not fun…not much sleep). Thankfully, the Lord has brought
healing quickly to their bodies and has protected Scott and I.
I began working with a new language teacher here in Arad. While the weather is still tolerable, I have been walking to class (about a 40 minute walk) and back home again. The exercise is great! :-) Please pray that she and I can connect and that she can help me learn within my own unique learning style. Continue to pray for Scott’s safety as he is, for now, still traveling twice a week to Timisoara for language
The house closing is coming closer and closer… The buyer’s final walk-thru is scheduled for Thursday and the closing scheduled for Friday. We are trying to keep from “counting our chickens before they hatch” and remember that God is ultimately in control. We will let you know as soon as things are final! :-)
Pace (peace), Paula
November 8, 2006 - Wednesday - Thanksgiving is coming up soon, but this is an American holiday. It was interesting to hear last week that some Romanians now “celebrate” Halloween with students dressing up in school and getting candy. There were no trick-or-treaters at our door, however. One friend told me that it is “because of the Americans” that they now have Halloween. I told her it was because of American movies and television…the candy probably has something to do with it too. :-) Another friend commented that he likes the idea of Thanksgiving and wishes more people would adopt that tradition.
In
my preparations for Thanksgiving, I’m trying to figure out how
to make pumpkin pie. Yes, I know how to make it, but in the
States I always used the canned pumpkin. Well, no canned pumpkin
here in Romania that I can find. So, yesterday I bought a round
vegetable that I thought was a pumpkin. It sort of looked like a
pumpkin but not exactly (darker brown than the one pictured).
When I cut it open this morning, it looked like a pumpkin inside
and it smelled like a pumpkin…so we decided it must be a
pumpkin. There were not very many on the stand, and it was quite
expensive. Go figure…I thought pumpkins could grow everywhere.
We ate the pumpkin for dinner this evening as a casserole. It
was tasty. Now, to go find another pumpkin (“dovleac” in
Romanian).
I had another language laugh last evening. A friend was over letting us check out his new laptop computer. I was being silly, reading over his shoulder as he IM-ed (instant messaged…for those who aren’t sure) a friend. I was trying to read the Romanian computer jargan. I came across a word (he didn’t write it…his friend did) that I sort of recognized but I wasn’t sure. So, I innocently asked out loud what the word meant. He looked at me...laughed…then told me. I was correct in the association of the word but didn’t realize I was swearing in Romanian! When we learned what I had actually said, we all had a great laugh. Now, if I can just forget that word! :-) Why are some words easier to remember than others?! It’s always good to laugh at yourself…I think God was probably laughing at me too. :-)
Fiti binecuvantati (Be blessed)…Paula
November 2, 2006 -
Thursday -
Our first
snow fell today…flurries, but snow
nonetheless. Lydia and I pulled out our heavier coats, gloves
and scarves before we walked to the bakery this evening for
bread but were still quite cold and wet with snow when we
returned. The warm and freshly baked bread makes it all worth
it! :-)
Bible Study went well last night. A couple of ladies could not make it but we had a new lady come. The sharing is beginning to get easier as we get to know one another better. Things are always a little crazy as we have two toddlers that attend as well but the Holy Spirit is faithful to meet with us. Please continue to pray for this ladies Bible study group. We normally meet on Thursdays.
For
a couple of months now we have been receiving notes in the mail
each week written by the children who attended Kids Camp in the
Ohio Conference this past summer. It has been great to read
these individual notes; what an encouragement they continue to
be to us. Thanks to all of the kids who have written to us. You
are awesome!
We received our first emails this week regarding teams ministering next summer with Emmanuel Church and Oaza. We hope to have information on our website soon about ministry opportunities for teams and/or individuals. Is a mission trip something God may have in mind for you and/or your church?
Thanks for your continued prayers and support. We cannot do this without you!
Fiţi binecuvantaţi! (Be blessed!) >>> Paula