Work Projects!

an amazing week...

Hey everyone! Sorry we haven’t had a chance to make posts this week. We will try to keep it up from now through the rest of the trip!

The wooden shed (a.k.a. bakaza) is coming along nicely.  We’ve built the frame and put up most of the walls.  Today we put the roof on (picts to come soon, this one is from last week).  It’s a very time-consuming project! We still have half of the shed still to move and hope to have time to do it next week.

We had the opportunity last Saturday to go to an all-boy orphanage in a nearby village.  It was the first time that our contacts were allowed in because it is a state orphanage and they are reluctant to let Christian organizations in.  Our goal was to go in, have a good day with the kids and leave with an invitation to return for other teams from the base. We played a game of soccer and just sat around and talked to them.  During the soccer game, they divided everyone between Americans and Romanians.  It was an intense game.  Unfortunately, the Americans lost…horribly.  I won’t post the final score because it was quite embarrassing… Something like 15-1? When it was time for us to leave, the boys were sad to see us go.  The people who run the orphanage said they would allow us to come back! We are so thankful that we have had the opportunity to open up this door for the YWAM base.

Also on Saturday we spent more time with they neighborhood children.  We played games including “duck, duck, goose” and, of course, another game of soccer.

Later in the evening we went back to the youth group at the church in Medias.  Katelyn preached a very awesome message.  Afterwards we sang a very uplifting Romanian song that we believe is called “Evangelia.”

On Monday we had a free day.  One of our contacts, Dora, took us to a city called Brasov with a really cool castle called Bran castle. The castle was situated in a very pretty area.  It was on top of a hill overlooking several small towns.  We climbed up a small mountain where you could see for several miles away.

This week we have continued our normal outreach ministries and had the opportunity to begin a few new ones. We will be posting soon about this weeks events. On Tuesday we were joined by our Regional Coordinator Tyler Sterns, Larry Key, and Austin Helm. It has been awesome getting to hang out with them… but with our busy days we have not got a chance to make posts on the blog! We will be keeping it up like we were before for the rest of the trip!

Working on the shed...

Playing with the kids at the boy's orphanage...

Kevin and Brian singing with one of the guys from the service Sat night...

All of the group of youth that Katelyn shared with on Saturday night...

Katelyn and Emily with kids during a children's church service at a Pentecostal church on Sunday morning...

The feast on Sunday night... tacos and home made tortillas made by tiff and b-mo...

hmm... looks good!

The girls on our free day!

The city of Brasov!

A meadow we met to pray for a while last night just about a 10 minute walk from the YWAM base in Medias.

Hanging out...

Dracula, free time, and moving the bakaza

Monday was our first free day and we decided to go see some of the historical sights in the nearby city of Sighisoara.  It is a very old city with a castle built by the infamous Vlad Dracul (a.k.a. Dracula).  The old town was very well preserved.  The streets were very narrow and made of cobblestone.  We toured the old castle and fortress and the church at the top of the hill.  We took a train from Medias to Sighisoara and back.  It was built by the communists and made a lot of noise and swayed back and forth.  Along the way were a number of very run down villages, but also some very beautiful scenery.

  Tuesday, after our regular duties at the base, we went into town to a coffee house and grocery store.  We caused quite the scene at the grocery store.  Katelyn, Emily, and Kevin had problems at the check out counter with the conveyor belt.  Their items were backed up on the belt and things started falling all over the place.  The lady working the check out counter was not happy and the people in the store were staring at us, and one man called us tourists among other things.

  Starting Tuesday the guys started dismantling the old, wooden shack (bakaza) and moving it up the hill to be rebuilt. It was really hot.  The temperature got up to around 100 degrees.  It was a lot of work carrying all the wood up the hill.  The girls stay inside and cook and do laundry for the base.  Cooking and doing laundry for nearly 20 people can be a lot of work.  Tonight we went to a school and played volleyball with some of the people from the base. Tomorrow we will be going out into a nearby village and starting what will be a continuing evangelistic outreach for children. We are hoping to establish relationships with kids that the people here at the base can continue after we leave. There is also a chance that we will be teaching english. Please pray that both the school's headmaster and the head of an orphanage in the village will be open to letting us engage their children. Denominational tradition has a tendency in trump even the greatest of intentions. Also, continue to pray for Tif (our awesome ATL) she has been sick since we arrived in Medias.

First Train Ride...

The Castle...

Walking through the medieval city...

What a beautiful city (from the top of the guard tower)

Kevin and Meghan climbing down the stairs of the tower...

Another view of the city...

Half of the shed torn down on Tuesday...

Sean (right) carrying wood from the old shed to its new site.

The guys w/ Dani (one of our contacts) carrying wood to the new site.

Church Ministry

Yesterday we had an opportunity to minister to some Gypsy children and a youth group at a church in Medias.  We played a number of games with the children including “Duck, Duck, Goose” or “Ratsa, Ratsa, Goozka.”  The kids really and enjoyed it and so did we.  We also sang everyone’s favorite Christian song, “Higher, Higher.”  At the youth group we sang a few worship songs and played some games in the courtyard of the church like “Hot Potato.”

Today we went to two churches.  This morning we went to a traditional Pentecostal church in another village.  The girls had to wear scarves on their heads and the men and women had to sit on different sides.  Kaitlyn played the guitar and Emily, Meghan, and Sean sang with her.  John shared a testimony afterwards.  Brandon gave a very good sermon about unity in the church.  The people at the church seemed to enjoy it.  This afternoon we went to a Baptist church.  It was also very traditional and the men and women had to sit on opposite sides.  We sang some songs and Brandon gave another awesome sermon.

We’ve really been connecting well with the people at the base.  Right now they have several people doing missionary work all over the world.  It’s very awesome to see people in other countries sending missionaries to the uttermost bounds of the earth.  The people at the base really enjoy life and make sure to put God at the center of the lives.  They take time out of every day to stop what they’re doing and pray and meditate on the Lord.  They also like to have fun and laugh.  They really like to watch movies.  The other day we showed them Wall-E and today we showed them episodes of The Office.

Downtown, village, and base

We have spent much of the week helping our contacts to clear out the attic at the YWAM base.  They are preparing for construction to start probably next week in the attic to built new classrooms and bedrooms.  We meet for intercession with everyone on the base after breakfast and then work the rest of the morning. In the middle of the morning work we have a coffee break (or pausa de cafea) at about 11:30.  The coffee and tea here is really good and we have chocolates and other snacks with it.  Everyone on the team has agreed to continue having the coffee breaks when we get back home! :) 

Yesterday and today we moved everything into a shed (bakaza). The bakaza is on the left with Alen, one of the guys who live here at the base. We were told that we’re going to be dismantling the bakaza and moving it behind the base next week which will be quite a task…!

This afternoon we ventured into a village about 20 kilometers from Medias (pictured at right).  There was a very large, very old church in the center of the village.  It had been built between the 14^th and 16^th centuries by the Germans.  A large group of Germans lived in the village until after World War II when the Romanian government forced them to leave.  The communists moved groups of Gypsies (Roma) to the village.  Today, there are three main ethnic groups in the village: Romanians, Roma, and some Germans still remaining.  Our contracts told us that there is a lot of tension between these ethnicities.

We will be spending time with the children and youth in the schools and churches of this village and other villages in the area soon. Today we met some of the children (right) and tried to figure out the best place do do outreaches next week. Pray that we have the wisdom to know how to reach these people, many who seem to have little hope. We will be organizing two children's outreaches tomorrow (Saturday) in Medias and two church services in the villages Sunday. Pray that the Lord will lead us in our planning so that we can effectively build relationships and communicate encouragement and life to the people.

May 13, 2009

  We are having an amazing time here in Medias, Romania.  Our contacts are extremely friendly and we all feel right at home.  We were all a little sick after the long plane rides, but we're feeling much better now.

  Yesterday one of our contacts took us on a tour of Medias.  It's a very old town with an old fortress in the center with several guard towers.  There are also a number of old churches, especially Romanian Orthodox churches.  We were able to go into a large Orthodox church and listen to a choir chant.  It was interesting to see the contrast between very old buildings and roads and very new cars and people dressed in Western clothes.

  Today we started our work.  We are helping clean and clear out the attic at the base in preparation for construction work.  Each of us also has a specific responsibility at the base such as cleaning or helping to cook.

  We will be going to some schools soon as well as doing some evangelism so please continue to keep us in your prayers.

~Kevin

Medias, Romania! The view at the left is from our bedroom window in the YWAM base in Medias. Starting on Wednesday, May 13 we will begin keeping a daily blog of our trip. As for now, all I will say is that we made it safely and are working on recovering from the jet lag! Also, please be praying for us as most of us are feeling a little bit sick... colds, congestion mostly...

~Brandon