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.