Stenga!Drapta!Jost!

Last time we saw our adventurers, they had just finished the hike down the mountain. All the students and leaders were tired and needed a rest, but we had to drive down before we could really rest. As we climbed the metal ladder into the back of the big blue communist era truck, the rain was fairly light. People were still taking pictures together but some of the flashes didn't seem to come from a camera. Once loaded, the straps were brought in to give us something to hang on to. Just before we pulled out, someone overheard the driver say, "No, we should go now before the storm gets any worse"

Because the thick steel bed of the truck was both cold and wet, no one dared sit down. So we all found our place standing in the back. Ariel and Laneya were able to grab seats in the cab, which was more of a bench than a seat. From there vantage they could see the road ahead for us. There were still a few people who could not hold on to either the front, the sides, or the straps, and quickly they held on to the others who had a secure hold. In turn each held on to one another. This made for one of the best examples of unity anyone has ever seen. No person was without support, each with some sort of bond to someone else.

As we lumbered down the road, the rain picked up. The dynamics of holding on was a bit different as we went downhill. Before the driver would spend time in low gear to pull us up the grade of the road. But now, the brakes were used to control the speed, which were sensitive to the driver's toe as we felt when the truck would jolt slightly, sending our team lurching forward from time to time. I thought someone took another picture but the sound of thunder focused my attention. Its then we realized that a bunch of wet people standing in the steel bed of large truck was a science experiment even Benjamin Franklin would be jealous of. The only improvement we could have made would have been to hold up our aluminium ladder we used for loading. But holding up a ladder was impossible because of the area coming ahead. The rain saturated the trees and made each branch a little heavier from when we fist passed them. We were making better time down as driver of this 3 ton truck rode on the brakes as gently as possible over the potholes made bigger by the flow of new water.
The branches coming from all sides began to get thicker and more frequent. One young man, a former gymnast from the Romanian national team took the roll of calling out from which side the branches were coming from. Not all people could look to see ahead so this young man, Iosif, gave the warnings and commands:

Stegna,Jost!...Drapta,Jost!...Stenga!...Drapta,Jost!

This quickly became the most intense repetitive language lesson where the consequence was a wet deciduous branch upside the face. We quickly learned that "Stenga" means "left" - or specifically in this context "Here comes a set of branches to smack you from the left" while "Jost" means "get down". This leave "Drapta" - you guessed it - means "You people on the right watch out, you're about to receive an organic caning."

We began to get used to these lessons as we approached the areas of the road where there was sharp drop offs on one side. I warned Ralph not to look down at the daunting precipice just starting to be eaten away with the flowing water. He didn't appreciate my detail of this or of the rock-slide areas where some bowling-ball sized stones were observed in between tree-branch gauntlets dropping just behind us.

After about an hour of this, some were getting cold and we took what dry cloths we had help cover ears and hands. Also, we continued to hold on to each other through the remainder of the trip and a huge cheer erupted when the camp came in sight. Similar to storming Normandy from a Higgins boat, some guys went over the edge of the truck instead of waiting for the aluminium ladder to be set up for disembarking. Luckily the camp crew had stoked the wood fire to give us heated water for hot showers. There we began to process what just happened to us.

We returned from this mountain a unified set of people welded together by a rare experience. This set the tone for the remainder of the week, where each discussion and lesson and prayer time were more indicative of a close-knit family. After Rich gave the lesson on forgiving one another, many people used this opportunity to get and give forgiveness, or begin the process when they returned. The Lord put us through a camp experience (not available at Hume) which formed a strong body of Christ that was sent out to do a great work.

Hike up the mountains

After receiving messages concerning how to treat "One Another" we prepared for our hiking trip up into the mountains. Every hike into the mountains is a great opportunity to bond and help one another. Little did we know what God had in store for us.

The leader of the camp gave us a half hour discussion on the dangers of the mountain. He told us to pack a jacket in case it gets cold, hiking boots to support our ankles, sunscreen. He told us how much food to pack and how to use tread light on the environment, even while using the bathroom. There was even a small chance of running into bears, so he gave as much advise as he could. Then he mentioned the hike was about 2 hours to the top. Which didn't seem like too large of a hike but we were prepared to be cautions. He also briefly mentioned that we would travel to the trail head by a convertible transport.

After getting used to our communist barracks, we now were introduced to our communist convertible transport. It was a large blue truck that showed no favoritism between hauling sand & gravel or a load of Romanian campers. We joyfully loaded up using an aluminum ladder. For "safety" they tied two straps across the box for us to hold onto. As we loaded we noticed a strong wind blowing the trees that hadnt been there on previous days.

Heading up the mountain we cheered and hollered at any people we saw in their homes or in thier cars. It was a jovial time had by all. Some people sat down while others continued to hang on. As the sides of the road got a little steeper, Ralph concentrated on maintaining composure in the face of great heights. As we got higher into the mountains, the trees began to close in around us. Of the people who where standing, they had to watch for a low branch that would sweep over the truck, but going uphill the speeds were pretty slow.

The hike up the mountain was wonderful, beautiful mountain lakes with rocky areas and greenery that is slightly different than what we're used to. For instance, a bush that formed barriers and mazes that had needles like a pine tree, but grew no higher than 8 feet (~2 meters) tall. There were always areas to sit down and rest in a lovely grass as we ascended. The conversations were full of encouragement and the time was a great time of bonding for all of us. The group had split into two: one who wanted to go for the top and another who wanted to enjoy the scenery. As the group approached the top, the wind we saw earlier had brought some dark clouds toward us. The view was wonderful but the wind picked up as well. We began to make our way down engaging in even more great conversations and building relationships. As the two groups met up again, the dark clouds gave way to a full fledged thunderstorm. The intensity of the rain varied in intensity every few minutes. Now the rain made hiking down the trail more tricky, slipping on the wet rocks. When we made it down the trail we all got that feeling of relief after overcoming a large task. But this ... was only part of our journey.

Its getting late so keep posted for the next installment entitled: Stenga!Drapta!Jost!

Return to Civilization

We have returned.
After a week at the camp with the young Romanians, we now have internet access. As soon as we got back everyone grabbed their electronics and began to self medicate with wi-fi access. Here is the story of our adventure.

All 45+ people drove the 3 hours from Sibiu to tabara crestina (christian camp) Bradatel. After stepping out of the cars and vans we took in the amenities of the camp and began to think of the song, "Hello mudda, hello fadda, here i am at ...". At first sight, the communist era workers barracks were architecturally a only slightly nicer to look at than a cereal box. Inside, each room was set up to ensure no communist worker could have any advantage over one another. Although the musty mold smell seemed to favor our first room more, so we moved. Every door squeaked such that everyone knew when you were coming or going. The great people keeping the camp going would stoke the up the wood burning water heater twice a day to take a nice shower. Outside the ping pong table was made of concrete and was chipped so bad even playing basketball on it would be tough. The open play area doubled as a gravel parking lot. The volleyball court was surrounded by a 12 foot high fence. Luckily they had cut out a gap to get in but the cement mixer in the court area made it a bit dangerous. Needless to say we were a little nervous about how things were going to turn out.

Backing up a bit, the theme that we put together for the camp was "One Another", ie love one another, encourage one another, serve one another, and forgive one another. This was our challenge to the kids, to come together, one another.

As the games and message begin to sink in, it is clear to see that these Romanian student leaders really took the bulls by the horns and started a set of group games. The bonds of one another to began to form. After the message of loving one another from Rich and encouraging one another from Donnie we embarked on our test to put these things into practice. The trek up the mountain together. Keep posted for the next installment...

We made it!

We have been in country a few hours now. No major hiccups and plenty of fun during the flight. Laneya's training in Disneyland prepared her for the five different lines we waited in before getting on the plane. First, I (Donnie) picked the first line and it turned out to be the security line, but without boarding passes. Then we went through the boarding pass kiosk line but the United Airlines kiosk didnt recognize Sibiu. The agent then showed us to a new line for troubled cases. This agent tricked the system into accepting Sibiu after some furious typing, which allowed us to have our bags checked all the way. Yes! The next two lines were simply security and boarding. After stopping in Chicago, we then flew on to Munich with Lufthansa. One issue on that flight was when a the attendants asked if there was a doctor on the flight. An older lady had a bad mix of her pills and drink. She laid down in the isle with her feet up and gave her oxygen. She was ok later.

Once in Romania, Adi and Beni drove us through the town. What a beautiful town with so many layers of history. The German influence mixed with the communist building was nothing ive seen before.

Adi Monica Yasmine took us to the city square, they are wonderful and with such beautiful hearts for people. We will have more on this later of course.

Today's the day!!

We head out today. Pray for our travel which will take (with flight times and layovers)close to 20 hours.

3 days to go!!

A great commissioning and prayer for the team yesterday at Fremont Community Church (FCC). I definitely feel the excitement building not just here in the team members from California, but also from the team members in Spain!

More Dexterity in Packing

Well, each of us is taking at least one of the monitors in our checked luggage. I figured out how to take the base off so that the monitor will lay fully flat. Now I can pack all my clothes around it to cushion it along with the bubble wrap already around it. Packing for this trip has become more challenging than past trips that I've taken. I'm also almost done buying all I need for this trip. It'll be interesting to see how everyone else does

Found out today that when we leave SFO we'll be flying out of the domestic terminal. That's because the first leg of our trip is to Chicago. Hopefully, we won't have to go through security again there because we arrive and leave from the same terminal. I'm looking forward to moving from a United flight onto a Lufthansa one.

Our team is getting excited on both sides of the Atlantic. The Tabans are looking forward to joining us from Spain and we're excited to be going. We're settling on a theme of sharing about the "one another" passages from the New Testament.

Keep PRAYING!!!

Dexterity in Packing

Problem: Our missions team has been commissioned to take 5 monitors to Romania. In an effort to help the matter I brainstormed what i thought was a clever idea. Pack heavier items in my carry-on to allow more room. After some helpful comments from some seasoned international travelers, I have realized that im not as clever as i thought. From the airlines perspective its probably not the first time someone has tried to turn their travel plans into a mini FedEx transport. First Pastor Rich found the weight limits:

"Donnie, our itinerary states what the weight limits are. Our checked luggage has a limit of 50 pounds while the carry-on has a limit of 18 pounds."

Then Elizibeth Huffmaster, a Romanian Mission allumni provided a good warning:

"Read your airline website. Err on the safe side or have things you can dump in the trash. Weighing carry-ons can happen, usually has to do with the number of people on the plane. They WILL charge you for extra weight if they find out about it or ask you to dump it. Right there. No other options."

Thanks for the insight! So, with the monitors, we might hit the weight limit before the volume limit. I'll remember to stay flexible when packing. Donnie

We need to preach and teach the Word

Today I had a great conversation with Adi Bratosin, our main contact for this year's mission in Romania. We talked about the importance of simply proclaiming God's Word. So I know that our primary responsibility will be to teach the Bible to the youth in Romania. That will give them a great foundation to begin to be missional. It will be a wonderful foundation for my team to learn to minister out of a more biblical base. Looking forward to what we will do together. I'm jazzed about the partnership of a team comprised of Americans, Romanians from Spain, and Romanian Romanians laboring together in unity. Adi and I had a great prayer time today as well.

Why we are going to Romania

I think we need to think strategically about God's heart for the world. It used to be that when we talked about missions, we would always think about Africa. That's because it was a "dark continent". Well, today Africa is the most evangelized continent on the planet. There is no continent with a higher percentage of the population that is Christian than Africa. However, it still seems to be the glamor place for mission teams to go. On the other hand the new "dark continent" is now Europe. With the atheism that was proclaimed under the communist regimes, Eastern Europe is now a wide open field for the gospel to take root. Western Europe is now entrenched in a post-Christian culture. The percentage of those who are evangelical Christians on the continent is almost in the single digits. However, missiologists are saying that the fastest growing evangelical community in Europe is in Romania. The other statistic is that there are more Romanians in other parts of Europe than any other ethnic European community. In fact, in Spain, the Romanian minority is second only to Moroccans. And projections are that they will surpass that within the next two years. As we evangelize or help the Romanians evangelize their own people, we will see more Christian Romanians in other parts of Europe. And they are beginning to be more deliberately missional in how they evangelize. Strategically, Romania is the place where we should be because Romania could become the shining beacon of hope and light to a dark continent. The ultimate salvation or re-evangelization of Europe may very well begin in Romania.

Sibiu and Astronautics

Hello all, I will begin my post by sharing some amazing history that i found about Sibiu. Two of my favoite things are history and aerospace ... well they have crossed paths in Sibiu. One of the three fathers of astronautics came from Sibiu. His name is Hermann Oberth, and he shares this position with American Robert Goddard and Russian Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. He mentored Verner von Braun before the second world war. If you're interested...heres the wiki on him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Oberth

If that wasnt enough interesting aerospace history facts. The first person to describe multistage rocketry was Conrad Haas, also from Sibiu. But this was a full three centuries befor Oberth. This wasnt discovered until 1961 when they found a manuscript in the local library from the 1500s. I just wonder if Oberth came across Haas's work at some time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_Haas

I already have a great respect for the people of Sibiu.

We're gearing up

We're about 9 weeks away from leaving for Romania. I'm really excited that we'll be joined by a Romanian couple living in Spain, Teo and Priscilia Taban. It's going to be great to blend a team from two countries to partner with those in a third to do ministry. Keep praying for us, especially that we can raise the $12,500 we need to do this ministry.

We're heading back!!!

The 2011 Romania team is gearing up for its mission this July. Follow our blog to see what progress we're making as we prepare for the trip.