Last full day in Romania

Today was our final full day in Romania. It is sad because we have made or renewed some many friendships in such a short time. Everyone is asking that we come back. I think it will be the hardest on the girls (Amy, Melissa & Michele) because they have really bonded with the youth/college age kids here in Ciacova. For the third night in a row, they are now (after 10:00pm) at the Ciacova Fellowship Hall for a game night. They threatened to stay up all night because “we can always sleep on the plane”.

Today started out late. All we were doing was a church service in Sag. So we were able to sleep in. Marius did take Ruth and I to a fantastic restaurant in a town call Girag, just next to Timisoara. The owner has built a fabulous place with a pizza shop, restaurant, wedding reception hall (seats up to 500 people), a lounge, a fitness center with a spa and massages and a Soccer field that can have a roof in the winter. All of this across from his butcher shop, so you can imagine the nice fresh meat they serve. But you probably don't really want hear about this.

We meet at 3:00 to do some tourist things. We went to the historic woods. Here they have replica homes from Romania over the years with vintage clothing and house layouts. We then had a small dinner/snack of Mattei (a spicy piece of meat similar to scrapal). We then got changed and headed to the Church in Sag.

In Sag, we sang a song (Mighty is our God), Ruth gave her testimony then we preformed the Heart skit. Then we sang a song (Lord I lift your name on high) followed by Michele and Amy doing the little man routine. We sang a third song (Blessed Assurance) and then I gave my testimony. It was all well received. The sort of tough part, emotionally, was that Marius and Tabita gave each of us a gift to say thank you for coming.

It was hard knowing that we would be leaving tomorrow. We planned, scheduled, raise support and work for months to be ready, then boom it is over. A couple of us even got emotional yesterday thinking about leaving. But I guess if you do not get emotional at the end of a missions trip, it was not a good trip. As Marius said to the Sag church, and to most of the churches, we are not only in their prayers but in their hearts also. I know that these people here in Romania are in my heart also.

If I can say one last thing it would be this. If you have an opportunity to go on a short term missions trip, you must do it. You have to get past the fear or another country/setting, fear of flying, fear of another culture's food because when you get done your trip you can not be anything but changed. You will change how you see missionaries, how you will see other cultures, how you see how you live at home and how you will pray for your missionaries and their ministries.

If you want to talk about any of this, the trip or what I have written, please contact me or one of the others on this trip. We would be glad to talk with you.

Well, we leave tomorrow morning at 7:30am, Romanian time (12:30am US time), for the Budapest Airport. So this will be my final log from Romania. I hope you have enjoyed what I have written.

In HIS Service,
Doug