'providential'

apologies for the long pause. hope you enjoy this story!

wednesday i traveled from romania to germany. two plane rides. each of them less than two hours. but still .. i got to be on a plane! traveling is something i always enjoy, and this day was no exception. i arrived at the airport in germany and needed to get down to the train station (connected to the airport, just takes a bit of walking to get there) for the train i had a ticket on that left 40 minutes after i had collected my baggage.

when i arrived at the train station, i looked up at the wall to see which trains were leaving when. my train wasn't on the list. i got a feeling that all was not well with the world .. and walked back a short ways to the place where you can buy tickets. i showed one of the women working there my ticket, and she said 'oh.. this is from the main station in the city, not from the airport station.' she looked at my sad face and said 'there's a train leaving on line 4 in 4 minutes. it's ten minutes into the city center and the conductor probably won't come and ask for tickets. so .. that's what i did. i walked very quickly and made the train (it was two minutes late, even, so i didn't have to worry!) and although the conductor passed by, there were many people already waiting to exit the train at the stop so she didn't ask for any tickets. thanks, God!

the track i needed to be at was just one over, so it was easy to get there and i even had almost 10 minutes to spare! turns out the train was running 10 minutes late, so i had a bit more time. once i got on the train and found a seat (i had a seat on my ticket but it was in use, so i just found one nearby) that was next to another woman. i assumed she was a german, and when she went to the bathroom she spoke german to me. but .. after she came back, she called her mother. and .. what language did she happen to use?! why, romanian, of course! so we had an hour and a half to talk about all sorts of things! there were some mechanical problems with the train, so it stopped for a bit and went a slightly different direction .. but God had provided this woman who would kindly translate for me! and who let me use her phone to call the friends i am visiting, letting them know i was going to be late.

it felt so .. providential. something that is just too much to be a coincidence. i come to a different country .. and end up having a ticket for the wrong train .. and sit down next to a random woman .. who just happens to be fluent in romanian and german (and at least 3 other languages as well!) .. and who wants to talk about some of what God is doing in romania, and things we understand about the culture. such a gift! made me feel that i truly am taken care of. with nothing to worry about :)

winter is here!

so .. it's been a while since i've posted anything. maybe someone is still reading? if so, thanks for your patience!

late monday night, and didn't really stop until late friday night. little flakes .. but that much snow means a lot! i don't know exactly how much, but six inches? maybe more? this is the first real snowfall, so i've been enjoying it. makes me feel like it is actually winter!

one big difference between snow in america and snow in romania is that an average american family has a car (or more), while the typical romanian family doesn't necessarily. there are plenty of cars .. but many people still get places by walking or taking a bus or a tram. which is generally a great way to get around. but when it's snowing and cold .. less enjoyable. but more enjoyable for many small children .. as they go with parents and grandparents on errands, many get rides on sleighs, instead of walking!

this morning, i saw that it had stopped snowing, and i looked at the temperature. -13*C .. which is about 9*F. cold! i just checked, and now it says that it's around -17*C, which is just over 1*F. very cold! nobody is spending any more time outside than they have to. everyone is bundled up well, with at least a few layers, and walking quickly to their destination. makes me very glad for good heating, and for warm tea! but .. crazy as i am, i am enjoying the cold. i have warm clothes, which helps, but i also just like cold weather. and it is finally here! if it stays cold, the snow should stick around for a while as well! at least until Christmas :)

answered prayer

today something happened that could have been discouraging. but i asked God for strength. i told Him that i trust Him .. so instead of being discouraged i got to give the problem to my Daddy who knows how to take care of it. i took a few minutes to write some thoughts in my journal before heading off to worship practice, and asked God to give me trust and joy. and He did!

throughout our 3 hours rehearsal, i kept smiling. not constantly .. but whenever i looked for Joy it was there. this sweet Presence with me. and really .. when one is aware that the Creator of the Universe is present, it can be hard not to smile! and if i had been alone, i would have danced a jig at least a few times. but i was with our worship team and didn't feel quite comfortable enough for that. so i made do with lots of big grins, a light heart, and a few handstands.

a trip to the dentist

most people i know aren't excited about a trip to the dentist .. but sometimes, it is actually nice. like when you know something is wrong with your teeth and you know that it's going to be better after the visit. last week i made a few phone calls and set up an appointment to go and see a dentist. a romanian dentist. something i'd never done before. another new cultural experience..

i wasn't sure what information i would need, or what sort of forms there would be to fill out. from what i remember in america, there are usually lots of forms. i showed up at the right office (with good directions, that is easy!), rang the doorbell, and the dental assistant let me in. she asked me to wait a couple of minutes. and it really was only a couple of minutes! i was then invited into the office (and that's the extent of it .. a waiting room, and an office .. one dentist and one assistant), shown a chair where i could put my bag and coat, and pointed to the chair where i would sit.

she asked a couple of questions about what i thought the problem might be, and then she asked me to open my mouth and the process began. no forms, no writing, no background information needed. it was easy! and i learned some new words in the process .. words like 'filling' and 'cavity' and 'gums'. since it was just a problem with a cavity, there was no anesthetic. not sure how often they use shots in america, but the dentist just drilled carefully. if it was in a sensitive spot, she went slowly and never pushed too hard. it wasn't painless, but definitely bearable. and i'm not saying that it was exciting to be at the dentist .. but the fact that it was an 'unknown' .. and i was able to go and figure it out as i went and even have some interesting bits of conversation .. one less thing to be uncertain of here in romania! and aside from that i even have a tooth that is much happier!

it's marvelous to be warm!

HURRAH!!

the weather here has been cold for more than a week. but typically, there is a wait of at least four days to see that the weather will stay cold, so that money isn't needlessly spent on heating. but it has stayed cold. temps in the 40s and 30s most days. making for lots of tea drinking, layering, and warm blankets. i arrived home this evening, heard a strange sound .. and when i felt one of the pipes in the hallway .. it was finally warm!!

we have heat!!

Thanks, God!

a good morning

this morning i curled up in my comfy armchair with three wonderful things..

1 -- a bowl filled with homemade granola, homemade yogurt, and a kiwi
2 -- a mug of strong black coffee, ground yesterday, made in a french press
3 -- the Word of God, which my Friend always uses to speak truth to me!

what better way to start the day?

feeble explanations of grace..

i see my 'bunica' (boo-nee-cah, which means grandmother in Romanian) about once every two weeks, and we always find interesting things to talk about. when i first began spending time with her (almost 3 years ago!) our time consisted exclusively of language lessons, and me leaving with an aching head almost every week. now, there are few grammar corrections and we simply share stories, thoughts, ask questions, and seek to get to know each other better.

last week, she told me a story about how a young teenager had murdered his mother. in our city. violently. she told me she has no hope for him, that when she hears stories similar to this one she is filled with despair. i couldn't agree with her on this one. you see .. if i say that any individual is beyond hope, it means that my God is not all powerful. i believe that He is powerful beyond my imagination. way beyond. this is a concept that doesn't get explained easily in any language .. but i made an attempt in Romanian. this is the second time this particular topic has come up in the last month, so i think my 'bunica' started to comprehend just a little bit more. and me too, i think. may our definitions be widened and narrowed in such a way that we can both proclaim and understand Truth more fully!