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!

3 vignettes

i have 3 unrelated thoughts .. but if i don't post them now, they probably won't get posted. sorry for the randomness :P

CULTURES .. i was talking with a friend the other day and she said something that was funny .. but i didn't understand much. she said it quickly and mumbled a little. she looked at me with exasperation and said, "you americans don't understand anything!" i looked at her with sad puppy eyes, and sighed. she relented, "okay. you're half romanian, so you understand some of the time." we looked at each other and laughed for at least a minute. sweet!

AUTUMN .. living in Romania, one of the signs of fall that i enjoy is a particular smell. because it is still very much an agricultural society, going to the neighborhood farmers' market is still part of the week (at least once!) for most families. and in the fall, there is lots of canning, pickling and freezing to prepare fruits and veggies for winter. one common vegetable is a red pepper. it is similar to a bell pepper, but can be a bit spicy. they are roasted, peeled, and then frozen or canned to be eaten later in the year. and the smell .. delectable!

KINDNESS .. this evening, on my way to church, i saw a little boy (5 or 6 years old) caught on a fence. it was 2 or 2.5 feet high, and he had climbed halfway over. most apartment blocks have plots of land outside that are fenced in, which are sometimes used for flowers or drying clothes. this little boy looked pretty stuck, and a young man who was walking by said 'can i help you?' and gently and easily picked him up. he held him up so they were about eye level, and then asked him which way he had been trying to go. the boy told him and was gently placed on the other side of the fence. what a treat .. to see one human acknowledge and value another with grace and simplicity.

between..

i had a conversation today with another american. who hasn't spent very much time in romania. when he found out that i'd been here for 3 years, his eyebrows went up. a few minutes later, he asked me if i felt like a romanian now. i didn't know how to respond. maybe it's a difference of definition? although i speak romanian fairly well, and know how to get around this city, and don't hang out with many other foreigners .. that doesn't make me romanian. to be romanian means to be full of their beautiful culture -- language and history and family stories and wonderful food and so much more. because i've spent three years in romania -- i am now neither fully american nor fully romanian. somewhere in the middle. i am actually beginning to feel at home here in some ways .. but there are often reminders that i just don't belong. which is okay. it's a challenge to push in deeper.