day 3- around town and business seminars

We spent the morning sight-seeing around Bucharest, including visiting the People's Palace. It is the second largest building in the world behind the Pentagon. Until 20 years ago, Romania was a Communist Country under the rule of Nicolae Ceausescu. He had the People's Palace built, but he was executed before he ever had a chance to occupy it. The building was supposedly constructed exclusively with Romanian marble, crystal and other materials. It was a very impressive structure. The people from Romania are not proud of the structure and may have never even been inside (many do not have the funds to pay the entry fee).

After touring the city we went back to the University where Chris, Scott and Larry did a seminar on business ethics for the students. They did an excellent job and Scott was able to share his testimony with the students at the end of the event. They were invited the next morning to share at a business coffee/breakfast hosted by an atheist.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!!

cupcake class

My mom attended a cupcake class this week while she was staying with the girls. Aren't these the cutest?

Happy 75th Birthday Granny!

day 2 on the College of Business Campus

One of the team members, Scott has traveled to Romania for the past 20 years, so he prepped us for lots of Romanian customs and life in general before we left. I was very thankful for his insider tips, it made a few of the shocks, a little less shocking. One was tips on showering. He advised us to bring baby wipes as it is very expensive to heat the water. Most Romanians do not turn the hot water on until the winter months. No warnings could prepare me for how cold the water was, NONE. Great thing about showers is they are the hand held shower heads, so I QUICKLY washed off my body, dried myself off, got my clothes on and decided to wash my hair over the side of the tub. As I am rinsing the conditioner out of my hair, I notice the temperature is beginning to rise in the water - I had not let the water run enough to get the hot water to kick in. Everyone else had hot water that morning for their showers, me I learned the importance of patience.

We took the subway to downtown Bucharest to meet the rest of the team from Campus Crusade and our team. We were the first to arrive so we started to pass out invitations to the business seminars that we would be hosting that week. We also distributed Crusades on-campus magazine - Fitzuica (translated - Cheat Sheets for Life). I met several students, most everyone spoke English. They were all very interested in my camera and my photography business. Most of the students are very pessimistic and an over-whelming sense of "being the victim." We tried as a team to encourage them about the many opportunities that lie ahead for them and their country.

I met one girl, who pretended she did not speak English, b/c she did not want to talk to us. I was talking to her friend who was a marketing student who was interested in photography as a hobby. I could tell the girl was listening and I knew she could comprehend by her reactions. She finally acknowledged she understood and was just tired from a night out with her boyfriend. They had been out watching Emperor's New Groove. She is one of the faces I carry in my memory and my heart this week. When I think of the college students in Romania I think of her. They do have so many opportunities, but they feel so hopeless. Very few knew Christ and did not want to know more about Him, I just hope and pray we planted a seed that some day some one else can water and then harvest.

pumpkin carving

Romania day 1

On Sunday morning, as I was getting the girls shoes on so they could take me to the church, I began to cry at the thought of leaving my family for 11 days. Bella began to cry and LE fought back the tears. I got myself together and we drove in the rain to the church. When we got to the church it was pouring down rain, so I had to hug and kiss the girls bye in their car seats. I began to cry again, and LE responded "Don't start that again."

Everyone was waiting for me in the van, so I loaded up quickly and we were off for the Houston airport. We stopped in Giddings for Subway, and then headed east still in the rain. I received a text from Ben, "Mommy is so silly when she cries like that," - LE. Merissa's dad drove us and Karen and Scott met us at the airport. We flew British Airways and had great choices of food and movies. I watched The Proposal and chose the ravioli for diner. I could not get comfortable to sleep - 9 hours of in-flight tv and movies - thank goodness for the empty seat between Merissa and I.

We had a 3 hour layover in London, where the girls shopped & the guys sat around, wait, I am a girl, I did not shop. Scott recommended an oyster bar, so I grabbed a spicy crab roll with the leftover Euros I had from last year's stopover in Amsterdam.

The last leg of the trip was a 3 1/2 hour flight to Bucharest. When we arrived it was still raining. When I stood up Chris asked if the guy 3 rows in front of me had a camouflage backpack. He did, it was Jim Shockey, a famous tv hunter who was there to do a special on hunting bear and wild boar in Romania.

The drive through Romania was crazy. I have never experienced worse driving in all of my life. Lanes merged, horns honking, people not yielding right-of-way, cars on sidewalks, I was so glad we had a driver. It was rush hour traffic and it took us nearly 2 hours to get to the Campus Crusade for Christ offices. They had "American" pizza waiting for us. We met our host, Cristina, and we split up for the night to get some rest. Merissa and I crashed hard in her bedroom that she offered us, she slept on the couch with her younger sister. She says they sleep together every night, so they can sit up talking. I am still not sure I believe her.

*view from take-off at London Heathrow Airport

Elgin Pumpkin Patch

I returned from my trip on Thursday night around 10:15. Gigi and Mimi watched the girls the 2nd week I was gone, so Mimi joined us. On Friday, I could not wait to get out of bed and spend the day with the girls. We took the short drive to Elgin on the recommendation of my friend, Kris. They had hayrides, pumpkin decorating, playscape, farm animals and duck races. It was a great first day back with the girls. I crashed around 8:30, before the girls even did. I sure missed them!

it has happened

Shopping will never be the same. Last night, I took the girls shopping for tights and fall shoes, ALONE. I gave into peer pressure.

First of all, the first store did not have shoes nor cotton tights. Store #2 did not have tights, but had a cute selection of little girl's shoes. I wanted a pair of brown Mary Jane's to go with the not-so- dressy Sunday dresses & jeans. We found Bella's brown shoes with a little ladybug, but did not have them in LE's size. Then I found these sort-of cute brown shoes with flowers and hearts, but the matching hot pink ones stole LE's attention. Me- "Honey, we don't need pink shoes, you wore pink shoes to the store (keds, but none the less still pink). You need brown shoes." Tears in her eyes, "But the pink ones are so cool and the brown ones are just brown." I gave in, I could not reason with it. She was right the pink ones were much cooler. Next time, Daddy can take her and she will get one of each pair.

day at the alpaca farm

Mimi invited the girls and I to an alpaca farm a couple of weeks ago to see how to spin the wool into yarn. These animals were so gentle and adorable. I wanted to bring one home for a pet. Some of these pics were taken by my budding photographers. (Romania posts are coming, I have to get my pics off a friend's computer.)

Hello from Romania

Today I am in Bucharest, but leaving for the mountains. It is VERY cold and VERY WET. Miss everyone, thanks for the prayers.

prayer request

So, I leave in 3 days - THREE DAYS! I had to take my suitcase to the church last night, so that is marked off my list, now to just enjoy my kiddos and hubby for these last few days before I jet set to my THIRD continent to serve the Lord on. I am getting so excited about this trip. At first I was not, just kept wondering what in the world I was doing signing up? I want to go to AFRICA, not Europe. Then, I had a realization - If I had a plan it would be far less than what the Lord can plan. So, I am just trusting Him - going into all the nations to preach HIS name, that is what I am called to do, so let's do this thing. Going to love on some little ones, going to pray for some bigger ones and hopefully going to bless everyone, although I know in the end it will be me who gets blessed the most.

My prayer list:

- for the safety & health of my family - Ben, Landry and Bella

- for the safety & health of my team - Merissa, Mel, Diane, Scott, Karen, Christina, Larry, Chris and I

- my flight - I have developed this huge fear of flying, I really freaked myself out the last time I flew

- my ears - that my eardrums will QUICKLY and PAINLESSLY adjust to the altitudes on flight and landing

- to be His hands and feet

- to see the lost and hurting and discernment to handle all situations

- for our testimonies to touch lives

- for the percentages of unsaved in Romania to drastically change all b/c of a team from Georgetown, Texas

- for the rest of my funds to come in

Romania pt 2

http://goeasteurope.about.com/od/romania/ss/bucovina_6.htm

This is where we will be traveling to on Friday, 16th - 21st. We will be spending time in this area working with orphans. This past week, Pastor Mel called and asked me to come up with a song to teach the children about being thankful. Below is my song:

Let's be thankful for this day
For our friends and our play
Let's be thankful; let's be glad
For our food and things we have
Let's give thanks for you and me

Thank you God for loving me.

Thank you for the sun so bright,
Thank you for the moon at night,
Thank you for the grass and trees,
Thanks for everything I see,

Thank you God for making these,

Thank you God for making me - sung to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

OK, beginning to get excited.

playdate at the zoo

LE was not feeling better to make it to the zoo, but she had a fun morning with Daddy's attention. Bella and Colin got the fever bug as we are calling it, so it has been a rather unbloggable week. Hopefully, soon we will be back to our normal selves and out for an adventure.

Happy Birthday Aunt Rissa!

special gift

http://sandrachesterman.blogspot.com/2009/10/difference-two-girls-made-in-swaziland.html