Friday, March 21st, 2008

Man, today was an early morning…especially after only a few winks of sleep thanks to an internet connection, streaming video, a projector, a white sheet, 2 speakers, a sweet lounge sofa, and, yeah baby the NCAA tourney. Due to the time difference, we tuned in at about 1am and the games lasted until about 6am…at least for the guys this was a great reward to end a great week!!! We packed up our things, ate Buna’s last meal, said our good-byes to our dear friends the Lucaciu family, and boarded Soni’s Omnibus to Budapest. We praised God for an incredible week and reflected on His ultimate goodness to us.

The city of Budapest was cold but alive and well nonetheless. We ate our traditional Hungarian feast at “Fatal”, pronounced “fah-tall” but Zach still thinks its fatal – as in the meal is so big we’re all gonna pass away! John got the clean plate award for eating all of his Schnitzel, which literally was the size of a large Frisbee. It was a wonderful way to end our team time together. Josh wanted to ensure you all knew how much he wished Jaclyn was there to hold hands and stroll gingerly along the candlelit cobblestone streets of this romantic city! But all he got was to hang out with 3 other crazy guys with wacky hair!

Again, we thank you for being our Home Team…for your prayers…for your support…for your love and friendship…and for sharing with us in this adventure. All we need you to do now is….JOIN US ON NEXT YEAR’S TEAM!

Also, please make special note that we will be sharing a short testimony in each of the Easter services this weekend plus delivering a more thorough report on Sunday night, March 30th, from 5:30pm to 6:45pm in the Bernson. We hope you can join us!!!

Thursday, March 20th, 2008

Today was again packed with activity, being the last full day of ministry of our trip. We awoke to snow falling again this morning! Though it didn’t stick around for long, the flakes were big and fluffy and a site to see amongst a mostly grey backdrop of winter in Beius. Ana Lucaciu and Buna Marie (Ana’s mother) cooked us up a hearty pancake breakfast which of course made us feel right at home (nothing like a little Delma and syrup to make you feel alrightJ). In Romania it is difficult to get fresh fruits and vegetables in the winter and even so they are very expensive. We paid almost $10 USD for a bunch of bananas, 2 kiwis and an apple at the local market…crazy! But sometimes getting a little fruit in a weekly diet is worth sacrificing for!

The team visited Catrina’s elementary school again this morning and had a wonderful time with third and fourth graders. We presented them with some small gifts, our skits (the wise man skit and the translator skit are now part of our permanent repertoire!), lots of songs, and even more laughs. Catrina is an amazing woman with a deep love for Christ. She became a Christian at one of the first outreach events that Peter Lucaciu did with the early medical teams that visited Beius, and has been a faithful helper for their ministry ever since. We are continually impressed with how she teaches her students the story of the gospel. Elliot was invited to meet with the school principal for a long visit and to discuss open doors for future team visits, which is very encouraging. It is quite uncertain how much longer the public schools here will be open to allowing groups like ours to come in and share their Christian faith with students. If Romania follows the trend of its EU neighbors, the timeline may be short, so we feel blessed to have this privilege to build lasting relationships with students, teachers, and administrators.

Thursday is “market day” in Beius, which means that vendors travel from towns and villages all around the area to sell their goods – all kinds of goods from fruits and vegetables to hardware to handmade items to clothing. It’s an excellent snapshot of Romanian life to walk amongst the vendors and buy a few souvenirs for friends and family. With a little help from Andrea Lucaciu, Stephanie apparently even found her prom dress for this year (surprise, surprise!).

We had another blessed devotion after lunch lead by Carol. The scripture was John 17:20-23 where Jesus prays for the unity of believers with God the Father and the Son. We had a rich discussion and prayer time. The guys headed back to Casa Josef for another fierce game of soccer with new and old Romanian friends. Though we got “schooled” yet again, it was great fellowship.

Shortly thereafter, we met all of the Casa Josef girls for our final night with them. It was a bittersweet time as we giggled and laughed while presenting new Easter dresses and spring outfits (thanks to the team from Wyoming for the dresses!)...

...then cried upon having to leave....Each little girl at Casa Josef is so precious and we really do become so attached to them in even a short trip.

Please continue to pray with us that international adoption would re-open so these girls could be joined with a loving forever family.

Our Thursday came to a close with Game Night at the Bridge. We invited many Romanian high-schoolers over to the coffee house to fellowship and play a game of “Mafia.” It was loud and funny and then got louder and funnier as the evening wore on. Each of our students really enjoyed hanging out and getting to know other students from Romania.

The Bridge certainly fulfilled its purpose of providing a place to build bridges and make community happen.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

As we write, here it is Friday already but we need to get you caught up on the past few days. Thank you all again for your prayers. It’s been absolutely amazing to see how the Lord has opened doors for us and blessed all aspects of this trip so far. We have prayed, along with you, that God would clear away obstacles from our path and allow us to walk uninhibited in His will this trip. Despite some colds, sinus congestion, and general fatigue, we have not been sick and thus able to participate in every ministry activity. Furthermore, we’ve been impacted and changed by our experiences and have planted seeds for the gospel that we pray will grow. Today we again started the day with prayer. Each day this week we committed to a prayer time of 7:30am-8am local time as part of the 24/7prayer week of Holy Week. These times of prayer have been a blessing to our team and we feel united with you, our FPC family, as we pray.

We were invited to the junior high classrooms of an English teacher, Magda, that we have known for many years. Magda is an excellent English teacher and it showed in her students. They had prepared some songs and special activities for us, which were impressive, and we shared songs, skits, and dialogue with them to practice their English. The Lord opened doors to discuss Christ through our team’s somewhat silly dramatization of Matthew 7:24-29 where Jesus tells a story of two men who each built a house.

From The Message:
"These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit--but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. "But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards." When Jesus concluded his address, the crowd burst into applause. They had never heard teaching like this. It was apparent that he was living everything he was saying--quite a contrast to their religion teachers! This was the best teaching they had ever heard.

But when asked what the point of the story was, and what Jesus meant when he instructs us to built our “house on the rock,” the classes all seemed to understand that “the rock” was faith in Christ and trusting in him for both eternal life and our foundation here on earth. Speaking English with these students had many funny moments, including our “lost in translation” skit where we invited a Romanian student to say anything in Romanian and our team’s best and brightest representatives (we settled for Zach, John, and Josh!) would translate the phrase into English. Of course we didn’t understand most of what was said but the translation was hilarious none the less. For example, the English translation of “my favorite animal is a bird” came out “the school is under attack by a pack of mad dogs!” which of course drew lots of laughs.

The afternoon brought a wonderful (to us anyway!) surprise…it snowed! Though the cold and wet weather has kept us from some ministry opportunities, like visiting our friends in the nearby gypsy village of Petreasa, it has also been fun to see a different season here, where the sun goes down early and people stay inside much more than the spring or summer. Some of the team went on an another Agape run and the rest of the team worked at Casa Josef chopping wood for their wood-burning furnaces or helping clean us a kitchen/dining room space which will be used this summer for a children’s Christian camp.

On the Agape run today, our driver Pastor Johnny gave Carol and Elaine the blessing to visit their old friend – literally - Ana, who is a 96 year old woman who lives alone in a tiny 1-room house with a dirt floor. This will likely be the last visit we will make to see her as she was sick and near death. The team prayed for her and was deeply moved by the experience.

After a really fun time with the girls at Casa Josef, who get home from school about 4:30pm or so, our team was invited to a special youth service at a local evangelical church. It was awesome to see the youth of Romania praising God together, especially since so many youth are fleeing the country in search of higher paying jobs in Western Europe. We were very encouraged to find that they sing many of the same worship songs we do in America. They essentially “gave” us the service to lead – for almost 2 hours! The youth leader had found out the day before that his father who is far from Christ has cancer. He shared that he almost was going to cancel the service, because he was very distraught. He saw our coming as the Lord at work. We worshipped through songs and then Stephanie gave an awesome testimony, which was very well received.

After their testimony Josh shared a message from Ecclesiastes on living a life of meaning. What a powerful evening this was, especially given the fact that we are missing the Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services this week at FPC. All in all, praise the Lord for another amazing day here in Romania.

Tuesday March 19th

Tuesday, March 18^th

The opinions expressed by the Rowland Brothers in our last posting do not necessarily reflect those of the editing board or the entire GORO 08 team,….. or anyone else who lives on this planet. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

So… It’s Tuesday, It must be Tinca!

Wow, what a day…

After an hour’s ride to this town of 5,000, we had the great opportunity to meet Mayor Mercea Lenuta. She personally accompanied and introduced us to teachers and students in seven different classes. The programs in each grade varied in their focus, but the overall message we received was that this special school was making every effort to be multicultural and inclusive of Romanian, Hungarian, and Roma (Gypsy) students. During our time together, we again were able to talk about Jesus Christ in ways that were focused, biblical, and understood.

Our reception in this public school system was unprecedented, says Peter Lucaciu, who was right in the middle of it all. The mayor graciously provided a way to tell of Christianity to small groups of Romanians in a public forum… an opportunity that might not be so easily accomplished in other parts of Europe, and even in the U.S.!

After this busy morning, we divided in to two groups. One visited an Orthodox Basilica, led on the tour by the priest. The interior is described as magnificent and the photos that will be seen upon our return capture only parts of its beauty. The other was guided by Dimitru Frietza, the President for Social Assistance for Bihor County. We were able to visit one of four government homes for disabled children, and an adult rehabilitation facility that has recently opened. The latter was still under construction when we visited last summer. Both were spotless, well-staffed and inviting places for those who benefit from the services that are offered.

And what would a visit to Tinca be without seeing the children in the Gypsy village there, many who we met for the first time last summer. Through skits, songs, and Polaroid photo opportunities , we were welcomed and warmed by their special spirit. Pastor George and his wife, Monica, continue to serve 30 to 40 children a hot lunch each day. The afternoon was spent on other local projects after returning to Beius, and of course, time with the girls at Casa Josif.

Daily Devotionals, group participation in the prayer vigil for our church, singing and fellowship at the coffee house, and getting to know each other on the journey are other very special and meaningful things that happen during each of our days and evenings. We must tell you all that the group dynamic is made pretty interesting in this “multi-generational” adventure. We are learning a great deal from each other and are having a wonderful time together.

Monday March 17th

Monday, March 17^th

Greetings from Beius! We are all having an amazing time here in Romania. Today we went to a public school in Remetea. Where we did two skits. The first skit was about a wise man who built a house on rock and it stood firm, the second man was not a wise man, he built his house on sand and it fell apart in the storm. The kids especially enjoyed this skit because it had Carol Elrod the wise man, Karilyn Kelson the not so wise man, Elaine as the narrator, Eliot, Zach and Josh were the bottom of a pyramid with Stephanie and john in the middle and Andrea on the very top and at the end we all crashed and fell on top of each other. The second skit was the same one we did on Friday with the first school. We again played “Head’s up 7 up” with the kids and sang many songs. The kids sang “If you’re happy and you know it” and “Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee” in Romanian and we sang the songs back in English. When we had to leave John decided that we should give one of the soccer balls that Joe Land had given us to the kids. John asked the teacher and she was thrilled. She gave it to the boys and immediately they were out there playing (even though it had rained for about an hour earlier that morning). We all agreed that it would be a lasting image to see the kids running around in the rain playing with a little soccer ball. It was a great experience. Then because our lovely editors (Elaine and Carol) wanted to go see the ostrich farm we went to go look at ostriches and THAT was a moving experience.

One of our groups stayed here in Beius and went to the orphanage, some were chopping wood for the furnace, and others were washing windows. We then got to play with the girls for about an hour when they returned from school. They were a little active and were desperately seeking attention today. However it was a great experience.

The other group went on an Agape Run. We went to three different homes. Gave them food and clothing, gave the kids at each house beanie babies, visited with some of them, and then at the end we prayed with them. You could tell that each prayer touched their hearts in a special way and they were touched that we took time to pray about them, with them .

And Zach Rowland and I (John) feel like we need to make a retraction from an article that was sadly allowed to run in our last blog. In our last edition it was said that the “Americans” looked severely outmatched in their game against the “Romanians” it was however a much closer game then our lovely editors (Carol and Elaine) led you to believe. Zach was a leading force on the Romanian squad that was loaded with talent. Josh Elliot and I held our own coming back from a deficit of three goals and got within a goal but the game was ended before we could regain a share of the lead. So we apologize for the un-accurate information. (our editors are a little slow)

Sincerely the Rowland Brothers

(Our apologies to the Rowland brothers. We were apparently provided with misinformation!)

C & E

Sunday March 16th

Sunday, March 16^th

We started the day by taking the minibus to Stei, RO which is about 30 minutes from Beius. We were greeted by Pastor George Dragan and his congregation, and enjoyed a beautiful service of worship. We had the privilege of hearing Peter Lucaciu give a message of hope from the pulpit, followed by Josh preaching the text of Mark 10: 46 – 52. Both Zach and Carol shared their personal testimonies of faith, and Elliot led this travelling chorus in several contemporary arrangements which would have made Ron Pearson proud. The service came to a close after the children from Casa Josif, the pastoral staff, and many of our group sent video greetings and prayers to our very own church in Tulsa. We understand that the video was viewed during the FPC 9:30 service about seven hours later!

Later in the day, after lunch and some rest, we again piled in the minibus to travel to TULCA, RO, a great “sister” city about an hour’s ride from Beius. There we joined in another service led by Pastor Chise, two wonderful interpreters, and a musical ensemble consisting of a drummer, pianist, and a brass band! Josh again preached his message from Mark, noticeably fired up by this time of the day revealing that he is indeed the son of a preacher man! We all wondered what would happen at a future 11:00 service in our very own sanctuary if he let loose as he did today! Andrea and Elaine shared their stories, Elliot got us all in tune again, and we wearily travelled the hour back to enjoy Ana’s special dinner of Sarmale.

Saturday, March 15th

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Saturday found the team hosting a “mini-Olympics” for all the children in the care of REMM. This included the girls from Casa Josef, as well as all the foster children, for a total of 37 children, plush some siblings. We rented out a sport court in which to hold the games, which included soccer dribble, basketball throw, jump rope, ring toss, and many more. Our attempts to “organize” the children were less than wildly successful, but they all had a wonderful time and participated in many fun activities. The relay events were enormously popular, as the children (and the team, truth be told) ran forward, backwards, side-stepped, crab-walked, bunny hopped, and any other we could think of to move them up and down the court! Perhaps the highlight of the entire event was the “Closing Ceremony”, in which we called each child up to the “podium” (an upside down storage tub) , put a medal around their neck, took their Polaroid picture, gave them a gift bag, and mostly just cheered wildly. The huge smile on each child’s face was priceless – it is a rare occasion for them to receive this kind of individual attention and recognition. We wound up the celebration with pizza and juice for all at the Bridge (REMM’s coffeehouse, which benefits Casa Josif). After a nap, (for the team, that is), we headed back to play with the girls after their naps. The “menfolk” took on some locals in a nice, friendly “futbol” game in which they got only slightly embarrassed and injured. The evening found most of us back at the Bridge, socializing, playing games, and preparing for tomorrow’s church services in Stei and Tulca (Tulsa’s new, unofficial sister city).

Team Go RO 2008

Friday afternoon our team devotion was Ezekiel 22:30. We were blessed by a discussion that revolved around “standing in the gap” as God calls us to do. We realized that Peter and Ana Lucaciu, and the ministry of REMM/ACDR has stood in the gap here in Romania for so many, including giving abandoned children and Roma (gypsy) a voice, caring for those in need, and making the Good News known. We feel blessed to participate in this ministry and somehow support them as they stand.

Later Friday afternoon we walked over to Casa Josef to see the 8 girls that live there. Andrea Lucaciu brought over the game “Operation,” which was a hoot! I think they might have a future surgeon or two in there midst. The girls are getting so big now at age 5 or 6…and beautiful and fun and so silly! Later Friday evening we celebrated Carol’s birthday Team Go RO style! Of course the theme was “rocks” – for those who’ve been here you know what I’m talking about – and Ana baked a huge rock cake…no that’s not a typo…I did say ROCK cake…not full of rocks literally, but one big, huge, ginormous volcano of a rock, with a molten candle rising out of the top. Stay tuned for pics of that, you don’t want to miss it! By the way, Carol had happy birthday sung to her in Romanian about 100 times thanks to Elaine telling every Romanian it was her birthday, including each classroom we were in.

What a day Friday was. Stay tuned for Saturday’s update tomorrow (sorry we’re a little behind…hopefully will catch up tomorrow!!!)

First Romania Video

Here is a video from the first class we went into on Friday morning. The teacher's name is Catrina. She is an amazing Christian who teaches her students praise songs in English. The class sang for us when we came to their fourth grade class.

Saturday March15, 2008

Team Prep Friday 03/14

Tulsa Airport Sendoff

Commissioning

FPC Team Go RO 08 update

Friday, March 14, 2008

After 25 ½ hours of travel we finally rolled into the clinic here in Beius at around midnight local time last night! Needless to say, the team was getting quite “giddy” at this point! But, overall it was one of our best travels ever to Beius. Your prayers for God to go before us and pave the way were answered in amazing ways. Miracle #1) We were able to check in ALL of our 12 supply bins without ANY extra charge (praise the Lord for the ole’ El Shaddai mind trick, proven to be effective yet once again(!), and a wonderful ticketing agent named Nancy!). After a brief (4-hour!) layover in London – 2 of which were consumed walking, riding buses, and cruising on escalators from one terminal to another and passing through umpteen security check points – we were on to Budapest. Miracle #2) ALL 12 of our supply bins and ALL 9 of our personal bags made it to Budapest! I can’t recall a previous trip where this has happened, usually at least one of us suffers for a few days until their bag arrives! Soni (pronouced “Shawney”) our long-time friend and driver for REMM here in Romania was there to pick us up and transport us the 5 or so hours from Budapest into Beius, Romania during John got whooped in a lengthy game of hearts. Upon arrival, Ana had stayed up late to make us soup and tea…which soothed our hearts and stomaches before we passed out for the night.

This morning we had our first opportunity for ministry in the public schools, with a visitation to Catrina’s elementary school. After a quick stop at her class, we were whisked away to the 6^th-grade class of a geography teacher named Adrian. He was more than gracious to us and the students were so excited to share in songs, skits, games, and a presentation of the bead bracelet, lead by Andrea and Stephanie. We also learned that Josh missed his calling as an opera singer. We also had a chance to meet the new principal of the school, a bright young lady who gave us a warm welcome. Miracle #3) that God would lead us into His harvest field here in Romania, and that harvest field would include the public schools, places where Christians are not so welcome in the USA. We look forward to many more opportunities to build friendships here next week. Please pray that the Lord would touch these hearts and the seeds planted would bear fruit.