here's hoping for a wintry pig roast....

Monday was a sweet day. It was sad for us, but a great day still! 

It was our last day visiting the families in Salucea & Cherichu for a while.

We delivered food out there and got to play and visit.  The team that is here this week brought handmade dresses to give out to the girls and shoes for everyone.  It was really fun for them to get something new!! It’s a treat for them because it is so rare for them to get new things.

I taught her how to karate chop 

Atilla made Steve a bracelet out of paper :)

a village full of children with recorders= LOUD!!!

I think the parents wanted to kill us

Leaving Cherichu, Rodica began to cry, which made me cry.  I will never forget that sweet young woman!  It is such a gift to have met these people and have them become your friend.  Lord willing, I will see all of these precious people again, but it won’t be next week. It will be much longer.  I wish there was not so much water and land between Romania and Tennessee!!

Off we went to Salucea and got to give more kisses and hugs to Lia and her children and grandma and the family we sponsor. Sheesh, I just love the people out there!! Really, really have love for them that God has given Steve and I.  We just like them SO much and want them to know Jesus so we can spend eternity with them! 

Lia, me and a couple of our kids  :)

The family we sponsor are such hard workers. They are doing really well. They recently spent two weeks in Hungary picking cherries.  They were able to purchase a lawn mower and chicks and a pig.  They are having a pig roast on December 31. A pig roast is a big deal…usually a whole day affair and a big celebration/feast going on.  Steve and I celebrate our wedding anniversary on January 1^st.  We told them we may not be able to attend the pig roast, but we would love to! It would be such a fun way to spend our anniversary!  We’ll see….it’s on the calendar, but not sure when the Lord will afford us time and money to come back.  Hopefully, within seven months (just because that’s when we would like to come back!)

Paige & I with Maria & Alexandra

Steve & Seani

Here’s hoping for a wintry pig roast…..
And here's my kids on the way home...toasted.....

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

This morning my little peeps and I made a couple loaves of chocolate chip zucchini bread with a fraction of one of these puppies....

A family in Sumugiu gave us this zucchini. I think we could live off of it for two weeks if we had too.

Our zucchini bread tastes fantastic! We grind our wheat by hand these days, since we didn't bring our electric one. Noah did it all by himself this morning.  Umm Umm!

pics and thank you

Here are some recent pictures of our kids for the grandparents. I know you will see them soon enough, but here is something to help fill the hole a little.

Also, our family got lots of packages last month from friends and family in far away places.  THANK YOU for making our days even more exciting with your love and generosity!!  There are some pics in here of them opening those too!!

she is a total ham!

Thanks Craven Family!

got yogurt?

lazy Saturdayz

Our landlords are like grandparents to us and they have been from the day one! They just took the four of right in and act like Steve and I are their kids and Noah and Paige are their grandchildren.

We love them like family too. In fact, we are trying to explain to Paige why we are packing and what we are doing and where we are going. Her first question is, "Are Petra and Florica coming too?" (Those are our landlords.)  It was the sweetest thing!

Petra and Florica invite us to do a lot of things with their family.  We have become very good friends with one of their sons and his wife. As a result of that, we have become really good friends with some of their really good friends.  From the start, this has helped us not feel like strangers here. We have "normal" friends that are like family to us.  We are even in their family photographs...it's super hilarious!!

A few weekends ago our landlords invited us to their pensiunea (hotel) out in the countryside. It's beautiful out there.  The whole family was there for a big cook out, fishing and the kids got to swim in a little kiddie pool. It was a fun fun day.

Alexia, Paige & Noah splashing around 

Noah & dad fishing

Steve and Noah feasting on mici sandwiches

side view of the pensiunea

As of late...

Thought I would fill you in on what’s been going on over here lately.

As of late…..

Cali’s been really sick. All last week basically and was not able to keep much food in, but it seems after an entire weekend’s rest she is on the up swing and able to enjoy the last week in Romania to the fullest!

We are down to single digits before we leave Romania--7 days to be exact! crazy!

Lots of sorting, organizing, packing and giving away going on at our place.

Pulling all food items from the back of the cabinets and creating new meals to stretch out through the week so we don’t have to buy more groceries.  What can you make with white beans, oatmeal and chocolate covered blueberries that would actually taste good?

Paige was sitting on the toilet seat to go potty and actually peed in the floor…while sitting on the toilet. Seriously?  What am I going to do with this child???

Lots of hard good byes!

Church in Salucea

Monday Morning Worship Service

Today we went to Salucea to have church with the gypsy families.  Oh, how I just love this village!

I don't trust any of them.  I know that I probably rarely hear the truth from them when they tell me stories about their life.  But, I just love them!  They need Jesus so much and it's the only meaningful, long-lasting thing I can give them. It's all my family has to offer....the truth of who Jesus is.

Let me back up and tell you that a few weeks ago we found a translator that I wish we found in January! His name is Emanuel and he is awesome! He speaks Romanian, English and Hungarian. Hungarian is what the people of Salucea speak. He also plays guitar and sings and preaches and whatever else you want him to do. He probably can juggle and pull coins out of his ear too...I'll have to check.

Back to church....

Our family arrives to Salucea with Emanuel and we visit the family that we sponsor for a while. Sweet sweet family.

We just sat and listened to them share things about their work and their life.  The grandmother then says this to us, 

You can come any day that you want to. It doesn't matter if you don't have anything 

to bring... just come to hang out.  The children love you and they are so 

happy when you come.  When they see your car they all start running after you 

and yell, "The Christians are coming. The Christians are coming!!"

WHOA!  They call us Christians! They know!!

Being referred to as a Christian today just sounded

so much sweeter than ever before and meant so much more to me

today. 

What a privilege to be a little bit of Jesus to the world!

Well, after everyone knew we were having church they all gathered on the grass and Emanuel led worship music.  The kids were all clapping along...ZERO rhythm! It was all I could do to not laugh, but it was just so cute! The music was wonderful and what a gift to bring them meaningful songs about our Savior in their native tongue!

Steve preached a little about Jonah.  About 63 people were there and none of them had ever heard the story of Jonah!!!  I think my jaw dropped, along with my heart, that I realized that most of what they know or will learn about the Bible is what we tell them.  That's a serious responsibility!  One I delight in and am humbled that we get to help with.  

All summer long there has been a man that comes over to the summer program for the kids. He has four young boys of his own and they are well-mannered. They do not live in that side of the village, but walk over.  Well, Steve loves this man. He doesn't know him too well, but his heart aches for him and longs for him to know Jesus. His name is Andre.

Well, today Steve washed Andre's feet as he shared how Jesus was a servant to his disciples and if we want to be like Jesus we need to serve one another.  Later this morning, Andre became a follower of Jesus!!!  We just told him to talk to God and share with him what he wanted and needed. He prayed and told the Lord that he wanted HIM to be his Shepherd and he wanted to be HIS sheep.  It was a super sweet morning!  The adults were SO attentive. They just seemed so intrigued and as if they would have listened all afternoon. Wish we had been doing church here all year long, but thankful we did it today. 

Please pray for Andre and his family.  He has four boys to raise and I can't help getting exciting when I think about their future with Christ! Their life is hard and to you and me it looks so bleak, but with Christ it is full of HOPE! 

Thanking Jesus for new life that can only be found in HIM! 

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