ROMANIA MISSION

We arrived back in Bucharest last evening late.  It was a very long long day full of unexpected adventures - complete with gasoline being put into our diesel fueled van.  If you know anything about vehicles you will immediately recognize that did not work so well.  We spent over two hours trying to syphon enough gas out to add diesel fuel to get going again.  Not to worry though, we were able to trade the gasoline for diesel fuel while crossing the Carpathian mountains.  What a hoot!!

We were trying to get to Bran Castle before it closed for the day as a few of our team have never been there.  Unfortunately we arrived four minutes too late for the castle tour.

Our time in the Suceava/Moldova area was both rewarding and challenging.  Not know where we were staying added to the drama but once again God went before us and we had wonderful comfortable accomodations in a newly opened home for widows and elderly single ladies.  We were treated very well.

While in this region we saw families in such dire need.  We were in homes no better and in many cases much worse than the barns back home.  All of this leg of the trip was plagued by rain - which of course produces mud, which produces stink, which produces mosquitoes, and the list goes on.  On Wednesday we actually forded a river via horse drawn cart to visit a family with more kids than I can remember. We visited families with more than 15 children, a widow with five whose husband had been killed in a horrible factory accident just three weeks ago, a man who was burned trying to pull the aforementioned man to safety, and so much more.  The highlight for all of us was a visit to the old couple Lew and I met four years ago.  You may remember my telling about the blind man and his wife who were working in the field when we were there last.  He is now 84 years old and as full of life and love for the Lord as ever.  His little wife is such a sweetheart and we got to hear more of their life story this time around.  We traveled several miles by horse drawn cart to get to them.  What an adventure that was!  We all felt sorry for the poor skinny horse that had to pull us.

I have been struggling for several days physically.  It started with a pretty bad cold and now I am just feeling very weak.  None the less GOD is GOOD all the time.

Thanks to all of you who have been visiting my mother.  The reports I am hearing are very encouraging.

Blessings, Darlene