Buzescu, Romania

Last week we took a little excursion to Alexandria to inspect missionary apartments. This required a 2 hour Maxi-Taxi ride, stopping 27 times on the way to pick-up or drop-off riders. Add 90 degrees, high humidity, quaint smells, temperamental A/C and you have the makings of a memorable trip. To make the memory indelible, we took the "taxi" one more stop to a little village named BUZESCU. This is the heart of gypsy country and we had been told it was a place "not to miss". We walked down the main street, camera in hand, and jetted back up the other side. It was eerily quiet and a little creepy. The pictures tell the story.

There are several classes of gypsy even within Roma (as they like to call themselves) society. Buzescu is home to one of the more affluent groups. These homes were built with money "raised" in the procurement of metal. If you collect enough metal, you can build mansions like these. The gypsy wagon in this picture is a common sight even in Bucharest.

This woman was one of a hand-full of people on the street so we stopped to ask questions. She was delightful. Her teeth were magnificent!

We were not sure what these ladies thought of us but we were pretty sure Maidenform could make a killing in this town.

Most of the cars were Mercedes or BMW but a gypsy wagon is a natural here.

Notice the empty streets.

The metal roofs are works of art. The more ornate they are, the richer the owner.

We were starting to look conspicuous!

Every house was behind an ornate iron fence.

This house was built to look like a courthouse. The owner said if he won his case in court, he would design his house like the courthouse. He won.

This fence was stainless steel!

There is no doubt these people worship the mighty Euro.

. . . and the mighty dollar!

A lot!

We had a great time visiting this little village with our good friends and fellow-missionaries, the Dummars. Here, Elder Dummar is getting directions for "getting out of Dodge".

We have had so many adventures here in Romania that we're starting to rank them. This one was definitely near the top of our adventures list although the welcoming committee must have lost our itinerary. It's a "been there, done that".

Goats, ducks & pigs, OH MY!

Who knew? When we decided to take the leap of faith and serve a mission for the Church, the absolute furthest thing from our minds was that we would go to Romania, travel the country, spreading sacred funds to poor people. Someone told us last week that we are "Disciples of Christ" and although that's pushing it a bit, we are humbled that we can be His hands, sharing His love and His comfort and His gospel for this short 18 months. Besides giving birth, it's just about the most awesome experience I've ever had! Denny says it's better than scoring the winning touchdown that sent his team to the finals! Truthfully, we can't compare these experiences to anything.

The basic principles of the Church Welfare Services are simple. We strive to follow the Savior's admonition to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, take in the stranger, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and those in prison. (Matthew 25:35-36) We talk daily about helping people to help themselves and to help them to be self-reliant. When people learn to use their own resources and see themselves achieving results with their own efforts, there is a sense of self-esteem and dignity that is self-perpetuating. This is our challenge and when we succeed in developing a project that teaches self-reliance, it's a home run!

Last week we traveled to the countryside near the Black Sea to meet the people who are benefiting from what we consider our pet project (no pun intended), "Goats For Poor Families". Simply, with help of a charity worker who facilitated the project, we provided goats and pigs to five families, each of which has an HIV infected child. The goats are herded during the week by a village goat herder who milks the goats and saves the milk (don't ask) for pick up by the families. The families have an income from the milk and cheese they make. As the goats graze, the Nannys and the Billys become frisky friends and soon, the family has a herd of their own! It's genius! The pigs are kept close to home and provide bacon. This is the second year of this project and the families have truly become independent.

We took a 4-hour train to Constanta for this adventure. We were driven in a van by Mr. Toad (Mr. Toad's Wild Ride) nearly a hundred bumpy miles to villages and spent the entire afternoon in the rain and mud visiting families and their goats. It was crazy and we loved it.

The welcoming committee.

Luckily, lunch wasn't ready.

Kittens were everywhere!

Romanians are so generous and to thank us for our visit, Violetta scooped up handfuls of leaves and blossoms she was drying for tea. Alrighty.

We learned after we arrived that the goats were in the field so we just enjoyed looking around. The family offered us juice and cookies (and tea leaves).

Fifty miles later, we pulled up to this house. By the time we made it to the front door, we were wet and muddy.

The steps into the house were doozies! Of course, I didn't think to wear pants and Denny was in his suit. Everything went to the cleaners when we got home!

I tried to get a picture of the running water and mud but you "just had to be there".

Fresh feed just in from the fields.

Fine goats!

This bread was just being brought in from an outdoor oven and was delicious! The cook sells it in the neighborhood, along with goat milk and goat cheese!

Fifteen people live in this house. We had a hot bread party!

Denny, enjoying the bread. It was crusty and a lot like sour dough.

The grandma and grandpa of the house with a grandson. They walked us out and thanked us.

And there you have it. The perfect project!

We love being here and helping where there is need. Romania is such a poor country and everywhere, there is need. We constantly remind each other about the "Starfish Story". To these people, we made a difference.

Romania's Got Talent!

"Wicked" Talent

ANOTHER BUSY WEEK

Missionaries have a name for it. It's the day when you realize your mission is exactly halfway over. It's HUMPDAY and we're there! From now on we'll be sliding down, picking up speed!

This past week we stayed close to home---no train rides, no visits to orphanages, no jaw-dropping excursions. Instead, we worked at our computers, answered our 100 emails (our average for a week), wrote yet another project, attended our Zone Meeting, had some medical tests, almost went to a concert, toured a museum and enjoyed every minute.

Here are the pictures to prove it!

A "Zone Meeting" happens once a transfer (every 6 weeks) where the missionaries of 2 or 3 zones (50 or so) get together to receive encouragement and instruction. It's a great time!

Sora Hardy and Sora Slaeman are in their last transfer. President Lundberg couldn't resist stepping in the picture.

As we mentioned in our last post, Denny had some eye concerns that needed further testing. Our trek across the city to this hospital took an hour. Like a lot of experiences here, it was like stepping back 50 years.

Before entering the land of high-tech-ness, I took this shot down the corridor.

Never trust an Opthamologist who uses binoculars duct-taped to a tripod to do your exam. Of course, she washed her hands in the sink in the background and DRIED HER HANDS on the sanitary towel! Denny's eyes checked out fine. City dust is probably the culprit.

One of the members invited us to a symphony concert in this magnificent concert hall. Tickets were sold out so we took a few pictures and went to dinner.

This is a glimpse of the interior.

We will be back...next time with tickets!

Walking is what we do most. Here, Elder Linerud and Elder Van Orman mortify their wives at a street corner as they do the "stretch".

....lest we become old and...

giddy!

This is a common scene we see every morning on our way to the Metro (subway). Romanian women sell herbs, vegetables, flowers, anything they can.

Some Romanian women drown their sorrows with bottles of beer.

And now....for the picture of the week! When you think you have too much on your plate, and you can't possibly do it all....

you see someone doing the impossible.

There really is someone pulling this wagon. Luckily, he's licensed!

THE GHETTO

For the past month, we have spent most of our time working out the details of ordering a 40-foot shipping container. A container is like a moving van and contains 20 pallets of goods. Our order is for 5,500 hygiene kits, 2,100 school kits, 480 handmade quilts, and 8 children's wheelchairs. If you have ever donated school supplies or packaged 2 combs, toothpaste, 2 hand towels, 4 toothbrushes, and 2 bars of soap into a zip-loc bag, this is where it goes! As humanitarian missionaries, we are committed to finding trustworthy community organizations that share our values. We network with a variety of organizations and usually, one will lead us to another. Friends trust friend's friends!

With a list of 10 possible recipients from a trusted NGO, we have spent the last 2 weeks finding them (no small feat) and interviewing them. A director of one organization told us where to meet him so he could take us to his headquarters which, he explained, was in a rough part of the city. YOU THINK? We are told that the missionaries are banned from this neighborhood known as the "Ghetto of Bucharest".

On our drive through the neighborhood, our jaws dropped as we saw piles upon piles of garbage. Why the city doesn't take care of this problem is a mystery except for the fact that these "residents" are squatters--they don't pay rent, or taxes. They pirate electricity to watch satellite TV (the dishes are everywhere) but they don't have running water. Thievery is rampant. Young girls become prostitutes at 12, selling themselves for food. It is a different world and we came away sobered and thankful that we could help in some small way.

We're not sure what this girl was up to but when she saw my camera, she ran.

A gypsy wagon in the "hood".

Imagine sending your children out to play in this!

Everywhere, piles of garbage.

Everywhere!

We got out of the car to walk closer to this block building but we were turned away by the stench. How can anyone live here? They do!

The satellite dishes!

Meet the hero, Ovidiu Fillipescu in front of a kinder garden and daycare that he organized. He and his wife are teachers and love children. Since they were not blessed with children of their own, they organized this foundation to rescue the children that come from across the street.

The young children come here in the morning where they play on grass and have a hot meal. Unfortunately, they have to go back home in the afternoon.

The teenagers come here also in the morning where they can have a shower and have their clothes washed before going to school. This is a classroom that they come back to in the afternoon to get help with homework.

Since dental care is a luxury here, Ovidiu added this dental office where once a week, a dentist comes to donate his/her time. Next to this, there is a doctors office as well.

Ovidiu told us the story of this 14 year-old girl and then had her join our meeting. When she was about 7, she was noticed living in a stairwell being kept warm by dogs. The dogs would bring her bread, which kept her alive. She has no family and Phillip found her a place to live. Before she goes to school, she comes by the center to help with the children. She is smart and cute and told us she wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up. She loves dogs. They saved her! Really, Ovidiu saved her!

These cute girls were clean and smiling and having a bowl of rice stuff.

As much as I tried, I couldn't get a real smile.

Precious!

We came away thankful for what we have and what we know. "I am a child of God" rang in our ears. Phillip House will receive 560 hygiene kits and 420 school kits. It's not much but it will make a difference in these lives, as long as we have people like Ovidiu Fillipescu.

After leaving the ghetto, Denny attracted some dust in an eye and after some "doing", we found ourselves headed for a clinic to check it out. Hospitals in Romania are experiences in living in the past. Horror movies are made here!

We found a nice Optometrist and she went through the motions of checking Denny's retina. Here, he is giving the "hand". Touch each finger and say,"You're in Romania now, friend!"

No eye exam is complete without reading the chart WITH YOUR GLASSES ON!

The good news is, Denny's retina is intact!