Dedicate this Song

Dedicate this Song

Making The Delivery

Yesterday the delivery was made...Randy & Teresa picked up their luggage delivery from Bucharest via our mission team. It was great to see that they are doing well and visit with them for a while. Whitney and I have become very attached to this couple and we look forward to seeing more of them when they move to the north KC area.

Happy Birthday Megan

Dinner with family and friends at Stroud's.

Heading Home

Leaving Odpen Airport in Bucharest, Romania.

On the first leg of our journey back to the states.

Amsterdam, Netherlands...Second stop.

The longest leg of the flight, Amsterdam to Memphis, TN...9 hours, 30 minutes.

Our flight delayed in Memphis from 7:50 pm til 10:40 pm...For some of us the time flew by quickly (above). For me it was a long delay.

Getting Things Started

Steve getting things "tuned up" at the first music session at the church. Steve told us later that this really is where he feels he is able to serve God best...

This small of kids showed up to have a tennis lesson this morning. It was reported to me later that they had a great time hitting some tennis balls.

Thought this was interesting...A construction site very near to the church where we are working in Bucharest.

I met this young man of 26 years of age in the park across from the church, his name is Ilie and he is in the military. There was a group of young men playing table tennis and Ilie wasn't who I was speaking with when he finished playing and sat down by Gabriel (young man I was sharing with). At first he seemed uninterested, but when Gabriel left he continued the conversation with perfect English (I used Share Jesus Without Fear with him)...He is searching for meaning to his life. He allowed me to quote scripture to him and then he answered what each one was saying. When I finished, I had shared the plan of salvation with him and when we talked about the "free gift" mentioned in Romans 6:23, and what it meant, the light bulb came on and as we discussed Romans 10:9 he began to see where he stood before a holy and righteous God. As we parted, he ask if I would e-mail him, and I got his address to do this. One of his friends that sat and listened to much of our conversation snapped the photo above. He said thank you and said he really enjoyed our talk...I will e-mail him and I hope he continues to search for meaning in his life.


Myself and Costel..He is always wearing this great smile every time I see him.

Sunday Evening Service

Vali Radu is the pastor at the church in Bucharest where we will work for the next three days.

This group presented a special number in English during the evening service.

Steve and Alicia also performed a duet in the evening worship time.

...And yes this time I remembered the battery pack.

First Day In Bucharest

Bob and Margie Craig (above), master missionaries in Bucharest, Romania. I was shopping with them when Margie purchased two intricate statues made out of clay. The potter that created them assumed that I was their son, and gave me a small magnetic sculpture for free (was 25 lei)!

They took us to one of the beautiful parks in Bucharest.
Steve's lunch...pepperoni pizza

Landon and I had a Shaorma.


One of the fountains near three of the universities...We took some time to Share Jesus and our testimony with some of the young people there.

I saw this last year as Troy zipped by the National Theatre.

Two young ladies we spoke to, Daniella and Nikoletta, two language students at the university.
Daniella was born four days before my daughter Whitney.

Some of the old men playing chess in the park.

In the park they e=were having a celebration with booths and entertainment of music and dance.

Leaving Galati, Heading to Bucharest

We rode the train for four hours from Galati to Bucharest. Above is a photo of the new Gara in Galati. Below are a few random photos of the ride. We are waiting to see what God has in store for us while we are here in the city.

I quickly snapped this photo as we drove by the peoples palace in Bucharest..You can't get the appreciation for how enormous it is from this photo. It contains a 1,000 rooms and is second in size only to the Pentagon in the USA.

Thanks So Much

Yes, some one is in that small box! Mihai talking to them in order to get transportation tickets.

Roland and Laura's oldest son Dorian is a master at origami at age 10. Above he is holding a swan he created our of many pieces of paper.


Steve continues to hone his "car playing" skills with Arie, their youngest son of four years.


OK Randy, Roland wanted me to post this Romanian dish to see if you recognize it.

Roland and Laura had us over last night for dinner...Laura is an amazing hostess. It was great to visit with them again before we leave on Friday for Bucharest. Roland is a true friend in every sense of the word...I have a very special place in my heart for them.

Rumbly Wednesday Evening

After spending the morning at the courts, Roland invited me to go with him to a small village outside Tecucci (where he had to go to a job site). I went to this city last year (in July) by train to spend the day and see the city and in particular this beautiful park (above). This year, being there three weeks earlier, the flowers were all in full bloom.

Bogdon visits with two little girls last night while we were in the Valley...I couldn't resist snapping this photo (above).

Yes, finally Galati got rained on last night while we were in the Valley...And yes we got soaked (except for Florina, who had my umbrella). This is the second storm that hit us after we got back to the apartment. Number three woke us up in the early morning when it blew in.

Many Show Up To Go Into The Valley Tonight

Last night in the Valley went very well for our team of four: Marius, Gabbie, Florina, and myself. We had two great encounters with two older orthodox women. Amazingly both were receptive of what we were saying, but one could not come to terms that God could and would forgive her of all the sins she has committed. We concluded the evening with a short prayer meeting at the church in the Valley. We sang, had short testimonies, Bogdon ask Steve (on the spur of the moment) to present a short Bible study. It was great to see his "deer in the headlights response to Bogdon's request, but he presented a short lesson on God's promises by using the story of Abraham as the foundation.

Day #2

This is the orthodox church inside the monastery we saw yesterday. We prayer walked this area of the city in the morning.

The entrance to the monastery in zone #9 (micro 19).

Last night we went into the "Valley" with all the gang here in Galati. It was great to see all of them and renew old friendships.

We Have Arrived In Galati...And So Have All Our Bags

Our bags have arrived!!!

Well, our bags beat us to Galati today. Thanks to Roland for picking them up and greeting us at the Garra along with Beneu. Our next surprise...We were invited for lunch at Donny's home. Landon wouldn't let me take any photos because wants all to think we are suffering here...The lunch was amazing!!! You'll hafe to ask us about the menu when we get home. As we got settled in at the Geddes' apartment, many guests came by to see us and begin and renew friendships. Thanks Troy & Karla for your hospitality

On our way to Holy Trinity for services tonight, This man that attends there was riding the same bus that we were on. When he saw us, he greeted us with a big hand shake and a kiss on each cheek. Steve received a double portion of that blessing when he rode the same bus after services to our departure point...Landon was heard saying,"Wish I would have had my camera ready." This man demonstrates the love of Jesus... What a great ambassador for Christ.

Let God Be God!

First stop, Kansas City...

Twin Cities skyline...

Minneapolis/St. Paul's

Next, Amsterdam...

...Finally

Everything went flawless until we arrived in Bucharest. Out of the six bags we checked, only one arrived with us at Bucharest. We spent the next 45 minutes waiting in line filling out paperwork as to where our bags would be sent. Our friend Jeremy patiently waited for us outside (thank goodness I had Randy's old cell phone with many numbers). We step off the plane and within 30 minutes God's hand is at work right before our eyes...You see Jeremy picked us up in his car and had room in the trunk for one large bag, one racket bag and four backpacks...six would have been way too many. Our bags will be delivered (we hope) to Roland's home in Galati and we don't have to take them on the train with us. We all packed clothes for two to three days in our backpacks, so we are not inconvenienced in the slightest. So...

We drove around the city a bit, got groceries at a shop near Bob & Linda Craig's apartment and...

Crashed.

9:45 pm Bucharest skyline from Bob & Linda Craig's apartment.