Romania Slide Presentation

Sunday, December 5th, 2010
9:30 Am to 10:30 PM
(light breakfast provided)
Westminster Hall - Westminster Presbyterian Church
Nacogdoches, Texas

"Travel" to Romania to see the work of NOROC and last summer's WPC work with the children from the Tulcea orphanages.

Put faces with the names of the children and leaders that you have heard about,

"Meet" big-hearted grannies, big-hearted teachers, and big-hearted friends.

"Visit" the beautiful Romanian churches, architecture and countryside.

Hope you can join Marty, Sharon and me!

Love through Christ,
Bobbie Ann

Keep Checking Back!

Each day, I'll re-visit previous posts and add photos. They take a while to upload, so be patient with me. Thanks so much for your support of this blog. Your encouragement makes my day!

Love through Christ,
Bobbie Ann

The Cemetery

Near Brasov, we stopped at a beautiful cemetery. People of the Orthodox faith treat their deceased family and friends with great respect. They pray for the dead and light candles to honor them. The cemeteries are beautiful, to me, anyway. Very crowded, the graves bunt up to one another. Flowers are planted on top of each grave, with a little tin box for candles at the base of the headstone.

As I understand it: The deceased are buried. Seven months after death, it is the responsibility of the eldest son to remove the decomposing body and clean the bones. Then the bones are re-buried. The bones of several family members may occupy the same grave. Sounds kind of creepy at first, but it is their tradition and not unusual to them.

At the cemetery, several people were visiting the graves of their loved ones. The little old lady was one. Through our bus driver, she explained to us that she visits the grave of her family members every day, praying, tending the flowers, etc. She was so very sweet and enjoyed sharing her story. She lives across the street from the cemetery and invited us to her home for tea. Sadly, we didn't have time. I wish we had accepted her invitation.

Some of the gravestones include photos of the deceased. Back home in Millville Cemetery (located north of Henderson, TX - where I was raised), the gravestone of my brother, grandparents, and uncles also have photos. It is the cemetery where most of my family on my father's side are buried. So, this is not an unusual custom for me, though some in our group were not familiar with the tradition. For my family, seeing the photos is comforting.

Respecting the cultures of others is something we Americans should work on.

Dear Lord,

Please comfort those who mourn for loved ones. We lift them up in our prayers. Bless them and give them strength to carry on until it is their time to join you above.

In Christ Name,

Amen

Bobbie Ann

A Few Photos (many more to come!)

I'm in the process of organizing over 1,000 photos. Here's just a few to wet your appetite! (Some photos were taken by me and some were taken by Petru.)

Texas, My Texas!

We've landed! Be home by bedtime!
Love to you and yours,
Bobbie Ann

On Board!

Flight was delayed in London (Heathrow) but we've boarded now. Ron is picking up Marty, Sharon and me at DFW. See you in Texas!

Love, Bobbie Ann

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day! I just got off the phone with my Dad (age 88). So good to hear his voice and wish him a Happy Father's Day.

Last night, we attended a special worship service at Casa Nuestra, a property owned by NOROC. The service was held outside, under the carport cover, which is home to the NOROC van. (Romanians are very resourseful, making good use of everything.) chairs surrounded the perimeter in a circle. With a few benches and chairs in the middle. We were all seated facing the communion table, complete with a beautiful brass cross (just like our's at Westminster), a basket of bread, a picture of water with a fresh lily, and a pitcher of juice.

I should explain: Ninety percent of the Romanian people are Orthodox. NOROC does a beautiful job of working with children from all faiths: Orthodox, Presbyterian, Baptist, Muslim...everyone works together to help the children. Not always as easy task, but we're all here for the same purpose.

So....in the Orthodox service, a lily is dipped in water and the water is "flung" towards the congregation. I'm sure there's a more appropriate word than "flung," but that's the best I can came up with right now! Thus, the pitcher of water with a lily.

The purpose of the special worship service was two-fold. First, to celebrate the conclusion of our trip and secondly, to witness the confirmation of a teenage girl. She was baptized as an infant in the Orthodox church, yet at this point in her life, wanted to publicly profess her faith and be confirmed, as a sign of her love and dedication to Christ.

We sang hymns together in Romanian and English. Rev. Mary and Rev. Rich led comunion. There was a brief message and the young lady was confirmed. At the conclusion, I sang a duet, "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee," with my young Romanian baritone friend. I sang in English while he simotaneously sang in Romanian. It was a very special moment for me and I hope for others, too.

The service was hosted by Rev. Mary's Thursday night Bible study group, many of which attended camp. It was so good to see them again. I sat by my new friend Narcesa, who helped me make paper flowers a few days earlier. Such a precious child of God! Others on attendance were NOROC staff members and supporters in Romania, as well as us, the American team.

After the service, we went to dinner at a hotel overlooking the Danube. It was the perfect night to end our time in Tulcea. Early the morning, we left Tulcea for a six-hour drive to Transylvania, where we visited two castles, including the Dracula castle. (Or so they say.)

Tomorrow, we'll drive back to Bucharest with a few sightseeing stops along the way. After spending tomorrow night near the airport, our flight leaves early Tuesday morning for the US.

Love to you all,

Bobbie Ann