Our First Romanian Church Service

This last Sunday, Carolyn and I had the opportunity to attend a Romanian Baptist Church for Sunday worship.  First off, I must say that we had an absolutely wonderful experience.  We were so warmly welcomed by the entire congregation; both adults and youth greeted us with smiles and open arms.  We participated in Sunday school with the youth, attended the first service, were invited to lunch, and then came back for the evening service.  And I suppose it’s important to mention that the majority of these events happened in Romanian!

When we first arrived at church Carolyn and I were pretty nervous, not knowing what to expect. Upon walking into the front door we were greeted by several people, who all initially spoke to us in Romanian. They figured out quickly that we didn’t speak a bit of Romanian, I assume based on the blank stare on my face, and many switched to English to converse with us.  We shared who we were and why we were visiting.  After several minutes of meeting new friends, we were invited to attend Sunday school with the youth.

Selah

Recently we have seen God’s hand at work in our (former) cat, and it has been a reminder of His faithfulness to us. It has made a few parables become more real to us than ever before. 

Selah, was a cat that I got when Dan and I were still dating. “Selah” is the pause in a song (Psalm) when it’s time to stop and reflect. Our Selah, true to her name, has provided many opportunities for us to stop and reflect on God’s goodness and mercy. It broke our hearts when we needed to give away our cats as a result of preparing to move overseas, but through this God has once again given us reassurance of His love. 

Shortly after we gave Selah to her new wonderful owners, she disappeared and it was believed (because of a broken window screen) that she had gotten out. It amazed us how much effort her new owners (and all their friends and family) put into searching for Selah. It reminded me of the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15 when the shepherd leaves all 99 of his other sheep to search for the one that has wandered away. The search that went on for Selah amazed us. They put out posters, walked around the surrounding area for a few nights in a row, contacted all the vets and shelters in the area, went door to door asking neighbors if they’d seen her, set out cat traps, and used security cameras to try to track her down. Meanwhile, we were all heartbroken and praying that God would provide for her wherever she was. Selah’s new family was determined to never stop searching for Selah until she was found.

Moving Reflections

A little over two weeks ago Carolyn and I moved in with our new host family.  As with any move it was filled with work, challenges, and a whole lot of change.  Much of this we anticipated, but some of the challenges we could not.  While we've been gradually giving away our belongings, the most difficult thing we've had to give away was our cats.  For those of you who have pets, you can probably empathize with us regarding our mixed emotions of joy that our cats will have homes and sorrow that we must give them up.

Even though we had prayed for them to be able to leave, we still felt deep sadness with their departure.  We had already emptied the house, but the night we came home after dropping off our beloved pets, we were able to finally realize, in full, all we had given up.  We distinctly remember standing inside our front door, the first time we weren't greeted with friendly meows.  Our house felt so empty; it no longer felt like home. We are thankful that were able to leave them knowing that they would be loved and cherished.