Pictures and stories

People leaving from the Evangelism service at the local Pentecostal church on Monday evening

Pump at the Gas Station on the way to Oradea


An old lady who is also a friend of mine :-)


My friend Ramona pozing on the street as we made our way to McDonalds to meet our friend after the Church service

Picturesque moment in Oradea


Doamna Caba, Corina Caba's mom, Ramona Caba's adoptive Mom/Grandma

Reformed/Lutheran Church with an orthodox church behind it.

A little Gypsy girl playing with a friend's bicycle. Her father is a church planter for the Adventist church. He and I had a very interesting conversation. :-)
Hymnal in a Baptist Church. :-) I thought the picture just came out cool. :-0D
Kids playing together.


Funny thing is that when people here first meet me, they think I'm Hungarian or something. If I keep my mouth shut and change how I dress and do my hair slightly, I can get by pretty easily. However once I disclose that I am an American, I start getting all sorts of interesting questions.
"Do you like it here?" "Is it nicer here than America?" "I would like to go to America. Can you get me a visa?" "What are you doing here?" "How did you first come to Romania?" "why do you keep coming back?"

So I explain that yes, I like Romania, but of course there is no place like home. I come here to work in ministry.
"Ooooh you work at an orphanage or something, right?"
Yes, I explain, I did a few years ago. But now I believe God has called me to work with Gypsies.
The exclamations of surprise, horror, and general flabergastation are usually somewhat humerous.
"Are you sick?" One guy asked and put his hand on my forehead. "WHY do you like the Gypsies? Don't you know that they stink? And worse, they lie and steal and are just not good people!" he explained after we had finished laughing at the fact that he literally put his hand on my forehead.

"Yes, I have a nose. I can smell them of course. Yes, I know they steal; I've had my wallet stolen by a Gypsy before. Yes, I know they lie, and are not nice people in general.
However, when I see a Gypsy, I see what I was before Christ came into my life, no? A Gypsy lies and steals and drinks and begs. What do we do without Christ in our life? We lie and steal and drink and even beg. It takes Christ to change us.
When a Gypsy is well educated, they are sooo smart. They excel in what they do. When they are loved, they are some of the most compassionate people you will meet. When they are well fed, they grow tall and strong. When they are taught instruments, their music and singing is incomparable to anyone else.
When a Gypsy makes a decision to follow God, you can see the change in their life clearly. And they are passionate about telling everyone about their faith. You know Gypsies are very convincing when they want to be, and when they are convincing for the Gospel, it is sooo amazing to see.
I love seeing the Change God does in a Gypsie's life. This is why I go to them. I see what God does and I see how God uses me in their lives. And I hope that they will go into the world, and even to America, and change it for Christ. And I will have been part of this thing God is doing!!"

It grows very quiet for a while as my German, British, Hungarian and Romanian friends listen to my explanation. Finally they nod and say,
"For sure. This is a good work."
Usually they add, "But I could never do it."

Hopefully God will use my testimony not just amongst the Gypsies, but amongst all the other cultures that I am encountering on this trip.

Okay it's 12:30. I'm going to bed. :-)

In Christ,

Princess Ouch.