Today, Friday February 2, 2007 has been eventful thus far. The big news of the day was that Bill Gates was coming to Romania today to discuss Microsoft's role here in the future. On a more personal level, I spent this morning working on one of his system's vulnerabilities.  I guess everyone is plagued by spyware. Our translator's computer at home was slowing down so I took an hour or so this morning to go have a look.

The morning actually began around 6:00 when a Gypsy leader came to meet with David.  They meet and talk about stuff every Friday morning.  It is a good and private way for them to spend time together and talk of things personal, spiritual, and of concern to the work going on here.  I cannot help but wonder if his project d'jour has already been accomplished.  He was going to take a car battery and fix it so that a man who is also a student here could have a light in his home. The man has no electricity, running water, or toilet, but he does have 10 children and a one-room apartment. That is an extreme situation for most to think about even in the village.

We went to town this morning to finish David's visa renewals and get some of the materials necessary to begin the installation of the central heating system. We also checked on the availability of a part for the door that wants to fall off the van. To make a long story short, the door is the least of the van's problems. It seems that the oil pump and some other major internal problems will park the van for at least two weeks. We happened to be in the vicinity of the mechanic's, house when the problems began.  Never mind that his name is Seraphim! We got some bologna, some bread, and a Fanta and then caught a cab with all the other stuff we had purchased and returned to home. 

The van being out of commission will put a damper on a lot of activity that was planned for the weekend, but those were our plans. Snow fell last night and the wind continues to blow today.  We have a lot to be thankful for and we often need to be slowed down in order to realize the size of the provision. So what has the day taught us? 1) Need is relative.  2) We need to prepare for the times when the system, people, or a machine is clogged, slowed down, or totally broken.