Saturday was a day to go shopping and acquire the supplies needed to begin feeding the men that would arrive for school on next Tuesday.  Shopping is a complex task because some products must be acquired in different locations. Metro, the local version of Sam's was packed to the brim. That is where we purchased most of the canned goods and other products.  We also visited the open air markets and purchased apples and cabbage.  We got about 25 kilos (about 60 lbs) of cabbage for about $5. We also picked up about 6 loaves of really crusty bread for about $1. I love bread and cabbage!  The prices of those items were cheap, but it took about four hours just to complete the shopping trip.



Saturday evening we went to a prayer meeting that is held monthly among some local missionaries that have "found" one another. In this group were several Americans, English, Dutch, and a Romanian. Some work with children via LinkRomania, others work involves the treatment of alcoholics, and others are here living among the people and helping here at the training center from time to time.

Monday is part of a few days of catching up for us since we arrived.  Yesterday, Sunday we took a drive 75km to a Gypsy village to worship there.  The morning was filled with bumps, mud, and sunshine.  Once in the village the cascading melodies of concertinas and a guitar from the small church filled the air. After speaking at the morning service we returned home for lunch and prepared for an evening service in the city 30 minutes away.

Our baggage also caught up with us on Sunday evening and we spent the remainder of the evening being thankful.

Monday brought another visit to Iasi to pick up some books that were delivered by courier.  He met us at McDonalds and spoke no English. We then visited with a man who had spent time working in an apartment building that is often referred to as the forgotten block. Over 100 families live in this dilapidated building without, heat, water, or electricity. Valentine's ministry is reaching out to these people and sharing hope and what little he can offer. We also visited with the pastor of the church we visited last evening.  He helped us call the Baptist Association to acquire a statement certifying David's participation with this church so that he could become eligible to receive a 5 year visa. All this will be pending the approval of the Minister of Cults. Yes, that's right - most evangelicals are considered to be a cult. A  new law may extend that definition and put some limitations on the activity of those groups that constitute less than 2 percent of the general population. 

We spent the afternoon preparing the upstairs room where the men will sleep tomorrow night. We had to add a few pieces to the bunk beds to make them serviceable.  We will use a small electric heater to heat the room.  Lana has spent the day with April and Rody getting food prepared for tomorrow and the coming weeks. We have also worked on cleaning the jets of a propane heater for use in one of the classrooms.  It has been a good day today and now it is time to prepare for class tomorrow. Tomorrow I will teach two classes which are both two hours in length.  That should be great fun!  We miss everyone, but it is important for us to be here at this time.

Pace'   - a greeting of peace in Romanian from the Parkers