Monday

An atypical Monday - yay! The typical Monday finds me at the office until at least 10 pm, but this week I was home sitting in my comfy chair by 9:45. And there was much rejoicing!

Briefly, here's the typical Monday run-down:

• morning - clean, laundry, cooking for the week, financial reports until I head to the school, usually sometime around noon
• 1:30 pm - staff meeting & prayer time at school
• 2:30-6:30 pm - office - lesson planning, grading, general trouble-shooting (I've learned that, as long as I'm sitting at my desk, there is always something to do.)
• 6:30-8:30 pm - Advanced English class - These students are taking the highest level of English classes we offer and are preparing to take the Cambridge exam. They are challenging, and I love it!
• 8:30-10:00 pm - youth staff meeting; evaluate last Friday's youth meeting, plan for this week
• 10:00 pm - home sweet home!

I'm Baaack!

Three months into my second term in Romania, I realize what a horrible job I've been doing of communication. My days - and weeks - are packed full, and I've not yet learned to balance all of the pieces of my life well.

One of the things I missed during most of the last term was a sense of routine. You know how I love schedules, lists & predictability! Well, this time around that's definitely not a problem. Although each day has its challenges and surprises, my basic schedule is pretty predictable. So, yay, now when someone asks what a "normal" week looks like (as if there were such a thing!), I can at least give a partial answer.

Wanna tag along this week? Since most weeks are approximately the same, I figure that if I let you tag along virtually this week, you'll have an idea what each week is like and have a fuller picture of my new life here in Romania. SO, here goes!

Today is Sunday, and Sunday is the day when little varies in my schedule unless there is something special going on at church. A typical Sunday looks like this:

• 9:30 -12:15ish Prayer time, Bible study hour (Sunday School for the kids, but I'm not teaching right now); Morning service (really, there's no break between SS and the morning service; the kids just filter in from the back)
• 12:45ish - McDonalds for lunch (I know, oh-so-nutritious; on Sunday I'm all about the practicality - McDonalds is fast)
• 2:00 - 4:00 Naptime. Sunday is a day of rest, no? I firmly believe that God made Sunday afternoons for naps. Thus, McDonalds for lunch - must protect the naptime! If I don't sleep Sunday afternoon, I pay for it all week long.
• 5:00 - 6:45 Evening service
• 7:00 - 9:00 Choir rehearsal
• 9:15 Home - dinner, relax, prepare mentally for the week ahead

Last week I didn't make it to bed until 3 am on 4 different days. One of my goals for this next week is to get to bed at a more decent hour, so I will leave you now & head to bed (before midnight??? That might be carrying things a bit too far!)

Noapte buna, dragii mei! Good night, my dears!

Four Months?!?

How is it possible that I've been back in the US for over 4 months already? "They" say that time flies when you are having fun. I say that time flies when you are busy, whether you are having fun or not!

But, for the most part, I have been having fun. The first two months were packed with conference and training times at ABWE, reconnecting with my family and my church family, and trying to establish a new sense of "normal" (whatever that is!). The last two months have been filled with lots of visits to churches, some of them my supporting churches & some new friends. Oh, and a quick trip back to Romania and then to Greece for the biennial regional conference for all ABWE missionaries in Central & Eastern Europe & the Mediterranean (CEEMed). I'll try to post some pictures from that trip in the next couple of days.

Yesterday I spoke at First Baptist of Middleville, the last of my current supporting churches. Please be praying that I will be able to schedule more churches to fill my schedule for the winter & spring. Pray, too, that God would bring in the remaining $600/mo. in support that I need before returning to the field.

I find myself talking (to myself) in Romanian a lot these days, mostly because I miss speaking it, I think. So, can I speak a little Romanian to you, too? La revedere. O seara placuta! (Goodbye. Have a pleasant evening!)

Moving on...

If you are one of the faithful few who still check this address occasionally, never fear. I will return. I promise. However, the blog that was formerly located at this address has been relocated to http://therealraconteur.blogspot.com. I'm attempting to organize things a little better. Thus, this blog will maintain the traditional title from my prayer updates, "The Raconteur" and will focus primarily on ministry updates. The other blog (the "old" blog) will continue the purpose for which it was originally begun: documenting the parts of my life that don't fit into a "prayer letter" format. Check back after September 1st, when I will officially launch this new blog!