monster fish

I like to watch American TV with Romanian subtitles to help reinforce what I am learning.  It was during a show called Monster Fish the Holy Spirit started working on me.  Let me explain.

A few weeks ago I finished a book called Great Missionary Heroes.   Great book full of missionaries who sought out lost tribes in the middle of Africa and South America.  These are missionaries who did not see barriers. Despite language, wild animals, warriors, distance, and sickness they trudge on and took Christ to where most... okay I am back.  Our first load of wood came!!! These missionaries took Christ to people that would make most of us uncomfortable even to watch on TV.  These men where pioneers. They are my heroes.

Enter Eli Davidson.  Move to Romania and use language as a barrier.  Move to Romania and use government employees as a barrier.  Move to Romania and use what will people think of me as a barrier.  Move to Romania and use .... you name it.  How pathetic.

Monster fish is about at guy that travels to the ends of the earth to catch big fish.  Nothing stops him.  That is when I decided I don't need a translator I don't need to worry about the Romanian government.  God brought us here and He is going to use us.

Today I went to the Babadag mental/retirement home.  My mission was to speak with the director with what little Romanian I know then track down Alina and help her study her English.  I know it sounds so incredibly simple but for whatever reason I have been afraid to do this since the last American team left.

Alina light up when the director told her I was there.  She immediately got out her books and started reading in English.  (she has no idea what she is reading) What a great experience!

I don't want you to think that I have not been working.  We have been studying language like crazy and working around the house.  We have been doing ministry as long as we have a translator.

My encouragement to you is do not allow barriers in your life.  God is bigger. Alina and I now have plans to meet more often.  Who knows what God will do with this new relationship.  What can God do in your life?

Random

Sheena and I have been busy studying the language.  Believe it or not it is not as exciting as it sounds.  Actually it is not too bad. The most fun is trying to use it and watching tv with Romanian subtitles.  It is a little difficult to blog about definite and indefinite articles so I thought that I would bring to some Random thought with Eli Davidson.

1.  I met a guy to combines with a John Deere combine built in America. Go America!
2. The same guy uses a Case International tractor.
3. Everyone is "helpful" to the point you feel like an idiot.
4. More people speak English than you think.
5. Sporting a beard most mean you are a Priest.
6. Trash haul away in the village is a tractor/trailer and six guys.  Be sure to kill the engine and coast down the hills.
7. It was 90 degrees yesterday but nearly everywhere you looked people are cutting wood and preparing for the winter.  We are not even close to being ready.
8.  Google translator is a God send.  Sheena and have been using it frequently to communicate to friend.
9. I got a hair cut yesterday from someone the does not understand English.
10. Romania does have a single comfortable chair.

I hope you enjoyed the first random thoughts with Eli Davidson. We have a team coming this week.  They will be with us for a little bit.  I hope to write more then.

eli

a system of control

You will go to hell if you start to read your Bible and don't read it in its entirety.  Besides who are you to read the Bible you are not trained enough to read it in the right way.  These two phrases are preached from the pulpits of the Orthodox keep Romanians from opening up God's word for themselves.  I now know people who believe these phrases.

The system is brilliant. The government salaried priest can now tell their flocks whatever they want and the Romanians have to believe them.  This is not a church but a system of control.  This is not a way of bring salvation through Jesus Christ but away to keep people in the dark.  My heart breaks for these people.  It reminds me so much of the Israel Jesus found when he was with us.  A church that was built on rules and not worship. Reading the Gospels have a whole new meaning.  On the flip side I have meet at least one person who has read the Bible for himself and believes the same things I do.  I had Sunday School teachers, great ministers, great parents that educated and trained me the way I should go. My friend had himself the Holy Spirit and the Bible.  There is hope for Romania through the scripture.

Pray for Romanian people so they will open the word and discover what God has for their lives.

forest fruits

Update on Larry.  We went hiking in the woods this morning.  We were hunting the elusive forest fruits.  Larry was eating them up so I did the same. So far so good as far as my digestive system goes.  I wanted to finish hearing Larry's answer to the question are you a Christian.  I brought up our two day old conversation and he finished it. He is a Christian.  He is frustrated with the Orthodox Church and he has been somewhat chastised by his family and friends because.... he reads his Bible.  His views on scripture, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is identical to what I believe.  It was an incredible hike. It seems that he is very excited that we are here and looks forward to see what God will do with our lives here.  God is so good.  Larry leaves tomorrow for a job interview in the capital.  Sheena and I made him a travel package for his train ride.

Larry told me about a Gypsy Temple in the woods that I will go visit next. He says they sacrifice animals at the temple.  okay bye bye now

Are you a Christian? I don't know...

We have some wonderful neighbors across the street.  They seem to have an endless supply of tomatoes. It is like a red river that starts in their garden and ends up in our kitchen.  Sheena is busy trying to use the tomatoes all up.  The neighbors have a two year old grandson that visits often.  Kale has a friend and they like to play in the sand together.  The neighbors also have a 32 year old son he is looking for work.  He has a college degree in writing java programs for computers.  I don't think that is easy.  Larry is the name I will give to him for this blog. Larry and I speak often and sometimes for a couple of hours. He tells me his opinion on Romania.   He says most people regret getting rid of communism because everyone had a job.  (they must have forgotten they had no food and the government tortured and killed people) He is the first and only Romanian to ask what we are doing here.  I told Larry that we are Christians and we see needs in this county. He thinks this is a great thing.  He asked me what I did in America and I told him about the same thing as we plan on doing here.  He was very interested in my job in America.  Finally I asked him Larry are you a Christian?  His response I don't know...

Larry is like most people in Romania.  Educated but can't find work.  Thirty-two and lives at home. Caught between a generation that wants communism to reign again and a generation that wants expensive homes, clothes, cars and vacations.  Caught between the orthodox church and well I don't know.

Larry went on to speak about the Orthodox church and how is Romania is an Orthodox country.  I think he sees Orthodox as the only option.   Larry doesn't like it though because it is all about tradition and following rules.  We hope to bring a scripture only attitude to church to give a place for people like Larry to develop that faith God has given us.

Please pray for this country and in particular Tulcea County.  

money for bread

Today Sheena and I fumigated our house.  I am pretty sure there are fleas among us.   I don't think Romania has seen a bug bomb yet but I used my Mcgruber skills and fashioned bombs with a can of raid, masking tape (I didn't want to open the new roll of duct tape), and glue stick.  Say tatada and you have a home made bug bomb.

Instead of sitting around an inhaling toxic gas we went to the park.  Unless the merry-go-round is supposed to be on its side and the swings are supposed to fall out underneath you 30% of the park equipment was good enough to play on.  I also imagine it was much like an American park in the fifties.  There is nothing safe about it.  Lots of fun for my two year old boy.

The park was a good time but soon it was time to find some ice cream for the day.  We went into one of the  seemingly 100 identical stores to find a tasty treat.  Three gypsy boys exited as we were entering.  For whatever reason we stick out and they must have figured we were Americans.  I don't know maybe it is the way we walk.  We selected and paid for our little slice of heaven and upon exiting we were greeted by the three gypsies.  We practiced the few phrases we know and I would say both parties had a delightful conversation.  We said good-bye and walked away.  Two of the boys caught up to us at the end of the block asking for bread money. They were also giving the international sign for hunger.  To me it looks more like slicing your gut open. Hold you hand open palm up and slice it across your stomach.  If you didn't know the hunger sign you would think they mean to slice gut open if you don't follow their request.   I knew what they were asking for but I played stupid.  I only played stupid because they must have thought that I was. I mean really I watched them devour an ice cream bar.  If you wanted bread that bad you should have bought it.  What was really fun is that he took 1 Leu from a wad of money in his fist to show me what he wanted.  I again played stupid and said good-bye.

I got to learn this language.  Thanks for the prayers let other know we are blogging.

Meeting the people

What a strange country.  The house going up next door to us is own by a Romanian couple who live and work in Italy.  The do not plan on living in the new house they are building even though it would put a lot of American homes to shame in size and beauty.  My neighbor across the street has a couple of green houses and sells produce.  His son Lawrence is moving to Bucharest to find work.  Lawrence was standing in a bird cage full of pigeons for the first ten minutes of our conversation. Yeah it was a little weird. Lawrence informed me that many Romanians can no longer find work in Spain or Italy (the Chinese are moving in and they are cheaper) and are returning home to find no work. Can it really be that no one can start and run a business in a town of ten thousand people?  The largest grocery store in town is just a little better than a gas station.  Will ten thousand people not support a full blown grocery store?  Is it red tape or poverty or the lack of vision that keeps Babadag on the short supply of jobs?

I think there is money to be made here. I know that must sound like an evil capitalist pig.  If we could get jobs here in Babadag we could keep families together.  Is the church meant to merely give hand outs or just preach the gospel, what about a hand up?

There are so many directions to go here in Babadag: work with orphans, plant a church, start a business that employs people, work with the mentally handicapped.  Each one of these directions needs a family to follow it.

Meeting people in Babadag has been a lot of fun.  I enjoy this town very much because it is so much like Auburn.  I mean Auburn doesn't have goats running through town but they are both laid back.  I remember when the mormons moved to Auburn and it seemed the whole town knew about it.  Just today we were walking up the street to hear an older lady tell here daughter those are the Americans that moved here.

Please pray for more workers.

Stateside I was a volunteer fireman for the Nemaha Volunteer Fire Department.  I only went to a handful of fires but all had something in common.  We were rushing in when others were running away.  Romania is much like a burning fire.  Most people I talk to leave the country for work or their children are out of the country working.  I ask me self about 100 times a day, "Why are we here?"

We are here for a girl like Alina.  Her parents left her in a mental/orphange/old folks home and went to Spain.  Alina does not know when her parents are returning if ever.  She speaks some English and wants to learn more.  We hope to reach her for Christ.  We are here for a guys like Adrain.  He can't walk and wants to know why God made his legs without the capability of walking.  Who will explain it to him?  We are her for a group of orphan girls and boys that need to know Christ.  As I read scripture there are two groups of people that we are called to watch over the widows and orphans.  As people flee Romania the church is rushing in.  

I believe Romania has a younger generation of people ready to be apart of a church that is alive and not steeped in tradition. I know much like fighting a fire it will be hard work, demanding, and will take team work.  

We want to thank you for reading this and being apart of reaching Romania. eliwdavidson@gmail.com