Greetings,
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| Cheryl's Hospice colleagues: Daria, Lidia, and Marianella |
We are in the midst of packing up and I desired a break. Never thought I would think of writing in this blog as a break. Nonetheless, Cheryl and I are both in a mixed state of emotions, excited to return home, but very saddened to leave a community and people we have grown to love.
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| Surprise Party |
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| My colleagues Ileana and Monika |
As we suspected, the last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity, from farewell celebrations to graduation ceremonies. This past Monday, Cheryl was given a wonderful send off from her colleagues at Hospice. We shared devotions and a meal together. The staff is still amazed at Cheryl's faithfulness every Tuesday and Thursday and how she never "grumbled" at being given the less glamorous tasks. We have been told that our consistency and faithfulness were what people most appreciated and admired.
On Tuesday we were told that we needed to meet some first-time visitors from America in the conference room and to make them feel welcome and comfortable. Well, it was all a ruse from our friends and colleagues in the Management department so they could throw us a going away party. Given my natural tendency to be clueless about my surroundings, it was no trouble keeping this a surprise. We will share with you the thoughtful card and the creative present upon our return.
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| Simona - in charge of all our logistics |
On every Wednesday, the entire Emanuel academic community gathers in the chapel for a 90 minute worship/gathering time. At the end of chapel, Cheryl and I were surprised once again. We were asked to come to the front and share some brief thoughts. After stumbling over our words and emotions, all my students and Cheryl's book study girls came up front and gathered around us. We were then prayed over and blessed by the entire community. As usual, Cheryl was able to remain composed while I was in tears.
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| Some of Cheryl's girls - Mirjam, Anne, Ana |
Saturday and Sunday was a time to celebrate the graduates. Saturday was the formal ceremony at the University and Sunday was a formal ceremony at the church. Both were filled with the proper balance of joy for what had been accomplished and wonder at what lies ahead. The days and evenings during and prior to these events were filled with fellowship and meals at local restaurants or at the home of friends.
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| Colleagues Silvia and Ioan |
Upon further reflection, I am sure that we will have some additional thoughts upon our time here in Romania. But, for now our initial thought is the realization of how lucky we are to have this opportunity. The thought of a year-long sabbatical (for me) and a year-long leave of absence (for Cheryl) is quite remarkable to our friends here in Romania. It took them a long time to realize how two people who were not retired were able to stay for an entire academic year. We will be forever grateful and hope and trust that the opportunity was used in a wise and glorifying manner.
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| School of Management graduates and faculty |
The second most frequently asked question of us prior to our leaving for Romania was "What will you be doing there?" By the way, the most frequent question was "Why Romania?" Well, our answer to both was that we were not quite sure. The best we could answer was that we had a sense that God had something for us in this part of the world, both in terms of what He wanted to teach us and in how we could serve in this community. But, we believed that even though we did not know the precise answer to the "why" or "what" questions before we left, we believed we were asked to come in faith and that those two questions would be answered in due time.
After eight months, it seems that who we were and how we went about our daily routine was much more important than what we did. Our work certainly mattered, and we do believe that it was helpful in many ways, but it seems that the long term impact of our time here will be remembered through our willingness to serve in a calm and consistent manner over several months. Perhaps our greatest compliment was when folks began thinking of us as "one of the gang."
We so look forward to sharing more with you upon our return and also catching up on what is new in each of your lives. Thank you for your prayers in this venture. Lord willing, we will be able to return to our friends in Romania in the very near future.
Pace,
Cheryl & Tom
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| Emanuel University graduates and "others" |
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| Goodbye to our front yard |
