t's about a 15 hour trip by train to Romania. When we set out, we really didn't know what to expect. We had heard tales of border checks and long waits to get into the country. What we found, was a pleasant ride, an easy border crossing that we slept through and about 1/2 hour wait at the border.
Our only real problem was transfering to the correct train in Budapest, Hungary. We found out that Hungarian doesn't even look close to English in many cases. Fortunately, the train that we stepped onto went where we were hoping.
Romania is similar to other poverty stricken countries that we have been to, like Mexico or the Czeck Republic. In many ways the people work to subsist. Most families keep edible animals in their back yard and have some sort of garden. One family offered Madelyn a live chicken as we left their home.
We were there to visit two families. One family in lives in Arad, the Costeas; Beny Costea is a pastor in a church there. The other family were friends from Tacoma that are now missionaries in Otello Rosu, Phil and Adinela Ness.
Both families opened their homes to us and we had a wonderful time seeing their land through their eyes. Both families also have a great desire to see God's word proclaimed and hearts changed for Jesus. With the Costea's in Arad we were thankful to take part in a baptismal service where folks of all ages came forward to say that Christ was their Savior. In Otelo Rosu, the Ness's introduced us to their pastor and many of the people that they work with there. Their pastor shepherds 6 different churches...I can't even imagine.
