Alex's 2 younger sisters, Claudia - 18 and Cristina -16 got baptized in June! Our family was very excited for their decision and we shared this special moment together!

Last week one of the families that we serve at the YWAM Day Center was evicted from the house where they have been staying illegally for many years. The mom with 5 children (the father is in jail for the next 7 years) refused the room that YWAM found for her and is now staying together with her sister and her 6 children in abandoned buildings moving as the owners kicked them out. We'll keep on trying to look for a place for them. Two of the children have been coming to the Day Center and we really hope they can attend the classes for the next 3 years so they won't lose this school year.

Monday at 5:15 am we left to Bucharest. We arrive 3.5 hours later, find a parking lot near the embassy and we go to wait in line to get in the embassy. About 20 minutes later we get inside, go through the security check, give our papers and pasport, answer "why do you want to go to the States?" and "have you been there before?" and take a seat waiting to be called into another room to have our fingerprints taken.

30 minutes later we finish the fingerprints and wait in a short line to be called for the interview. About 10 minutes we hear our names called by officer number 3. Here come the many questions: why do you

 It's been 3 years since we said "I do" :-) On one hand the time has gone by so quickly while on the other hand there are so many family memories already!
We are very grateful and excited for the way has blessed us as a family in missions! Alex is excited to use his giftings with computers, internet, books layout in missions and Alina loves working at the Day Center for needy children. Since we joined YWAM Constanta has poured his blessings over us by providing free housing, good friends and more.

We celerated Easter twice this year. Once with the childran and the staff at the Day Center and once with our family in Bucharest :-) . We left Constanta last Saturday and 3 hours later we arrived in Bucharest where we spent Easter with family and friends. We eat delicious traditional food: cabbage rolls with ground beef and home-made cozonac (sponge cake with nuts and poppy seeds) One day together with some frends we went out of hte city for a picnic and we enjoyed visiting friends and cathcing up with them. Thursday we picked up 2 colleagues from the bus station and drove up to Timisoara (Alina's home city) where we'll attend a training seminar organized by YWAM Europe and the 50 years celebration of YWAM International.

The gifts are here! The gifts are here!  This is what two children said jumping and running around the room as soon as their mom opened the door and they saw the gifts in our arms! :-) It felt wonderful to deliver gifts to the children that come to the YWAM Day Center and to their brothers and sisters (around 50 children)! On a cold December day together with 2 Day Center staff Alina visited the children's homes to bring the gifts provided my Ecce Home organization. We are grafetul to those who worked hard to make this possible! Also their hearts were sad because for most of them these boxes are the only Christmas gifts they get this year.

Alex was more than excited for  the chance to attend a 5 day seminar on programs like Indesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. Even if it meant travelling for 17 hours by train, across the country one way.
Being part of a group of 25 people and having excellent speakers made this seminar a great learning enviroment!

Alex will use the new information he's learnt to edit future books for the YWAM Romania Publishing House and for other advertising materials for the ministry.