Holiday Seasonings!

The spice of Christmas this year was flavorful!  

On the 18th of December we were invited out to the village of Recas for a children's program. The choral director from our church also works there teaching the children within the orphanage to sing.  The event was also supported by a team from England with Samaritan's Purse.  The place was packed with the children from the facility as well as the children and families from the village.  Check out more pictures from the program.

Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the day following all had church services.  The messages and music all celebrated the birth of Christ.  From the children's program on Monday evening, to the brass band Christmas morning, to the choir and orchestra at the evening service, all were wonderful presentations. 

Christmas Eve, Steve and I enjoyed the evening at our Pastor's home in front of a warm fire as we waited for carolers to stop.  I loved the brass players in their courtyard playing Christmas hymns and then again in the house after partaking in hot tea and food.

Christmas Day we ate at our GEM - Romania director's home along with seven international medical students from India.   The following day was also filled with more good food as we were invited into a Romania home and ate traditional sarmale (cabbage rolls) and mamaligia (cornmeal mush or grits).  The meal had three courses all excellent and leaving us bursting from our seams.  Diets are in our future!

The past few days we have enjoyed house guests playing card games and relaxing.  See more pictures of our guests.

Christmas Sounds

OK... we have been back in Romania for two weeks now, and it is cold.  For the last two days we have woke up to snow on the ground.  Our Christmas tree is up, and I'm playing Christmas CD's. An American missionary showed me this link to an a-cappella group from Bloomington, Indiana.  I enjoyed it and wanted to share it with you.  A little fun way to get more into the spirit of Christmas.

Kristi

Still Hangin' Out in the USA

Worship at the West Coast Summit Conference

I thought I would write a quick update since we have neglected our blog while being in the United States.

Five weeks in the states has been a joy as we have visited many family members, friends, and supporting churches. We also visited doctors for general check ups, and the dentist as well. All is set for us to return.

After attending a wonderful Joni and Friends conference in California some family met us at Disneyland for some fun. Playtime for any age.

Getting wet at Disneyland

We were also able to travel to Minnesota and spend some time with Kristi's family. However, our time is at an end, and we are ready to get back to our second home. Tomorrow we began our 24+ hour journey back.

We are currently attempting to pack. It seems we have far more we want to take back than we brought here. Packing will be an adventure.

Thank You's to all we were able to visit and have meals with. We love you and look forward to our next visit.
The Carnazzo's

Love and Kisses

A family wedding brought us back to the States for a visit. The above picture is Steve with his brother Dave. It is nice to be with family again. Jetlag slowed us down some, yet we were able to stay awake for all the wedding events. Aleen (Steve’s niece) was a beautiful bride and the wedding was fabulous.

It is amazing how quickly one forgets driving directions and standard routines, such as the questions at the supermarket check out. “Do you want paper or plastic?” “Do you need ice or stamps today?” “Ok, just slide your card through.” Hummm, what was our pin code again? We survived; however, our brains had much slower processing speed.

Arizona weather is wonderful, and we are looking forward to our visit next week to California. We will visit Joni and Friends International Disability Center as well as participate in a conference.

Right now we are staying with Kristi’s brother and able to see our dog Lucy who lives with him.

Bob, Buziaş, and Blessing

Bob standing on the drivers side of his British Landrover

Bob Sumner is a British man with a long history in Romania. We met him through our involvement with a ministry situated just north of Timisoara called River of Life. There situated in a small village called Cornesti, is a storage building for medical equipment donated from England to Romania. He has repeated bringing a trailer full of medical equipment to Romania each year ministering to those in need. We are now partnering with Bob and River of Life bringing blessings to those in need of the loving hand of Christ.

The equipment and trailer Bob brought

Last week Kristi and I had the opportunity to travel along with Bob and two others from England to Buziaş, another village east of Timişoara. There we met Alena, a Romanian woman that has developed a lasting friendship with Bob.

Our Visit with Alena

Alena suffers from paralysis after a tragic car accident. Prior to this visit she asked if it would be possible to be transported to her mother's gravesite. With the help of ramps that Bob supplied and the use our minivan together we were able to transport her.

Watch the video of getting Alena into our van.

Spending time with Bob and his friend here in Romania has been a blessing to us and one in which we have been personally touched to see God’s provisions.

Imagine

Imagine what it would be like to have been born with a disability, have an accident, or condition that is serious enough to cause difficulties moving without help. Now imagine that you have no wheelchair, walker or adaptive equipment to help. You are constantly dependant on another person’s help. All around the world there are people who live their lives only within their homes. To go outside would involve someone carrying them.

A few weeks ago we met Ivan and his wife. A Christian doctor suggested we meet them to see if we could help get them a wheelchair. Over the phone and in person, Ivan’s wife was full of life and greeted us with a huge smile. She led us up the bloc apartment building, into their apartment, and into a living room where Ivan was laying on a sleeper sofa. He also greeted us with a smile and a healthy hand shake. Romanians are well known for their warm hospitality and this family, even with Ivan’s illness, exemplified this as well. After measuring and speaking with them, Steve was able to explain and show some exercises to help strengthen his body.

We returned a few days later to deliver a wheelchair and a bedside commode. After transferring Ivan into the wheelchair he demonstrated his ability to use it well, and then he high tailed it through the hall and into his kitchen, where he looked out the window to the scene below.

His wife offered us all coffee and fruit and we talked about the last time he was able to be in that room of their apartment. It had been six months since his return from the hospital and that whole time he had spent his time confined to the one room, the living room.
What a joy and a blessing to meet this couple and to be apart of God’s plan.

GEM Annual Conference 2007

Worship at Conference

Every year the missionaries with Greater Europe Mission gather for an annual conference. Last week we participated in this year’s conference in Sopron, Hungary.

Steve and I were refreshed and encouraged by other Missionaries throughout Europe. The guest speaker was Kalevi Lehtinen who was born in Finland. He has worked with Campus Crusade for Christ, and has headed up evangelistic outreaches in several European countries.

This conference held two celebrations. The first occurred on Monday evening. It was for our current president, Ted Noble and his wife Lynn. This was a wonderful banquet celebrating not only his leadership, but also gave recognition to past leaders. Ted announced at last year’s conference that he felt the Lord leading him on toward something new. He asked for prayer in the search for the following president.

The second celebration was on Tuesday evening with the Installation Service for Henry Deneen, who will begin leadership on September 1st. It was a graceful change of leadership with a sense of peace, unity, and joy among all who attended.

The highlight of the week for Steve was when the Romanian team (that’s us) sang a Romanian hymn. There were eleven of us singing in four part harmony. This was a first for Steve, not only singing in harmony, following a line of music, BUT also singing in front of an audience of approximately 300 people.

Check out some of the pictures we took. A few pictures where from an afternoon outing to a Palace.

Wheels For the World - Continued.

Ligia, pictured above received her first wheelchair. The request for the wheelchair was made months ago from Ligia’s mother, Neli. She had talked with a member of a small village church which Steve and I visited at Easter. During that visit, Steve measured Ligia for a chair. We prayed that within the shipment of wheelchairs coming for the July Wheels for the World Distribution there would be something perfect for her.

Answering this prayer, God provided just the wheelchair for Ligia. At Cluj, Jenny Lotter, our friend and colleague, spotted a chair that would fit her.

On August 1, Steve, Jenny, and Kristi delivered the chair above.

Over 100 Wheelchairs Given!

Last week in Craiova, Romania, Joni & Friends – Wheels for the World had a team to distribute wheelchairs to those who needed them. Everyday around 20 individuals were given a chair that was fitted to their specific needs, sizes and shapes.

What a blessing to get a glance into the lives of those who came. Many times they were individuals with years of hurt and suffering behind them. Each person dealt with their own disability; amputation of legs, stroke, MS, CP as well as other types of disabilities.

God showed Himself as a true provider for those in need.

One lovely woman named Gina (pictured above) had been injured in the earthquake of 1979, and arrived with her teenage son who helped her move. She received a special chair for those with paralysis.

Anka, Cornelia, Alin, Ana Maria, Alex where there along with other children throughout the week. These children sat for the first time in their wheelchairs eyes twinkling and smiling with a smile that warms the heart.


This picture to the right is of Bianca with her twin sister and the therapists who helped fit her wheelchair. She stated, “This is the kind of wheelchair I have always wanted.” The therapists and mechanics (Steve & Alex) adjusted and also prepared a table to fit on her chair. The team was blessed to hear later in the week from her mother saying that Bianca was doing things she was never able to do before, such as hold crayons and color in a position comfortable to do so.


Adrian who had had one leg already amputated registered for a wheelchair two weeks prior to the distribution; however, in the intervening two weeks, his condition worsened, and he was faced with the amputation of his other leg. With clearance from his doctor, he was transported from the hospital to be fit with a wheelchair.




The man pictured below was a veteran in WWII , was not able to move around because of his illness. Now he sits crying with joy as he receives his new wheelchair and renewed independence.

The last patient fitted with a wheelchair had a doctorate in chemical engineering that traveled the world during the Communist years. He could have even moved to the United States in the 1960’s, but he chose to remain with his homeland despite the hardships.



God showed himself to be the best physician for those who came.

Celebrating One Year!

Kristi and Steve on a mountain top in Switzerland.

Now after one full year in Romania, life is beginning to be more at ease. As missionaries with Greater Europe Mission we participated in a conference specifically designed for first term missionaries. It was held in Saas Grund, Switzerland in June. What a beautiful and relaxing location to gather new GEM missionaries to debrief on the highs and lows of moving to another country. Those who attended were from Bulgaria, France, Portugal, Germany, Holland, Austria, Malta, and Romania.

Every morning we were involved in sessions dealing with culture, language, and family issues. Then each afternoon was free to take nature walks, read, or naps. The temperatures were cooler for long sleeves and a light jacket. It was refreshing, and we returned to Romania with renewed energy to face another year of expectant possibility.
Check out some of our photos.

This past weekend two of our pastors from Highlands Church in Scottsdale, AZ. came to Timisoara for a short visit. It was exciting for us to share with them our local church we attend, some city sites, our home, and neighborhood.

Steve, Pastor Les and Pastor Tyler while having some coffee and ice cream at a cafe in Union Square.

A Place to Call Home

Heartfelt thanks to those that have been praying for us in yet another transition. Let us take a short minute and tell you where God led us for housing. We began thinking that a house would be good, because in the future we hope to have storage for adaptive equipment and wheelchairs. We also need an extra room for visitors. Those things along with a prayer for good owners to rent from were our primary desires.

The month of May was filled with moving and transition. God showed us that apartment living was His plan, because the cost of renting a house was far too high for our budget. Even though we did not find a house, God proved to be our strong right arm. He first supplied an answer to the prayer of storing medical and adaptive equipment in a nearby village with another missionary couple and a ministry there. Steve will write later with more details regarding this opportunity of partnership.

Secondly, God supplied wonderful proprietors/owners and friendly neighbors. The owners have been very kind, and have invited us in the future to spend a weekend with them in their mountain cabin. We speak mostly Romanian with them, but they do understand some English for those moments of learning new vocabulary. Our new neighbors are friendly. We hope to share our new language with them; however; more than language we hope to share our lives with our new neighbors strengthening their walk with the Lord or sharing the Gospel with them.

Thirdly, we have enough space for hospitality, an important thing in this culture and in the life of missionaries. God provided a large apartment. The apartment has four rooms and 2 bathrooms. That means it has 3 bedrooms and a living room. We have a guest room for visitors – another prayer answered! It is in a block that is 10 stories, but we are fortunate to be on the first level. First level is not ground level as in the states, but the second floor. We have small mom and pop stores below us.

Fourth, we are next to an open air market with lots of fresh veggies and fruit. We are within walking distance to the center of town as well as the new large mall, both have many areas to either shop or to do the things necessary to live life. Even our view is pleasing; all our rooms face an Orthodox church with a nice park and fountain. In addition, an important factor for me, is that we are close to a good pizza place!

Lastly, God provided the things to fill the apartment. We bought many things from a Missionary returning to the states last September. We were able to buy them at a fraction of the store prices. We bought and then stored a bedroom set, an office desk and book shelf, washer and dryer, two arm chairs…..It has taken weeks, and we are still in the process of moving, because the apartment was empty. Empty means we had to purchase kitchen cabinets, light fixtures, and appliances. We are still waiting for the correct person to hook up the gas oven. We need someone that has an official stamp applied to our guarantee paperwork. The kitchen needed some help so we also tiled that as well as painted all the rooms.

Being Used For His Glory

Over the past two months, God has displayed His always supportive hand in our lives. Romanian village churches have found their way into our hearts as we have experienced wonderful hospitality.

Those of you that know Steve well know that he considers his skill in public speaking a weaker point. However, God uses our weakness for His greater glory.

About a month and a half ago, we were invited to go with Dwight Poggemiller, our regional director, to a village south of Timisoara. We felt welcomed by the church members and the pastor. Steve gave an initial message prior to the main sermon Dwight presented. Many of the attendees were exposed to the Gospel.

On Palm Sunday, we went to a village with our Sibiu colleges and received a warm greeting from this church and noticed all the great things the Lord is doing. With each visit we are looking for ways in which we can help with our ministry gifts. Steve again gave a short greeting while Kristi sang a solo. Even though Kristi loves music she doesn’t consider herself a soloist.

This Easter was no different. We went with Dawn Elenbass to visit two other colleagues, Susan and Richard, in Oradea in northwest Romania. On the way up, we stopped at a nearby village were we visited a family, and measured a young child for a wheelchair. Fellowship over the weekend was great, and on Sunday, we went to our colleague’s village church. There Steve had the privilege of giving the Resurrection Morning message, while Kristi was able to participate by singing a solo and accompany Susan’s solo on keyboard.

We know more and more just how God has been preparing us throughout our lives for just a time as this. Steve’s seminary studies are definitely used and Kristi has found that growing up on a farm in Minnesota has prepared her to be a housewife in this culture by cooking from scratch, hanging clothes on the line, and growing a garden.

It is wonderful to see God’s had at work in the life of those we meet. Resurrection Sunday is an evident reminder of the Promise we have in Christ to be with those who love Him until the end.

Şi iată că Eu sunt cu voi în toate zilele, până la sfârşitul veacului. Amin

Matei 28: 20a

I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matt. 28:20a

New Life With A New Shepherd

Blessings and Happy Resurrection Sunday to you all!

On Palm Sunday we celebrated with two new believers who came to Christ. What Joy!
Steve and I were blessed to attend a small village church in the mountains near Sibiu. It is mostly a village of sheepherders. Many of the members of the church are not the owners, but the men who do the odd jobs such as sheering the sheep. It is the sheering season right now. The Sheep are losing their winter coat to begin a summer much cooler and lighter of weight. These new believers, as well, are beginning life lighter and with a new found spirit.

These pictures are of Steve giving a greeting and Kristi singing at the church.

Take a Walk with Me

A typical day here consists of considerable walking. We thought we would take you along our path to our language class through pictures.

A friend asked for some more shots of Romania….here we go.
Ok, a month ago we blogged about our muddy road. Well, wahla! This past week they started putting in a new road. We think they are planning on asphalting it next.

Take a look, Andy! (Andy is our supervisor who is currently in the States, and we are renting his home)

The walk to our tutor’s home takes about 20-30 minutes one way. This picture is of a park along the way.

There are many block apartment buildings. Here are a few next to the park.

These are streets along our way back home. We sometimes stop at the open air market to buy fresh produce. On this particular day we did not stop so it is not pictured here; however, it is located behind the block apartments on the left. (Above picture)

A taxi line.

This is the closest one to our home, which is about 1/2 mile away.

The final picture is of a small store, which we call the "Blue Bread Store". They have wonderful fresh bread where we purchase a loaf every 2-3 days.

Thanks, for taking a walk with me!

CARTOON

At a Christian fundraiser there was a Cartoonist.

Check out Steve’s caricature, everyone said it captured his essence.

What do you think?

Timisoara at Night

After our first visit to the National Theather in Timisoara we made
a short video of the City Center.

Click on the above picture to see the video clip.

It's Clean but Drafty

While traveling one always appreciates to find a nice clean bathroom. Fortunately for us, Romanian gas station bathrooms are usually decent. A while back, I took a trip with two short term missionaries and my colleague, Dawn, to see some of Transylvania. Along our route, we stopped to get gas a use the bathroom. Two of the gals went ahead of me, and I met them on their way out of the restroom with funny smiles on their faces. I said, “Are the bathrooms not very clean?” They replied, “Oh no, they are very clean,” and then told me to go ahead and use it. The above picture is what I found; a bathroom without the back wall.
The cashier laughed at us all as we had ignored the sign in Romania that stated it was out of order. She told us to use the men’s room and all was well.
You can find more pictures from this trip in our web album. Click on the link on the right of this page that says Carnazzo Picture Album.

Kristi

At Church This Morning

Today at church there was a brass band playing. Every Sunday there is a choir and organist. Sometimes they have an orchestra with strings, and at the evening service it is more contemporary with guitars and the young leading worship.

I had my digital camera and for the first time I used the little film clip button. You can view that on our picasa album webpage. http://picasaweb.google.com/skCarnazzo/BetelBaptist
Click on the third picture for a short 10 sec video clip of this brass band. We were in the last row of the balcony and the quality isn't the best, but you can have a little taste of a church here in Romania.

Where is Winter?

It is the end of February, and I have been watching the nasty weather reports from the Northeast US. That is the type of weather I expected here in Romania. It has been a very mild winter thus far. If one could even call it winter. We had just a few days of snow that dusted the ground and disappeared quickly. Our worry of survival with our 12 years of thinned blood from Arizona has not been a problem. Windy days back in January had us concerned; however, we could still have a late storm.

Right now we are enjoying the 50 degree temperatures while we jump over the large mud puddles from all the rain. All the early spring flowers are a month early this year and beginning to bloom. The trees are showing lots of buds, the strawberry plants are growing in the garden, and I have spied earthworms hanging out on our front sidewalk.

It makes me wonder if this August I’ll be melting in the heat as there are few places with AC here.

Kristi

Living Without an Explanation

I guess that is, in part, living out our Faith. There are many reasons we must live without any explanations in our new culture. The three most obvious are the differences in customs, culture and language. What do I give young children who are begging at the grocery store with their noticeable unwashed clothes and bodies, or what to say to young man at the car window who is faking an arm amputation to get money? What should I do when I walk past gypsies picking out of the apartment bloc trash to get food and other valuables?

Every time I see the children, I think how come I do not have a pack of peanuts or crackers with me. The last boy I saw, when we were coming out of the grocery store, I was able to give a bag of breakfast cereal and a box of long life milk. He ran away with a big smile saying “lapte, lapte” which translated means milk in Romanian.

Faith often has more subtle questions. One is having a time table that is in flux. This coming summer, Kristi and I are looking to find a place to rent in Timisoara with a safe storage space for adaptive equipment. Another is ministry planning. Starting in the late spring, we have a definite increase in our ministry schedule, and are humbly looking forward to God’s leading. Recently, I was reminded from an online sermon about God’s ownership of everything. He quoted the psalmist, “For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on all the hills…If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine and all it contains” (Psalm 50:10,12). He is not commanding us to serve because He needs our help, but to be a disciple of Him and love others. How true that is and how easy to forget! For the Apostle James instructs us how to be a disciple, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (James 2:27). In return for obeying, we are truly blessed more than we think. Recently, we meet a young teenager with cerebral palsy at a church based disability support group, and I was able to help her and her mother with some basic exercises for her arm. I feel blessed that I have cerebral palsy, because I am able to treat many people with disabilities offering them an example of encouragement while using my therapy training to assist them. God has a plan for us from the womb, through school, and even now. What a loving God!

There is always a reason for living without an explanation, faith demands it, but with a measure of hope and love everything is bearable. God often lets us see peeks of His master plan, but just like a good parent He knows what we can handle, and what will make us more like Him.

New House Guests

This past two weeks we have had new guests come to stay with us. Jenny and Kelly are from Indiana and are new missionaries with Remember the Children. They are scheduled for 6 months of language school; the same school that we attend. Jenny is a Physical Therapist and is also involved with Joni and Friends- Wheels for the World. What a great connection and future colleague here in Romania. Kelly will be working with youth sports in a village setting. They are going to stay in the house we are in until they leave for Oradea in July.

The great part of having guests is reliving and seeing through them the exact place we were eight months ago. The extra energy it takes just to cook and doing dishes after language school. The spoken and unspoken questions you can see in their eyes. How does public transportation work? What to buy and not buy at the grocery store.

We have to walk to class down that muddy road?

It is a good experience for us to share and learn how to prep other missionaries in our new culture.

Using Language at The Boys Without Parent's Home

Kristi and I have been busy with language school and building a foundation in the culture these past seven months, but what does that mean?

Atat de mult a iubit Deumnezeu lumea, incat si-a dat singurul Fiu, pentru ca oricine crede in El sa nu piara, ci sa aiba viata vesnica.


If you can not read that sentence, it would be difficult to share it with a Romanian.

Learning a language and culture means that you can sit down and share what really matters, and have meaningful relationships.

The Romanian sentence above says For God so loves the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

2006 Christmas in Germany

I was recalling memories of the return to school after winter break as a kid. It was so much fun to share about all the holiday activities and Christmas gifts. In sharing our Christmas vacation with you I get that same little excited feeling.

Christmas 2006 was a different experience for us as can be expected when living in a different country. However, we were not even in Romania, but traveled to Germany to visit friends from Phoenix, Don and Jennifer. It was a joy to see and spend time with them during Christmas.
We visited Christmas markets with so many beautiful things, crafts, and foods, all on display for the senses to take in.

We did some sight seeing along the Rhine River with its numerous castles and grape vineyards.

Christmas meal was at Don’s parent’s home and was a traditional one with turkey and all the trimmings. On the 25th and 26th businesses were closed, and we all played board games and ate great German food. It was different being away from our family at Christmas. Sending cards/e-cards and some on-line ordering was handy, but we missed being there in person.

The Kehren family opened their home up to us and had a few surprises. Jen was able to pack in her luggage a few gifts from family back in the states. Steve especially liked his socks and comfy long underwear.

Sharing so many new sights and experiences made wonderful memories to cherish. Hope you enjoyed some of the pictures.

Half Empty or Half Full

In Romania New Years is a huge holiday. We looked forward to celebrating our first New Year’s in Romania.
However, we came home on Friday the 29th from Germany sick with a little cold. We decided we were going to stay home and recover rather than spent the night in the center of town until the weee hours of the morning. Disappointing!

After a week vacation, we needed groceries and so we had a little adventure at the shopping market. Saturday morning on January 30th was like black Friday after Thanksgiving. The whole parking lot was full of cars and all the shopping carts were gone. That has never happened in seven months since we moved here. The store was wall to wall people and shopping carts, getting ready for New Years Eve and preparing for everything to be closed on New Years Day. Exhausting!

That evening we watched the raising of the EU flag on TV which initiated Romania’s entrance into the European economy. Even though we stayed home with the sniffles, we had the fireworks brought to us by light shows all over the sky, and one at the end of the street in the nearby field. It was a trill to have 4th of July in 30 degree temperatures.
Ok – Getting Better!

New Years day there were no cars on the road. It reminded me of Christmas morning in the states. When preparing to go spend the evening with friends we called one after another taxi companies to hear, “nu masina.” – meaning no taxi, sorry tough luck.
Ok, no problem we started walking and eventually found a cab about 8 blocks away.
That night we ate dinner at played take two (a scrabble game), Yatzee, and Uno. Fun!

To top the New Year off, I was able to watch the second half of Nebraska against Auburn using Fox Sports Online. Yea, yea, Nebraska lost. Bummer!!

But, I will be able to download and watch the bowl games on our new Christmas ipod. Getting Better!!!

Lastly, I found out, Oklahoma lost to Boise State. Priceless!!!!!