Transitions

This blogsite will be inactive for much of the year due to our transition out of full time mission work with Greater Europe Mission (GEM). Since we are still ministry associates with GEM, we will continue to be involved each year with ministry work in Romania. During our time in Romania, we intend to keep people up to date.

Therefore, We have decided to keep this site up for both a blog record of our past work in Romania, but also a way to update people on work in Romania when we travel there.

Thank you for your support of us.

God Bless,
Steve and Kristi

In Between Diaper Changes and Feedings

We are here in Indiana with our new son, Andre. It is wonderful, but it is also a type of house arrest. I like to call it, "Baby House Arrest". We are stuck in our gracious host's house in a routine all parent's know. Eat, sleep, eat some more, wash his clothes, sterilize his bottles, and so on and so forth.

So what are we doing in between changing diapers and bottle feedings? Well, I, Steve, am developing a blog for new missionaries. Steve's Blog Many missionaries go to their host culture and know very little about how to do anything or even what questions to ask. By God's grace, Kristi and I had experts in developing missionaries literally right out our front door. Andy and Pam Labreche kept us on the right path and gave us great training. If they were not there we could ask GEM's regional director across town, or one of our other colleagues that had over 10 year experience respectively.

Even with this these great teachers, it was not possible for them to remember everything. We also found it difficult to call or e-mail people at 2:00 am, when they were on home assignment, or in a conference in another country or city. It just was not always possible to ask someone to get the answer.

Therefore, I am developing this on-line resource in blog format in order to provide answers and resources for new missionaries ask at anytime and anywhere as long as they have internet. Anyone can look at it at any time of the day, and even before they reach the field. Even though this is aimed at new missionaries I have found many resources even veteran missionaries can use either in their own work, or as a reference for their new charges.

We are in Indiana finishing up the adoption of our son, Andre. We are both happy parents and splitting the duties during the night shift. God has given me energy to be able to take the early morning time. I am usually up after 2 am to about 8 am. Then I go to bed, and Kristi takes over.

We are both doing well, and our host family here in Indiana is wonderful. We should be in Indiana until late February or early March. My guess is March. In any case, we will then return to Chandler, Arizona.

Even though, we have a little one, I am busy none the less keeping busy with ministry. I am developing a website/blog to support new missionaries on the field. One aspect of the website is a section for disability resources. It will allow someone in the field to research and use tools at a moments notice. Because we are confined mostly in the house here, I able to concentrate a lot of time on it.

What's Next?

Many knew that we thought we would be adopting and in the states for the holidays.  Then things changed with that as the birthmother changed her mind.  The big question was, "Do we still go on furlough?" or  "Do we wait until we hear about another birthmother picking us?"  

Well, we thought to wait it out.  However, this past week we bit the bullet and purchased tickets for our home assignment.  Yup, we are coming back to the states for a five, yes 5, month stay.  

Our options for home assignment were:

1) 4 years Romania with 1 year back in the states.  

2)  2 years Romania with 6 months back in the states.  

We felt option one was too long for both reasons for relationships on both sides of the ocean.

We have now been in Romania for 2 1/2 years - so we are over due to get back to visit friends, family and supporters!

This past week we received a few reports from close friends and family of some health concerns. At that point we were more assured that we need to spend some good quality time with those we love back home.

We plan to spend holiday time in both Minnesota and Nebraska, with News Years back in Arizona.  Then both of us need to take some continuing education courses for our therapy license and certificates.  

Adoption News:  We are so close to the top of the list at the adoption agency that every expecting mom that goes through this agency will read our profile and letter to choose from. Please join us as we continue to pray that during our time in the states our family will grow to include a beautiful, healthy baby.  

As exciting as it is to think about being in the states it is difficult to pack up when ministry and relationships here are going so well.  Please pray for us as we pack, organize, and visit with many before we leave here.  Oh yeah, all of this in ONE WEEK.  We will depart on Dec. 6th heading to Minneapolis first.

New Place to Call Home - Again.

I had heard it said that a missionary's life consists of getting used to moving.  Not always within the same city like us, but back and forth from the states and sometimes to different towns and cities.  We have had our share of mobility in our two and half years of living here.

However, we are so happy with this present move we made.  We left behind the apartment in the block building and are now in a large 3 bedroom apartment in a house.  The neighborhood is nice and quiet with a observatory across the street.  This makes parking our van so much easier!!!  I can not even explain the increase of cars we have seen here even in the last two years.  These Romanian cities were not designed to accommodate this and in the areas of block apartments it is the worst! 

Steve has been busy with distributing wheelchairs and equipment and other ministry things with moving furniture in between.  Hence, there has been no down time for us until this past weekend.  We celebrated my (Kristi's) birthday and our new place with having friends over.  

Adoption News - is that we have not heard anything new.  We are still in the waiting mode for a birthmother to pick us.  This has changed our travel plans and we will not be in the states for the holidays.  Unless, we get a call that requests us to come immediately to pick up a surprise Christmas gift.  Thanks for your continued prayer for us and our future family.

For the time being we expect to celebrate Thanksgiving with other missionaries and Americans here in Timisoara.  

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

So Let's Get to Work!

There are many reasons for ministering both alongside and to people with special needs and disabilities. All the arguments could fill volumes in anyone's library. However, two verses have been banging around in my head for the last six months. They come from the pen of the writer of Hebrews.

Hebrews 10:24-25 "...and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near."

We often see the verses in a different light than having relevance with special circumstances, needs, or disabilities. However, I feel convinced that it is extremely relevant to the life issues of all people who have special circumstances. Where are the vast majority of the people with special needs on Sunday morning and evening? Are they at church or in bible studies? No. They are home or elsewhere, cut off from the church body. Who is stimulating them to love and good deeds? Who can they encourage? How are they growing in love and in worship? I think the key is to help and encourage churches learn how to open their doors and incorporate those who have special circumstances, special needs, or disabilities.

Can anyone do this? Why not? God uses anyone with a mission, a heart, goals, and is obedient. So let's get to work!

Stephen Carnazzo

The Roller Coaster Ride of Adoption

Life is in constant change and motion.  We are in the midst of packing our belongings and moving to a different apartment.  This next one will be in a house.  Yeah!  It will have more room for a baby.

Also we are trying to get ready to fly to the states for adopting a baby in December.  BUT, halt on this one.  The birthmom who had chosen us to adopt her baby changed her mind and is now going to parent her baby.  It is a disappointment, but not a death or a miscarriage.  We will continue to pray for this young mother and this baby boy.  We still have a hope for a baby and our application and information is being shared with other expecting mothers thinking of adoption plans. 

The other positives is that she changed her mind in advance before we purchased plane tickets or flew to the states.  Those who follow our blog and are praying for our adoption we wanted you to know.  We appreciate your prayers.  Thank You!