“It’s about time we updated this blog!” It’s a slow period here in Romania (actually all non-essential businesses stop for about two weeks and people stay home), so it’s definitely time to play “catch-up.” We will be sharing some of the simple aspects of our lives. Some were actually mundane in our previous life, but because things are different here, we hope that describing some of these will be interesting.
First, consider the enjoyment of watching a movie if you haven’t seen one for a year. We experienced this on Christmas as the young missionaries were allowed to watch a movie as a reward for working hard. Per mission rules, movies are not allowed, to increase their focus. They were allowed to choose a movie and we were fortunate to host these happy events for two groups of missionaries. We tried to maximize their pleasure with hot, buttered popcorn, homemade baked goodies and cinnamon rolls! They ate in slow motion to relish every bite!
First, consider the enjoyment of watching a movie if you haven’t seen one for a year. We experienced this on Christmas as the young missionaries were allowed to watch a movie as a reward for working hard. Per mission rules, movies are not allowed, to increase their focus. They were allowed to choose a movie and we were fortunate to host these happy events for two groups of missionaries. We tried to maximize their pleasure with hot, buttered popcorn, homemade baked goodies and cinnamon rolls! They ate in slow motion to relish every bite!
Winter has arrived. We’ve got eight inches of cold, white stuff on the ground outside to prove it, and there’s no sign of letting up. This makes the simple act of walking across the street interesting. We step off the sidewalks, which may or may not have been shoveled, across a white mine field with surprise results every step, varying from soft powder which yields easily, to a solid block of ice that wants to twist your ankle. Lapping up against the curb is a half-frozen pond anywhere from 1-6 inches deep. The center of the road is safest – only 1-2 inches of brown slush. The process is repeated on the other side. We commented today that we spent the afternoon “walking on water.” We walked in, through, on and occasionally over it.
This made the simple task of going to the store to buy a few groceries last longer tonight since we were carrying our bags while walking as described and also trying to see through our glasses that were covered with large melting flakes. The result was that dinner tasted even better than usual and we were more grateful for our nice, warm apartment. This Southern California couple stopped on the way home to enjoy the quiet beauty of falling snow, which had been lost amidst the loud crunching.
This made the simple task of going to the store to buy a few groceries last longer tonight since we were carrying our bags while walking as described and also trying to see through our glasses that were covered with large melting flakes. The result was that dinner tasted even better than usual and we were more grateful for our nice, warm apartment. This Southern California couple stopped on the way home to enjoy the quiet beauty of falling snow, which had been lost amidst the loud crunching.
Finally, enjoy the simple pleasure of drinking water from a fountain or from the tap. On Friday, Scott will spend a couple hours changing the filters in our purifier per the chart posted in every missionary apartment. We are grateful for this luxury, without which we would be hauling water back from the store in addition to our food.
We are looking forward to the new year with all of the challenges and opportunities it will bring. We realize we will be different people next year at this time, and are grateful for the blessing to be here where we have grown to appreciate things that we have previously taken so for granted.
We are looking forward to the new year with all of the challenges and opportunities it will bring. We realize we will be different people next year at this time, and are grateful for the blessing to be here where we have grown to appreciate things that we have previously taken so for granted.