This sounds like a paid announcement from the public education system, but we have learned for ourselves that skills we’ve learned that seemed to have no relevance, have proven useful. There is hope in math, and geography, and history, and … grammar.
During our mission, we frequently have opportunities to use skills and experiences from our past. We would never have dreamed, however, that one of those would be math. We’ve been grateful for defensive driving skills learned on the So Cal freeways, and winter survival skills from growing up in Utah, but the fact that we are reaching into the lives of some great young men through basic algebra and geometry has been a pleasant surprise. Here’s the story and we’re stickin’ to it. Jacque and I were summoned to a home of a recently discovered family to teach mom how to improve her job search skills. She was frazzled and defeated and found it difficult to focus on what we were saying. Finally, we asked her what she was worried about. She said there were many things, but at the top of her list was the fact that her two sons were struggling with math and she was unable to help them. Believing that we should help these people in whatever way we can, we set up a tutoring schedule. In a typical session, we would review math facts, do a practice test, enjoy a simple meal which mom or grandma would graciously prepare and then help them learn a few new English words. In exchange, we would learn a few Romanian phrases and have the benefit of watching a small family be transformed. Not only have the math skills improved, but so has the way they treat each other and their self-confidence. They are attending meetings with us and have received a warm welcome back. Most of all, we have gained some real friends and we look forward to spending time with them, building math and life skills. The young missionaries have been tremendous role models for these boys. There is hope in math. We were introduced to another wonderful family who have been attending our English classes. At the outdoor May 1 activity, dad confided in me that his son was struggling in math and that he was not able to help him as the son was going through the all too common “dad doesn’t really know anything” stage shared among 13 year olds. We agreed to visit and see what we could do. This has led to some delightful sessions, and we learned tonight that the son did better on the end of school math test than dad had predicted. We think the individual attention and the great influence of the younger missionaries have made a difference.
This sounds like a paid announcement from the public education system, but we have learned for ourselves that skills we’ve learned that seemed to have no relevance, have proven useful. There is hope in math, and geography, and history, and … grammar.
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Easter is a significant holiday for us, and this year we were able to celebrate twice. We quietly celebrated last week, knowing there would be lots of fun and special activities in the homes of our grandchildren. This weekend we celebrated Romanian style according to the Orthodox calendar. Interestingly, this year the two calendars differ by only one week, but next year the two holidays are five weeks apart. Romanians, being very faith-filled people, really enjoy Paste (pronounced PASH te). For weeks, beautiful hand painted eggs have been available. You can buy either real eggs which have been hollowed out, or wooden ones. They are small works of art. Each design is different and all are amazing. We learned the hard way that most stores and markets close for several days around this weekend. They refer to this as the “three days of Easter.” On Sunday, we joined our congregation for a traditional Paste masa (meal). The first course was a “meat loaf” made with lamb and boiled eggs, a red boiled egg and sliced cucumbers. The second course was a chicken leg with both red and white cabbage. Dessert was cozonac, a very light sweet bread. The meal was colorful and nothing was wasted! Their tradition is to pair up and crack your red eggs. The first person says, “Hristos a inviat (Christ is risen).” The other person says “Adevarat, a inviat (true, He is risen).” Then they crack eggs – the one whose egg doesn’t break has good luck. At this time of year, this greeting and exchange replaces the typical “Buna ziua (hello)” on the streets. It is a beautiful thing.
We ended our day by having 15 younger missionaries over for dinner. We served food that is more familiar to us and wanted to create a good memory that we knew their parents would appreciate. Again, nothing was wasted! They were very appreciative of Sora Stratton’s amazing hospitality and generosity. When we returned to Bucharest, we visited the Peasant Museum and a local piata (market) where we all got some beautiful painted eggs. We spent a couple days with Kristi doing our normal things in Bucharest including working with members and young missionaries, creating pass-along cards (she went right to work and designed one that is being used all over the mission!), attending Church, fixing meals and enjoying the delicious local breads, pastries and produce.
We were very sad to see her leave on Monday morning, but knew she would be delighted to be home with her family. Which of you will be our next guest? “A joy shared is a double joy.” (Swedish proverb). Such was the case for us when Scott’s daughter Kristi visited Romania earlier this month. She concluded a nearly two-week journey by coming to the best place on earth. Previously, she had spent over a week in England and a very full day in Paris. We felt the love when she saw us in the airport as we were the first familiar faces she had seen in a while! She was truly a hero in our eyes as we learned of the challenges she had worked through alone and the amazing adventures she had enjoyed during her trip. Not anxious to waste any time, we left the next day for our castle visits. The first stop was Peles, perhaps the best preserved and elaborate castle in Europe. We had been before last October and enjoyed this visit every bit as much. It is filled with treasures in every direction. We have shared some photos previously and have included a few more here of the outside, but we know that the photos don’t really do it justice. We left again with the magical feeling of having been guests among royalty. We drove to Bran and found that the castle had closed for the day. The good news is that we were able to get a few pictures with green landscapes. As we drove to Brasov where we would spend the night, it began to snow and we awoke the next morning with an 8-inch white blanket covering the world. We enjoyed a hearty breakfast with the Bairs, the senior couple living in Brasov and drove to Castelul Bran, which had taken on a completely new look with the snow. As you may know, this is the home of the famed Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler), no doubt the best known Romanian ruler. This castle has a completely different look and feel. First, it is at least 400 years older than Peles and has been added on to many times. Bran was built as a fortress, while Peles was always a palatial home for the ruling class.
Mom and Dad taught us to be charitable, in the very real sense of that word. They were always doing something for someone else, often anonymously. Their Christmas projects would start in about August and would involve long hours in his basement shop and working together as a family to assemble, decorate and deliver.
Dad was faithful to the very end to the beliefs he held dear. He taught and exemplified individual and family religious observance in our home. We were not perfect, but these habits have had a lifelong impact. Prayer with Dad was a sweet experience and we knew he was really communicating. He taught us the moral virtues that much of society lacks, such as integrity and honesty. We knew that it was always better to tell the truth, even if we would be punished. We were taught the importance of family. We enjoyed memorable family vacations, even though the budget was tight. Mom and Dad somehow knew those memories would last and that the tradition of spending quality time together would extend into our families. Mostly, we learned the importance of marriage. Their marriage was a model of love, fidelity and service. We watched them work through life’s challenges together. That process was likely the most valuable thing we learned. They never pretended to be perfect or have all of the answers, but they never lost sight of what was most important. Their annual getaways were a great example. They carved out time to renew and refresh, and the house was still standing when they returned. We returned last night to Bucharest from a whirlwind trip to the United States. The primary purpose was to prepare a fitting memorial service for Leo Stratton, Scott’s father who passed away on February 9. We dedicate this entry to this amazing man. Dad was born in St. George, Utah in 1924 and grew up in the Great Depression. It seems that everything he did was heavily influenced by that event and what he learned from it. Nothing was ever wasted. That was epitomized during the time he lived in Southern California. Not long after he moved there, he heard the area was in a drought. His response was to store water in every possible container. He taught his children how to work by both example and precept. He was a hard worker himself. The 33 years he spent at Chicago Bridge and Iron as a welder and then as an inspector were demanding physically. As a welder, he was often outside in all types of weather. Scott recalls seeing the burns he received on his arms and feet when slag fell into his boots, but he never missed work. Very early in their marriage, he built (mostly by himself) some apartment buildings, which became known as “the duplexes.” These buildings shaped our childhood, as we spent every Saturday there helping Dad. He taught us how to do things: paint, make repairs, yard work, and clean up messes. We learned that when something needed to be done, we did it, even if it wasn’t convenient. Most important, Dad taught us to recognize a good job. Our reward for working those Saturdays was a hamburger at Dee’s on the way home. Actually, our reward was learning things that changed our lives. Although he only had a high school education, he encouraged us to do well in school and make the most of our lives. He always wanted to know about our jobs and Church callings and if we were doing our best. Scott treasures the math book Dad studied late in his career to qualify for the Inspector job at CB&I and his graduation certificate from the Dale Carnegie course he finished after he retired. He taught his children how to work by both example and precept. He was a hard worker himself. The 33 years he spent at Chicago Bridge and Iron as a welder and then as an inspector were demanding physically. As a welder, he was often outside in all types of weather. Scott recalls seeing the burns he received on his arms and feet when slag fell into his boots, but he never missed work. Very early in their marriage, he built (mostly by himself) some apartment buildings, which became known as “the duplexes.” These buildings shaped our childhood, as we spent every Saturday there helping Dad. He taught us how to do things: paint, make repairs, yard work, and clean up messes. We learned that when something needed to be done, we did it, even if it wasn’t convenient. Most important, Dad taught us to recognize a good job. Our reward for working those Saturdays was a hamburger at Dee’s on the way home. Actually, our reward was learning things that changed our lives.
Although he only had a high school education, he encouraged us to do well in school and make the most of our lives. He always wanted to know about our jobs and Church callings and if we were doing our best. Scott treasures the math book Dad studied late in his career to qualify for the Inspector job at CB&I and his graduation certificate from the Dale Carnegie course he finished after he retired. Before we left on our mission, Jacque asked me what I would like to do when we have a little free time. My answer was “family history research.” Fast forward a few months. At Christmas time, we met a delightful man, whom we will call Preston. He is formerly from American Fork, Utah and felt strongly impressed two years ago to move to Romania to work on family history. In the past two years, he has literally become a walking, talking family history encyclopedia. We think he knows everything important about how to do it well here. Two days later, our district president stops me in the hall and asks me to create a family history program in my branch. Needless to say, I am very excited and honestly, have no excuses. What is family history? It is learning about, documenting and sharing the stories and essential information for those who went before us. These are the people who made it possible for us to be here. Why do family history? We have discovered there is a great spirit associated with learning about these amazing people. Most often, they lived ordinary lives, but considering what they had, it is extraordinary to consider who they existed and even thrived in their circumstances. We often realize we are wimps by comparison. By learning about them, we are learning who we really are. There are many advantages for doing family history research here. There are excellent records, often extending back to the 1600’s. Second, people at that time did not move. When you find a family, you likely have found several generations! Finally, we have Preston, who knows exactly where to go to get every type of record in each of the 41 counties and municipalities of Romania. There are a few disadvantages. The first for us is that the records are obviously written in Romanian. We are still learning the language and we also need to learn to read their writing which is a little different. The good thing is that it is consistent. Once we figure it out, we can read them all. The next issue is that none of the records are yet digitized. That slows the process a bit, but even a snail mail will be returned with the requested information in about two weeks.
Today we have included some pictures of our family! It’s not Romanian, but they are very important to us. “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! 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. 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. |
AuthorScott & Jacque Stratton are serving an 18 month mission in Romania for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and would like to share our adventures. Archives
November 2015
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