Just a short post today for the Remembering Romania Series. If you would like to catch up, or start from the beginning click here.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2003
Yesterday we took our first fun trip since coming here 4 months ago. We drove 2 hours to get to the Salt Mines, going off information that they are always open; only to find that there was only one bus going in at 8:00 a.m. We got there at 9:00 a.m. Some guys told Fedi to just hitchhike at the entrance and there was a chance one of the miner trucks would pick us up. It worked like a charm. The kids all got their salt blocks that they intend to give to their friends in America.
Fedi has been discouraged. He had given the cow rancher’s son his personal Hungarian Bible since they had had some good talks. Now this week he was at their house and the subject of the Bible came up. Attila’s Mom said “Oh that Bible, I used it to start a fire.” Major let down!
There is one guy-Lehel, 25 years old, who has been 100% for Fedi trying to organize the young kids in Certa. He said he wants to come to church. Some of the other guys have been almost aggressive to Fedi. One of them said to Lehel “Are you on his side or ours?” (This was the president)
The Christmas packages for the school children are held up at the Hungarian border. They will most likely get here after Christmas.
Oh yeah, on the way home from the salt mines, we came to a car broken down with 4 people we know. They were on their way to visit someone in the hospital about 20 miles away. It was on our way. We squished the 4 of them in making 10 in our little jeep. Then Fedi dropped them off, took us home, turned around and drove back to the hospital, picked them up, took them back to their car to tow it to their place. Then all the way home again, maybe 150 miles round trip on bumpy roads. He stayed in his hometown for a while so Heuni could fix the cord on the laptop computer. He got home at 1:30 a.m.
My refrigerator has a defect. The magpies have discovered the food on the windowsills. They ate their way through at least 1 kg. of sausage, plus bacon and cheese.
I am at last getting some kitchen cupboards. We had a guy from a different church give us an estimate. To custom make the cupboards with the counter top is $180. Thank you Judy (my oldest sister) for the money you donated for this, plus the money you sent from the horse business. Next will be the clothes cupboards, maybe in January. I think this will be cheaper.
Our car is having more trouble. It is slipping out of gear. At least, except for parts, it is cheap to have a car fixed here.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2003
There is something happening in Certa. Fedi asked the church to pray for this village, which they promptly did. The Friday meeting with the young kids there went bad as we expected. For some reason the leader is bent out of shape over Fedi being there. They actually called for a vote of hands for whoever would go against anything Fedi tried to do in Certa everyway possible. Lehel reported all this to us. He said there were 24 young kids there. No one raised their hand to go against Fedi or for the next poll who was for him. I think they can’t understand, like us, why this aggressive overreaction? It’s possible they feel their leadership is threatened. It may have a backlash though because Lehel said that another guy wants to come to church just to prove he is open-minded.
The Catholic priest in Certa is being very helpful to us by being a first class jerk! Fedi was told he owns 5 cars and is having a minivan custom made for him. “You devour widows houses and for a pretense make long prayers.” Attlila the cow rancher’s son said he beat a little girl black and blue because she didn’t do well in the religion class. Still, Fedi hears constantly “I was born Catholic and I will die Catholic”.
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