Update from Romania, Oct. 1

By Dennis Nutter

Wednesday, Oct 1 – Wednesday morning we boarded the buses and left Sibiu bound for Ramnicu Valcea. We arrived around noon, checked into our hotel, then walked to the local SDA church, where the church ladies had prepared a marvelous spread to be enjoyed in the church courtyard.

Following lunch, we were able to take an hour's break to take a nap, download pictures, or check our email. Then we walked about 5 – 6 city blocks to the auditorium. As I mentioned in a Facebook post, this was the first time that our Ukrainian Men’s Chorus Conductor, Lev Vertylo was able to join us. Donetsk, where he lives, is right in the heart of the war in Ukraine. He stated that there are bombings daily, and people killed every day still. What a moving experience it was for the singers and audience to have him conduct the only Ukrainian song that we sing, Molitva za Ukrainu, “Prayer for Ukraine.” The audience stood in reverence for this number, as we thought about and prayed for those suffering in Ukraine

Another moving experience for me was that someone has assisted a number of “differently-abled” folks to attend. There was a row of people in wheelchairs, and behind them another three or four rows of people with different life challenges. I went up to them after the concert to thank them for coming, the sparkle in their eyes, as I shook their hands, said it all. They appeared to be bursting with appreciation as I studied their faces. At that point, I suppose we could have argued about who was more blessed.

After a walk back to the hotel, we were handed some box suppers. It consisted of a serving of a dish that tasted like the same ingredients as bread pudding but with macaroni instead of bread, a small slice of some kind of veggie loaf, a bread roll wrap with eggplant filling, and cucumbers and tomatoes.