Romania Update
By Louise Craig, OAMC executive director
Wednesday, Sept 24
It's 5 p.m. (1700 h). We are gathering on the stage of the concert hall in Sinaia for rehearsal. What a whirlwind.
We just wrapped up a full day of rehearsals at the Adventist Conference center in Stupini on the outskirts of Brasov. We had hoped to be able to leave early enough for some of the group to go to the old part of Brasov, the site of the Black Church (Biserica Negra). Instructions relayed through several layers delayed lunch service, which actually turned out better for everyone, at least for gathering all of our things in preparation for tonight's concert.
Last night, during worship, several individuals shared how God had worked in their lives. Stay tuned for their stories!
Mokale Koapeng was granted a visa to Romania, but other members of the South African contingent encountered difficulties in dealing with the Romanian consulate. The embassy offices in Pretoria were closed, which meant a trip to the consulate in Cape Town. They asked for different types of letters of invitation from Romania but continued to reject each invitation.
Finally, Alin went to the Religious Liberty director at the Romanian Union office. He called a Romanian government minister, a friend of his. The Minister was in Germany, about to board a plane to attend a NATO meeting in New York. He answered his cell phone! Within a half hour, the African contingent received word that their visas would be granted, after nearly a week camping out in Cape Town!
They are joining us in Cluj-Napoca, a little delayed but on their way.
Thursday, Sept 25
Last night's first concert in Sinaia went quite well, better than we expected for a first concert on a tour. There were a few little glitches but the biggest problem was the stage configuration put the singers in a bad spot for best sound.
Tonight's concert in Clug-Napoca was wonderful. The stage was perfect for projecting singers, and the singers responded with enthusiasm. The audience gave them a standing ovation, one man who didn't seem to be at all familiar with "We Have This Hope" stood with tears streaming down his face.
We have been busy rehearsing, traveling, preparing, singing and praying. Each day, we are going through the daily prayer journal prepared by our prayer team. The experience has been spiritually enriching and fulfilling.
It's time to say "noapte buna" after a long day so that we can get some sleep and be ready to board the bus at the much later-than-usual hour of 9:30 in the morning.
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Thanks to all of you taking time to update those of us at home on how things are going. We feel more part of the mission and know how to pray.
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