Home at Last

The last leg of the trip was certainly an eventful one. Our flight from Chicago to Appleton was cancelled because the plane was not able to land in O'Hare. We were sent down to the customer service desk for re-booking. At this point we knew we were not going to be able to stay together.

The group was booked on 4 different flights to get home. Orv and Eric were able to keep their original booking on a 4:30 flight into Appleton. Ray, Matt, Kevin, Roland, and Andy were booked on a 4:45 flight for Green Bay. Marty, Phil, Michael, Nathan, Jerry, and Jason were all booked on a 9:00 flight to Green Bay and had stand-by passes for the 4:45 flight. Pastor Ray was bumped to Monday morning.

Things did not look promising. Bad weather on Friday had made a mess of the airport and marginal weather on Saturday slowed airplane traffic to half its normal speed. Information changed by the minute. Orv and Eric's flight was delayed until 6p and the 4:45 to Green Bay was delayed until 6:50. Wanting to ensure that we would be home on Sunday, a group of men went to inquire about rental cars. No cars were available. At that point we called home and arranged for 3 vehicles to come pick the group up in case all our flights were cancelled. One way or another we were going to make it home on Sunday. Abby Wegner, Tiffany Anderson, Rita Schounard, Sue Gillett and Bart Mattson started for Chicago. We thank them for providing the insurance for the group. The idea of spending the night in O'Hare was unbearable.

When it was all said and done we all made it home on Sunday. Eric and Orv were able to fly to Appleton. Poor Matt originally had a booking on that flight too, but he was re-booked to come into Green Bay instead. He handled it remarkable well. Thankfully the airline put all our luggage on the Appleton flight and Orv and Eric took it to church for us. Marty, Ray, Kevin, Roland, and Matt were able to ride on the 4:45 flight for Green Bay which finally took off about 9:45. The group that was booked for the 9:00 flight to Green Bay all opted to catch a ride home in a vehicle rather than depend on the airline to get us home.

After being up for more than 24 hours and fighting through a bad case of jet lag, we are all glad to finally be home. Pastor and Debbi will be arriving in Green Bay on Tuesday, if all goes well. We look forward to giving our report to the church on Sunday night. Thank you for all your prayers. God used us to encourage a ministry this week that is making a real positive impact on the Church in Romania!

Back on American Soil

We have landed in Chicago and are ready for the last leg of our journey.  We will have to pick up our bags and go through customs before we recheck them for the flight to Appleton.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

On time and ready to go

Everything is on time for our trip back to the states so far. We will board our flight to Chicago in just a few minutes. A group of men went out to see dusseldorf early this morning and did some sightseeing around the Rhine River. It will be good to be back on American soil in 8 hours.

Arrived Safe in Deusseldorf

We arrived and have gotten settled in or rooms with meal vouchers for tonight and tomorrow. Unfortunately it took a while for us to get our luggage. Only half of us got our luggage right away. It eventually showed up for all. The picture is of the luggage losers club. We fly out tomorrow at 11:25 local time and will arrive in Appleton around 4:00pm.

Updated Flight Information

Because our plane from Timiasora to Munich was delayed, we missed the flight from Munich to Chicago. Here is our new flight information.

Munich 7:30p to Dusseldorf 10:40p LH 0846
Duesseldorf 10:50a to Chicago O'Hare 1:45pm LH0436
Chicago 3:11p to Appleton 3:59pm UA 6031

The airline is putting us up in Duesseldorf tonight and providing meals for us. We will be able to pick up our baggage tonight and will need to check it again tomorrow. I guess we will get to see a little bit more of Germany before we get home. We miss you all and look forward to seeing you tomorrow at 4pm in Appleton.

On the Move

Our Plane for Munich has arrived and we are boarding with about an hour delay.  We all agree as long as we stay together it only adds to the adventure if we delay.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Flight Questions???

Well . . . Our plane from Timiasora to munich has been delayed for mechanical problems.  So we may have to spend the night in Germany tonight because we will not be able to make our connection.  We will update the blog and facebook as soon as we find out what is happening.  Roland is mobile, but in pain and Marty is doing better.  Please remember to pray!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Ready to start home.

Packed up and ready to go, the group is loading up at the hotel. We made some good friends here and have gained a burden for this work. All of our flights are currently on time and we are all looking forward to landing at home tonight. This should be an interesting day. The only time a day has lasted for 32 hours. Kevin Behnke is pretty happy that his 50th birthday will last so long.

Sightseeing and souvenir shopping

With the work complete, we turned our attention to finding some souvenirs and doing some sight seeing before we leave. Here is a little piece of Romania for you to watch. We went to the main square in Timiasora and then over to the mall. Their mall is about 4 times the size of the Fox River Mall in Appleton. Maybe I do live in a small town still.

The basilica at the main square in Timiasora is amazingly large.


We had a fancy dinner before we left here are a few pictures from the veranda where we ate. It had to be about 95 up there. We were all dripping in sweat, but the food was great!! Yes, that is liver paste, olives, tomatoes, and sheep cheese. The first time I have ever eaten an internal organ. Not too bad.




Lost was a pretty common word last night. We'll have to tell you the stories when we get home.

Finished with the work!!!

The last coat of paint has been applied and the last tasks have been complete.  Garbage has been burned or collected and the floors have been washed where possible. We didn't retun everything to full operating condition because the floors are going to be redinished next.

Kevin had the chance to use his cabinet making skills to put hinges on a portable cabinet.  Necessity is the mother of invention for sure.

As we look back at the week.  The Lord has blessed the work of our hands.  He has protected us and blessed us.  The home that cost 400 per month last winter to heat last year will be much more efficient and warmer this year.  We had a prayer of dedication before we left the building for the last time.  Now off to the city for some sight seeing.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Did he or didn't he?

After more than a decade without caffinated soda, did Kevin succom to temptation on a sweltering night in Romania???

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Finishing up and some small setbacks

We are beginning this morning with a hope to finish.  We have to plaster just a little more to finish all the mud work.  We found out that we just won't be able to paint the walls we plastered because we need just a little more time for the plaster to cure.  Today will be spent cleaning, painting and finishing the plaster.

Please pray about one setback.  The walls we were able to paint yesterday did not turn out well.  The paint bonded to the walls well, but the moisture is releasing the old plaster from the walls.  We will need to scrape what we painted yesterday and we are hoping that the rest of the rooms will react differently.

The last picture is of a meat tray from breakfast this morning.  It contains a warmed ham/bacon, some kind of salami and sheep cheese.  The bread is really good!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

A sense of urgency about the work

Today, we all agreed to get up early and get to work as soon as possible. Breakfast was at 7 and was a short meal. If we are going to get the walls painted, the finish coat of plaster must be applied today. It feels good to start talking about "finish" coat. As Roland starts on the finish coat, most of the rest of us are filling in the gaps around the windows and corners to get ready for the plaster. Ray and Jerry are putting a rail on the entry stairs they built yesterday. Some minor fatigue was evident last night and this morning, but we are going strong now that we have a head of steam. Lunch is coming soon and I want to finish my project before we break. Keep praying for us! No major injuries yet. Just a couple of minor scrapes.

Each one is busy doing his part.

Each man came today with a better idea in mind of what needs to be done. We finished insulating and mortaring the exterior of the rear wall of the building. Many continued working on the new front windows. The new windows have been installed, but the inside and outside both need to be reframed so a new finish can be applied to seal them up tight. During the winter the students huddle in the main room for their studies. Until now there has been little to no insulation on the walls and the windows leaked cold air. Because the building is constructed entirely of masonry, the construction work is different than we are used to, but all are doing just fine.

Different groups continue to insulate the interior of the building with foam and cover it with mortar and fiberglass mesh. Te removed three more windows and a door today and a local contractor came to install new windows and doors in their place. The building should be airtight again tonight.

A taste of Romania

We have been fed more food than we can eat. Each lunch and dinner begins with soup and bread. A generous main course follows and desert comes with each meal. Eric is modeling his soup from lunch today and the two other pictures show a salad made of cucumber, tomatoes, and vineagar dressing and fresh homemade doughnuts 

From the Lap of Luxury to the . . .

After dinner last night we returned to finish up a few tasks. The mortar we are using requires a lot of dry time, so if we can finish a wall before bed it will dry over night. The majority of the group moved to the dorm in the orphanage last night. A few stayed at the institute for overflow. It is vastly different than the accommodations we began with. The first two days we had to stay in a hotel. Each of us had our own air conditioned room with a private shower and wireless internet. We are now sleeping on bunkbeds in a orphanage, sharing two rooms and two showers. In the hotel we joked that it was tough to suffer on a mission trip. I think we all agree that the change is good for us. After a utility outage, the water came back on the group was able to use the showers and settle in. The lights went out about 11p.

Fw: A good day of work done!

It's 5:00 and we have finished a full day of work.  When we arrived today we began work on the interior exterior and the grounds.  On the back of the building we built a stair to allow access to the exit door, finished insulating the exterior, and troweled on a first layer of morter over a layer of fiberglass mesh.  In the front room (same room the reception was held in last night) we removed the four windows and installed foam insulation on two of the thee exterior walls.  On the grounds we removed all the garbage and stacked the useable material in accessible places out of the way of construction.  Only a few minor cuts and bruises.  Lunch today was a romanian dish.  It was a cabage roll filled with meat and rice.  They tasted very good but we were all a little nervous about what they might do to our digestive track.  We plan to return after supper to do as much as possible before we run out of steam.  We know our time is limited and we want to accomplish as much as possible.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Ready to work!

We filled up on a good romanian breakfast this morning:  eggs, toast, bread, hot dogs, salami, and goat/sheep cheese.  Cofee is not common, but what is available will curl your mustache.  We are moving over to the TBBI dorms this morning, so we are losing our internet access.  We will try to keep updates going as often as possible.  The work begins today.  We are all anxious to get to work.  The weather forcast has the temperature in the ninetys for the rest of the week.  

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Timiasora Bible Institute Graduatin

After some rested and some explored for the afternoon, we all gathered at church #3 for the TBBI grauduation.  Phil was able to catch up with us as we celebrated with the church family.  Bill Fortner began the service and Pastor Brown gave  a charge to the graduates.  After the service we attended a reception at the bible institute with the graduates and their families.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Jerry's Testimony for The Baptist Church in Gottlab

Romanian Young People Singing for Church

The people in Romanian churches really know how to sing. Their numbers are smaller, but their volume is not.

Back from Visiting the Village Churches

This morning our team split into groups and went to visit the village churches around Timiasora. Each man was given the opportunity to share a testimony and Pastor Ray, Jason Gillette, and Pastor Brown all gave messages. The churches ranged in size from 20 to 115. Their culture is different from ours, but their love for the Savior is the same. The pictures are from the Baptist church in Gottlab not too far from the Hungarian border. Our translator was named Sali. He is twenty six and engaged to be married to a christian girl from Romania in October. He also taught a Study on Elijah this morning and played the piano. After church we met for lunch at the orphanage. Apparently noodle soup is a Sunday afternoon tradition for Romanian Church goers. Debbi Brown got put to work to help clean up after us.

Pray for our new preacher

Pray for Jason Gillette, Pastor Brown, and Pastor Ray.  They will be preaching this morning.  Each of the men will be giving testimonies as well.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

The food in Munich is pretty good.

After the long flight we landed 20 minutes ahead of schedule in Munich. The German cuisine is interesting and over priced. Watch out! This little coffee date cost $18 dollars. The warm apple strudel is one of the few things worth what they charge!

Safe in Romania

The last leg of our trip was without incident.  As the plane climbed out of Munic, the view of the alps was breathtaking.  We arrived and have been able to settle in, shower, and are going for a bite to eat.  Tomorrow we will travel to the churches to worship with our brothers and sister from Romania

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Lufthansa Flight 435 on time

When we step off this flight we will be in Munic, Germany 8 hours after departure.  We all hope to pass the hours fast asleep.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Safe touchdown in Chicago

With a short hop to chicago we completed the first leg of our trip.  Now the long wait for our flight to Munich begins.  Hopefully we can keep our group out of trouble until 8:30.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Group Picture . . . . Almost

We're missing one, but he will catch up on Sunday.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre