Stop - 11 Oradea, Romania

Farmer Weddings. Jeff and I were able to travel with the host family to visit a grandmother in the Transylvania countryside and help with farm work.

Along with harvesting plums and cutting firewood on the farm, Jeff and I were invited to a rural Hungarian wedding. After the church ceremony, the reception reminded me of Bilbo's 111th birthday party in Fellowship of The Ring by JRR Tolkien. The joyful throng paraded to the banquet hall with musicians, singing, and rings of dancing. With appetites enhanced by rigorous dancing the hundreds of guests packed into a hall with long benches for food. At the peak of the evenings festivities a massive three tiered wedding cake with huge sparklers (fireworks) was rolled across the hall like a giant flaming wagon (see picture above). Although I left at 3am, many guests (and elderly grandma's) stayed far longer. The joyful festival of marriage made me wonder how much better heaven's wedding feast in the Bible will be (Revelation 9, The Bible)

Stop 10 - Budapest and Voz in Hungary

While traversing to and from Eastern Europe, we stopped in two amazing Hungarian cities. Visting the Royal Palace, St. Stephen's Church and the Danube were delightful experiences. An even greater attraction to Budapest was the monumental effort to make the city tourist friendly. Before our exit from the train to Budapest, we had a tourism official come to our seat and offer free maps and advice. Furthermore, the city was blanketed with smiling people offering you help finding a hostel. Even more, the food, books and other needed items were far cheaper in the easterly sections of the old Hapsburg Empire.

Later in rural Hungary, we attempted to inject vast quantities of manliness into the trip by hiking a mountian outside of Voz. The picture above is not a cling for life from the mountianside, but simply a human imperession of a monkey. After reaching the top, I surveyed a massive section of the Danube. The picturesque scene reminded me of how God must see the big picture, while people can walk through a dense valley with limited visability. Nature's reminder of God's soverieghn power brought great peace as I spent time praying to a living God.

Stop 9 - Czech Republic

Cross country biking was not as intimidating in Austria. With an Austrian friend at my side, we biked across rural Austria into the Czech Republic. Along the roads, I surveyed the scenic landscape of rural Austria. After a brief stop to eat delicious fruit fresh from the tree, we arrived in the Chezk Republic. An attempt to buy a bottle of water reminded me that some areas of the EU still do not use the Euro (you need crowns in the Czech Republic).

In order to replenish our strength, we stopped at a grandmother's house and had a wonderful meal consisting of black bread, cheese, coffee and fruit. Along with my stomach, my mind also expanded with the hearing our host's stories about life in World War II. Many of the German people from the Czech Republic were secretly killed or expelled to Austria after the war by the local government. Although US troops gave meals to help the refugees, the survivors suffered difficult atrocities. Despite the wounds on the hearts of the survivors, my hope is in the power of Jesus Christ to help both nations apply the healing balm of forgiveness and repentance.

Stop 8 - Croatia and Slovenia

Entry denied! Staff member's from our host church in Vienna heard the preceding statement when they tried to return to he European Union through Slovenia. the visa technicality resulted in several visits to the austrian consulate, nights in a Croatian hostel, and prayer meetings for a safe return. After several days of suspense, Vienna Christian Center was able to celebrate the staff's return on a direct flight to Austria (without the church van).

In response to the lost van, Jeff and I were sent on a rescue mission. Operations stated with a train ride to Zagreb (see picture) and a hunt for the local bus to the airport parking lot. Miraculously, we found the van in great condition and plenty of gas. As we trekked through roads with signs in a foreign language trying to remember the art of driving with a manual transmission, we surveyed the beautiful Balkan countryside and had great fun.

Along the way, we encountered many interesting adventures including entering highway behind a large convoy of cars celebrating a wedding (with lots of random stops). In addition, I saw an amazing traffic light on the main highway which lasted longer than 15 minutes. During the red light, drivers would subsequently leave their cars to talk and smoke only to scramble back in when he light turned green.

Even with the circumstances and adventures god blessed us with safe travel, the ability to drive in the Balkans, and no visa hassles while driving through the same Slovenian border.

Stop 7 - Slovakia

As a respite from the constructing of buildings, we took a team of volunteers from Florida to visit Bratislava, Slovakia. Around the city, the construction was beautiful, the people friendly, and the food cheap. We were photographed by local youth as part of a school scavenger hunt (needed a picture with tourists). Afterwards, we walked the grounds of a beautiful castle overlooking the Danube river. In the picture below, I am contemplating a mythical dive from the battlements into a river many meters (no yards or feet in Europe).

On the train ride back to Vienna, I had an amazing spiritual experience. One of my friends played a harmonica for the entire train car. The songs included Amazing Grace and other songs about the love of Jesus. During the music, the train filled with the peace and glory of God. As a result, the mood of the entire train changed and people sat in peaceful contemplation for the duration of the journey. The experience illustrated to me how the cross of Jesus can bring love and peace to any place (or train car) in the world (see Romans 3:23 and Philippians 3:5-6, The Bible).

Stop 7 - Slovakia

Stop 6 - Wien, Austria

A jackhammer can be used for fun or work. In the picture below I am using a jack hammer 'Rambo' style. As for work, I am currently in Vienna volunteering for a church construction project. My work ranges from electrical work to using the jackhammer to destroy rocks in ditches.

I have been greatly blessed with an apartment for the month and many free meals on the work site. God has also blessed me with a great group of friends at the church. On Thursday nights we all spend many hours praying together. The times of prayer to Jesus have been the highlight of the trip and have really brought great life to my heart and strength to my bones.