The '3B' Tour

Traveling west to east here in Europe was a real eye-opener. It's fascinating to see the range of cultures, languages and economic situations that all collide in this pocket of the world. From Brussels to Budapest to Bucharest (Craiova)--I've seen a lot of diversity in ministry and life in Europe! Due to limited time and internet connection on the journey, I'm behind in the blogging update, but here are a few pictures to help recap the trip.

PHOTO: Taking over the world: Robyn and Napoleon in Waterloo, Belgium ("Ol' Nappy," as my college history prof used to call him. Wish I could remember something else from that class...)

On this busy expedition, I traveled with Dave Turner, the staff videographer who works at the EFCA national office in Minneapolis. He came to Europe to gather footage for various video projects for ReachGlobal (our new mission name). My goal was to get to know the city teams in our mission, and to learn more about the ministries they're involved in. It's hard to communicate about something I don't know yet.

Highlights of Brussels: the European Union headquarters, the Iranian church plant, staying with Joel and Dennise Smith (missionaries from Fullerton) in Waterloo--yes, THE Waterloo, eating warm Belgian waffles on the street, meeting the Brussels city team. God's doing some really great things within this diverse ministry team.

PHOTO: Dave and I, with Samuel at the European Union. Samuel is a believer and has a vision to reach the thousands of EU staff members with the gospel. Great guy...with a great mustache!

PHOTO: Loooooooooove those waffles!! A waffle a day was just not enough. Forget IHOP's "Rootie Tootie Fresh and Fruity" breakfast--these babies are plain perfection, topping free.




Budapest: Our plans to visit Bosnia fell through, so we opted for a 'break' in Budapest instead. Dave got some footage around the city and at our church (KEGy), and I enjoyed a lovely visit with Dan and Suzanne Crane.

PHOTO: Dan and Suzanne, visiting Castle Hill.

The Cranes stayed in a hotel situated right in the middle of all the national holiday festivities for March 15. We managed to structure our days just right and missed the riots and rally activities, but it was certainly interesting to hear a little of the buzz. March 15 celebrates the memory of the revolution against the Hapsburg's from Austria--yet another unfortunate battle lost for Hungary.

PHOTO: March 15th Square, near the Danube River. There were police everywhere that day. I'm learning a lot about this country's history--there's a lot more to it than Turkish paprika, goulash soup and a ridiculously hard language!

Tired yet?!?!
We sure were...one more leg of the journey. Bring on Romania--the night train to Craiova (Dave's working on a theme song for this memorable event)...

Romania: What do you think of? Transylvania, Dracula, pot holes, and orphans. Some true, some not. We got the "Dracula's just a myth" explanation several times over, and then witnessed the vast display of commercialism at its best: cheap Dracula mugs, plastic vampire teeth and rubber bats for sale at the base of the castle. Whatever draws the crowd...

PHOTO: near Bran castle, more beautiful mountains.

We took a 12-hour night train from Budapest to Craiova--a really long ride, but it provided the most spectacular experience of the Transylvanian mountains. I woke up at 4am to see the eerie mountains, accompanied by light fog and rain...and a few billy goats on the hillside!

PHOTO MISSING: Unfortunately, due to the inclement weather, you'll just have to imagine the mysterious beauty of the Transylvanian mountains. Take my word for it though, it was breathtaking!

Highlights in Craiova: Playing "Pretty Pretty Princess" with my new little friend Elizabeth and getting to know the rest of the Millhouse clan; visiting Bran castle (i.e. Dracula...he's just fictional, you know); the coffee-free CoffeeHouse outreach with the youth group in Craiova (over 120 kids came--many are orphans and about 60% non-Christian).

Romania is 90% Eastern Orthodox, which presents some real ministry challenges for Evangelicals who are seen as a cult. But this church we visited has some incredible ministries for the orphaned children in the community, particularly focusing on preparing them for the next phase of life outside of the orphanages and on their own.

All in all, it was a great, but exhausting journey. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting our team members in these very different areas. I am encouraged by their vision for ministry, the creativity with which they serve, and the motivation to press onward for the gospel of Christ. Many other little stories fit into this adventure...I'll try to include them in a few of the blogs to come.