Blessings on the Black Sea

Covenant Confidence 


Lake Siutghiol the evening we arrived.  The lake is a lagoon on the shores of the Black Sea.  They are separated by a small strip of land that is 8km long and 300m wide which consists of the resort town of Mamaia, a suburb of Constanta, Romania.



The Black Sea in the morning and a stroll along the beach.  (more photos from here later in the post)














We made the journey to Constanta, Romania's only port city.  The 6+ hour drive found us ready to be out of the car, although the drive was awesome.  Romania is such a diverse country as has been explained at length in previous posts.  This drive was no exception.  The farm fields were much larger and the terrain, as you approached the Black Sea was very flat. Our reason for the drive?  We met all of the other senior missionaries (19 total & President and Sister Fowler) for a spiritual and inspiring conference.  The big white building is the "Casino".  Ravished during 2 world wars, it has recently been refurbished back to its grandeur.  It is no longer a casino but open to the public for tours.  The panorama, taken from the tower of the mosque shows the city on the Black Sea.  Some of the downtown architecture.  Just happened upon the wedding in progress.  What an amazing group of Senior Missionaries full of wisdom, talents, a love for Jesus Christ and a desire to be part of His great work.   


We have loved getting to know and work with Elder and Sister Schneiter.  They have become dear friends and have occupied a special place in our hearts in such a short time.  They can whip up a mean meal, too!














Then the fun began when our wonderful YSA arrived. The next 3 days were filled with laughter, work, a few tears and lots of food with the amazing YSA from Romania.  They met us in Constanta for a mini conference which was awesome.  Saturday morning, we combined with groups from all over the city and participated in a National Day of Service with the group "Let's do it Romania".  We spent several hours on the beach cleaning up trash.






Saturday afternoon we had the wonderful opportunity to witness Leonard's baptism in the Black Sea.  Quite a memorable experience.  He is new to the YSA group and before we came, they had planned a day at the beach to play.  However, once they found out that the baptism was at the same time they chose to spend their time at the baptism in support of a new friend.  Words can't describe the feelings and transfer of the Spirit that took place while there, the whole weekend, really.  



The week culminated with a beautiful Sabbath day together with the Saints of Constanta before everyone departed in their separate directions.  We consider ourselves blessed beyond measure to have these experiences with such wonderful and faithful children of God.  As you can see in the first video of Dany playing the violin and the little angel mesmerized by the beautiful sound.  It reminds us that at times we must "be still and know that I am God". 


We had the opportunity to attend Tiberiu Rosu's (Branch President) final performance for his troupe as they performed "The Magic Flute" at a theater in downtown Constanta.  It was a wonderful evening to witness such great talent and obvious hard work that was put in.  Tibi is amazing.  He had such a busy week but yet was very hospitable and took the time to make sure we had what we needed.  It is apparent that he loves the youth and is a true mentor.


As the week came to a sunset, we found ourselves contemplating on our time in Constanta.  We cannot express enough gratitude to those we are blessed to serve with and especially our family for allowing us this time to serve the Lord in the wonderful country of Romania.  Without question, this continues to be a highlight of our lives.  We cannot deny seeing the miracles at the hand of God every day as we carry on with covenant confidence. 












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