Like a roller coaster - exciting and never dull!

What a roller-coaster ride it has been in the last 6 weeks! It began with those hills and valleys of hoping and praying that I would have my laptop back, but, alas, it was not to be, I am sorry to have to tell you. It was apparently not “a bird in the hand”. It took a while to adjust to the assault against my privacy and property, but the Lord has been teaching me loads regarding better security and backing up of information. My new desktop really is an upgrade with loads of storage capacity – have spent much time reconstructing files and accounts lost. We will see when the laptop should be replaced – it would still be handy for programming hearing aids and travel etc. Two of those weeks were in sickness (so, what’s new?) – a cold and then a sinus infection (no fun!). Added to all the other fun, thyroid situation returned - it is still not in balance and I am again waking up every 2 hours. I’m hoping that with another blood test this week we will be further along in solving this once and for all!

After catching up with patients, I have been concentrating on preparing for things in the hospital – studying and setting up testing protocols for 4 unique tests that we will be performing. The fancy equipment was giving me some trouble, but I think we have the bugs out of it thanks to some good technical support from Denmark. I will be practicing the tests on whomever I can get to lay down quietly for a half-hour! Any takers? The timing for starting in the hospital is obviously in the Lord’s hands.

Anyone ever experienced 2 Easters in one year? My first was in Austria during my family vacation and then 6 weeks later here in Romania on May 1st. Everyone was out beating their rugs in preparation beforehand (a familiar sound around here)! Received about 7 dozen in eggs and some lamb and baked goods from all my generous patients!

Weather has still been pretty cold – spring takes a while to get here once and for all. Romania has received quite a bit of rain with flooding occurring in many areas. Many people have lost their homes. A sad situation in a country that is already so poor.

Appreciate your prayers for health and strength and His timing for ALL things, as well as prayer for those Romanians in the flooded areas.

US, Austria and a challenge in Hungary!

Had a wonderful time back at the US for our missions conference in February and then had an equally wonderful time with my Mom, 3 sisters, a brother-in-law and a friend of his in Austria over Easter week. We met in Vienna, Austria and the 7 of us had time in Vienna, traveled to Salzburg, then Tirol, skied, then returned to Vienna and spent Easter Sunday there. We all departed on Easter Monday. A fantastic time! Happy Resurrection Day to you! (Cultural tidbit: Romania celebrates Easter on May 1st this year!)

As we all knew, my life here in Eastern Europe was never going to be dull. Well, the latest thing is …. my laptop was stolen from me on my way back to Romania on the train from Budapest! Nothing happened to me, PTL! I purchased a replacement desktop computer last Saturday with loads of memory on it to take me into the future. My computer guy, Ottila, had reported the computer stolen over the web to other computer people and last Monday he received a call from another computer person here in Romania that they had my computer!! Someone was trying to sell it and he will be returning it to me! The miracle is that the laptop showed up in Romania and not another country, and that they did not erase the hard-drive! I am now waiting to receive it - I was told it would take a week. Someone told me the Lord must have wanted me to upgrade!! Please pray that the Lord continues to protect it until I have it back and that this miracle will speak to the heart of Ottila, my computer guy. Thanks!!

Yes, thanks for asking - health has been good - feeling much better.

I have a little visitor at my home for the next 10 weeks - I agreed to look after a friend's Pekingese dog while they are away in the States. I am getting a few more walks in than usual and he is nice to have around!

Things are now gearing up for starting at the hospital this month! Loads to organize and do as we go forward in this next phase!

Piggy Day - Christmas 2004

A true cultural experience! Just before Christmas they kill their pigs with neighbors and family to help! Of course I had to experience that!

Happy Turkey Day 2004!

Got to go to a turkey farm to get a fresh, live turkey and see that whole process from start to finish. First experience! It was a 24 Kilo turkey which weighs in at about 48 pounds! The drumstick was the size of my forearm and the thigh fed 10 people!

Here are some shots from the farm on that day.






Got pretty grossed out about the actual process!

The Center is guaranteed!

The time is drawing near very quickly when I will be on US soil for a while. As usual, much has happened since I last wrote - the room for The Center for Early Detection of Hearing Loss in Children (yes, we now have a name!) has finally been guaranteed by the hospital administrator so that we can proceed! PTL! After the first feeling of paralysis, many creative design ideas came to me for the room and Winnie the Pooh still reigns supreme in my mind as the resident mascot. The goals are to make the place bright and cheerful for people to come with their kiddies. Believe it or not, that is a different concept here!

The Lord has blessed my contacts here. He put me in contact with a lovely woman (daughter of a hearing aid recipient) who works at city hall and has caught the vision of this center for the city of Cluj and for Transylvania. She has been advocating for me and has already gotten me a donation of a desk and some building supplies and possibly volunteers for the constructing and painting etc. She even arranged for me to meet the new mayor! I have also met the American consul already! You know me - hobnobbing with the rich and famous!

Health? Ho-hum?? Hello!! Health has been anything but ho-hum since arriving here! Contracted a dry cough from a teammate (we like to share things!) and was coughing so hard that I "popped a cork". Please ask me if you would like to know what I mean! Taking antibiotics now and am under a doctor's care. Please pray with me that my energy and strength would come back very soon. Needless to say it will be nice to be home to rest, relax and recuperate and eat shrimp!

My friend, Maureen, arrived here for a delightful 4 days from Strasbourg, France. She has been a missionary there for 12 years. Another wonderfully exciting arrival just happened TODAY - the 2 NEW pieces of equipment!!! What fun to have these new goodies!

Hope to see some of you this summer - Home from July 16th to Sept. 3rd, in AZ for sis' wedding July 22nd - Aug. 3rd.