An Ash Cloud, Dandelions, and the Price of Gas

OK – So I wanted a creative title for this post. These are just a few of the thoughts I’ve had over the past few weeks, combined with a brief ministry update.

Romania, like much of Europe, was affected by the Icelandic volcano’s ash cloud. While it’s in the upper atmosphere, so there’s not really much to see. However, it did stop many of the flights leaving, including all of those with connections in Western Europe. David & Lisa Frisbee, speakers at the Romania-Bulgaria marriage retreat last weekend, became stranded in London for a week and were unable to attend the retreat. Missionary Dorothy Tarrant was forced to extend her visit with family in Scotland. Visitors to Romania were fearful that their flights would be canceled, and some had to make alternate plans. For almost a week now, the skies over Europe have been back to normal. Personally, I am thankful that I was back in Romania for several days before the ash cloud disrupted flights.

Springtime in Romania continues. One day is warm and sunny, while the next is slightly cooler and cloudy with passing showers, but the days are getting progressively warmer. On the sunny days, I’ve taken notice to all the dandelions growing. In the US, we would be quick to dismiss dandelions as just another weed, an unwanted guest in our perfectly manicured lawns. But here, there are fields in the countryside covered with the yellow blanket of dandelions. Even here in town, there are many places where dandelions add color to front lawns and gardens. I’ve been particularly fascinated watching these flowers open each morning and then close in the afternoon.

Since I don’t have a car here in Romania, I don’t drive very often, and consequently don’t fill up the gas tank very often. But this week I did drive more and filled up the gas tank. I don’t know what the current gas prices are in the United States, but even when gas prices were over $3.00 a few years ago, the U.S. still had the cheapest gasoline in the world. Here in Romania, the current price of gasoline is 4.40 Romanian lei per liter, which equates to $5.40 per gallon. Just to give you an idea of the “felt cost” to the average Romanian: When you take into consideration that the average American earns over 4 times as much as the average Romanian, if Americans paid the same ratio of their average earnings for a gallon of gas, Americans would spend $21.79 per gallon. In any case, it took well over $100 to fill up the tank!

Since returning to Romania a few weeks ago almost 3 weeks ago, I’ve been busy. On Sunday, April 18, I preached both in Sighișoara and in Țigmandru. I’ve also led Veritas devotions and the church’s small group. I’m now preparing for a series of training seminars for children’s workers in each of the Churches of the Nazarene on the district and for Veritas. There is actually a possibility that children’s workers from other churches will be attending, too, as this is an area where people need training. Please be in prayer for this series of workshops, that they may be beneficial to those who work with children.

I also went to a wedding for a Romanian friend (Click here for pictures), and tomorrow I'm going to a birthday party.