Travels in 2024

Six months have passed since I returned from my sabbatical. When I came back in June, I knew I had to make some lifestyle changes. Before sabbatical, my days were often filled with countless hours on the computer, Zoom meetings, and wearing too many "hats" of responsibility. In other words, just a long never-ending to-do list.  

One of the many changes that I've implemented following my sabbatical has been to create small sabbatical moments in everyday life -- first, by embracing God's gift of a weekly sabbath day in order to rest and enjoy time with friends, and second, by using my vacation days to explore parts of the country where I’ve lived for 15 years but never took time to visit.

Often, it’s just a walk through town. Other times, it’s meeting a friend for the day somewhere between the city where he lives and the one where I live. On a few occasions, it’s been going away for a few days to see part of the country that is far from where I live. Most recently, it was a short trip outside Romania.

Here are a few photos of the places I’ve visited during the past 6 months – a reminder that sometimes we just need to take a break from the busy-ness, to pay attention to the beautiful creation all around us, and to allow God to refresh us in those moments. 

June: Revisiting the painted monasteries in the Bucovina
region of Romania with a friend

June: Visiting the city of Iași with a friend

July: Picnic and a walk with a friend
by a stream in the Apuseni Mountains

August: Hiking through Cheile Râmețului
(the Ramet Gorge) with a friend

August: Hiking & Picnic in Cheile Pravului
(the Prav Gorge) with a friend

August: Taking an afternoon walk to the Orthodox 
monastery just outside of Sighișoara

August: Sitting on a park bench in Sighișoara

August: Hike & Picnic in the Apuseni Mountains with a friend

September: Taking a quick walk through Carol Park
in Bucharest before a church meeting

October: Hiking with a friend through
Cheile Turzii (the Turda Gorge)

October: Attending a retreat for church leaders and 
missionaries in the Carpathian Mountains

October: Walking through a park while visiting a friend in Cluj

November: Walking along the beach of the Black Sea
while visiting a friend in the city of Constanța

November: taking a walk around Sighișoara
the morning after the first snow

December: Taking a few days to visit
Warsaw & Krakow, Poland, with a friend