Posted in General Posts by Burton Williams on 10/31/2011
This month our work has looked eerily familiar. There has been a ton of work on the farm, laying of brick on a house, and building a chicken coop. However, this is not all the work that has been done. Several of the ladies have used their background in teaching to formulate a 15 week children’s program. Their hope is to have it running to the point that anyone can jump in and pick it up. Also there are several people here who are gifted with a camera and the skills to use them. They have stepped up to make a promo video and pictures for Sinai 30 Ministries.
But I cannot however separate myself from the manual labor that occurs on and around the farm. I can’t help but feel as if this is a metaphor for how my race will be. Several of us have spent a few days “tilling” the land on the farm. By tilling I don’t mean with a gas or electric tiller not even the old fashion with a horse and plow. Instead we have used a shovel to TEAR up the land so NEW things can grow. It’s been hard, tedious work. But when you TEAR something up it is never easy, it requires hard work so NEW things can SPRING up.
We have also helped add an extension to a house for a family in the community. Also we have had a hand in building a new house for the chickens here. Brick by brick we have been able to measure our progress on what is being built. To stand in a place where there was NOTHING to look out and SEE the mark our actions have made.
The Lord has been wrecking me of a ton of things. He’s been tearing up how I view myself and the world around me and restoring them with new ideas and new passions. Funny how the “work” we do sometimes reflects the lessons we are learning, don’t you think?
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Posted in General Posts by Burton Williams on 10/31/2011
The second to last post was about how this month we have forsaken our comforts in Cornesti Moldova. In doing so I have found myself sharing a 2 “bedroom” (I use the term loosely) farm house with 4 other people- 2 other gentle men from my squad and two of the kids who grew up in the shelter here in Cornesti. The two of them are both young, with the oldest being 18 and his younger brother being 14. These two are incredible young men and both work hard maintain the farm here. Neither one of them has very much but is incredibly generous. A few nights ago they were boiling eggs on the farm (a regular occurrence for the men of A-squad). For the 2 of them they had 15 hard boiled eggs. I came in as they were draining them and they offered me 5 of their 15 leaving them with 10. Wes came in and they gave him 5 too. I know that this was there dinner and they laid down their rights to sacrificed to honor us. In addition to giving us some of their eggs they also split their salami and bread.
This post isn’t just about breaking bread with my roommates but the spirit behind it. You see, both one of them speak a ton of English and I speak zero Romanian. But it is in these moments of being human (not American or Moldovan) there is a connection there. I have shown them the photo album of my sisters and niece and they have shown me pictures they have from growing up. I have seen pictures of both of their American sponsors and their trips to the capital city of Chisinau. The three of us already have our own handshake to greet each other. I am still amazed by how deep bonds are forged in such a small amount of time.
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Posted in General Posts by Burton Williams on 10/31/2011
The second to last post was about how this month we have forsaken our comforts in Cornesti Moldova. In doing so I have found myself sharing a 2 “bedroom” (I use the term loosely) farm house with 4 other people- 2 other gentle men from my squad and two of the kids who grew up in the shelter here in Cornesti. The two of them are both young, with the oldest being 18 and his younger brother being 14. These two are incredible young men and both work hard maintain the farm here. Neither one of them has very much but is incredibly generous. A few nights ago they were boiling eggs on the farm (a regular occurrence for the men of A-squad). For the 2 of them they had 15 hard boiled eggs. I came in as they were draining them and they offered me 5 of their 15 leaving them with 10. Wes came in and they gave him 5 too. I know that this was there dinner and they laid down their rights to sacrificed to honor us. In addition to giving us some of their eggs they also split their salami and bread.
This post isn’t just about breaking bread with my roommates but the spirit behind it. You see, both one of them speak a ton of English and I speak zero Romanian. But it is in these moments of being human (not American or Moldovan) there is a connection there. I have shown them the photo album of my sisters and niece and they have shown me pictures they have from growing up. I have seen pictures of both of their American sponsors and their trips to the capital city of Chisinau. The three of us already have our own handshake to greet each other. I am still amazed by how deep bonds are forged in such a small amount of time.
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Posted in General Posts by Burton Williams on 10/28/2011
So here is a story I failed to mention from our time in Romania. It is nothing at all to with my Race but has a huge impact moving forward.
A few days ago I had a little “accident”. You see we have been cooking for ourselves and a beautiful young lady on our squad decided she wanted to grace our palates with a dish from her heritage. She made us enchilada casserole which was DELICIOUS. I thoroughly enjoyed way too much of this delicious little dinner. I ate it for dinner, lunch and dinner again the next night. So you can just imagine how delicious it was. However, it had a bit of heat to it- you see she used some peppers and did not remove any of the seeds (where the heat is in a pepper).
It was not until after the 3rd meal of this delicious meal that I decided that my body does NOT enjoy spicy food. You see at this point in our stay we had been asked to stay at another facililty on the Camminul Felix on the other side of the farm. We still used the Nobel House to cook and eat so we had to walk back and forth to go to bed and such. So as I was walking back across the field I was struck by a SEVERE pain in the pit of my stomach. This little pain led me to sprint from the Noble House through the field in an attempt to get to my new home. PLAN FAIL!!!!!
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Posted in General Posts by Burton Williams on 10/17/2011
This month in Moldova is completely different than last month in Romania. Last month was great, we worked hard at the Camminul Felix Village 2 and learned how to rest. To be honest I left feeling as if I hadn't put all of myself into it though. Ed had a ton of "amenities",things that we have in the States that many consider needs. Things you all are thinking like Internet and electricity.
HA! Welcome to Cornesti, Moldova. Population close to 6000, and where Internet is a treat. So are things like running water, indoor plumbing and even heat (we have a wood burning stove that is lit at night). I have used the outhouse three times since arriving, once making the walk of faith in the dark at 2am (you will understand that referrence once I post pictures).
Hearing all that it would be easy to view this post as me being negative of complaining, but please hear my heart- I HAVE NEVER FELT MORE AT HOME. Myself and 2 other guys are sharing a "farm house"- a 2 room house with a stove- with 2 of the kids from the shelter the church helps with. We ate like the locals, live like the locals, and often times smell like them (no running water makes showering silly and ExTREMELY cold). We were charged by our contact to teach our 2 roommates English in addition to spending our day working on Octave's house expansion and the street kids program.
So in closing I say the things I once viewed as "normal " or necessities are becoming luxuries. When Jesus said "Go make disciples" I'm pretty sure there was not a hash tag that says if it's comfortable. I am of the opinion that "comforts" are just a distraction from the enemy in order to keep us on a hamster's wheel of neverending cycle of chasing our own tail and from focusing on what is important- Kingdom.
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." Philippians 2:3-4 says it better than I can. so to that I say to Hell With Our "Comforts". I am challenging myself as well as you (yes you) to step out from behind the lies of being "comfortable" and embrace a life that is uncomfortable but more rewarding than anything this world has to offer.
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Posted in General Posts by Burton Williams on 10/17/2011
So we have just come out of screens fast and man was it good! It was a time where we shut off our computer, iPods, kindles, and any other electronic device you can name and pressed into each other as team and as a squad. It was challenging but rewarding all at the same time. It provided me with a time to step into a deeper place with the Lord. Him showing me the things I need to work on and the things he is trying to free me of. It was a time to hear his voice and allow Him to come in and do some surgery on my heart.
This screen fast has bled right into our second location- Moldova. We made it after a few little hang ups. Nothing major, just moving 49 people from point A to point B is a little tougher than one would think. Even here I saw the Lord at work in me, teaching me that He is bigger than our circumstances. (A brief back story here: Elizabeth and I waited until the day we were leaving Bucharest to purchase 49 sleeper-car-cabin train tickets and also realized said train left 40 minutes earlier than anticipated. No worries because God is good and He saw to it that after a tense couple of minutes at the train station ALL 49 tickets were bought and that all 49 people made it aboard the train.) So we have arrived safely in Chisinau Moldova and are preparing to meet with our contact Richard (also a SC guy who) and have orientation before going to our location. But man does it feel good to “shut it down” every once in a while.
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Posted in General Posts by Burton Williams on 10/17/2011
As we prepare to leave this place- Camminul Felix in Oradea Romania- I find my heart is heavy. You see I had prepared myself for this trip physically- I had almost everything I need for a year in an oversized knapsack. I have a team back home helping me financially (Big thank you to Kristin, Terry, Wayne, Jodi, and all the rest of you fine folks). I even downloaded a nifty little app on my iPod that would allow me to help me read through the Bible while I’m gone. One thing I didn’t prepare myself for is the way I would have to say goodbye. Here one day and gone the next. I also didn’t prepare myself for the way I would feel about the people I would grow to know and love. It seemed as if it happened overnight. Literally strangers and over a month we have forged a bond that won’t soon be forgotten.
Niccu and Tao were some of the guys I connected with while here. Both have very unique ties to this place. Tao grew up here as part of one of the families that live here and Niccu married the daughter of one of the house parents who was our contact this month. Both have growing families- we had the opportunity to share in Tao’s daughters first birthday and Niccu and his wife just had their first child. Two guys who came from two different worlds crossed my path this month and I must admit- I have left part of my heart here in Oradea. If its like this all the way through…. MAN WHAT A TOLL that’s gonna take on me. Because I have learned that its tough to say goodbye and I am no good at it.
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Posted in General Posts by Burton Williams on 10/3/2011
So we are wrapping up our time here in Romania and let me tell you, it has been an amazing month. From the people we have met while doing “ministry” to the people we met where we were staying. We have worked on a farm and helped pour a foundation for a house and quite possibly everything in between. We have visited a gypsy village and hung out with kids here at the Camminul Felix. Painted fences and ironed sheets, you name it and I’m pretty sure we have done it this month. In the last post I alluded to some of the things I have learned over the last few weeks. To continue with that trend let me tell you a few more things I have learned. Learned sounds a bit silly so let’s call it challenged. In no particular order here we go…..
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What “ministry” looks like- It’s not always clearly defined here at the Camminul Felix. And just as in life I feel as if it boils down to 2 simple ideas. Love God and love people. Whether that means we spend time hanging out in the gypsy village or shoveling dirt to level the ground or pouring a foundation.
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There is a reason for all of this. Why I’m here and what that looks like. Some of us have been going to church with the guy that kinda runs the farm here- Teo. This has been AWESOME. I spoke briefly in the last post about worshipping with those folks. But the series they have been going through and the message the pastor has brought the last few weeks have been encouraging and challenging at the same time. We were privileged to be there two weeks ago when the pastor laid out the vision and direction the church was headed in over the next few years. You folks back in the States be praying for the church here in Oradea. I feel as if some BIG things are around the corner and its starting with the folks in Oradea.
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Lastly there is a movement happening in my generation. Before I left I distinctly remember talking with the Byrds and the Michalaks about how we were tired of the institution of church. Not the idea of it, the Bride that Christ is returning for, but the institution of what we have made it. Tired of the institution of church- with all of our traditions and rules and committees and all of our bylaws and our buildings and our and our programs. Ladies and gentlemen there is an awakening happening in a generation and as a collective voice we are saying we are tired of cold, calloused, dry religion. We want the real deal and we will NOT settle for anything less. We are pushing on and pressing into this idea-not a church-but THE church. And as we wrestle with what this looks like consider this your warning, the 50 of us who left JFK a few weeks ago will not be the same 50 who return in a few months.
Yep, so there you have it. Our month is Romania.
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Posted in General Posts by Burton Williams on 9/27/2011
Sorry for the little hiatus on the blogging. But things here at the Camminul felix have picked up greatly. They are expanded their facilities here which is great news. We have been busy working some construction and working on the adjacent dairy farm that helps support the ministry here at the Camminul Felix. So that is what we have been doing here in Oradea.
Now for what I am learning.... well that might take a few different blogs to cover. So we will start with this idea of Worship. A few of us have started to be intentional with our time here at the village and met the guy that runs the farm, Tao. We have been working for him and some of the ladies have been watching his 11 month old daughter- Emma ( by their own admission Emma hasn't been sleeping well at night which makes it rough on mom and dad). We have been visiting the church that Tao and his wife have been going to and I gotta tell you fine folks, big things are happening here in Oradea Romania at Hope Church. But Last week was our first visit and although the sermon was in Romanian (Big props to Tao and another Emma for translating for us) the worship songs were in Romaninan as well. But the cool thing was we recognized the songs and were singing the words in English right next to folks singing in Romanian... Cool right?!? Yea it was. Flash forward to Saturday night (insert Wayne's World Flashback sound effects here).... The two teams here decided to go into the fields behind Camminul Felix and have some worship (worship in a recently harvested corn field is a must on the race). During all this the Lord has been reminding me what worship is. Its not about singing or dancing, but more importantly it is about the attitude of your heart. A guy from right outside of my hometown wrote and recorded a song about this and in the chorus he says "Maybe we've been missing the point all along. Worship comes from the singer- NOT THE SONG" Great song by the way. You can check it out here.
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Posted in General Posts by Burton Williams on 9/11/2011
So guys if you read the last post you know we left EARLY...... as in so ealy some people didnt go to sleep. I however was not one of those people. I repacked my pack... (Yes Mom for the billionth time) and crashed in a corner. Apparently that has been called a "gift"- the ability to sleep ANYWHERE. I do mean ANYWHERE. The first night of Launch I fell asleep on a concrete floor at the AIM training center and slept most of the night.
What started off as a simple journey from the airport in Atlanta to JFK turned into an adventure when we discovered we had to pay a $25 domestic bag fee, unexpected of course. So we pay the fee and arrive at JFK where we are supposed to catch a flight to Poland, no big deal. Most international flights don't leave until the evening so we hang out in the airport. grab some lunch and check in for our flight to Poland. Checking in we discovered the flight is DELAYED (Note to self: Welcome to the WR). Time to be flexible- we catch our delayed flight to Warsaw Poland and discover we have missed our connecting flight to Romania. So we flew through Munich to get here. Also when we landed in Munich we had what seemed like seconds to catch our flight to Bucharest. So we jump off the plane, hop on a shuttle, sprint through security/customs, sprint to the terminal, hop on another shuttle that takes to our plane. The plane we just got off and caught the original shuttle from is maybe 150 yards away from our new plane (Note to self: Welcome to the WR where sometimes travel days get hectic). And land in Bucharest Romania!!!!! (Note to Terry Byrd: BOO YA)
I am hanging out in Bucharest with one of my squadmates and our squad leader waiting on the other squad leader to arrive. At which point me and my squadmate will hop on a train and travel to Oradea where we will begin our months work. So hear we go!!!!!
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