Gracious Friends

Romanian flags

Firefighters participating in the parade and ceremony Photo courtesy of gherlainfo.blogspot.com

 Sunday,  December 1, was Great Union Day, the Romanian holiday that celebrates the unification 101 years ago of all the territory that makes up present-day Romania.  There were ceremonies, parades, concerts, and fireworks to commemorate the event.  The picture above is the Gherla firefighters who took part in the parade and ceremony downtown.  The firefighter second from the left in the front row is our next-door neighbor.

Thanksgiving guests

Nancy wanted to have guests over to celebrate Thanksgiving last week, but since Thanksgiving Day was just a normal workday here in Romania and there was prayer meeting that evening, Sunday was the day that seemed to work best for us to have our dinner. Having decided on the date, she invited some friends over.  It was only after she issued the invitation and they accepted that she remembered that Sunday was a holiday! However, Mery and Francis and Violeta and their boys were gracious enough to forego joining the Romanian celebration to help us celebrate our American holiday.
We enjoyed turkey and all the fixings together.  These were new foods for our Romanian friends, but they liked almost everything.  Among their favorites were the turkey, the dressing and the mashed potatoes.  Mashed potatoes are common here, but they do not generally add milk and butter like we do.  The pumpkin bars were a hit, too.  The best part of the meal was sharing together what we thank God for and praying together.
We are thankful for each of you.  Remember to continue to thank God for all things during this Christmas season!