Commercial has one of the best tended gardens around. No weeds and a variety of flowers among the rocks. Their gladiolas are staked so they show nicely. Guess that is what we need to do at the church. Our gladiola garden looks like a messy hair day.
Every few days it's another celebration or activity in Sibiu. First it was a bike race in Centru
Racing between Piazza mara and Piazza mica.
Never did find the beginning or the ending of the race as our pathways were limited by the racing barricades.
Next came the motorcycle obstacle course. By the time we got there with our camera they had moved on and now it's the gypsies celebration. The celebration says international culture festival but the locals said it was the gypsy celebration.
This was the place to be if you wanted a gypsy skirt. One gypsy wrapped one around me and I wasn't sure I was going to get away without buying it. Most of the performances were dances and they went for two days.
Rain hampered the audience but not the performers. This is a tiny view of the audience stuffed under a tent awning. Hoping the rain would go away. It did but left the chairs too wet to sit on.
One of the branch members told me that this is the gypsy king. Then he said he really isn't the king but his father was and he died. I guess his death didn't automatically make him the king.
Gypsy giving a reading.
Turns out this is Luminita Cioaba, a writer and poet from Bucharest. The next evening I visited with her at Piazza Mara and bought her poetry book. She said she was also a Christian and gave me her email and phone number so we can be in touch. I don't think she was a gypsy, just took the opportunity to feature her writings.
Branch member Florine went with us to visit the Jewish Synagogue. It was just down the street from where he lives and not far from Centru.
Since I was the picture taker I didn't get in on all the discussion but the women who gave us the tour was a convert to the Jewish religion. She married a Jew. When the synagogue was built in the late 1800's there were many Jews in Sibiu. Now there are 30. They can't have a meeting unless there are at least 10 in attendance.
The men sit on the main floor and the women and children sit in the balcony of the church. They often have advertised concerts here for the public
Florine told us he was studying to be a priest when he joined our church instead. He knows the bible well.
Full view of the synagogue from across the street.
While parked in traffic this week we noticed the fancy chimney tops.
This looked like a dog house perched on top of the roof.
Not all are fancy.
Another view of the fancy chimney tops with a modern hotel in the background.
Queen of the night opening up in the later afternoon at our trip to Cernat's home.
Johnny Cernat's father asking Sora Savoie to read Johnny's email. His parents are orthodox but one of their bedrooms (Johnny's) is full of LDS pictures of the restoration
Some days Rand's eyes hurt. I told him about the slices of cucumbers that takes away the burn so he decided it to try it out. He told me not to put this picture on face book so I won't
We have tried many times to find an inactive member at home. We have driven the Sister's here many times. Not successful again but left a message and a treat hoping she would come to the Branch Conference this Sunday.
Weekends we see a lot of photographers in Sibiu taking photos of citizens special occasions.
Discovered a new favorite strada across the street from the cultural center. Here are remnants of centuries long past with a couple watch towers and walk way between.
Ran into Diana, Marius's daughter that has attended the branch. I taught a Primary for her the last couple weeks. I was going to teach her English but instead she taught me Romanian words.
Marius plays the piano by ear when he attends sacrament meeting. He often works out of town so we never know if he'll be at church.
Friday night we had our first guests, the Sobergs from Arad. Elder Soberg is the mission auditor and he came to check out the finances and make sure the books were done correctly. While the men did the audit Sora Soberg and I checked out the sights in downtown Sibiu. Sora Soberg is a Romanian immigrant to America during the Communist era. She was a dentist by trade and it took her over 6 years to finally get permission to leave Romania. She says it is a special privilege to come back here as a missionary. Their son is also serving at this time in Romania and has been transferred to Sibiu for the next transfer.
The audit was successfully completed with Pres. Brown and Elder Soberg.
A member's home that Pres. Brown tried all week to find at home. He wasn't successful but Mihai was at church on Sunday.
Sora Djahanbani will be leaving us this coming Monday. She has been transferred to Bucharest. To celebrate our time together we took the Soberg's and all went for lunch.
We will miss Djahanbani and wish her well serving in Pondori branch.
Stopped on our way to buy doughnuts for a "Pose" in Piazza Mara
Ammon is Pres Geambasu's son, the Romania West District President. We hosted a dinner for them, the Soberg's and the sister missionaries Sat. night. Ammon helped me make a relish plate. Then he and the sisters played soccer outside.
Can you tell it's suppose to be an owl?
We had a wonderful turnout at Sacrament meeting for our Branch Conference. Rand gave the first talk translated by Sora Soberg and I accompanied Sora Geambasu singing the intermediate song. Pres. Geambasu gave the main talk then sora Djahanbani and I taught Primary for Ammon.
Sora Geambasu had already changed clothes for her 5 hour trip home to Aradia but we convinced her that we needed her in our picture. Sora, Savoie, me, Sora Geambasu, Sora Soberg, Alexandra Craciun and Sora Dj.
If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you
by Fred DeVito
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