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Today we launched the Church Planting project, in a hotel located in Tulcea on the banks of the Danube. Here, not far from where the most famous European river flows into the Black Sea we had the privilege of commissioning the 15 church planters and their wives.

The day started with a very early 2 hour drive across the Romanian countryside and some of the worst bumps ever built into a road system. Arriving battered and slightly bruised we then spent the next 5 hours with the teams, introducing the project team, giving last minute information, taking photos for the partners, and of course the obligatory celebration meal at the end.

With the meal still in full swing Ronnie, (from the church planting department), and I hopped onto a Bus for a 4.5 hour ride across the same Romanian countryside and even bumpier roads back to Bucharest for a short overnight and an extremely uncivilised 4:15am arrival at the airport to fly back to the UK.

I’ve been here in Romania for the last few days, which have been very hectic and full. 2 days of project staff training, meetings and the obligatory scary taxi rides, in cars less than roadworthy with more than the acceptable number of passengers. Pretty much a normal week

Add to this the near mugging by two 10 year olds, the leader, whose English vocabulary consisted of words like “hungry” and many more, unmentionable here because my mother will want to read this, followed us for several blocks, and was as they say persistent! I particularly thought that his companions ability to limp, with both the left and right leg was incredibly talented, and deserved a special mention if not an academy award!

The Black Sea is at this time of the year black, due to the extreme cold, and as much as I thought I could, I haven’t gone for a swim….yet.

I head into Romania tomorrow for a week to help set up the project office and celebrate the official launch of the church planting part of the project. Please pray that we will have safe travels, last time some of the team were there they had valuables stolen, now with winter kicking in the street people get much more desperate, so visitors can sometimes be seen as easier targets.