Every day I write at least one haiku. Here are some of them from our time in Romania! We leave for Albania on Sunday; please pray for us on our travel day!
now we’re in Europe
two dollar chicken foot long
dozing on the train
unfamiliar
city, culture, language, hosts
orientation
excited new friends
hoot as I repeat the phrase
“Ce faci, boveri?”
snowcapped mountain range
monasteries and churches
Roman fortress walls
up steep tower steps
through cobbled castle courtyard
down to the dungeon
help woman in need
carry goods from truck to shop
she gifts us produce
awake through the night
bowing before the toilet
too feeble to serve
earn purs from street cat
receive handshakes from strangers
eat grapes from neighbor
my testimony
“was like watching a movie”
my friends say with smiles
fill the wheelbarrow
push it past the barking dogs
build a wooden wall
warm pair of slippers
snuggled around a laptop
watching Narnia
spud dirt coats jacket
pyramid of sacks in van
eight hundred kilos
bond broken by death
she won’t be there when I’m home
fluffy companion
shot of plum moonshine
prayer with Hobbit hole dweller
vision from the Lord
chicken, not turkey
walnuts on sweet potatoes
meal of thanksgiving
patio dining
pastor’s wife shares how they met
over home-cooked stew
Neolithic bones
Stone Age tools and pottery
Roman era coins
icy air in lungs
knees turn purple in shower
there’s no hot water
10-minute prep time
testimony for the church
Holy Spirit speaks
knows five languages
happy we came to his shop
makes coffee for us
tentative actors
fumble choreography
effort for the Lord
kind, friendly mustache
buys each of us warm knit socks
cozy movie night
within city bounds
spiritual heaviness
team time anointing
The Prestige Hotel
interfaith conversations
my heart delivered
without instructions
piece cabinet together
with my German friend
Christmas themed market
traditional cooked dishes
expensive yummies
Europe’s largest spa
steamy water, cold fresh air
near-boiling sauna
drill flings concrete dust
hammer pounds brackets in place
new church in process
an exploration
in soteriology
fruitful dialogue
“go pray with her now”
I obey, leaving my bed
there she is praying
helpful words exchanged
Gheorghe values truth like I do
here to honor hosts
grief unexpected
step away from ministry
triggered tears stream down
cold garage party
more meats than we can finish
attempt to witness
teaches me dribbling
hand him Christmas child present
photos together
swans glide single file
lone Japanese gazebo
willows weep nearby
colorful paper
shoe boxes stack to ceiling
prayer to bless each
what a mess I am
when I don’t don God’s armor
at the break of day
solitude at gym
mostly here for hot showers
running feels good too
smooth marble columns
planet’s heaviest building
communist relic
hours dicing chicken
add heaps of curry spices
serving the many
I notice their needs
I seek opportunities
I say what needs said
dirt on their faces
clothes reflect their conditions
yet their joy abounds
public square singing
staged to look spontaneous
a sparse audience
his first Echo night
I pray for him at the end
he leaves excited
wind draws tears from eyes
as we reconcile friendship
on a playground bench
sunbeam hits stockings
dozens of us in bunk room
gingerbread cookies
stroll through Craiova
“Your turn. Tell me a story.”
so grateful for you
squad gathers at church
prayer, journaling, fasting
from morning to night
white beard, twisted leg
clunky translation attempts
waterfall prayer
team of team leaders
praying over each squadmate
words of prophecy
squad worship music
private moment with the Lord
kneeling in my tears
three men pray in turn
in Deutsch, English, Română
welcome the New Year
low clouds form fogged glass
over red clay city roofs
as golden hour wanes
each read in accents
restaurant etiquette rules
our laughter draws looks
twenty-five of us
and we managed to survive
only two bathrooms
bison snorts out steam
rain beckons lions to shade
somber bear paces
