A trip I will always treasure! It had been 3-1/2 years since I had last been in Romania, and my heart had sorely missed my dear friends and colleagues. It was a shorter trip than normal, but we packed a lot of tasks and rich experiences into those few days. There were so many "jewels" before me that they dazzled me beyond words.

Laughter, prayer, worship, food, more food and sights I had never seen before. There is nothing that compares to sweet fellowship in Jesus!

The success of this trip can be credited to our beloved Tatiana and Debby, who both coordinated the in-country time from Timisoara all the way to Sibiu. Being with our team was a great opportunity to connect with real hugs. I cherish Debby, Cristina, Tatiana and Adina. They are superb in every way with servants' hearts and always pursue excellence.

It was a huge treat to visit the offices of Mission Without Borders - Romania and meet all the staff. Tatiana's husband, Sandu, is the Director and a giant of a man - both in stature and heart. What a privilege for Tatiana to work with her husband as well as serve with Beautiful Gate Translations.

We had a lovely evening with dear Romanian, American and Ukrainian Sisters my first evening in Sibiu. It was a beautiful time for me to hear about their experiences leading their own Bible study groups, the challenges and joys. One unexpected part was a deep discussion exchanging questions and ideas. It was a warm and transparent time of hearts meeting hearts.

Thank you to Pastor Michael and Mihaela Gravitt, who hosted us for lunch on our first day in Sibiu, then opened the church for us to meet that evening! Sibiu is blessed to have these dear folks who founded Centrul Inchinarii.

"The hills are alive with the sound of music!"

I was especially thankful for the assistance of my dear friend, Pastor Liviu Neagoe, and Debby Ursu who helped me navigate the many new administrative tasks of banking, accounting, and legal affairs for our nonprofit, Asociatia Beautiful Gate Ministries.

I cannot fail to mention our quick trips up to Arad to meet with our dear brother, Mircea Deznan, who has been our faithful publisher and printer since 2007. He and his family are precious friends. His tireless work leading Multimedia International is amazing. Where would we be without them?

Getting to visit Harvest Timisoara was pure joy, especially seeing my beloved longtime friend, Emma Domuta who leads Women's Bible studies there, and serves on the worship team. If you ever need a portrait/personal branding photographer, she's your gal!