Hello Everyone,

I would like to share with you my hiking trip to Muntele Gaina. I was invited by my Romanian friend Iulia to go with her and her friend to camp in tents and to see the Romanian festival on top of the mountain. We went by bus, okaszia (hitch-hiking), and on foot to get to the top of the mountain. Then we did the same thing going back home to Cluj. 

Saturday was a beautiful day. We passed by where Avram Iancu was born. He was one of the great leaders of Romania way back. When we were in the car, the driver was telling us about a shortcut up the mountain and that it was marked by red paint markers. After we got dropped off, we started hiking. It is not a bad hike if you are not in a hurry to get to the top. We never did find the shortcut. We were walking on the dirt road which was we shared with the cars going to the festival. It was 9 kilometers to get to the top. 

When we were almost to the top when we found wild blueberry bushes. On the way up we talked to a local who was picking the wild blueberries to sell them at the market. He had a tool specially for picking the blueberries (see picture below). All of us could not keep away from not eating them. My hands and tongue were blue. It took us about 3 hours to hike up. It was nice to see the beautiful Romanian landscape.  

We set up the tents and rested for a bit. After that we went to the festival. There were very few artists who brought their traditional Romanian objects. You could compare it to our country fares in PA but it was different. There were a lot of food tents and drinks being served, and loud music being played in the background. People were setting up tents next to each and were relaxing with their friends. My friends and I were not enthusiastic about all the noise. We thought there would be more traditional Romanian folk activities going on but it was not like that. 

During the night right before going to sleep a herd of horses came by our tents. They were eating the grass but some of them were a little too curious with what we were doing there. But after some time they left us. During the night it got cold and windy. Early in the morning there were thunderstorms. We just stayed in our tents and let them blow over and our tents did hold up well during the heavy rains and wind. I prayed a lot that night.

Then on Sunday morning we started to descend. We filled up our water bottles with the refreshing mountain spring water. It took us two hours to get to the bottom. We had to do some more walking, and then we hitched-hiked back to the bus station. The total amount of walking we did on this hiking trip was around 24 kilometers, which comes out to be 15 miles. My body was soar for the next couple of days but the hike was fun.

I hope all is well with all of you.

In Christ,
Chrissy

It is neat living in Cluj. I live with a widow named Anica in the Eastern part of the city, in an apartment on the 6^th floor. She and I get along very well and she doesn’t know English, but we are finding ways to communicate. It has not been hard to get used to the food here because it is really good! If I had to point something out about the food is would be the quite large amount of bread that I consume. Bread is a major part of the Romanian diet, and I am enjoying it greatly!

Cluj has a population of approximately 317,000 and the mass transportation works well. I use the buses daily to travel around the city, and I also walk all over the place. Right now, during this beginning of my time in Romania, my primary work is to learn the Romanian language and culture. Many people here are able to speak some level of English, so it is hard sometimes to remember to speak Romanian with people. In spite of this I am striving to respond to them in Romanian even though it is badly spoken. I am taking lessons with a tutor five days a week for 3 hours each lesson. Floyd and Ancuta, OCMC missionaries here, showed me around and introduced me to the staff at the St. Dimitrie Program and the Protection of the Theotokos Family Center.    

It was a great blessing and joy to celebrate Pascha in Romania. The parish I attend is St. John the Theologian Romanian Orthodox Church and it is the same parish where Floyd and Ancuta attend services. It is a small wooden temporary church with many people coming to worship on a regular basis. The majority of people have to be outside because that is how small the church is. There were probably over 500 people in attendance at Pascha, where only 120 of those people were packed in the church. The Paschal Divine Liturgy was filled with jubilation for Christ and love for each other. Pascha united me to the Romanian people as we partook in the Paschal Eucharist that all Orthodox Christians share throughout the world. Celebrating Pascha here in Romania has helped me to feel more at home here than I did when I first arrived, since it reminded me that we all share our faith in Christ and His Resurrection, although I come from a different culture than the culture of the people here in Romania. I ask for your continued prayers as I immerse myself in this beautiful culture, which has very deep roots, so as to better serve the Romanian people.

I learned many things about myself during the past year. During the first week of Great Lent, we read in the Book of Proverbs, “Trust in God with all your heart and do not exalt your own wisdom” (Proverbs 3:5). This past year I learned that I am powerless. I had to let my own agenda – my own will – be dropped and smashed to pieces as a glass hits a cement floor, and change my frame of mind to trust in God’s will alone. The work that I had to do was challenging. I kept reminding myself that I am not in this alone, because God gave me confidence from Sunday to Sunday to do what I had to do. He gave me this confidence through my interactions with all of you, which were like a breath of fresh air to me. During each week, I would spend my time preparing for the following Sunday, and by the end of the week I was usually nervous. Then Sunday would come, and I would give my presentation despite my nervousness. Something joyful and unexpected would happen-all of you opened your hearts to me and encouraged me to continue facing the challenges in this support building project. I was refreshed for the week ahead.

And so, I was going full steam ahead with the support building. Through God’s grace and your support, my support goal for departure to Romania was being met.

The next step for me was a transition from thinking about fund raising to starting to think about the destination. But it was difficult to slow down from the active traveling schedule to a more stationary schedule with studies on Romania. However, before I could truly begin this transition, I had to catch up on many items which, until then, I did not had time to focus on. During this time, as well as earlier in my journey, I was blessed with opportunities to visit a few monasteries. At the monasteries I was able to sense how fast my thoughts were going and the amount of effort it would take to slow them down. I left from these holy places rejuvenated and more centered in Christ. I was ready for my next challenges.

And now, the initial support building phase has passed, and you and I are ready to go for a ride to Romania. But thanks to your support and prayers, I am transitioning. The first three targets are to: 1) learn the language 2) learn the culture and 3) love the people. All of these goals take time. I am grateful we have missionary saints who have gone before us and laid this path we can follow to help us integrate into another culture. God has been in Romania for many centuries and so we will learn how the Good News is being lived out among the Romanian people. I am excited and humbled to join the existing team of Romanians involved in the Protection of the Theotokos Family Center and the St. Dimitrie Program, and all those people whose paths I will cross while in Romania.

The Commissioning Service

When the missionary candidate is well on his or her way to completing the support building, one of the last events to schedule is the Commissioning Service. On February 8th we had the Commissioning Service, during which special prayers were prayed over me. At my home parish of All Saints Orthodox Church, His Grace, Bishop Tikhon of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania, and visiting priest Fr. David Rucker, Associate Director of OCMC, along with the parish rector Fr. David Cowan and the faithful, all celebrated the Divine Liturgy together. Then, at the end of the Liturgy, was the Commissioning Service.

God opened our hearts that day and in flowed the love of Christ. I felt the synergy flowing through the Divine Liturgy. That day, God showed me the joy that comes from stirring up our hearts to give honor and glory to Him. It made me aware that God is truly merciful to me, unworthy though I am. It seemed that worshiping in that Divine Liturgy were far more than those visibly present. Through the love and prayers of everyone I had met on my travels this year, I sensed that we were all united in that Divine Liturgy. Is this different from any other service? That unique experience made me aware of the intensity and significance of the Divine Liturgy. It is truly a gift from God.

One of the parishioners at All Saints compared the Commission Service to that of a wedding. Oh what joy that brought to my heart. It’s probably the cheapest wedding a daughter could ask for from her parents. But being serious, our Bridegroom, Christ, unites us together as His bride, the Church.

I want to say thank you to all who I met, and all I have not met, for your decision to participate with me in the work of the Holy Spirit in Romania. I am grateful for my family and friends who gave me assistance. My thankfulness extends to those who gave me hospitality and support in various ways which encouraged me to continue on this missionary path. Everyone’s prayers and embraces are vital to me because they provide me spiritual and physical strength. I know that I am not alone in this mission field. Thanks be to God!

Pre-field Orientation at the OCMC Headquarters

My last training session called Pre-Field Orientation took place at OCMC headquarters in St. Augustine, FL, from February 23-27, 2009. Coming from Pennsylvania, I had enough of the cold. I was ready for some spring-like weather in Florida, and I wasn’t disappointed.

This week long session targeted the following: language training, how to maintain communication with your support team, communication tools to use while in the field, sessions on cultural shock and physical and spiritual wellness, a review of the budget, dialogue with the field leader, and finally, purchasing a plane ticket! It was extremely important for me to be trained in all these areas so that I may understand better how I “fit into the picture” over in Romania. As a result of this orientation, I do feel prepared and ready to make the transition to Romania.

During the first day, one of my sessions was on language training. I am interested to begin learning Romanian with the help of various methods. Language acquisition will be my number-one priority, which will enable me to interact with the people of that culture that much more intimately.

On the last day at OCMC Fr. David Rucker and OCMC staff said a prayer over me ,with the laying on of hands, in front of the icons of Saint Herman of Alaska and Saints Cyril and Methodius. All of my associates make me feel that I am part of the team at OCMC. They are all experts in their departments, and they give me the best advice and suggestions on how to go about things during this transition period.

Also on that last day, my departure date was confirmed with the travel agent. I am happy to announce that I will be departing for Romania on March 17th, Saint Patrick’s Day. I will be traveling through Munich, Germany, to Cluj, Romania. I ask for your continued prayers that day and throughout my journey. Please feel free to contact me at my email address: c.semon@ocmc.org. It would mean a lot to me to be able receive mail from you. You may write to me in Romania at the follow address: Str.Calea Floresti, No., Bloc TI, Scara 2, Etaj 3, Apt. 53, 3400 Cluj-Napoca Romania. You may want to see more updates on my webpage at www.ocmc.org. I will write my next newsletter around Pentecost. I am grateful to travel on a day in which we commemorate a missionary saint who worshiped the Trinity in his daily life and participated in making disciples of Christ. Holy Saint Patrick, intercede for us! Have a blessed Great Lent and a joyful time of the Resurrection of our Savior!

I started by getting a blessing from different hierarchs. Then, I made a lot of phone calls to priests I had never met before. Through the Grace of God and the good will of people like you, nearly every Sunday from the end of March up until today I have been welcomed into parishes. Glory to God! With the guidance of OCMC and other personal contacts my journey has taken me to San Francisco, California; Atlanta, Georgia; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Cheyenne, Wyoming; and Denver, Colorado – all within the last nine months.

What I have learned from these experiences is that there are active parishes spread across this nation that are truly letting their light shine before men. I was impressed by the leadership of priests who were constantly looking for ways to continue growing their parishes. I was struck by hospitality offered to visitors. All throughout my journey, your prayers and your willingness to participate have been gifts of love which give me hope.

In November, I attended the All American Council of the Orthodox Church in America. While I was there, I represented OCMC and talked about my future missionary service. The clergy and laity I met were enthusiastic and wanted to learn more. One man in particular really touched me. He came to talk to me and said, “It is good to be a part of this mission work. All I do is work, come home, and click through different channels on the TV. What good is that? Your work that you will be doing is vital and meaningful.” That man left me with a substantial donation. His donation meant a great deal to me, but what I hope he realizes is that through his support he isn’t just sitting at home watching TV--he is laboring with me in Romania.

I am going for a two year renewable term, and I invite you to participate with me. Not everybody is called to go abroad to do missionary work. But through the mystery and beauty of the True Faith, everyone can participate in baptizing all nations in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. In my case, I hope to do this by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and visiting the sick (Matthew 25:35-36).

At all my presentations and of all I meet and talk with, I ask for prayers. This is essential for me, because I feel the strength and love from these prayers. Prayer is an awesome mystery. Prayer is love and God is love. We give glory to God through our prayers. Please pray for me and for the other OCMC missionaries and for future missionaries because the harvest is full but the laborers are few.

Your donations are my lifeline to doing this mission work. By the grace of God, we are at 95% of completing my missionary budget. I hope to have the missionary budget fully funded and be heading to Romania by the middle of February. Thank you for opening your hearts by offering me your prayers and support. Continue to ask God how He can give through you to do the work of the Holy Spirit. It is my hope that we may all hear at that final day, "Well done good and faithful servant!"