Archive for the ‘Q & A’ Category

Posted on July 9, 2009 - by admin

No more Questions?

Ok…maybe no one has any more questions…we only got 5 and 2 of them were jokes.  I can take a hint.  Obviously this idea did not go over as well as it did the first time, or people simply asked all their questions the first time, or no one is reading this blog anymore, which is entirely possible .

Moving on…I will close this Q&A session, unless some really intriguing question comes through.  Next I will post something about “LEADING FROM THE SANDBOX”.

Posted on July 8, 2009 - by admin

Question #5

Are you guys lonely? – Shannon W.

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Yes, sometimes, but not all the time.  It’s not that we don’t have friends.  We do.  We have a good mix of Romanian friends, and foreign friends (some of them American, some of them missionaries, some of them not).  And some of those friends are a huge blessing.  We also have wonderful next door neighbors…we share a wall with them in the coupled building we live in.  They have a little girl who will be 3 this week.  She and our girls play together numerous times per week.  A few months ago, I re-arranged my schedule to be home on Tuesday morning.  That allows me to do homeschooling with the girls that morning and allows Becca to attend a Bible Study made up of women from other countries who live in Cluj.  This has been a good source of encouragement and blessing for her to have that time of fellowship.

The difficult part is that in general, Romania is not a culture that values young children.  Again, let me say that is in general.  There are some Romanian moms and dads who are wonderful and fully devoted to their children.  But in general Romanian kids are rarely raised by mom and dad.  Daycare (frequently full-time) and sometimes grandma and grandpa (better than daycare) are the day-time care-givers.  Homeschooling is illegal in Romania except for non-citizens like us.  So during the day, our girls generally have no one to talk to.

In no way am I trying to say that homeschooling is the only good option for kids.  We don’t believe that.  For us, right now, it’s the right choice.  I don’t have a problem in theory with public school.  I do have a problem with parental delegation; expecting other people (the school, the church, the government) to raise our children, to teach them about life, especially when they are 2,3,4,5, years old.  We often glorify day-care by calling it really fancy names like “head-start” and early education.  It’s just abdication, that’s all.

So while we have friends, it has been difficult to find friends who view their children as their most important investment in life, their ministry.  This has proven to be as true among our fellow missionaries as it has been among the general population.  That is the biggest source of our loneliness….philosophical loneliness…a meeting of the minds loneliness.

I had a conversation a few weeks back with a Romanian friend here who asked me how our children will learn to behave and be disciplined if they don’t go to the state school.  I was floored.  I thought he was joking at first.  I tried, as gently as I could, to remind him that it is not the governments job to teach our children obedience or discipline, but rather our job.  And any hope that the government will do a good job at raising our children makes as much sense as believing that the government will not waste our taxes, or that the government will do a really good job managing the entire health care world, or that the government will do a really good job running co-op farms.  Those were 3 examples that hit home in a socialistically-minded society like Romania.

We have friends, but we are lonely for kindred-spirits.   But this is a reminder to us of why we are here.  The devaluation of children does not start with the shipping off of kids to the care of the government programs.  It begins with conception, pregnancy, birth, etc.  And that is where we are involved.  We want to raise the value of life and young life at the very beginning of the process.  If Romania already held young life in high regard, there would be little need for our work.  But, in a cruel twist of life, the symptoms of the need that draws us here, are also the things we ourselves struggle with the most.

Posted on July 7, 2009 - by admin

Question #4

 

I was wondering what the people of Romania think about Obama? Maybe you could include some of the preconceived ideas of Americans as a whole as well? – Frank F.

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As far as how Romanian’s perceive Obama, it’s all across the board.  While much of Western Europe is generally unimpressed with America and American politics, Romanians seem a bit more intrigued by what happens across the ocean in the good ole USA.  Whether you like George Bush or not, unfortunately he did not increase the reputation of the U.S. in the eyes of most outsiders.  And it’s not just because of the war, although that did not help.  Most people here view him as an uneducated cowboy with no social grace and no world perspective.  So, on that respect, it makes Obama look pretty good in their eyes.  He completes his sentences (albeit with a teleprompter close at hand) and seems to hold it together, at least in the sound bites that get played on the news here.

Romania’s politicians seem to play both sides of the fence depending on the benefits at hand at any particular moment.  My Romanian friends might not like me saying that, and they might disagree, but it’s true.  Romanian politicians, like most anywhere in the world, are simply opportunistic, doing whatever, whenever so that they benefit the most personally regardless of what is best for the people, the country or even their own reputation.  Sometimes they are super “pro-Europe” – but they will switch at a moments notice to “pro-American” if there is some benefit in doing so.  They often take flack from other European nations for this flip-flop policy, rightly so.  This is nothing new however; they changed sides about 17 times during WWII as well….axis, allies, axis, allies, axis, allies.  In the end, they switched to the “winning team” at just the last moment and benefited from doing so….sort of.  Little did they know that the West would had over parts of Eastern Europe (including Romania) to Russia as a parting prize.  They ousted Nazis for the Red Army and then eventually a homegrown psychopath.  But getting back to the main question about Obama…

Many here view Obama like many Americans do…as the Messiah.  He can do no wrong in their eyes.  They are enamored by his tone of speech, his race (black people are still very uncommon in Romania), his charm, his education, his family, his nice teeth, etc.

Others see him for what he really is, a neo-communist.  They see similar patterns in Obama as they saw in their two dictators (Dej & Ceaucescu).  Media control, stepping into the private sector to “rescue” large companies, health-care policies, and so on.  The ex-director of Romania’s national auto-manufacture Dacia (which has since been privatized) actually wrote a letter, published in the New York Times I believe, warning Obama about his policies towards the large auto-makers.  He sited very good evidence from Romania (and many other European nations) about what happens when the government gets involved in the auto-business.  If I could find the article again, I would post it, but I cannot locate it.  It is funny, but sadly sobering.

Romanians often still view the stability of the U.S. as linked to the stability of many other nations, and so they are hoping that Obama can turn things around on U.S. soil, because they expect that will help turn things around here.  But even they are smart enough to see that spending more than you have does not help you get out of debt.  And “stimulating” by purchasing failing companies who were too greedy to begin with is not a good idea either.

When I first visited Romania back in 1994, I was asked if all the teachers wear bikinis in class while they teach like they do on Baywatch?  The stereotypes were major.  But now, enough Romanians have been outside of the country, and many of them have visited or worked in the U.S. that the misconceptions have started breaking down.  They are starting to learn that not all Americans are rich, they don’t all have 2-3 cars, and they don’t all eat out 5 times per week (although some fit that bill very well).  In fact, they are often shocked about how hard they have to work in American, and how little vacation time they get.

They view Americans as generally gullible and easy to fool because we are generally very trusting.  But they admire our ability to be flexible, consider new ideas, not care what other people think about us, and be willing to take risks.  They do not admire the fact that we often develop shallow relationships, invite people for dinner informally but never actually have them over (“oh, we should get together”), and that we think we are always right “because that’s how we do it in Arkansas”.

Hope that answers your question…sorry for the political op-ed’s.  Couldn’t resist.

Posted on July 6, 2009 - by admin

Question #3

What altitude is geosynchronous orbit, at the equator, in inches? Please give answer in scientific notation. – Steve H.
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Ok smarty pants! I put my brother-in-law’s question up as an example of what not to do, but you had to follow his smart-alec example.  But since you asked the answer is:  1.41 x 10 to the 9th power.  And that’s the truth!  Look it up!

Posted on July 5, 2009 - by admin

Question #2

When are you moving home!?! just kidding!!!:) we just miss you guys!!!what us your projected time-line to get the clinic up and running? also will it be part of the pregnancy crisis centers or a totally separate thing? – Rachel W.
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Rachel, did Becca tell you to ask the first question, about moving home?  The answer is NEVER!  Just kidding; we all know that’s not true.  But an honest answer – we cannot give just yet.  We made a 3-5 year commitment when we moved here.  We have served 3 years now, and could come home tomorrow with a good conscience, confident that we have helped improve the ministry.  But, there is a good chance that we will be here more towards the 5 year mark when all is said and done…maybe more if an angel comes and speaks to Becca in her sleep.

The answer to the second question is more complex.  Our ideas have changed a bit since landing in Romania 3 years ago, and indeed, they continue to be shaped daily still.  We have come to a few conclusions which impact the way we approach our work here now, and the speed and manner in which it gets done as a result.

First of all, we have come to believe that is the role of the Romanians to actually build the clinic.  Our role is one of support and organizational building, if that makes sense.  “Helping them help themselves” is an overused adage, but still a valid one.  Therefore, it is the ministry’s (the ProVita Clinica Foundation – a purely Romanian ministry with a 10 year history) vision to build a clinic, not just ours, and that is the way it should be.  But it means that the ministry at large will have to move the project forward.  This has many implications: timing, speed, and not the least of which is financial.  We have determined to let Romanians make the initial and most significant financial contributions to the center, rather than seeking most of the money outside of Romania.  This means it will take longer, but I believe it will honor God, the local community, and be a more sustainable work in the future because of that process (the process of letting the locals take the lead).  Let me say it to you straight, Romania is not a philanthropic culture.  It’s not that they are not giving people.  Quite to the contrary, many will give the shirt off their back, and the last morsel of food in their cupboard to serve you.  But the overall mentality is that the government is there to take care of all issues related to social problems.  The concept that the church or the business community has a role to play is still foreign in the minds of many.  Creating “buy-in” and securing significant local donations is proving to be hard.  But we will not bend on this principle.  I have seen plenty of outsiders come in with outside projects and move them forward with outside means and money.  The end results are rarely lasting.  If we want lasting results, it must be homegrown, as a matter of speaking.

Secondly, we believe that the center needs to be built in a sustainable manner.  This is in contrast to much of the non-profit work that happens on the planet, and that is especially so in Romania.  Our job is not just to work towards building a medical facility, we have to work on the mentality of people first, the help them believe that it is possible to do so and to sustain it without further support, and like I stated above, without outside support in any on-going manner.

Lastly, we feel compelled to do this without taking on debt for the ministry.  This means we are dependent on donations (large ones and lots of them – as well as small ones and lots of them too).  And, we don’t need to remind anyone that in general this just might be the worst time in the last 30 years to try to raise money for a significant project.  God still owns all the cattle on every hill, but as a friend once reminded me, “God chooses sometimes to give them to us one hamburger at a time.”

That’s the long answer…sort of; I could go on for weeks about the current status and victory and battles yet to fight, but I won’t.  We have come to view our role here as agents of change.  I am serving on the board of directors here, and because I have the time to devote to it, I am the most active board member.  I travel with Dr. David (the ministry President) and visit the 4 centers we have around Romania with some regularity, and I am investing lots of time in helping him reshape the Board of Directors and the way we function, as well as the staff.  We are trying to lay a more solid and appropriately sized foundation for the future growth ahead, including the birthing center project, which, ironically, has become only a part (however significant) of the overall vision and plan for the ministry of Pro-Vita.

For your last question – - – we currently have 4 pregnancy crisis centers in Romania….and 1 more that is on “pause” while we find a new director.  3 of the 4 centers have medical clinics inside of them already.  The vision for the ministry is to have 25 such centers in full operation by 2020.  Alongside this, is the vision to have a birthing center, in Cluj, which also happens to be the headquarters for the ministry.  The vision of a birthing center fits very will into ProLife ministry, and will likely serve as a model in the future as something that could be implemented in other cities where we have centers.

Keep in mind that while each of pregnancy crisis centers already has medical services offered, we are unable to provide birthing services until we build a facility that is able to facilitate that.

Hope that helps.  If there are any follow up questions on this one…fire away.

Posted on July 4, 2009 - by admin

Question #1

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow? – Ryan D.
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The first question comes from my smart-alec brother-in-law, who likes to go by his rapper name “Rye-n-D”

I can only reply with another question Ryan.  Do you mean an African or a European swallow?