Warm welcomes.

We are here!  It's our second night in Lupeni, and huge snowflakes are drifting down from the sky.  The mountains are already covered in snow, but walking home tonight from dinner with friends the whole word was being softly blanketed in a fresh new coat.  Beautiful. 

It's good to be here -- already full of wonderful surprises, beautiful things, joyful reunions (and happy introductions, for Jack).  When we first got out of the car in Lupeni, ready to carry our four giant suitcases up the five flights of stairs to Apartment Lucy, we were met by Grati (FNO staff) accompanied by Ela, one of the girls in my IMPACT club a few years ago!  A few minutes later, after much hugging and greeting, another one of the boys from my IMPACT club walked by.  Grati quickly roped him into helping us lug our 50-pound bags up the stairs (of course), and he did -- graciously, smiling.  Another wonderful gift.

And that's what it's been like for the past day and a half: gracious people, warm welcomes, beautiful things.  I am so grateful.  I shed my first tears when we arrived in Bucharest, because for the first time the leaving was real -- but tonight, with the warm ciorba and laughter of the evening fresh in my mind, and under the falling snow, I am simply glad to be here.

When we first left from Minneapolis, after a teary goodbye, our little United plane was passed by a giant Spirit plane, just as I thought we were preparing to take off.  I leaned over to Jack and joked, "The Spirit's in the way!"  He looked back at me and said, "Isn't that a good thing?  That the Spirit goes before us?"  So there we were, reminded that the Spirit of the Living God is huge and big and in the lead -- and we, united, are given the gift of being able to follow.

So here we go.