Originally published in the Veritas View newsletter, Fall 2014From the start Veritas has been blessed by the contributions of volunteers: Romanians who week by week, year after year have given of their time and skills to support our work, and foreigners who have come for shorter or longer periods of time. During the past year we had four long-term volunteers from the US who made a big impact, and we want to tell you about them.
Jay and Sheri Hartzler are from Harrisonburg, Virginia, where Jay is music teacher and choir director at Eastern Mennonite High School. Every two years Jay takes the EMHS choir on an international tour, and twice had brought them to Sighisoara, where his students have given inspiring concerts in the 13th century gothic Church on the Hill, and have enjoyed interacting with the poor Roma children served by the Nazarene community center in the village of Tigmandru.
Last year Jay decided to take a year's sabbatical from his teaching job and to come to minister to this impoverished community through music, believing that learning to sing or play a musical instrument in the context of a caring relationship has the power to lift the human spirit, bringing joy and hope. Jay and Sheri joined our team for a year starting in August 2013. Their first priority was to support church ministry, both in Tigmandru and Sighisoara, but they also made huge contributions to the work of Veritas. At the beginning and end of their year they offered a music camp for elementary school children at the House on the Rock. They had also raised money to purchase musical instruments an electric piano, percussion instruments and lots of guitars. During the school year Jay taught beginner guitar classes to about forty young people, and a few of the Veritas staff, while Sheri gave piano lessons to several children from our staff families.
Jay worked with Theo Halmen, who for many years has directed our Gospel Choir, introducing new techniques and new songs. Theo's musical connections in the town allowed Jay to form a choir of experienced singers and perform an impressive selection of pieces from Handel's Messiah, which hadn't been heard live in Sighisoara for almost 40 years. What an exciting evening that was as townsfolk packed the 13th century Church on the Hill with its fantastic acoustics to listen to this powerful presentation of the life, death and resurrection of Christ! In stark contrast, Jay also accepted the invitation of a high school principal to work with two classes of teenagers who had never sung in a choir before, and got them ready to sing at the school's annual talent show. with enthusiastic applause from their peers. These initiatives did much to enhance the reputation of Veritas in the community.
In addition to being a fantastic pianist accompanying the various choirs that Jay conducted, Sheri used her organizational skills and media know-how to help Veritas with some significant projects. She was humble enough to take on a job that nobody else wanted, introducing order and a system to the rooms at the Family Center where used clothing and other donated goods are stored. She coordinated the logistics for the filming of a promotional video, a final project for a media student from the UK, and gave leadership to a group of Veritas staff engaged in the huge task of creating a new website.
Years of administrative experience gave her helpful insights to pass on to Petra, the Veritas Director, as to how organizational structures might be improved.
Sheri and Jay spent two afternoons a week in Tigmandru, teaching Bible stories, playing games, doing crafts and singing with about 60 children. Their faithful helpers were, in the fall, Michaela Mast, who had just graduated from EMHS and had been in Jay's choir when it had visited Romania, and in the spring and summer Beth Honan, a music graduate from Roberts Wesleyan University who had first come to Romania on a short-term mission trip. Both young women felt God's call to return to Romania for a longer period of service. Michaela's warm, sunny personality allowed her to communicate God's love to the most needy children in the Veritas kindergarten while Beth's servant heart, hard work, creativity and wisdom made her a great partner for Adela in organizing activities for high school students.
Said Adela, "Beth was such an encouragement to me. She understood the vision of what we want to do at House on the Rock. She was open to everyone and took time to understand their lives. She lived out her Christian faith in everything she did." Michaela charmed us with her singing, and Beth with her solos on the Irish harp.
Veritas wouldn't be the same without all kinds of volunteers who come and share their talents and life experience. All of them are changed by the experience, and take home a big piece of Romania in their hearts. If you are interested in volunteering for at least two months, contact us for more information at veritas@veritas.ro.
Free-time activities included a concert, hikes, and van excursions to neighboring towns of Viscri and Tigmandru where the Nazarenes have developed ministries with the primarily gypsy populations in these villages. The Nazarene Center in Tigmandru is helping the community through greenhouses, a sewing workshop, parenting classes for teenage mothers, and weekly programs for children and adolescents that involve Bible teaching, music education, recreation, and hot soup.
