My Field Placement in Transylvania, Romania

by Heather Conroy, MSW Student
Published in the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work Bridges Magazine, Spring 2010

“Why Romania?” This question, which had been posed countless times while I wprepared for my trip to Eastern Europe over the summer, echoed in my head as my plane traveled down the runway. My well-thought-out decision to be the first student in the Master of Social Work program at the University of Pittsburgh to earn field education credits abroad – as well as the first person in my family to obtain a passport and leave the East Coast – kept thoughts of this question from getting me down.

I was off to Sighisoara, Romania, (or “Sighi” as the townspeople called it) in the Transylvania region to work with the faith-based organization Veritas. Headed by Dorothy Tarrant, Veritas – which means “truth” – serves many groups of people in the area and is well known for both its service and religious affiliation with the Church of the Nazarene. My work involved attending regular group meetings and assisting Roma (gypsy) teenagers and community members suffering from disabilities, all while learning the language through the organization’s classes and a personal translator. To further my knowledge of Romanian and my assimilation to the culture, Dorothy suggested I stay with a host family.

Throughout my trip, my host family was a constant source of support. Everyone in the family spoke at least some English, and my host sisters were fluent in English, German, Romanian, and Hungarian. Dorothy was also very supportive. She was open to my suggestions and proactive in making things happen so that I left the experience feeling like I truly made an impact on those with whom I worked for such a short, yet intensive, period of time.

With help from Dorothy and other members of the organization, I was able to directly impact the life of a 21-year-old man by providing him with a wheelchair. I met with him two to three times each week at the Impreuna, or “Together,” Group for people with disabilities, and I visited him at his home. He was so full of life and humor in spite of his severe physical impairments from birth complications. I noticed the deteriorating physical condition of his device and the limitations it caused him; within minutes, Dorothy was on the phone to find a donated upright wheelchair.

My position with the Together Group led me to take on another unlikely role: working with a 25-year-old man with severe autism who had had no consistent schooling. My experience working in the field of autism had been with children up to this point, but, after meeting with him and seeing his severe state, I was intrigued. I worked with him to help him gain some communication skills in the form of more functional vocal noises and signing. His mother told me near the end of my work that she noticed him trying to make words, something he had not done since he was 3 years old. Although I was sad to leave knowing that he would likely receive little or no additional help, my experience working with this young man as well as presenting on working with Romanian children diagnosed with autism showed me that I am destined to remain in the field.

It was during home visits with Roma children and their families that I experienced the most emotional times of my trip. Some neighborhoods were better than others, but nearly all of the homes were infested with flies and lacked indoor bathrooms. Those who had running water were considered lucky. From what I could see, some of the Roma were making an effort to work and bring money in for their families, but those stigmas that had led them to receive a poor education also led to less-than-equal job opportunities when compared to the ethnic Romanian population.

After seeing their homes, I was proud that the youth were still so vibrant and happy. They showed so much promise despite their backgrounds, which is a testament to the work that Veritas is doing. Most of these children expected to continue living as their parents had, but some will break free of this cycle thanks to the opportunities and support this organization provides them.

For those who wonder whether my trip was worth the efforts in planning and funding; leaving the security of my friends, family, and Western Pennsylvania home; and taking a chance on an agency I knew little about, it was. My Romanian experience was unforgettable, and I hope it is only the beginning of more world adventures to come that will allow me to explore different cultures and utilize the social work training I have received at the University of Pittsburgh.

EuNC Courses and Teachers

EuNC not only offers courses at the Büsingen campus, but also in the various learning centres.

So far in this academic year, EuNC has offered 120 courses: almost 30% of these were offered off-campus. This means that the EuNC faculty needs to travel from the campus or home learning centre to teach at other locations.

From the campus in Büsingen Jason Veach, John Haines and Antonie Holleman have travelled to the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal to teach various courses.

The programme in the Netherlands has received John Moore (Hungary) and Jayme Himmelwright (Portugal) as visiting faculty.

In the CIS (Russia; Ukraine, Armenia; Central Asia) Davide Cantarella, Cliff Wright, Olga Druhjinina and Alexei Shipovalov have been travelling to various locations to teach courses

An example of a creative solution to the issue of travel was developed in the Southeastern Europe Field. A field course was offered in Romania taught by Michael Hudson and then recorded and transmitted via Internet. It was then presented (with translation) in locations in Bulgaria, Albania and Kosova, with each having a facilitator. This was also further supported by online discussions between class sessions. These are just some examples of how EuNC is thinking creatively to face the challenges of distance and travel. EuNC is very thankful for faculty who are willing to travel to teach courses, many times on top of their normal load.

Republished from EuNC's "In Touch" Newsletter, April 2010

Tents for Haiti

News of the January 12 earthquake in Haiti circled the globe. On the Sunday following the earthquake, those gathered for worship in the Sighișoara Church of the Nazarene were presented with facts about the Church of the Nazarene in Haiti and had a special time of prayer for the survivors and families of those who died in the quake. But the congregation of the Sighișoara church wanted to do more.

After visiting the Nazarene Compassionate Ministries website (ncm.org/haitiearthquake), church leaders decided to collect money in a special offering to be used to buy tents for Haiti. It was hoped that they would collect enough money to purchase 1 or 2 tents. The response was so great that enough money was raised (by the Sighișoara Church of the Nazarene combined with the staff of Veritas) to purchase 5 tents for the people in Haiti.

As of this week, there is still a need for tents in Haiti, as people do not have adequate shelter for the soon-approaching rainy season. “Tents are needed for immediate shelter,” reports Field Strategy Coordinator Bill Dawson from Haiti. “The rains have started already and nearly every day we get rain somewhere in Port-au-Prince. People are sleeping under draped sheets and cardboard. We have requests for more tents than we could possibly fill.”

To buy tents and other specific items for Haiti, visit the NCM Haiti Store on Amazon.com or give to the NCM Haiti relief fund, which will be used where the need is greatest. Click here to read more about How You Can Help.

District Assembly

On Saturday, November 7, church leaders from across the Romania District gathered in Sighișoara for the annual district assembly. Local church pastors Cristi Boseff (Bucharest Blessings), Roberta Bustin (Sighișoara), and Magda Cini (Țigmandru) presented their annual reports, recounting what the Lord has allowed them to do in the past year.

District Superintendent Jay Sunberg’s address, based in 2 Chronicles 7:14, challenged those present to seek God's face, praying for the country of Romania. He mentioned that the past year has been one of preparation, and new opportunities for church planting, theological education, and lay training will be beginning this next year.

The district renewed the licenses for Cristi Boseff and Dan Cristea. The Sighișoara and Țigmandru churches took the opportunity to publicly present Relu & Oana Cristurean and Magda Cini with local minister's licenses. Please pray for these church leaders on the Romania District.

Photo: Ordained deacon Magda Balaban prays for district and local licensed ministers on the Romania District: Cristi Boseff, Dan Cristea, Relu & Oana Cristurean, and Magda Cini.

Veritas Retreat

Veritas is a Christian organization that seeks to make a positive difference in the lives of the people of Sighisoara through service to the community, a variety of educational programs, and intercultural exchange. Veritas is a Nazarene Compassionate Ministries partner organization and is a participant in the Nazarene Child Sponsorship Program.

This past week the Veritas staff, along with the American students in the Romanian Studies Program and volunteers, participated in the annual fall retreat near Păltiniș, a beautiful town in the mountains. Gabriel Achim – a Romanian who works for World Vision in Bucharest and was helpful in the early days of the Church of the Nazarene in Romania – was the guest speaker, challenging the Veritas team to see what they do in light of God’s all-encompassing agenda.

Veritas is intentionally an interdenominational organization, with the Romanian staff drawn from all of the major churches of Sighișoara – Nazarene, Orthodox, Reformed, Adventist, and charismatic. During the retreat, various members of the team led times of singing according to their church traditions.

On Friday evening, participants prayed for one another, for the programs in which they minister, and for those to whom they minister. Please pray with us that…

• Veritas will receive 2 grants. The first which would significantly enlarge the Family Center, and the second which would allow the staff of the International Café (our small business) to receive training,
• The transition of leadership from Dorothy Tarrant to Petra Popa will go smoothly.

The retreat also included many times to have fun together. Participants enjoyed team-building activities, followed by a skit performed by staff members that made the others laugh until they cried. When the mountain retreat center was blanketed with snow, staff and students shared in a friendly snow-ball fight. Many meals (and meal-time conversations) were shared together during the 48-hour retreat.

For more information about Veritas, please visit www.veritas.ro.

Photo: Fall semester Romanian Studies Program students & professors at the Veritas retreat.

Field Conference Highlights

The Church of the Nazarene is active in the Balkan countries of Albania, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Romania, and Slovenia. This presence is relatively new (since 1992) in these post-communist countries. Consequently, most churches are small, and most countries have only a handful of Nazarene congregations. So when nearly 140 representatives from these countries recently came together at the Southeastern Europe field leadership conference, the participants were able to find refreshment and encouragement that they are part of something much bigger than the limitations they find in their local circumstances.

The following highlights video was created by Relu Cristurean and presented to the Sighișoara congregation as a way to share the excitement with those who were unable to attend. Below is a translation of the captions (and some brief explanations).

• The road was long & difficult. (It was a 20-hour bus trip each way – starting in Sighișoara.)
• We had some adventures along the way (like when we had to exit the bus with our luggage and walk across the border into Macedonia while the bus was scanned).
• But we arrived OK.
• We gathered and began to worship the Lord together (in 4 languages at the same time!)
• Pastor Jeff Crosno (from the US) brought us the messages.
• We also had seminars which were very instructional and interesting. (One was presented by Pastor Cristi Boseff from the Bucharest Blessings Church).
• But for some among us, it was too much.
• We had times of fellowship with one another.
• We partook of the Lord’s Supper together.
• We heard amazing testimonies (including Monica Boseff’s).
• We prayed and we worshiped together.
• We did some sight-seeing (hiking to a nearby monastery and enjoying the view).
• The teenagers had a good time together. (There were events planned for the many children and teenagers in attendance)
• This was everything. Well, almost everything.

In total, there were about 45 people from Romania’s 3 churches who attended the field conference.

Click here to view a photo album of pictures from the conference.

Monica Boseff (Bucharest) sharing her testimony:

Magda Cini (Țigmandru) reading scripture while Relu Cristurean (Sighișoara) translates.

Field Strategy Coordinator Jay & Teanna Sunberg recognizing Dorothy Tarrant for 15 years of service on the SEE field as director of Veritas and the Romanian Studies Program.

10 Years in Sighișoara

On Sunday, October 4, the Sighișoara Church of the Nazarene honored Rev. Magda Balaban—who has served in Sighișoara for the past 10 years—and blessed her as she enters a new chapter of her life.

Magda came to Sighișoara in September 1999, following her graduation from European Nazarene Bible College. Her original assignment was to work in the Veritas ministry for disabled persons. In time, Magda devoted full-time to church-related ministries at the Sighișoara church . Her ministry focused on working with the senior adults who attend the church and the daily elderly program at the church. Magda's ministry has also included leading weekday prayer meetings and Bible studies, translating both sermons and literature, serving on the District Advisory Board, teaching children's church, and teaching American students who come with the Romanian Studies Program.

After preaching the morning message, Magda announced to the congregation that she has accepted a job offer in Bucharest and will be returning to her hometown in just over a week. Magda, an ordained deacon in the Church of the Nazarene, is like many ministers on the Southeastern Europe Field who must rely financially on employment outside the church.

After an all-church dinner following the service, those gathered viewed a PowerPoint presentation celebrating Magda's 10 years in Sighișoara (view below). Many offered words of thanks to Magda for her service. The church board presented Magda with three gifts to serve as momentos of her ministry: a piece of Transylvanian pottery, a painting of Sighișoara, and a Sighișoara mug. As one person shared, “The Sighișoara Church’s loss is the Bucharest Church’s gain.”