Deep in our hearts, we all want to find and fulfill a purpose bigger than ourselves. Only such a larger purpose can inspire us to heights we know we could never reach on our own. For each of us the real purpose is personal and passionate: to know what we are here to do, and why. But, nothing short of God’s call can ground and fulfill the truest human desire for purpose. Calling is the truth that God calls us to himself so decisively that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have is invested with a special devotion and dynamism lived out as a response to his summons and service. - Os Guiness

One thing about me that you will soon learn is that I’m a huge NASCAR fan. Make fun if you want, but NASCAR is not just for your “redneck” father anymore. It is a modern day sport that I find entertaining. Anyhow, my reasoning for loving the sport is irrelevant to the point I’m trying to make. One of my favorite NASCAR personalities is Daryl Waltrip or DW as he is affectionately known by race fans. DW is the lead analyst for Fox and considered to be a strong Christian. During a recent race DW was asked how dedicated a driver was to winning. He said, “The difference between dedication and commitment is very small. When you sit down for breakfast and have bacon and eggs the chicken is dedicated but the pig is committed.”

So, my question to you is, “are you dedicated or are you committed to your role in our trip?” Are you counting the days until our trip? My dad always told me the most important thing in life is to do something you enjoy doing. I cannot think of anything else I would rather do than introduce my new friends to my old friends in Romania.

Ask yourself today, “Am I the chicken or am I the pig.” I’m a Hogg! Have a blessed Sunday. Aspire to new heights.

Quality time

If you’ve read my blog in the past, I apologize for reposting an old blog. However, I felt it was very relevant to our upcoming trip.

Some of my most memorable moments in Romania were in the villages, most notably Susani. Susani was our home away from home. I don’t have an exact population count on Susani and I’m pretty sure the census won’t make it over, but my best estimate is approximately 300 residents. I haven’t been able to find a good source of information on Susani on the internet. Let’s just say Bing, Google, and Wikipedia do not recognize this little village. However, I’ve been told a number of stories that I’m sure have been passed down from generation to generation. If my memory serves me right artifacts have been found that date back to 25 B.C. I’m not sure we truly know what history is!

As I’ve said before, this village is home to two of my closest friends Daniel Olariu and Ovidiu Patrick. Daniel is a local farmer, business man, and jack of all trades. Ovidiu is the local pastor. Visiting Susani is like taking a step back in time. There is not a single paved road in the village. Residents live in small homes with a large garden out back. The coolest thing is seeing the livestock grazing in the fields nearby, open range. I promise you it is one of the prettiest sights you will ever see.I still remember spending a few days in Susani during our first winter in Romania. Traditionally Romanians return to their family roots in the village following the first freeze to process meat for the coming year. We processed the animals the old fashioned way. I will save you the details (and pictures) but it pretty much involves an axe, knife, a tree and rope. At the end of the day they have a bucket full of meat to either be smoked or salted that will last the year.Romanians are event oriented and this is definitely an event for the ages. Everyone returns to the villages and they have a large feast. Kacee and I were fortunate enough to “enjoy” this feast. We had pan fried liver and lungs, brain, pork, bread, and pickles. Kacee and I mostly had pork and bread. I did try the lungs and liver but I have had brain before and I chose not to try it again. This is where I tell you that it is offensive in most cultures if you refuse to eat food they’ve prepared!Most people would get wrapped up in this process and how archaic or uncivil it is, as well as how unpleasant the brains, liver, and lungs were. But if you truly look beyond what we would consider different you find yourself a culture steeped with tradition and appreciation for quality time together. This was one of the first things I grew to appreciate about Romania and still miss to this day. All too often I find myself consumed with speed and productivity. We miss so many opportunities in life for fellowship and relationship building.

No doubt one does not have to travel to a village half-way around the world to experience these things. But a quick visit is refreshing and reminds me of how important quality time with friends and family should be. I hope you will enjoy this quality time as well. Aspire to new heights.

More than a partner

I’ll never forget the first time I met Ovidiu and Adina. Kacee and I had been living in Romania probably no more than two months. Our good friend Daniel invited us to a Romanian wedding. What a cultural experience. I’m not much of a wedding guy! (other than my own, of course!) Therefore my opinion may be a bit off regarding this experience. However, I do recall a service that took several hours (and we didn’t understand any of it). Anyhow, after a lengthy ceremony we joined close family and friends for a reception. This was a little more to my liking. Over the next three to four hours we ate and ate and ate. Just when you thought you could not eat any more, they brought out the cake! Anyhow, I digress.

As we entered the reception Daniel sat me and Kacee across from Ovidiu and Adina and said, “Sit here, they know English!” The rest as they say is history. We struck up an immediate friendship. For those of you that know Ovidiu and Adina you will agree with me that you cannot help but be drawn to this wonderful Christian family. For those that do not, I hope you soon find out.

Ovidiu serves as the pastor for the Baptist church in Susani. He is a loving shepherd for his people. What sets Ovidiu and Adina apart from all the others is the fact that they are so committed to the future of the young people of Romania. On more than one occasion they have gathered via van and bus over 300 youth from numerous surrounding villages. Now if one truly believes that the future of Romania is the young people, how could you not want to partner with Ovidiu and Adina?

Aspire to new heights!

The Power of Prayer

Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

One of the greatest blessings our ministry and trip can receive is prayer. I’m so grateful to know that each trip participant has a prayer partner praying behind the scenes for our trip. I’m also blessed to know that a group will be gathering tonight to lift our trip up in prayer. I wanted to take a few minutes to list a few specific requests in hopes that you will add them to your prayer list.

1. Safe Travel – Pray for save travel to and from the airport and Abilene. Pray for a safe flight. Pray for our travel in Hungary and Romania.
2. Volcano – We are all aware of the volcano situation in Iceland and what impact it can have on our travels. Pray for a good West Texas wind to push the ash cloud North!
3. Weather – Pray for good weather leading up to our trip so that the foundation for the House of Joy will be completed. Pray for good weather during our trip so that we will be able to continue construction and so we will be able to build relationships with the children as we spend time with them outdoors.
4. In Country Team – Lift up our in country hosts. Pray for Ovidiu, Adina, Ruben, Danny, Delia, and our many volunteers, partners, and translators.
5. Trip Leaders – Pray for Jon, Todd, and Nathan as they continue to finalize details for the trip and lead the team during our time in Romania as well.
6. Pastors – Lift up Pastor Stan and Pastor Ovidiu as they share His word on a daily basis, both as our team leaders, and at local churches each night.
7. Health and Rest – Pray for the physical and mental health of each team member. Pray that everyone will remain healthy and strong and that jet lag and different food types will not have a bearing on anyone’s health.
8. Orphanage – Lift up the children we will be working with at the orphanage. Pray they will see the face of Jesus in each team member. Pray for their future. Also lift up the staff and volunteers that work to make life easier for these children.
9. Susani – Lift up the village of Susani. Pray for His word to spread through the members of this community. Pray they will go forth from this village and be witnesses throughout Romania and other countries as well. Pray they will be receptive to our work and adopt it as their own.
10. Longevity of Ministry – Pray that the seeds planted during this trip will be long lasting. Pray for the House of Joy community center and the impact it will have for years to come. Pray for those that will be left behind to continue the ministry. Pray for the future of the orphanage and the children we will be serving in the orphanage.
11. Ministry Partners – Pray for our existing ministry partners in Romania and the US. Pray that God will continue to bring forth individuals and churches willing to serve in Romania.

For additional information on Romania and ways to pray for our host country visit the following link (Pray for Romania).

Thank you for joining us on this journey. Aspire to new heights.

Making Connections

There is no truer statement than “Hindsight is always 20-20.” Looking back over the past 10 years and the relationships God has blessed us with fully confirm this statement. I’ve already shared with you in previous posts about my first two visits to Romania. However, it was not until my third visit that several key relationships would be established that are still playing a role in our lives today.

Upon my return from Romania as an intern I decided I wanted to go back to school and complete my doctorate. During that time I really wanted to return to Romania and conduct my dissertation research on Romanian agriculture. Through a friend of a friend I met a man by the name of Mike Attaway. Mike was an agricultural missionary and he was actually going on a trip to Romania during Spring Break. I decided to go on this trip with Mike. Sparing you many of the details, this was where I first met Daniel Olariu and the first time I visited Susani.

These relationships might have seemed similar to all other relationships. However, three years later Daniel assisted me in finding a teaching job in Romania. Daniel also served as our guardian angel while we lived in Romania. Most important of all, Daniel exposed us to Susani (and introduced us to Ovidiu and Adina, more on that another day). Susani became our home away from home. The people of this great village adopted me and Kacee and treated us like natives. Now some five years later I finally have the chance to return the favor. I cannot wait to see so many familiar faces. I’m so excited to be returning to work with the children of Susani and to partner with the natives of Susani in building the House of Joy community center.

I’m thankful for those of you that are joining us on this adventure. I’m thankful for those of you that have also helped financially. I’m especially thankful for those of you that have committed to pray for this ministry.

Aspire to new heights.