Romania highest food cost in EU

On avg, the price of food rose over 7% in the European Union as a whole in the last year. Click here to read more.  According to the UN, the avg cost of food per household income in industrialized nations is 15-18%, while the EU has roughly a 15% avg. food cost per household income.  Romania, however has nearly a 35% cost of food per household income on avg. That’s a pretty severe number for one of the poorest countries in Europe, and it is over 2x the average amount of the other EU member nations.  An interesting note is that America’s food cost (percent of avg Household income) was only 8-9% as of last year.  Once again, we are far more blessed then we even know.

Romania has highest Food Cost in EU

On avg, the price of food rose over 7% in the European Union as a whole in the last year. Click here to read more.  According to the UN, the avg cost of food per household income in industrialized nations is 15-18%, while the EU has roughly a 15% avg. food cost per household income.  Romania, however has nearly a 35% cost of food per household income on avg. That’s a pretty severe number for one of the poorest countries in Europe, and it is over 2x the average amount of the other EU member nations.  An interesting note is that America’s food cost (percent of avg Household income) was only 8-9% as of last year.  Once again, we are far more blessed then we even know.

Romanian Government Political Overview

Check this well done report on the political situation in Romania as of Spring 2008.  This was put out by a Canadian organization that provides assistance to companies looking to export or expand internationally.  It’s about 1 page long and not at all hard to follow.  I recommend it as a good read, whether economics/politics is your cup of tea or not.

Good News on Our Visas

We just received the necessary papers (from Bucharest) to continue the process of applying for status as permanent residents in Romania. They arrived the night before last, so yesterday we spent the entire day in Deva (district/regional capital) going from place to place for all the paperwork.  That usually entails going to 3 different offices in a building, once you find that building that is.  Once done in that particular building rinse & repeat half a dozen more times, generally back on the other side of the city of course. This is basically all just for the privilege of paying another “taxa” or fee to help the government support it’s never-ending beuocracy.  However it’s all worth it, since we now have completed the request process for our identity cards as foreign citizens living long term in Romania.  We have a 30 day waiting period to receive our new ID cards; although our current tourist visas expire in about 2 weeks.  Thankfully the police at the “Bureau Judetean pentru Cetetean Strain” realized this and gave us a document stating that our ID cards are being processed and we have valid reason to be in the country during that period. :)  Thank God for an answer to our prayers!

Violence in Romanian Local Elections

Click here to read the short article.

Thankfully the “conflicts” between various party supporters here in the District of Hunedoara seems to be limited to debating with ones neighbors and anyone else that is interested in taking part, whether it be on the street or at the local bar.  The second location seems to be the most popular for obvious reasons.  So while those debates may become a bit heated at times they rarely seem to escalate.  Of course this may have something to do with the debaters forgetting where they were after xxx beers and needing to start over again. :p  Truth to be told the most annoying thing is the period parade of cars that stream through town with part flags and banners and horns blaring or worse the loudspeaker set up with some awful music and little blurb about why so and so is the best etc…  Our balcony is about 15 feet from “Main St” and I must confess that I have occasionally wished for a good paintball gun.  :/

Elections are upcoming on Sunday, and only time will tell what the outcome will be.  The incumbent mayor is very anti-protestant (to the point of not following the law if she wishes to), so we are all praying that she is not re-elected.  I honestly don’t know if any of the other candidates are more honest/less corrupt, but at least they do not purport to be prejudiced against all non-Orthodox.  Just a few more days to go.

Update on Saul

Just a quick note to let you all know that Brother Saul is now home from the hospital.  He is very weak and not able to do much, but he is very happy to be home again.  We don’t know how much longer he will be with us, but we view every day as a gift from God.  Thank you all for your prayers on his behalf.  Please continue to pray for both Saul and his wife Dora, that God would give them both strength and peace to accept His will in their lives.

Corruption thrives in the Romanian Government

Despite ranking at the bottom of the EU in a recent independent study on corruption in government practices and policies, RO shows little signs of improving.  Signs of real progress being made were evident before the countries entry into the EU; now Romania is slipping backwards.  Read more here.

Brother Saul

Please remember Saul Nicoara in your prayers; he is currently in the hospital for the second time in the last month.  The doctor there has said that there is no chance that he will recover, although we trust that in God’s providence a full recovery is possible.  Brother Saul is 84 years old (the oldest Romanian we have personally met in nearly 10 years) and is suffering from congestive heart failure.  He is/was the “layleader” of the local group of believers and he is dearly loved by all the brothers and sisters in Bretea Romana.  Please pray for him, and for his wife, Dora, who is also elderly and in poor health.  Old age for the majority of Romanians does not mean retirement and relaxation after a lifetime of labor; instead it means that one continues working for daily survival, merely with poorer health and encroaching infirmities.

As always your prayers are greatly appreciated and truly needed.

God Bless - Curtiss

New Slide Show

I was able to get a few new pictures up for your viewing pleasure. Some are of things that you see here on a daily basis that you don’t see very often (aka ever) in America, and the rest are some candid shots of the church folks here in Bretea Romana. Enjoy!

*use the buttons on the bottom left of the slide show to pause, speed up or slow down the pictures*

Some hardware related difficulties

I was intending to post some new pictures on the site today, but I’m having some problems, both with my internet access and the hard drive on my laptop.  Of course that would have to happen now that I’m one month past the warranty and on the other side of the world. :p  I’ll get the slideshow up and running as soon as I can.