Events at the Apahida School
“Rediscover the Joy of Being a Teacher” was the title of the seminar we organized for 45 teachers in Apahida town, in the spring.
Starting from “Happy Teacher = Happy School”, we shared several ways to find joy in their personal and professional lives.
Also, at the Apahida school, we taught students in two classes, about topics like life values, the influence of technology, bullying. One student said: It was the best class I ever attended!
The “Lies Women Believe” Course
Dana taught this online course for 3 weeks and 25 teachers attended. The idea of the book is that women are attacked by the Evil One, who comes with untrue ideas and lies that we end up believing. We discussed that sometimes we believe that we are worthless or that the situations we find ourselves in will never change. We looked at the temptation that God is not good enough or that He doesn’t love us. One participant said at the end: Our discussions helped me answer questions that I did not dare to ask out loud. I think I began to understand myself better… both myself and others. I learned to have more confidence and to stop victimizing myself in difficult times.
Teaching the Prison staff
Dana and I were asked to lead a course for 11 employees of the Gherla Penitentiary. It is a personal development course that lasts 7 weeks. Every Wednesday, we drove for 40 minutes and met with the staff.
At first, some were skeptical- they told us they joined because their leaders sent them. Then, in the following meetings they became more open and told us about different trials they face, at home and at work.
One of the topics was about the relationship with God. The Lord worked in such a way that we had the lesson just a few days before Easter. It was easier to share the Gospel with them and they told us where they are in their spiritual journey.
The Book “Story in the Mirror”
My wife Dana recently published a book about a little girl who goes through many trials, but with God’s help, she overcomes them and discovers her calling to be a blessing to others.
Here are some excerpts from a review someone Dana doesn’t know wrote, after reading the book:
I identified with the main character of the story – Daiana. She captivated me from the beginning and transported me to the experiences of the mentioned biblical characters.
The author has a special way of captivating the reader through her writing, by choosing certain biblical themes, by the way she builds the biblical context. This book is equally interesting for both a teenager and a refined old man.
The painful experience that our character goes through encourages the reader to discover God’s love when she has to show forgiveness towards the one who hurt her and rejected her – her father. Towards the end of his life, she chooses to love and forgive him, thus being made free.
First European Conference for Christian Teachers – see the image at the top of this post.
At the beginning of this month, we attended a Teachers Conference in Poland. 15 Christian Teachers from Romania joined us. It was a good opportunity for them to learn from the experiences of teachers from other 10 countries. We all came back with a greater vision, with many ideas and a bigger desire to apply what we have learned.