All good things come to an end

To finish our 3 years of service with CBF, we returned to Atlanta for 2 days of debriefing and closure. We spent meaningful moments with colleagues discussing our time in Romania and our experience with CBF. We took care of all things human resource related (just like any job). But we were also given time to decompress and reflect.

We are extremely thankful for the opportunity to serve with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. We are still processing how this experience has impacted our lives. We are changed, for the better, and are excited to see what endeavors lie ahead.

Thank you for your prayers and interest as we have made this journey. Your support and God's guidance brought us through difficult times and exciting times. We appreciate the fact that you have continued to follow this blog of our personal and ministry-related moments. I want to encourage you to continue to support and pray for Project Ruth and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

This is my last blog entry. Its purpose was to follow our experience as CBF field personnel. If you would like to continue to stay connected you can follow my personal blog at http://smcraig.wordpress.com. Don't mistake it for a job-related ministry blog, but know that it is a place for me to write my thoughts on life and events surrounding it. And like always - send us an email anytime. We would love to hear from each of you!

susan.m.craig@gmail.com

wesocraig@gmail.com

Peace and many blessings,

Susan

Anderson, SC

From North Carolina we drove to South Carolina to visit our dear friend Ellen Sechrest and all the people at Boulevard Baptist Church. BBC is the sister church to Providence Baptist (Bucharest) and has been connected with Project Ruth for over 10 years. Ellen serves as the child sponsorship coordinator in the US.

In Anderson we spent meaningful moments with Ellen and others who had visited Romania through meals and fellowships. We also were treated by spending the day at the lake and making new friends. Our trip ended by joining Boulevard attenders in worship on Sunday AM.

Next and last stop: Atlanta, GA - Debriefing @ CBF

P.S. I tried to upload pics, but kept getting an error message...

Winston-Salem, NC

During the 3 years we were in Romania we had 2 teams from Knollwood Baptist Church visit Project Ruth. In these 2 visits we became very close with several members of this church. In fact, Ken Meyers - Minister of Education - serves of the GSS Faculty Coordinator. He has been very invested in Project Ruth and more recently in our lives. On several occasions he invited us to come to NC and stay with him.

Upon our arrival Ken had organized a dinner with all the people who had come to Romania. It was a wonderful evening sitting on the porch and catching up. The next three days were filled with meetings and lunches with new and old friends. We even made a trip to Mount Airy (the hometown of Andy Griffith) and tried Lexington BBQ. It's very different from Texas BBQ but still very delicious. Our trip ended at Knollwood's Wednesday evening service. We shared a meal with church members and also shared briefly about Project Ruth.

We are very thankful for our friends and our time in Winston-Salem. North Carolina is beautiful!!

Greensboro, North Carolina

For our entire trip we had been in Virginia. Friday was an exciting day because we crossed the border into North Carolina. We loved VA and our excitement did not come from leaving the state, but it came from exploring new territory. We were eager to see the differences and see what people had been sharing about NC for so many years.

While our original plan was to pass through Greensboro and have dinner with a friend, the trip turned into a weekend retreat and an invitation to join College Park Baptist Church for worship on Sunday. We were hosted by Kevin and Lisa Shortt. They provided just what we needed at this point in the trip. A peaceful haven to unwind & relax. We enjoyed the entire weekend which consisted of a dessert birthday party on Friday, laying by the pool on Saturday and church on Sunday.

To be in church on Sunday with CPBC was a pleasure. It reminds us of our home church in Waco, Dayspring Baptist. We took park as liturgist and Wes shared a mission focus on the Ruth School. After church, associate pastor Lin Bunce joined us at the Shortt's for lunch to experience some North Carolina barbeque (yes, it is much different from our Texas barbeque). Also at lunch were staff members Rydell & Cindy.

(L-R around the table) Rydell, Wes, Susan, Cindy & Lin

We are thankful for all our new friends at College Park. We appreciate the way they took us in and welcomed us like we had been friends forever. We also cherished the quiet times of rest and relaxation.

South Boston, VA

We arrived to South Boston last Wednesday in time to join First Baptist for their weekly meal and prayer time. They invited us to share with the church about Project Ruth and our time in Romania.

We first met FBC last summer when a team of seven came to work with Project Ruth. Relationships were formed and one year later we were reuniting in South Boston. They (the whole church) welcomed us with open hearts and open arms. After the Wednesday evening service we were hosted by Lucian & Poo Roberts, a very generous and established family in South Boston. They shared with us stories about Virginia and about their lives. It was a privilege to get to know them and we were grateful for their hospitality.

Susan and Poo (our host)

On Thursday we made a day trip to Richmond. It was quick with some sightseeing and a good lunch. Richmond was quieter than expected, but a very beautiful city. We were very tired and didn't give it the time it deserved. The highlight of that trip was the visit to St. John's Church where Patrick Henry gave his famous "Give me liberty or give me death" speech in 1775 at the brink of the Revolutionary War.

We left Richmond and returned to South Boston where would meet the team for dinner. They chose a cute little restaurant downtown called Bistro 1888. It had a wonderful atmosphere and excellent food. It was great to reconnect in more depth with our friends.

Friday was our last day in South Boston. Mickey & Ben had decided to show us some sites of South Boston like Berry Hill (an old plantation) & The Prizery (where tobacco was sent to be sold). We even saw our first tobacco field.

At the end of our trip before heading south, Mickey (joined with Jessica) took us to a place called Ziggi's. It truly is a landmark in South Boston with excellent pizza. Some might describe it as a "hole in the wall." While the building is dilapidated and our seat felt was tilted down and to the right, and while the restaurant is known for the "rudest service in town", Ziggi's is THE place to go. Unfortunately, it won't be in business very much longer since they will be tearing it down, which is such a shame!

We will miss our old and new friends, but will always keep them in our hearts. Their hospitality and love was truly a blessing.