In March I had the privilege to visit many of our friends and partners  
in the USA.  An important part of the trip was the forming of a team  
to focus on Alpinis.  We met for evaluation and planning in Knoxville  
and were hosted by Alec & Pati Woodhull from USAffairs.  After a few  
days in Knoxville, I spent time with a variety of church and  
parachurch groups in Midland (TX), Toledo (OH), Nappannee, Zionsville  
and Indianapolis (IN), Nashville & Memphis (TN). Thank you dear  
friends for your participation in Alpinis and for your great  
hospitality.

Church groups and leaders in Romania are increasingly aware of Alpinis  
as a beautiful place for retreats and camps.  However, our needs for  
operations and edevelopment are far from being met.  We still have  
some critical needs before having the “OPEN” sign on the door.  We  
need to put in a sewage system that can handle the new capacity of the  
cabin, insulate and finish the cabin on the outside; to develop the  
sports field, and to upgrade the kitchen with commercial equipment.

We have the funds for the kitchen, thanks to Lois Mitten Rosenberry  
from Toledo, OH, and it is critical that we at least do the sewage  
system before the summer.  We have camps and retreats scheduled at  
Alpinis throughout the Summer and into the Fall.  I invite you to pray  
with us and participate in making this work possible.  Please contact  
our MLI/USAffairs office in Knoxville, TN if you would like to receive  
more information about Alpinis and if you consider coming to serve  
with a team on a camp or work project.

The city of Sibiu receives a lot of attention this year as it has been  
appointed Cultural Capital of Europe.  Hundred of cultural events,  
expositions, concerts, and conferences are taking place in the  
medieval city with a rich historical and cultural heritage. One effect  
of this is the number of tourists going up, and hopefully this will  
mean more infrastructure development for the area around Alpinis.  One  
good news is that a new ski slope is being developed very near our  
cabin.

A group from the Evangelical Free Church from Craivoa, south of  
Romania, came to Alpinis for a retreat in the winter with youth pastor  
Dan Vieru and had this to say:
“I am very grateful for the time at Alpinis ? for experiencing so many  
wonders, the supernatural view of the mountains covered with snow, the  
wind blowing in flute-like tunes, it was a dream.  I could communicate  
with God through all these wonders, His greatness has no limits.  I  
look forward tdo come back and I hope other young people will  
experience at least the same joy of being with the Father here as I  
have.”        –Sorina Stanceanu, Craiova

Emil Toader