Thoughts from Mardie: Great Is His Faithfulness

“Great is His Faithfulness to Me” is the song that has resonated within my mind these last several days. Though travel has been a necessary part of our work for many years, I felt rather apprehensive thinking about the trip we were to take to Romania at the beginning of July, an unusual month for us to visit Eastern Europe. I was concerned about the summer heat, the risk of illness, connecting with people during a holiday season.

Now that we have returned to Canada and looking back at our time, I can see that God was faithful, so faithful! Yes, it was hot! But the air conditioning worked perfectly in our upper-floor apartment.

We timed our connections with people to avoid the greatest mid-day heat and chose nearby locations that we could easily walk to. I had the strength and capacity to participate in and enjoy all four of the cultural church gatherings.

A specific highlight for me was to arrive in Bucharest in time to surprise Ileana Cernat during her book launching event. Ileana, a dear friend, fellow elder and long-term council member of the Bucharest International Church, is also a well-known Romanian theatrical actress. Though her husband, Alexandru, passed away over a year ago, Ileana continues to be a godly influence and a spiritual mother to many women.

Well known Romanian singer and actor, Ștefan Bănică Jr speaks highly of Ileana: “I discovered Ileana when I was a young spectator and she acted alongside my father – she seemed as beautiful as a princess. Many years later, I played alongside Ileana for 20 years in ‘Barefoot in the Park’ (a record for a theatre production) that brought great satisfaction for us both. Ileana is a dedicated actress, a warm person, close to God, and has a sense of humour. She is a person one is happy to be with. It pleases me that part of Ileana’s life will now be known through this book.”

From the Romanian Review – August 2026 newsletter.