Taryn Hutchison lost count of the times Romanians asked her that question--a question to which she had no answer.
It was 1990, just months after the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe. Hutchison, a staff member with Campus Crusade for Christ, had just arrived in Romania, where she intended to serve for one year.
Her book, "We Wait You: Waiting on God in Eastern Europe" (Pleasant Word), recounts how her yearlong mission trip turned into a decade-long commitment to living and serving the Lord throughout 18 countries in Eastern Europe and Russia.
Hutchison recalls her first ride in a Romanian taxi:
The driver, a diminutive man with a tall hat made of curly fleece, opened all four doors, gallantly bowing with a sweeping gesture for us to get in. The pungent smell of cigarette smoke, mixed with his body odor, permeated the small car. He had two pictures dangling from the rear view mirror like fuzzy dice--the Virgin Mary and a topless woman.
He smiled, exposing the few teeth he had, and offered us some French-looking bread in a canvas satchel. The bread reeked of gasoline, but I knew to accept it. I experienced the essence of the Romanian character, hospitality, for the first time in that taxi.
In WORLD magazine, Susan Olasky says that Hutchison writes about her experiences "with humor and affection."
Hutchison notes that her book is a candid story in which readers "learn about history and culture as they travel with me throughout Eastern Europe and Russia."
Now, just over 20 years after the revolutions that frame the beginning of the book, is a great time to remember the amazing events of that historical time and place, says Hutchison. "The Eastern European people waited on God to set them free and He did."
Hutchison hopes her book will encourage every person who longs to make an impact for Christ. "I want readers to be encouraged to take the next step of faith, whatever that may be," she says.
For more information, to request a review copy of "We Wait You" or to schedule an interview, please contact Abigail Davidson by phone at 360-802-9758, by email at
abigail@winepressgroup.com, or by fax at 360-802-9992. To purchase a copy of this book visit
www.winepressbooks.com or call 877-421-7323.
