Having moved out of downtown Chicago I always enjoy driving back into the skyline of the windy city. On Sunday I had a special reason to make a visit downtown––A U2 concert.

I remember being in high school and the fascination of discovering the tunes of U2 . I was a young kid in the south of Romania singing what I thought were the right lyrics to the songs of my new favorite bands. If you would have told me back then that nine years later I would be sitting 25 feet away from Bono and The Edge I would have given you a blank stare, unless you would have said it in Romanian and use meters instead of feet. Then I would have flipped out!

While we were in line for the concert I whipped out a book I need to read for a class, to make good use of time. I wasn’t even one page into my writing when a girl behind me asked me what I was reading. I politely answered that I was reading a book on counseling and if she had any issues to discuss with me she would have to wait until I finished the book. We then sparked a great conversation with her and her boyfriend. It was one of the few interactions I have had with people outside of the Evangelical bubble that I have been in for most part of my six years in the States. It was energizing to talk to them about their lives, values, culture, career, family and other things. We did not get to the Gospel but I do feel I had a chance to explain how my relationship with Christ is the motivation for my life, for coming across the world for school and for planning to return next year.

Our tickets were in the general seating area. This meant we were in the area on the field in front of the stage. So there was the potential to be real close to the stage. The concert started at 7:00PM so we got there at 3:30PM. When we got there the line was about a mile long so we did not think we would get anywhere close. But once we got in we were surprised to see that we actually had gotten pretty close.

Once we made it in, it all seemed surreal. It was like a boy from the village going to Great America or like a young boy from Romania seeing the skyline of Chicago for the first time. Here we were… standing 25 feet away from the stage where U2 would be performing in about two hours.

The stage was themed after the bottom of a spaceship. The lights, smoke, effects were by far the best I have ever seen in concert. The opening bid was performed by Snow Patrol. I did not know their music very well but I enjoyed them. Once they were done, it was dark outside, the stadium was filled to the brim and we were all eagerly waiting… for the four legendary Irishmen.

They opened with a song called Breathe. Did I mention that the whole thing seemed surreal. I mean I have seen them on youtube, I have listened to their music on my laptop, iPod, my car, heard it in commercials and listened to it at the mall. But now, it was right in front of me, at a deafening volume, vibrating my lungs, and taking most of the horizon. Amazing!––might be an understatement. The concert lasted for 2 1/2 hours. There were times when the music was too loud, but I guess that’s how these concerts are. We jumped sang along, and wondered at the wee-little man from Ireland doing his bid. It was a good concert with a tribute to Aung San Suu Kyi. They sang Sunday Bloody Sunday with a reference to Iran’s street fighting and ‘One’ as an incentive to get involved in the battle for Africa.

The U2 concert was most likely a once in a life time opportunity. It made me think of the one time experiences that will make your life different for the rest of its length. I have been listening to U2 music with different years. Every time I hear the tunes and lyrics it brings me back to that Sunday night, when I sat 25 feet away from Bono. I don’t have too many experiences like this one. But the ones I have are definitely helping me enjoy the present in light of the great opportunities of the past. Thank you Joshua for inviting me. I made a brief clip with a video I took of their opening song and a few pictures from the concert. I apologize for the quality (or lack thereof). I had a small handheld camera, severely outdated. But I hope you enjoy reading about the good things from my life.

U2 Concert from Filip Ologeanu on Vimeo.

September 2009 Update:

   Wow, can you believe September is here already? I don’t know how you feel about this summer but three months in Romania went by very fast for me. As my grandfather would say, the earth spun around several times and May turned into September and here I am at the beginning of my last year in Seminary. Please allow me to share with you some of the highlights of the summer.

Internship
    The overall feeling of my trip to Romania is that I was spoiled by God. I am filled with gratitude to see His provision and the opportunities to minister to people. God’s goodness towards me is renewed daily and there is nothing that I have done or can do to deserve it.
    After six years of Bible training I was asking God to show me how He wanted to use my life to make an impact in Romania. Serving with Missio Dei this summer was a powerful answer to that prayer. It was one of the first ministry involvements where I can see how God used me to help others grow and draw nearer to Him.
    While I was there I had several opportunities to preach. They were all good experience but one worth noting is a three part series on Repentance from Hosea. It was a profound learning experience for all of us and a humbling experience for me. I saw how the Holy Spirit was powerfully using God’s Word to change people’s perceptions about repentance. I was humbled to be reminded that the Holy Spirit is the one who brings fruit in the lives of people and not my clever and clear exposition. I hope to keep that in mind for a long time.
    I also spent two weeks in the mountains of Northeast Romania at Missio Dei’s summer camp. It was another great ministry opportunity to minister to people and get to know them a little better. I helped lead a series of 12 stories that go through the Bible chronologically. It was very encouraging and challenging to bring God’s story to people who did not have a relationship with Christ.
    My three months in Bucharest were busy, but it was a good kind of busy. My schedule was an alternation between meetings, individual and group, reading, resting, hanging out with my host family, and visiting my family.

Family
    Another significant highlight of the summer was the opportunity to spend time with my family. I am very thankful for the opportunity to spend my birthday at my grandparents’ house. God gave me the opportunity to spend time with them and show my appreciation for all they have done for me. I was also able to spend some time with my father, although not as much as I would have liked. I was encouraged by his advice and willingness to help me as I get closer to the next stage of my life. I also spent time with my sister and brother-in-law. Bogdan was my faithful driver for the summer and together the three of us enjoyed a few trips around the country.
    As I mentioned the summer went by like a heart beat. This page provides you with the highlights of an awesome blessed summer. I want to thank all of you who helped make this possible. I am still amazed at how God moved your hearts to give and support my ministry. I pray that He would reward your efforts and I hope this update was encouraging for you.

Final Lap
    My final year of seminary has started. I will be taking 8 classes this semester. It will be a busy semester but I have 4 classes in counseling which is a new and exciting area of study for me.

Future
   The ministry involvement was a great blessing this summer but it also opened up some opportunities for involvement once I relocate to Romania. The hopes and plans are to move back to Romania in the fall of 2010. Hopefully I will have more details in my next update. Until then may God richly bless you!

Prayer Requests

• Please pray for strength and motivation in the new semester.
• Pray for wisdom and discernment as I seek God’s will for ministry involvement in Romania.
• Pray for effective ministry involvement in my last year in the States.
• Pray that I would not grow weary of books, classes, and academic work (after 7 years it can get a little dry)
• Pray for Gospel motivated rhythms in my life.

I found this on someone's blog. I can't remember where. But it shows that the cult I recently converted to is slowly taking over the world.

What side are you on?
 

I don't mean to be insensitive to those who would like to jump the fence to our side. Suffice to say that I wished for one for three years before I was able to buy one. Don't give up hope, some day it will happen. They did lower the price recently...