God is good

After a rather boring Saturday (including a trip to the grocery store and sandwiches) Sunday turned into something much more interesting than I could have hoped. We went to the international church where the service is conducted in Romanian but they have headphones with an English translation, which I did not have to use (YES!!!!). One of the surprising things was that a few kids from orphanage number 7 came to church. On their own. Apparently they have decided that they want to come to church and are actively making the choice to grow in their faith. Not that they said this in so many words, but after seeing the place where these kids are from, I can imagine a little bit of their motivation. They know that where they live is not a family, but they have been told that they have a Heavenly Father and they have received His love from the hands of the Inimi Deschise staff enough that they want to join His family. We invited them out to lunch at with us at McDonalds, which is quite the classy place to eat in Romania. The workers all have college degrees and they always get your order right. One of the older boys had even gotten baptized in the backyard of the ministry center earlier this week. It is so encouraging for the team and the staff to see the steps of faith the children are taking. Finally, after years and years of encouragement and patience, these kids are taking steps away from their terrible situations and towards God.
As amazing as this was, the real highlight of my day was visiting a Catholic orphanage just outside of Bucharest. This Italian funded organization has centers for the disabled of all ages in 53 different countries. They have even undergone the long and tedious paper to take over the care of some of the children from Marin Pazon. When I arrived, the kids were all laying on towels outside in the shade while tended by caring Romanian women and girls. The first one I recognized was Roberto, one of Marilyn's favorite little boys. I like to think that he recognized me, because as soon as I walked over to his chair, he grabbed my hand. Next I saw Aurel. Aurel is blind and deaf as well and deformed and mentally retarded. He requires constant supervision, so He was always left in his crib. As I mentioned before, I loved to take him out, put his shoes on and walk with him. I will never forget the his smiles and laughter. At the Catholic orphanage, he was out with the rest of the children, sitting well behaved on the towel a smiling as he sucked on his hand. I picked him up and started twirling with him, which he LOVES. After a while I got tired and put him down. He then tried to climb back into my arms again and again (oops!). One of the Romanian workers took pity on me and laughing, took Aurel and buckled him into his chair with a kiss on his cheek. There was no hitting or ear pulling. Aurel was still smiling and sucking his hand when I went over and asked the woman holding Maria if I could have her for a while. Maria has very sever cerebral palsy, so even though she is about 9 years old, it is no problem to hold her in your arms. I think she recognized me too, because even though she was obviously tired, I still got her to smile telling her she was wonderful and beautiful and loved. When it was time for us to head back, I laid her down on the towels with the rest of the kids (including Marian, who was being adorable and therefore I didn't need any extra attention from me!). She smiled again when I gave her a good-bye kiss, even with her impaired muscle control, her face still lights up and as she manages to focus her eyes and you and grin. Next we toured the facility. With cameras and noise sensors in the rooms of only three girls each and a play room down the hall, I didn't feel like I was deserting the kids, but I was leaving them in very, very good hands.
Afterward, we headed back to the ministry center and had pizza with the Bakersfield College team, who was with us at the special needs center.
God is so good. When working at Marin Pazon, I always felt a little helpless, there is just one of me and this room full of girls who need love and attention, not to mention the boys downstairs or the countless other centers just like in across the country. Inimi Deschise has a terrible time keeping a staff member to work at the special needs center since it is just so frustrating to see the abuse and not be able to do anything about it. But then God comes in a way we never could have done ourselves and begins to change things. Its funny, but my life the past few years has been a giant lesson about how people and God don't actually need me. Not to say that my life is useless or futile, but just the constant rediscovery that I am weak and God is strong. His will be done, not mine. He is always faithful, even when we are faithless. Basically.... God is good.