We did a lot of debriefing today. I have had a good bit of time to think, but not enough to process everything, so forgive me if this is a little over dramatic.
Emily went to Sfanta Ana yesterday and has been having a very emotional time since then. It is hard to see where these girls live. In fact, they are the reason I decided to become an intern 2 years ago. Seeing girls who are 17, 16, even 15, actively being prostitutes is like being hit with a truck. They go from jumping on a trampoline to walking away, hand in hand, with a strange man. I wasn't even there, but I remember what it was like and it hasn't really changed.
We talked about how it sounds to hear about a 15 year old prostitute. She must be a bad person, rebelling and selfish. But in reality, she is just a 15 year old girl in a really, really bad situation. It is pretty much impossible to convey the feelings you go through when this realization hits you, so I'm not going to try very hard.
Another sentiment that is hard to convey is the anticlimactic-ness (don't laugh, its a word because I say so) of sitting in the ministry center at 10 pm, after everyone has gone home, waiting for it to be time to pack. I am leaving Romania... possibly for a very long time, but the kids are still here. The staff is still here. This was just another 2 weeks for them.
I feel like my time in Romania has been so incredibly significant in my life, but at the same time, I feel so incredibly insignificant when I think about my impact here. I go back home and I realize that my second language is only spoken in 1.5 countries in the world (I'm still not sure about that Moldova place). I sit in airports and watch thousands of people from all walks of life going all over the world for all sorts of reasons, many of them well-dressed German businessmen who are nice to look at ;) and I feel very insignificant.
I went to Rehab once while I was here. I never got to see David face to face, but to be completely honest, what would I have done? Right now, my interest there is almost completely selfish. I want to see the kids that I can't stop thinking about. I can't really do anything for them. One day of feeding and changing diapers isn't going to make any difference. I don't have any special skills that I can use, yet. Why am I even here? Sorry, I told you I was going to be melancholy and stuff.
To sum things up, I am a little person (lets not think too literally here) with a big God. He sees the whole picture. His thoughts are higher than mine. I'm going to try to stop asking questions that I can't understand the answer to. Another CS Lewis paraphrase, this time from A Grief Observed. God isn't going to magically make all of our tough questions fit with loopholes and subtleties when we get to heaven. We are going to find out that most of our questions don't make sense in the first place, like asking if triangles are inherently blue or yellow.
I love CS Lewis, he is always clever and logical just when I need it.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
This is my second to last night in Romania for a while. Susan and Jacob left this morning and Adam leaves tomorrow. It is more bitter than sweet. Tonight, we went out to dinner with the whole staff. It was a surprise going away party for Fibia, who is leaving for London next week. There was of course a little crying and a lot of laughing. It is a small representative sample of the lives the staff lead. A little crying and a lot of laughing. Its about this time during the trip that the realization always hits me. I am here for 2 weeks or 3 months or whatever. This is their life. More than that, this is the life of so many kids in the government system.
I'd like to say something really profound and meaningful, but I really don't have any more to say here. I am so full of papanasi that I can't really think and I have never really been great with words. I don't really want to leave, but I know that God has plans for me elsewhere right now.
I had a great time playing with an 8 year old this morning, I have never been so happy that I can speak and understand Romanian. We pretended we were in Dracula's castle and she came over to borrow some milk. We sat on ALL of the benches in the park and we climbed all the rope ladders and wooden steps that I should be too old for. This afternoon, we finished the last of the stop motion videos with the girls, then Adam gave a short devotion on how our worth comes from who we are, not how we look. It is a lesson the staff has been trying to get to stick for a long time. They won't listen to Romanian women, they won't listen to American women, maybe they will listen to an American man. Not to be pessimistic, Adam did a great job, but it is hard to tell a 15 year old girl to find worth in her soul and heart and not in boys when she just has to go back and center where she will be physically and sexually abused. I don't know what the answer is.
The devotion that Adi, and Romanian pastor, gave today was about how waiting can be the hardest part of living a life for God. Paul waited 10 years after his calling to begin what we know as his ministry. He was getting to know God and growing closer to him. But it had to have been hard. And so it is here. We wait for the victory God has promised. We see little victories all the time, but when we look at the big picture, it looks hopeless. Just like CS Lewis said in The Screwtape Letters. If the enemy can make us look at the future in one big lump, it becomes too big to handle. It is when we trust God one day at a time that we give Him the opportunity to work through us.
So that is what I am going to do. I am going to get on a plane in 2 days and leave, and I am just going to have to trust God to do whatever He is going to do without me. Its almost like He doesn't actually need me. Haha, what a revelation...
Anyway, please pray for safe travel for everyone and continue to pray for the ministry here. It is really difficult, and can be quite depressing, but this way we can really tell when God shows up.
I'd like to say something really profound and meaningful, but I really don't have any more to say here. I am so full of papanasi that I can't really think and I have never really been great with words. I don't really want to leave, but I know that God has plans for me elsewhere right now.
I had a great time playing with an 8 year old this morning, I have never been so happy that I can speak and understand Romanian. We pretended we were in Dracula's castle and she came over to borrow some milk. We sat on ALL of the benches in the park and we climbed all the rope ladders and wooden steps that I should be too old for. This afternoon, we finished the last of the stop motion videos with the girls, then Adam gave a short devotion on how our worth comes from who we are, not how we look. It is a lesson the staff has been trying to get to stick for a long time. They won't listen to Romanian women, they won't listen to American women, maybe they will listen to an American man. Not to be pessimistic, Adam did a great job, but it is hard to tell a 15 year old girl to find worth in her soul and heart and not in boys when she just has to go back and center where she will be physically and sexually abused. I don't know what the answer is.
The devotion that Adi, and Romanian pastor, gave today was about how waiting can be the hardest part of living a life for God. Paul waited 10 years after his calling to begin what we know as his ministry. He was getting to know God and growing closer to him. But it had to have been hard. And so it is here. We wait for the victory God has promised. We see little victories all the time, but when we look at the big picture, it looks hopeless. Just like CS Lewis said in The Screwtape Letters. If the enemy can make us look at the future in one big lump, it becomes too big to handle. It is when we trust God one day at a time that we give Him the opportunity to work through us.
So that is what I am going to do. I am going to get on a plane in 2 days and leave, and I am just going to have to trust God to do whatever He is going to do without me. Its almost like He doesn't actually need me. Haha, what a revelation...
Anyway, please pray for safe travel for everyone and continue to pray for the ministry here. It is really difficult, and can be quite depressing, but this way we can really tell when God shows up.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Return to Marin Pazon
This morning we (finally) got to return to Marin Pazon! I was a little apprehensive at first, but I just couldn't wait to get there. I went upstairs while we were waiting for the girls to come down. I walked into the room where Magda (one of the CTL special needs staff members) was doing therapy with some kids. The first child I recognized was Adriana, who isn't really a child, since she is about 4 years older than myself. I asked her if she recognized me, she looked at me for a second then she started rolling her head around and yelling. I couldn't tell if she was laughing or crying! She didn't remember my name, but she definitely recognized me. The first thing she asked was, "Where is Marilyn?!" She doesn't really get the concept of long distances because I told her Marilyn couldn't come so she told me to give her the phone and call her, which wouldn't work either. After that rather confusing conversation, we went out and walked in the hallway, just like old times. I brought her a banana and she was VERY excited. She told every one who walked by that I was her girl who had come from America to see her. We established many times that I had missed her. After a while I had to leave with the team to go to the park, but for a little while, it was just like old times. We took some of the more mobile girls (and one moderately autistic boy) out to the park. There were swings and slides and benches and one merry-go-round type thing. I spent most of my time pushing girls on the merry-go-round. They loved it. Even though there were afraid and would drag their feet a lot, the motions were a lot of fun for them. Even when I got tired and stopped, they kept pushing themselves around slowly. I soon returned to help push again, this time I rode with them and we all pushed. I will admit without shame that I enjoyed myself quite a bit as well! After playing for quite a while, we brought them all ice cream. It was hilarious to listen to some of the conversations while they were eating. One girl had never had ice cream before, and was a little hesitant at first, but that didn't last long. One girl ate the ice cream completely with her hands. The little boy, Adi, wanted it to last as long as possible. He wouldn't believe as when we told him to eat faster until a piece of his ice cream fell off onto the ground. It was a great day that the girls really enjoyed.
One thing about the day that wasn't so fun was that one of the girls, Nadia, had an epileptic seizure on the way to the park. A few team members managed to get her back to the center with the help of some passersby. Not only were the center doctors not waiting there for her, but it took them 10 minutes for one of them to come down stairs where they didn't do anything the the RNs with CTL didn't do. In fact, she stopped in the middle of her assessment to play with a nearby baby. The girl eventually woke up on her own, but not until the CTL nurses were frustrated beyond belief. It's just a little taste of what the staff has to deal with all the time. It is something that they need continuous prayer for.
Later than afternoon, after lunch, some of the team stayed to work with the girls on the computers, but myself and Susan and some of the staff went with some girls from number 7 to the park. We played volleyball and badminton and connect 4. It was a good day for girls to get away from their rather depressing situation and just have to fun and stay out of trouble.
I didn't get to see David today, but he is out of the hospital and was getting therapy when we went to the park! Things at Marin Pazon aren't perfect, as evidenced by the two girls that died earlier this year, but some good things are happening there, its not all evil, just like nothing is only black or white. I saw how a lot of the kids behavior has improved and there are a lot of caring people working to keep them alive and make their lives better.
One thing about the day that wasn't so fun was that one of the girls, Nadia, had an epileptic seizure on the way to the park. A few team members managed to get her back to the center with the help of some passersby. Not only were the center doctors not waiting there for her, but it took them 10 minutes for one of them to come down stairs where they didn't do anything the the RNs with CTL didn't do. In fact, she stopped in the middle of her assessment to play with a nearby baby. The girl eventually woke up on her own, but not until the CTL nurses were frustrated beyond belief. It's just a little taste of what the staff has to deal with all the time. It is something that they need continuous prayer for.
Later than afternoon, after lunch, some of the team stayed to work with the girls on the computers, but myself and Susan and some of the staff went with some girls from number 7 to the park. We played volleyball and badminton and connect 4. It was a good day for girls to get away from their rather depressing situation and just have to fun and stay out of trouble.
I didn't get to see David today, but he is out of the hospital and was getting therapy when we went to the park! Things at Marin Pazon aren't perfect, as evidenced by the two girls that died earlier this year, but some good things are happening there, its not all evil, just like nothing is only black or white. I saw how a lot of the kids behavior has improved and there are a lot of caring people working to keep them alive and make their lives better.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Tourist Time
The weekend is the time when the CTL staff doesn't work (obviously), so since we can't go to orphanages... we get to be tourists!!! I will admit that I don't really like looking like a tourist, but it is nice to have someone else do my translating for once.
Yesterday, we went to Sinaia. It is a beautiful mountain town. We got off the train, Susan discovered that the bathrooms at the train station have been renovated. They aren't these sketchy damp holes in the ground!!! We rode the train up the mountain to Pelesi Castle, summer home of the first king of Romania. I won't give you the history of the country, even though it is fascinating, but one interesting tidbit... the kings of Romania were all German. We didn't have time to go on the telegondolas, but we laid around in a beautiful little park. It was very relaxing, just what we needed after a long week. Our train was delayed, so we went and sat in a little cafe for another hour. None of it sounds very exciting, but it was a great team bonding time.
Today, we told some of the boys that we would go fishing with them if they showed up before church. Only one boy, Alex, showed up. We went to church, which he said he enjoyed, then we went to Herestrau Park to go fishing. After about thirty minutes of fishing, a guy came to tell us we couldn't fish there, the lake is private. After a little arguing in Romanian (which is way more entertaining that in English), we went to talk to the local police patrolling the park. They confirmed the sketchy Romanian man's story, but told is if we paid 100 RON (about 40 dollars) that we could fish in a certain spot. We declined. So we went to lunch where Alex, who was enjoying himself immensely, opened up to us a little. He told us he has two brothers in Belgium and a sister who works for the child protective service! How amazing that they would leave their 15-year-old brother in the orphanage system even though they are relatively successful! It's not a unique story, but it is still amazing to me. We walked around the gorgeous park and Alex, Jacob, and Adam took turns in a paddle boat. This evening, Emily and I cooked dinner after begging not to be fed more pizza. All in all, it has been a great weekend, and we are rested and relaxed and ready for another amazing week... one that will include a trip to rehab (quite possibly more than one!)
Yesterday, we went to Sinaia. It is a beautiful mountain town. We got off the train, Susan discovered that the bathrooms at the train station have been renovated. They aren't these sketchy damp holes in the ground!!! We rode the train up the mountain to Pelesi Castle, summer home of the first king of Romania. I won't give you the history of the country, even though it is fascinating, but one interesting tidbit... the kings of Romania were all German. We didn't have time to go on the telegondolas, but we laid around in a beautiful little park. It was very relaxing, just what we needed after a long week. Our train was delayed, so we went and sat in a little cafe for another hour. None of it sounds very exciting, but it was a great team bonding time.
Today, we told some of the boys that we would go fishing with them if they showed up before church. Only one boy, Alex, showed up. We went to church, which he said he enjoyed, then we went to Herestrau Park to go fishing. After about thirty minutes of fishing, a guy came to tell us we couldn't fish there, the lake is private. After a little arguing in Romanian (which is way more entertaining that in English), we went to talk to the local police patrolling the park. They confirmed the sketchy Romanian man's story, but told is if we paid 100 RON (about 40 dollars) that we could fish in a certain spot. We declined. So we went to lunch where Alex, who was enjoying himself immensely, opened up to us a little. He told us he has two brothers in Belgium and a sister who works for the child protective service! How amazing that they would leave their 15-year-old brother in the orphanage system even though they are relatively successful! It's not a unique story, but it is still amazing to me. We walked around the gorgeous park and Alex, Jacob, and Adam took turns in a paddle boat. This evening, Emily and I cooked dinner after begging not to be fed more pizza. All in all, it has been a great weekend, and we are rested and relaxed and ready for another amazing week... one that will include a trip to rehab (quite possibly more than one!)
Friday, July 23, 2010
Party time!
Today was a restful day, even though it was pretty much one giant party. I was very appreciative of the rest though. Yesterday afternoon I started falling asleep as we were sitting downstairs listening to the staff explain the sewing project. Florina sent me upstairs to take a nap... which ended up lasting almost 2 hours. I felt bad, I didn't come to Romania to sleep, but I have been so drained by the jet lag and the heat that I felt a huge deal better today. To be fair, that may be because we didn't use the public transportation today. In the morning children from at risk families came and we performed our skit for them then we had a great time eating rice pudding and ice cream and playing in the pool.
The kids loved playing in the pool and I was reminded about how different Romania is from America. The kids didn't bring swimsuits so the children, some as old as 8, were playing in the pool in just their underwear. We were taking pictures with them and filming, just as if they had swimsuits. It sounds SO creepy, but no one thinks twice about it in Romania. There is a certain amount of freedom and lack of political correctness here that is quiet liberating for me.
I have more praise for the staff. Gabriela, a new staff member, jumped right into the pool with the little kids, splashing and playing around with them. She is a beautiful woman. Dark wavy hair, high cheek bones, big eyes. And she is obviously a gypsy. She even taught me a few words in the gypsy language! But she is so energetic and friendly, and willing to jump in to whatever we are doing. She leads the children's games and songs and is always loving and hugging and laughing. She doesn't speak very good English, so it is actually easier for us to speak Romanian, so I have gotten to know her pretty quickly in just a few days. I think it is wonderful that she has joined the staff here. Having someone, a gypsy, who is so beautiful and loving and successful to be a role model for the kids is a great opportunity since most of the kids in the system are gypsy and no on on the Inimi Deschise staff is quiet as dark as they are. After just a week, I kind of want to take her home as a second sister.
Back to my day, the boys who have been having computer camp every afternoon this week came to the office. We had a little bit of a party for them where we watched the videos the the boys made music for and and took the pictures for. They really enjoyed getting awards that we gave them. I have really noticed a change in the ministry to boys. They are connecting with the CTL men and there are some great things happening. One of the boys, Daniel, has been making great strides towards becoming a real man of God. You can see it in how he acts and what he says. He is the one who was so affected by a trip to Rehab last week. I was listening to Bogdan, the Romanian director of Inimi Deschise and he said that Daniel is different, Daniel is really thinking about God and how His existence and love affects him. It is a really cool thing to see.
Tomorrow we are doing some more touristy type things, going to Transylvania and seeing a castle and the beautiful mountainside.
Next week, I am planning on following Lili around. She is a nurse who has been working for Inimi Deschise as their special needs leader for 10 years. I can't wait to see what her day looks like, but more than that, I can't wait to see the kids at Marin Pazon!!!
Speaking of that, I have been having a hard time with David being in the hospital and not being able to go to him, so please continue to pray for him and for me as well.
The kids loved playing in the pool and I was reminded about how different Romania is from America. The kids didn't bring swimsuits so the children, some as old as 8, were playing in the pool in just their underwear. We were taking pictures with them and filming, just as if they had swimsuits. It sounds SO creepy, but no one thinks twice about it in Romania. There is a certain amount of freedom and lack of political correctness here that is quiet liberating for me.
I have more praise for the staff. Gabriela, a new staff member, jumped right into the pool with the little kids, splashing and playing around with them. She is a beautiful woman. Dark wavy hair, high cheek bones, big eyes. And she is obviously a gypsy. She even taught me a few words in the gypsy language! But she is so energetic and friendly, and willing to jump in to whatever we are doing. She leads the children's games and songs and is always loving and hugging and laughing. She doesn't speak very good English, so it is actually easier for us to speak Romanian, so I have gotten to know her pretty quickly in just a few days. I think it is wonderful that she has joined the staff here. Having someone, a gypsy, who is so beautiful and loving and successful to be a role model for the kids is a great opportunity since most of the kids in the system are gypsy and no on on the Inimi Deschise staff is quiet as dark as they are. After just a week, I kind of want to take her home as a second sister.
Back to my day, the boys who have been having computer camp every afternoon this week came to the office. We had a little bit of a party for them where we watched the videos the the boys made music for and and took the pictures for. They really enjoyed getting awards that we gave them. I have really noticed a change in the ministry to boys. They are connecting with the CTL men and there are some great things happening. One of the boys, Daniel, has been making great strides towards becoming a real man of God. You can see it in how he acts and what he says. He is the one who was so affected by a trip to Rehab last week. I was listening to Bogdan, the Romanian director of Inimi Deschise and he said that Daniel is different, Daniel is really thinking about God and how His existence and love affects him. It is a really cool thing to see.
Tomorrow we are doing some more touristy type things, going to Transylvania and seeing a castle and the beautiful mountainside.
Next week, I am planning on following Lili around. She is a nurse who has been working for Inimi Deschise as their special needs leader for 10 years. I can't wait to see what her day looks like, but more than that, I can't wait to see the kids at Marin Pazon!!!
Speaking of that, I have been having a hard time with David being in the hospital and not being able to go to him, so please continue to pray for him and for me as well.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Yesterday we started out by going to number six, the center for 'rompers' through 'schoolers', basically toddlers through grade school. We took out about 15 pre-school age kids to the park. The director at number six is a more than a little OCD or something, because she never lets the kids outside unless we come. The kids don't really play around or have freedom. The really just sit inside most days. So when we came with balls and ice cream and bubbles and a trampoline, they were VERY excited. First, we performed a skit that we prepared based off the book, Just as You Are by Max Lucado. We shortened it and modernized it to include a girl who wanted to be a dancer and a model. It ends with the king coming and adopting the little girl with no gifts but a big heart. It was a lot of fun and the kids paid attention very well and seemed interested. Introducing the children to this book was something the staff had wanted to do for sometime and I could tell why. It really resonated with them, even at this small age.
After this we went to Chitila, an all girls orphanage with a few special needs girls. We did the usual fun things like balloon games and we even learned "Jesus Loves Me" in Romanian, which the girls enjoyed very much. Fibia, the worship leader, was amazing, coming up with hand motions on the spot and teaching the words to all three verses.
The staff continues to amaze me. After spending three months with them and then coming back, the amount of love and devotion and hard work that they put in is absolutely incredible. They face so much discouragement day after day, year after year, and yet they still pour their hearts into these kids. They have them over to their house to cook dinner together and they talk with them about the hard things, even when their time and money are very precious and even when they have been burned in the past.
Today was a lot easier physically. We went to a day care center where we did the same skit again and did lots of carnival activities. When I think of Casa din Tei, its a place where the staff goes to have fun and be encouraged. These kids act like normal children. They see their parents every day and they aren't nearly as clingy and impossible to control as the kids at the other centers. I think they need to actually see that not all the kids in Romania are doomed.
As much as I would like to end on a good note, I got a bit of difficult news today from Ariana. Ariana was CTL's special needs specialist when I was an intern here. She eventually left to work in Great Britain out of frustration. I don't blame her for leaving at all. She was living in a 3 bedroom apartment with 5 other people, working to try to change a system that just wouldn't change. She was eventually just too tired and frustrated. She is back, visiting the children she worked with. She told me that David is back in the hospital because he is still having seizures. I haven't seen him yet but Ariana says that he is doing worse than last year. Please pray that he stays alive long enough for the Don Orione Center to get the papers they need to house more children. He needs more care than he gets. I am pretty sure that his seizures are caused by dehydration, something that could be easily fixed if someone would just take the time needed to give him liquids.
After this we went to Chitila, an all girls orphanage with a few special needs girls. We did the usual fun things like balloon games and we even learned "Jesus Loves Me" in Romanian, which the girls enjoyed very much. Fibia, the worship leader, was amazing, coming up with hand motions on the spot and teaching the words to all three verses.
The staff continues to amaze me. After spending three months with them and then coming back, the amount of love and devotion and hard work that they put in is absolutely incredible. They face so much discouragement day after day, year after year, and yet they still pour their hearts into these kids. They have them over to their house to cook dinner together and they talk with them about the hard things, even when their time and money are very precious and even when they have been burned in the past.
Today was a lot easier physically. We went to a day care center where we did the same skit again and did lots of carnival activities. When I think of Casa din Tei, its a place where the staff goes to have fun and be encouraged. These kids act like normal children. They see their parents every day and they aren't nearly as clingy and impossible to control as the kids at the other centers. I think they need to actually see that not all the kids in Romania are doomed.
As much as I would like to end on a good note, I got a bit of difficult news today from Ariana. Ariana was CTL's special needs specialist when I was an intern here. She eventually left to work in Great Britain out of frustration. I don't blame her for leaving at all. She was living in a 3 bedroom apartment with 5 other people, working to try to change a system that just wouldn't change. She was eventually just too tired and frustrated. She is back, visiting the children she worked with. She told me that David is back in the hospital because he is still having seizures. I haven't seen him yet but Ariana says that he is doing worse than last year. Please pray that he stays alive long enough for the Don Orione Center to get the papers they need to house more children. He needs more care than he gets. I am pretty sure that his seizures are caused by dehydration, something that could be easily fixed if someone would just take the time needed to give him liquids.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Luminita
Luminita means little light in Romanian.
This morning, we went to orphanage number 5, also known as Luminita. It is a special needs orphanage with a slightly better staff than Marin Pazon. It was a lot like old times. We took the kids to the park and spent a lot of our time chasing after the kids and jumping on the trampoline and blowing bubbles. I remember a young autistic boy, Stefan, he didn't quite have the motor skills to blow the bubbles, so I blow bubbles at him as he stood downwind and danced around as they blew around him. One of the thing I have noticed with autistic kids, is that they don't change their facial expressions very often, but you can tell if they are happy a lot of the time by how much they gesture and move around and also by what noises they make. Stefan REALLY like bubbles, he would gurgle and dance around every time he saw them.
After Luminita, we went bowling with some of the Heart to Heart girls. These are girls that a staff member meets with once a week or more as a kind of mentoring program. We had some laughs and took lots of pictures. I bowled a 117, my highest score ever!!! The highlight of our day was definitely the worship and BBQ at the end of the day. We came back to the office and ate some delicious Romanian food. Then we had worship and prayer followed by testimonies. Some of the older boys were invited to come, so we heard testimonies from them, mostly about their trip to Marin Pazon with the BC football team! It was amazing to hear their thoughts and feelings. They know that they live in a bad situation, but after seeing the disabled children's situation, they were humbled and inspired. One of the boys told us a story of how a group of disabled kids came to his orphanage when theirs was being remodeled. He told us how he stood up for them when the other boys were making fun of them, even though he almost got beaten up for it. He then proceeded to buy all of the kids a cookie, even though he had to have spent money that he had been saving up for something.
Our worship leader Fibia, talked next about how she is moving to England to be with her sister, but she knows that God will take care of the children here. I felt the same way. If these boys could feel enough empathy and compassion to take action and take care of those less fortunate than they, then maybe Romania isn't doomed. Its the same lesson all over again. Maybe the children at Marin Pazon don't actually need me to survive and be happy. Maybe God actually does know what He is doing!
Sorry for the confusing and wordy stories, but I'm afraid my language center is just about burnt out. Noapte Buna!
This morning, we went to orphanage number 5, also known as Luminita. It is a special needs orphanage with a slightly better staff than Marin Pazon. It was a lot like old times. We took the kids to the park and spent a lot of our time chasing after the kids and jumping on the trampoline and blowing bubbles. I remember a young autistic boy, Stefan, he didn't quite have the motor skills to blow the bubbles, so I blow bubbles at him as he stood downwind and danced around as they blew around him. One of the thing I have noticed with autistic kids, is that they don't change their facial expressions very often, but you can tell if they are happy a lot of the time by how much they gesture and move around and also by what noises they make. Stefan REALLY like bubbles, he would gurgle and dance around every time he saw them.
After Luminita, we went bowling with some of the Heart to Heart girls. These are girls that a staff member meets with once a week or more as a kind of mentoring program. We had some laughs and took lots of pictures. I bowled a 117, my highest score ever!!! The highlight of our day was definitely the worship and BBQ at the end of the day. We came back to the office and ate some delicious Romanian food. Then we had worship and prayer followed by testimonies. Some of the older boys were invited to come, so we heard testimonies from them, mostly about their trip to Marin Pazon with the BC football team! It was amazing to hear their thoughts and feelings. They know that they live in a bad situation, but after seeing the disabled children's situation, they were humbled and inspired. One of the boys told us a story of how a group of disabled kids came to his orphanage when theirs was being remodeled. He told us how he stood up for them when the other boys were making fun of them, even though he almost got beaten up for it. He then proceeded to buy all of the kids a cookie, even though he had to have spent money that he had been saving up for something.
Our worship leader Fibia, talked next about how she is moving to England to be with her sister, but she knows that God will take care of the children here. I felt the same way. If these boys could feel enough empathy and compassion to take action and take care of those less fortunate than they, then maybe Romania isn't doomed. Its the same lesson all over again. Maybe the children at Marin Pazon don't actually need me to survive and be happy. Maybe God actually does know what He is doing!
Sorry for the confusing and wordy stories, but I'm afraid my language center is just about burnt out. Noapte Buna!
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