It's amazing what how much more comfortable brushing your teeth can make you. After crossing the ocean quite a few times and really hating the endless plane ride, I decided to prepare as best as I could and, drum roll please, I was so much more comfortable! Even though I have only gotten about 8 hours of sleep in the last 2 days, I am not hating life right now. In fact, this has to be one of the easiest transitions I think I have ever had. So, needless to say, I made it safely to Romania.
It is still a little surreal to be here. I am sitting on the same bed that I slept in for 3 months almost 2 years ago. The entire apartment still smells the same even though the furniture is all rearranged and it is much cleaner than before. I keep thinking to myself... in about 3 days I get to see my kids. I can just picture Adriana sitting in her chair when we walk in the room. She will probably start biting her hand she will be so excited. I brought baby lotion to give the kids hand massages and and just can't wait for all the hugs and the cries of 'papusa' that I will get when I see the rest of the girls. And David. As far as I know, he is still there and still alive, he is such a little trooper.
Well, my eyes are already heavy, so these briefs thoughts and updates will have to be enough. Good night. or Buna Seara!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Almost two years later...
Some thoughts that I want to put down that might give future readers a little view into my mind and heart.
1) I talk about Romania a lot. Really. And I always refer to it a Romania. People have jokingly told me that all my stories begin with 'When I was in Romania...' It's almost true. This has led to more comments on how I am in love with the country, the culture, etc. This is less true. While I do enjoy my time in Bucharest; the awesome bread, the beautiful language, the outrageous fashions, the terrific and hilarious friends I have there... these things are not why I am basically obsessed with the country. In fact, the only reason I talk about Romania so much is that I am attempting to engage my listener in something they can relate to. What I am really thinking about are my kids. But so far it has been impossible for my to convey my true thoughts and feelings.
There is a girl there, Adriana, who I got to talk to a lot. She was about 22 when I was there and has moderate cerebral palsy. Her higher brains functions have the potential to be completely normal, but since she has never been to school and has been exposed to a pattern of abuse and neglect, she isn't normal, while she can carry on a conversation, she can't even name the days of the week. Whenever she got excited she would bite herself, sometimes very hard. There were scars all over her hands. But she always wanted to 'walk' with people. Basically you walk or run or stroll or skip or whatever back and forth down the hallway with her in her wheelchair, talking, singing or just being silent and she was happy. She would keep you occupied all day if she could. When new people visited and were uncomfortable, but obviously wanted to help, we would have them walk with her. Everybody was happy that way.
David was another CP kid, and he touched my heart as well. His condition was much more severe, he couldn't blink or smile or swallow at will, much less talk. Even though he was 9 years old, he fit on my lap and his legs were smaller than my forearms. Sometimes I would just hold him and fan him (since it was always very warm in his room). If you stretched his limbs he made what we all assumed to be happy sounds. During my last few weeks there, Davis was in and out of the hospital because he was having seizures. I am convinced they were from dehydration and overheating. Since he had a hard time swallowing and the orphanage was desperately understaffed with caretakers, a few swallows of water were all he would get per day. I never saw him sweat and I worried about him constantly By the end of my stay there, David had made a permanent impression on my heart. I can't say how many times I have prayed and cried for him in the past 2 years, just that God would keep him alive until I could see him again.
These are just 2 kids that touched my heart. There are a dozen more. Like Aurel, who was blind and deaf but had the happiest smile as soon as you touched him. Or Bianca, who would literally cling to you with all her strength when it was time for you to leave and who could only say one word, 'papusa', which means doll. But it is these kids that I am thinking about when I talk about Romania. I spend nearly half my time total time there with them. I feel like they are my children. But you don't just explain to an acquaintance that you have 30 disabled children in Eastern Europe. So instead I talk about the weather, or the food.
2) My time in Romania has given me trust issues. As I mentioned above, I have a hard time opening up to people about how I truly feel about the people I got to know there. Here is one example of why. A few weeks ago I found out that two of the girls I spent time with there died of dehydration. People may think 'Oh how sad!' or 'That's terrible, they aren't getting water!' but that isn't the half of it. Let me translate. They are still being neglected, perhaps worse than when I was there. You can drink water out of the faucet and there are girls dieing of dehydration! My first reaction to this was extreme grief. Dehydration, beatings, sexual abuse, neglect. All the things I always knew were going on hit me again in a rush. Every time I was by myself, I was crying. People would ask me how my weekend was, and I would put on a fake smile, say that it was fine, and then leave the room. I even skipped class because I couldn't pull myself together and I just didn't care about the subject or even college anymore. After a talk/ sobbing session with a DCF staff member (hi Michelle) I realized that I had taken this burden out of God's hands and it was crushing me. I let God take the burden off my shoulders, but that was just the beginning of healing.
After releasing the burden to Him, it was a daily struggle not to take it back up again. I knew I still had more to talk with God about, but I didn't want to. I couldn't trust God completely anymore. How could He be good and still let these things happen? What kind of fake goodness was that? Surely someone who is good and sovereign wouldn't let these things happen. I wanted to yell at God and tell Him he was failing, that He wasn't good. He was a liar and a weakling and He said He could handle my burdens but in fact He couldn't. For the first time in my life, my head said that God had a plan and my heart was the one resisting Him. After a few weeks struggling with this it was finally CS Lewis coupled with the Old Testament that brought peace and trust back into my life. Lewis puts it very well when he says in A Grief Observed "Sometimes it is hard not to say 'God forgive God.' Sometimes it is hard to say so much. But if our faith is true, He didn't. He crucified Him." I turned to the Old testament and read the laws about purification and sacrifice. They all required blood to atone for sins. I wanted blood for what was being done to those children, someone was at fault and someone needed to pay to make it better. But Jesus did that. I was so caught up in anger at God for what he was allowing to happen, I had forgotten or taken for granted the fact that Jesus paid for this on the cross. His blood covers everything without exception. I learned to direct my hate towards the Enemy, who comes to steal, kill and destroy. Not at my Father, who is Love. I don't know about the theology, but perhaps God in His mercy somehow rescues these children from the unbearable. He has given children the marvelous ability to adapt, to not be destroyed by evil things that are done to them. Not saying that we shouldn't work to save them, but more that God can be sovereign and just and merciful all at the same time. He is that awesome.
3) Life-changing is such a cliche word. It takes an true life-changing experience for someone to actually grasp the concept. My 3 months in Romania changed not only my career goals, but also my life goals. I was no longer on Earth just to go to church and stroll through life. More that one person has described me as fierce in the past 2 years. It was my time in Romania with those children that awakened ferocity in me. I learned that passion and love go hand in hand. That apathy and not hate is truly the opposite of love. I was on the front lines of this spiritual battle for the world and it is raging and bloody and intense and requires everything I am. There is no strolling on this battlefield. True, God is a refuge and shepherd. The Prince of Peace. And He loves to comfort us and walk with us. But on the battlefield, passion and ferocity are what turns the tide.
So these are a few thoughts about my life and God and Romania. I hope they have been enlightening. If you have read this whole thing, I am honored and impressed. Feel free to ask me about anything that is unclear or that you want to hear more about. Vulnerability is still something I am trying to work on, but it is more than a little scary. Keep praying for me and for them. God Bless.
1) I talk about Romania a lot. Really. And I always refer to it a Romania. People have jokingly told me that all my stories begin with 'When I was in Romania...' It's almost true. This has led to more comments on how I am in love with the country, the culture, etc. This is less true. While I do enjoy my time in Bucharest; the awesome bread, the beautiful language, the outrageous fashions, the terrific and hilarious friends I have there... these things are not why I am basically obsessed with the country. In fact, the only reason I talk about Romania so much is that I am attempting to engage my listener in something they can relate to. What I am really thinking about are my kids. But so far it has been impossible for my to convey my true thoughts and feelings.
There is a girl there, Adriana, who I got to talk to a lot. She was about 22 when I was there and has moderate cerebral palsy. Her higher brains functions have the potential to be completely normal, but since she has never been to school and has been exposed to a pattern of abuse and neglect, she isn't normal, while she can carry on a conversation, she can't even name the days of the week. Whenever she got excited she would bite herself, sometimes very hard. There were scars all over her hands. But she always wanted to 'walk' with people. Basically you walk or run or stroll or skip or whatever back and forth down the hallway with her in her wheelchair, talking, singing or just being silent and she was happy. She would keep you occupied all day if she could. When new people visited and were uncomfortable, but obviously wanted to help, we would have them walk with her. Everybody was happy that way.
David was another CP kid, and he touched my heart as well. His condition was much more severe, he couldn't blink or smile or swallow at will, much less talk. Even though he was 9 years old, he fit on my lap and his legs were smaller than my forearms. Sometimes I would just hold him and fan him (since it was always very warm in his room). If you stretched his limbs he made what we all assumed to be happy sounds. During my last few weeks there, Davis was in and out of the hospital because he was having seizures. I am convinced they were from dehydration and overheating. Since he had a hard time swallowing and the orphanage was desperately understaffed with caretakers, a few swallows of water were all he would get per day. I never saw him sweat and I worried about him constantly By the end of my stay there, David had made a permanent impression on my heart. I can't say how many times I have prayed and cried for him in the past 2 years, just that God would keep him alive until I could see him again.
These are just 2 kids that touched my heart. There are a dozen more. Like Aurel, who was blind and deaf but had the happiest smile as soon as you touched him. Or Bianca, who would literally cling to you with all her strength when it was time for you to leave and who could only say one word, 'papusa', which means doll. But it is these kids that I am thinking about when I talk about Romania. I spend nearly half my time total time there with them. I feel like they are my children. But you don't just explain to an acquaintance that you have 30 disabled children in Eastern Europe. So instead I talk about the weather, or the food.
2) My time in Romania has given me trust issues. As I mentioned above, I have a hard time opening up to people about how I truly feel about the people I got to know there. Here is one example of why. A few weeks ago I found out that two of the girls I spent time with there died of dehydration. People may think 'Oh how sad!' or 'That's terrible, they aren't getting water!' but that isn't the half of it. Let me translate. They are still being neglected, perhaps worse than when I was there. You can drink water out of the faucet and there are girls dieing of dehydration! My first reaction to this was extreme grief. Dehydration, beatings, sexual abuse, neglect. All the things I always knew were going on hit me again in a rush. Every time I was by myself, I was crying. People would ask me how my weekend was, and I would put on a fake smile, say that it was fine, and then leave the room. I even skipped class because I couldn't pull myself together and I just didn't care about the subject or even college anymore. After a talk/ sobbing session with a DCF staff member (hi Michelle) I realized that I had taken this burden out of God's hands and it was crushing me. I let God take the burden off my shoulders, but that was just the beginning of healing.
After releasing the burden to Him, it was a daily struggle not to take it back up again. I knew I still had more to talk with God about, but I didn't want to. I couldn't trust God completely anymore. How could He be good and still let these things happen? What kind of fake goodness was that? Surely someone who is good and sovereign wouldn't let these things happen. I wanted to yell at God and tell Him he was failing, that He wasn't good. He was a liar and a weakling and He said He could handle my burdens but in fact He couldn't. For the first time in my life, my head said that God had a plan and my heart was the one resisting Him. After a few weeks struggling with this it was finally CS Lewis coupled with the Old Testament that brought peace and trust back into my life. Lewis puts it very well when he says in A Grief Observed "Sometimes it is hard not to say 'God forgive God.' Sometimes it is hard to say so much. But if our faith is true, He didn't. He crucified Him." I turned to the Old testament and read the laws about purification and sacrifice. They all required blood to atone for sins. I wanted blood for what was being done to those children, someone was at fault and someone needed to pay to make it better. But Jesus did that. I was so caught up in anger at God for what he was allowing to happen, I had forgotten or taken for granted the fact that Jesus paid for this on the cross. His blood covers everything without exception. I learned to direct my hate towards the Enemy, who comes to steal, kill and destroy. Not at my Father, who is Love. I don't know about the theology, but perhaps God in His mercy somehow rescues these children from the unbearable. He has given children the marvelous ability to adapt, to not be destroyed by evil things that are done to them. Not saying that we shouldn't work to save them, but more that God can be sovereign and just and merciful all at the same time. He is that awesome.
3) Life-changing is such a cliche word. It takes an true life-changing experience for someone to actually grasp the concept. My 3 months in Romania changed not only my career goals, but also my life goals. I was no longer on Earth just to go to church and stroll through life. More that one person has described me as fierce in the past 2 years. It was my time in Romania with those children that awakened ferocity in me. I learned that passion and love go hand in hand. That apathy and not hate is truly the opposite of love. I was on the front lines of this spiritual battle for the world and it is raging and bloody and intense and requires everything I am. There is no strolling on this battlefield. True, God is a refuge and shepherd. The Prince of Peace. And He loves to comfort us and walk with us. But on the battlefield, passion and ferocity are what turns the tide.
So these are a few thoughts about my life and God and Romania. I hope they have been enlightening. If you have read this whole thing, I am honored and impressed. Feel free to ask me about anything that is unclear or that you want to hear more about. Vulnerability is still something I am trying to work on, but it is more than a little scary. Keep praying for me and for them. God Bless.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
A Year Later
Wow, I have been back from Romania for over a year and yet it is still an amazing, stretching part of my life. I still think about my time there almost daily and I get that heart twist every time I think about my kids there and going back. While I was there, I prayed that God wouldn't let Romania fall away, that if I was meant to go back, these children would stay on my heart. Boy did he answer!
But that isn't the the only thing my time there has done. I have grown so much since then. Honestly, I didn't have any encounter with God while I was there. I was sadly lacking in time in prayer or in the Word, but I have never before lived a life of love to quiet that extent. I truly learned about long-suffering and kindness, endurance and sacrifice of self. I didn't learn even half of what God taught me during my time in Romania. Most everything was after. Did I think God was trying to teach me something after I had to walk around for half the day with a 9-year-old's urine on my shorts? Heck no! All I could think about was laundry and shower, but it was later when I began to dive into Scripture that I connected that with taking up my cross daily. With rejoicing at trials and sorrow in His service.
I think I mostly learned about sacrifice, but I didn't realize this until I was called to practice sacrifice yet again. Every morning I woke up at 5 so that I could go to work this summer, I though about the trip to Romania I was saving money for. It is something that a life style of fasting and prayer only began to prepare me for.
I can't help but think that I got way more out of my time there than the people I was ministering to. And now, God is still teaching me, preparing me for my next trip (oh yes, there will be one, He told me so ). I can't help but be in awe of how God never does things for just one reason. Looking back, I can just begin to trace the beautiful arcs of His mercy and grace in my life.
But that isn't the the only thing my time there has done. I have grown so much since then. Honestly, I didn't have any encounter with God while I was there. I was sadly lacking in time in prayer or in the Word, but I have never before lived a life of love to quiet that extent. I truly learned about long-suffering and kindness, endurance and sacrifice of self. I didn't learn even half of what God taught me during my time in Romania. Most everything was after. Did I think God was trying to teach me something after I had to walk around for half the day with a 9-year-old's urine on my shorts? Heck no! All I could think about was laundry and shower, but it was later when I began to dive into Scripture that I connected that with taking up my cross daily. With rejoicing at trials and sorrow in His service.
I think I mostly learned about sacrifice, but I didn't realize this until I was called to practice sacrifice yet again. Every morning I woke up at 5 so that I could go to work this summer, I though about the trip to Romania I was saving money for. It is something that a life style of fasting and prayer only began to prepare me for.
I can't help but think that I got way more out of my time there than the people I was ministering to. And now, God is still teaching me, preparing me for my next trip (oh yes, there will be one, He told me so ). I can't help but be in awe of how God never does things for just one reason. Looking back, I can just begin to trace the beautiful arcs of His mercy and grace in my life.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Rehab camp
I decided about a month beforehand that I wanted to go to Rehab camp. I asked Florina if she knew anything about it and she half encouraged me, half tried to scare me out of it. The deciding factor that I could handle it was that I wasn't afraid to drink the Bucuresti water. I don't exactly know how that qualified me, but it did. When I got to camp, I found out that the sleeping arrangements were as follows; Four single beds, Ariana (a CTL worker), Marylin (an American volunteer I have spent the last 3 months with), Kitty (Romanian translator, very nice), me, a terribly cute autistic six year old Alexandra, and a terrible spoiled but otherwise completely normal 2 1/2 year old Georgiana. It was very hard to share a room with these kids, cute as they are, but well worth it as two other kids may have not been able to go if we had not. Along with and amble number of caretakers, there was a British team there to put on a program for the kids. This week we were a 'tribe' and we were all broken into little groups named after animals. We made masks like our animals and danced like our animals. At the end of the week, we put it all together and had a big festival. The kids really loved it, but I was even more surprised that it was pulled of, we had no accidents with scissors or plastic bags or the river next door, however we did have quiet a few accidents involving wet pants. It was a draining week, but the highlights of the week were more than worth it. I was sharing a bed with Ariana and Alexandra, I kept my alarm clock under my pillow for lack of a bed stand and also to protect it from cute little six-year-old fingers. There was a faint ticking that could be heard with my head on my pillow. On the first morning, I woke up and Alex was laying there, two inches away from my face, eyes wide open, listening to my pillow. It was hilarious and heart warming. Another highlight was with Georgi. Georgiana had a hole in her heart when she was born. She was sickly and her mother dropped her off at the disabilities orphanage. However, the whole has since healed and Georgi is now a completely normal little girls surrounded by disabled children and the caretakers. She is spoiled rotten as the caretakers never punish her or say no. The adults in our cabin took it upon ourselves to treat Georgi like we would a normal girls her age. We employed "the door". Whenever Georgi misbehaved she would sit at the door for a certain number of ten counts, depending on the severity of her crime and how she behaved at the door. For the first few days, it was very hard. We got spit at, hit, and even shown the finger... yes, the finger from a two year old, never thought I would see the day. But as the week went on, Georgi started to listen to us. We didn't have to take her to the door every time she was told no. She started to behave. We were so happy that our labor wasn't completely in vain. Now Georgi is at the Black Sea with the children and will probably come back as spoiled as before, but she was a normal little girl for a few days, and we have to pray that that will count for something. Georgi is a special little girl and it hurts to hear her story. She is stuck at that orphanage because her mother hasn't signed the papers needed for her to be moved or adopted. She is already picking up really bad habits like rocking and biting herself. I would like everyone who reads this to pray that Georgi's mother would be found and would sign the papers so that she could be adopted by a nice family who would love her and discipline her.
Now because it took me so long to finish this blog, I have another week to catch up on. I went to rehab Monday through Wednesday morning. On Monday afternoon I went straight home. On Tuesday afternoon I went to a park with the younger boys from number seven and on Wednesday I went to Chitila and we watched the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. I am so glad that I went to these places. I love Rehab so much, but I had forgotten how much I love those kids too. It was so cute (and frustrating) that after I told them I knew Romanian, they still tried to communicate with gestures and pointing. On Thursday I stayed at the center and helped Mada give English lessons to little kids. In the afternoon, some teenage girls came and we cooked together and I helped an mother of a boy with cerebral palsy create an email address so she could contact a doctor about possible surgery for her son. Friday I went to a pool with some children from the family program. We had a lot of fun trying to teach them to swim! :/ It was also very amusing to get told by one of the employees that I wasn't allowed in the water because I wasn't dressed in a swimsuit. I was wearing board shorts and a tankini top. (P.S. Everyone in Romania and Europe in general wears bikinis... not always a pretty sight). On Saturday I went to Rehab and said my goodbyes to the children who were there. They don't get back from the Sea until Monday afternoon, so I won't get to see them. It was really hard to walk down those steps for the last time for a long while. I feel so needed there. I know that this isn't my last trip in Romania. I want to come back here in two years for another summer and then for a long stay after college. Whatever God's will is, I pray He will make it known. But for now, I am leaving Romania on Tuesday in the early morning, and it is hard.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
A New Routine
I haven't blogged in a while, but I will catch up on everything, I promise. In the week after camp, CTL/Inimi Deschise helped to put on an autism seminar. Some people from California came and provided the information and I helped some staff with the refreshments and clean up. It was great that there was this opportunity because nothing like this has been done in Romania before and it was offered free to parents and specialists. They were desperate for help and we got many expressions of relief and thanks from them. The need for my help ended on Wednesday and so I went to Rehab on Thursday and Friday. Saturday was a free day so I cleaned up and had fun with Kelly who left on Monday. On Monday and Tuesday, the staff that is here got the lovely job of unpacking the tubs from camp and cleaning the whole ministry center from top to bottom. It was a bit of an ordeal and every bit as tiring as working at an orphanage. On Wednesday I helped Mada and Fibia take eight girls from Chitila to the Herestrau Park. The girls really enjoyed it and had been looking forward to it for some time. We brought sandwiches and after lunch and some playtime, we went on a big boat that travels all around the lake. The lady at the ticket counter let all of us go on for free because we were from Inimi Deschise. After the boat ride, a friend of Fibia's gave us money to buy everyone ice cream. It was a great day and it was easy to see that the girls enjoyed it. On Thursday and Friday I went to Rehab.
I got some bad news on Friday. I found out that a boy named David who I have been working with is in the hospital. David has cerebral palsy and he started having seizures earlier in the week. He was in a coma for three days. I went to visit him yesterday (Saturday the ninth) with a fellow intern Marilyn and he did not look good. He seemed even skinnier than usual, if that is possible. He also had oxygen and an IV as well as a feeding tube. His grandmother came to visit and it was really hard for her to see him like that. He had been doing so well the day before. I went to visit him again before church today and he was of the IV and when he woke up we could see that he knew us and was feeling better. I hope everyone will remember David in their prayers, that he would fully recover and go back to the center doing even better that when he left.
That is how the last few weeks have gone I am doing well and Kelly took a little video of me so everyone at church could hear from me.
Friday, August 1, 2008
After camp
What a week! The entire staff left on Saturday morning after we packed all of the tubs into a van, not as easy as it sounds... We drove about 2 and a half hours to an area of Romania right by the Danube River and about 10 minutes away from Bulgaria. We spent to rest of the day unpacking and playing around with each other. At one point I think all of the interns were with Alex in the kiddie pool, soaking wet. That was fun.
The kids arrived the next day and we greeted them with staff members dressed as Spider man, Superman, and Snow White. The little kids were so funny when their buss drove up, they were waving and they all had their mouths open when they saw the characters.
The next day began the clinics. I helped with painting, arts and crafts, and English. I was mostly a fetch and carry person except in English. Florina was in charge of English and in the group were two girls who speak better English that I do Romanian and one boy who spoke almost no English. We took turns translating eachothers' sentences and it was actually quite fun. I found out near the end of camp that this boy wants to continue English lessons. This is so surprising because, according to the staff Gabe was very much so a handful last year and the fact that is sat down and studied when everyone else was playing soccer really shows that he has matured and really wants to learn English. I really hope that this doesn't stop after camp.
After the clinics was lunch then free time (also known as nap time) at around 4 or 5, depending on how hot it was there was a camp game. Everyone who wasn't helping was with their devotion group, so I got to spend time with the older girls. At first it was hard and a little awkward because even though I could understand what they were saying, no one would slow down long enough for me to respond. I got better, though, as I had some one on one time with the girls and we got to know each other better. After dinner was devotions and a movie. Sometimes I stayed up and watched it, sometimes not.
At the beginning of each day was chapel and I played the keyboard while Fibia and her husband Andrei sang and played the guitar. After singing there was a skit. The interns had prepared two mimes to music and the staff had done three or four more. They all went really well (thank you Bakersfield team for letting us steal your skits!) In one of the mimes, I was Satan. As everyone knows I enjoy playing the villain and perhaps I enjoyed it a little to much because I was called a " fata rau" (bad/evil girl) and the devil for the rest of the day.
So all in all, I think that camp was a good experience and I hope that those kids took it home with them.
The kids arrived the next day and we greeted them with staff members dressed as Spider man, Superman, and Snow White. The little kids were so funny when their buss drove up, they were waving and they all had their mouths open when they saw the characters.
The next day began the clinics. I helped with painting, arts and crafts, and English. I was mostly a fetch and carry person except in English. Florina was in charge of English and in the group were two girls who speak better English that I do Romanian and one boy who spoke almost no English. We took turns translating eachothers' sentences and it was actually quite fun. I found out near the end of camp that this boy wants to continue English lessons. This is so surprising because, according to the staff Gabe was very much so a handful last year and the fact that is sat down and studied when everyone else was playing soccer really shows that he has matured and really wants to learn English. I really hope that this doesn't stop after camp.
After the clinics was lunch then free time (also known as nap time) at around 4 or 5, depending on how hot it was there was a camp game. Everyone who wasn't helping was with their devotion group, so I got to spend time with the older girls. At first it was hard and a little awkward because even though I could understand what they were saying, no one would slow down long enough for me to respond. I got better, though, as I had some one on one time with the girls and we got to know each other better. After dinner was devotions and a movie. Sometimes I stayed up and watched it, sometimes not.
At the beginning of each day was chapel and I played the keyboard while Fibia and her husband Andrei sang and played the guitar. After singing there was a skit. The interns had prepared two mimes to music and the staff had done three or four more. They all went really well (thank you Bakersfield team for letting us steal your skits!) In one of the mimes, I was Satan. As everyone knows I enjoy playing the villain and perhaps I enjoyed it a little to much because I was called a " fata rau" (bad/evil girl) and the devil for the rest of the day.
So all in all, I think that camp was a good experience and I hope that those kids took it home with them.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Long week
It has been a while since my last post, but it has been a busy week without a lot of free-time at the ministry center. Last week, we started ministry on Tuesday and spent our afternoons at the office. We cleaned and organized and packed for camp. It was far more exhausting that spending time with kids would have been. I never want to see another plastic tub in my life. After we finished cleaning, the interns have been working on skits that we will do for the kids at camp, they are both mimes to Christian songs and they have been a lot of fun to learn. In one of the skits I get to play Satan. I know... it is a little odd, but I have to say I enjoy it a lot.
This week there were a lot of new arrivals. Kelly came from Turkey to here. She is originally from North Carolina but has been studying in Turkey for 2 months and wanted to spend the rest of her summer here. A married couple, Meg and Lane are here for a short time. Meg was an intern a few years ago and wanted to come back and visit. We also got a lady named Carol from California who came to work with Rehab. She works with autistic children in the states an I am excited to learn new things from her. On that note, if things continue, I will probably be going to Rehab camp at the end of August. I am excited and nervous, I will be helping to feed and bathe the kids as well as sleep in the same room as them. It will be quite a challenge and I will need a lot of prayer. Camp for the kids is next week and I will need a lot of prayer for this too. I will be spending most of my time with the 16-18 year old girls. I found out today that there will be six of them and four of them don't want to go to camp. I pray that I will be able to connect with them despite the language barrier and that God will soften their hearts so that they will open up to what they hear and see there.
It has not been all work and no play here. On Saturday, we went to Obor were there is a giant swap meet-ish group of stores. It was fun to see the Romanian way to shop and I bought a few things to take home. On Monday, the interns took a trip to Brasov. It is a beautiful historic city and we saw the Biserca Negru (Black Church) as well as the Castel Braun which was built in the 1300's I think. It was great to get away and spend time with the interns and get to know them better... a lot better. The rest of this week, we will spend preparing for camp some more and getting as much rest as possible.
This week there were a lot of new arrivals. Kelly came from Turkey to here. She is originally from North Carolina but has been studying in Turkey for 2 months and wanted to spend the rest of her summer here. A married couple, Meg and Lane are here for a short time. Meg was an intern a few years ago and wanted to come back and visit. We also got a lady named Carol from California who came to work with Rehab. She works with autistic children in the states an I am excited to learn new things from her. On that note, if things continue, I will probably be going to Rehab camp at the end of August. I am excited and nervous, I will be helping to feed and bathe the kids as well as sleep in the same room as them. It will be quite a challenge and I will need a lot of prayer. Camp for the kids is next week and I will need a lot of prayer for this too. I will be spending most of my time with the 16-18 year old girls. I found out today that there will be six of them and four of them don't want to go to camp. I pray that I will be able to connect with them despite the language barrier and that God will soften their hearts so that they will open up to what they hear and see there.
It has not been all work and no play here. On Saturday, we went to Obor were there is a giant swap meet-ish group of stores. It was fun to see the Romanian way to shop and I bought a few things to take home. On Monday, the interns took a trip to Brasov. It is a beautiful historic city and we saw the Biserca Negru (Black Church) as well as the Castel Braun which was built in the 1300's I think. It was great to get away and spend time with the interns and get to know them better... a lot better. The rest of this week, we will spend preparing for camp some more and getting as much rest as possible.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)