As of Late

Last week I had an incredible time at the baby hospital. It was encouraging to see the babies and toddlers make improvements in such a short period of time! Stefan, who is 4, is now standing on two feet without throwing a huge fit. He can't walk and is not used to having his feet on the ground so this is a big deal. Georgiana, who I believe is 3, is walking with little to no help from us! She has even tried to jump and run a few times. A month a go she couldn't do any of this. Adina, who is 11 months old, is crawling now! She couldn't crawl a few weeks ago because her hip muscles were under developed but now she can crawl. Walking is the next big step (literally) for her. Several of the babies and toddlers are making "baby talk" now because they have had so much face to face interaction with us. These are only a few of the encouraging things that happened. In other words, it was a great week. 

Much prayer is still needed for these little ones. After the summer is over they don't receive the level of attention or help that they need. Gabi and Mira, the two Livada staff who work with these babies, are spread thin and have things that they need to be doing. The are not employed to help the babies, they help because they have a passion to see that these kids have futures. Working at the hospital with the babies is a volunteer action on their part, so during the year they can only come 1-2 times per week. 

Specific prayer needs include:

*Encouragement for Gabi and Mira-They pour out so much of themselves into something that is very emotionally draining

*Open doors and opportunities for these babies to have futures

*Volunteers who would be willing to help Gabi and Mira on a weekly basis, even during the school year. It's too much for them to do alone.

*Favor/good relationship with CPS

I'm starting to wrap my mind around the fact that this is my last week of camp and that a week from Wednesday, I'll be home. I keep trying to process everything that I have seen and experienced this summer but unfortunately I've given up on attempting to articulate my feelings. So I decided to make a slide show! What better way to explain my summer than to show you. 

Click on the link below, or copy and paste it, to view it on Youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Uiet4xpMdY

I will probably make one last post either next Monday or next Tuesday to fill you in on my last week here! I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for this last chapter.

Week 5

This picture is a good summary of the past week..Don't I look cute?

Week 5 was different than every other week. The kids who were at camp were older and there were fewer of them. It was very laid back! One of the activities we did was have a competition between teams to see who could dress their intern up the funniest. I'm still trying to figure out if I looked funny or scary..or maybe a little bit of both?

The kids loved dressing us up! They especially loved it when I tried to wash my face and realized the marker wasn't washable...such is life! I had a bluish/red face for the rest of the day. 

As the summer starts to wind down I'm beginning to process everything that I've learned over the past several weeks. I would be lying if I said that this learning process has been enjoyable. Examining unrefined areas of my life is no easy task, but it is a rewarding one. 

I may have mentioned this before but one of the biggest things I have realized is that there is joy to be found in doing what I was created to do. Why do I have a hard time finding this fulfillment at home? Because my time is seldom spent doing what I was created to do. I serve myself and submit to my own desires far too often. I think that being comfortable might be one of the biggest deterrents to the fire of my faith. Yes, the Lord has blessed me with financial stability, opportunities, family, and comfort. These blessings are not bad, but it’s the place of residence I give them in my heart that poisons my passion for the gospel. These blessings become my stumbling block. I use them to justify complacency. The minute I become comfortable is the minute I lose sight of what is eternally significant. I don’t want to go home and be comfortable.

Another thing that I have learned, which hopefully I can find the words to communicate, is how having too many “options” can make a simple, and clear, decision very cloudy. How many times in my life have I asked God this question, “Father, what is your will for my life? I sit in angst over which decisions will be best and most pleasing to God. What direction should I go academically, which ministries should I be involved in, which church should I go to, which relationships should I pursue, which job should I have…etc.. I’m sure that everyone reading this can relate to the feeling of uncertainty that comes with having “options”. I’ve made the mistake of over thinking truth rather than walking IN truth. The answer to all of these questions is so simple. It’s clearly laid out in the bible. Here are just a few of those truths:

*Remain rooted in Christ, strengthened in faith.

Colossians 2:6-7 “So then just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”

*Love the Lord above everything else

Luke 10:27 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and, love your neighbor as yourself.”

*Actively practice the word of God

Matthew 7:24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock”

*Love others (even when it’s hard and costs us something)

1 John 3:18 “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but in actions and in truth”

*Keep in step with the Spirit,

Galatians 5:24-25 “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature along with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit”

*Devote yourselves to prayer

         Colossians 4:2 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful”

*If you don’t know what pleases the Lord, then find out.         

         Ephesians 5:8-11 “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live     as children of light (for the fruitof the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them”.

We usually know what God’s will is, we just don’t do it and we think that some options are better than others. The truth is that it doesn’t matter where you are in life, or what job you have, or what social circle you run in. What matters is this, are you walking in truth? I know that I have a hard time dying to myself even when I know what is right and what is wrong. Knowledge is knowing the right thing to do, and Wisdom is doing it. 

This upcoming week I have been given ANOTHER opportunity to spend time with the babies! There will be a team going every morning who I will be able to join and assist. I love those babies and I'm thankful for another chance to spend time with them. 

Comedy of Errors

I have made it through several great adventures since I blogged last. Before I go into depth let me give you a summary. I can now say that I have been chased by a flock of sheep, attended a Medieval Festival, been stranded in an elevator that was built during communism, and have been lost in a city that's an hour away from where we live. Oh, and all of this happened in a 24 hour time period.


The madness all started with a simple picnic. Saturday afternoon a group of interns went on a walk with the LOC kids to a nearby forested area. We brought card games, snacks, frisbees, soccer balls, drinks, and blankets. After about an hour or so of thorough enjoyment, the card game I happened to be in the middle of was interrupted by a mix of barking, growling, and yelling. I looked up and saw a few dogs charging at us from the top of the hill(the forest was at the top of a hill). My first reaction was to run to the nearest tree and escape the imminent death, I thought, I would face from wild dogs. Then I heard someone yell-SHEEEEEEP!! Lo and behold, a herd of sheep (That would explain the sheep dogs), came running towards us. In a combination of panic and hilarity we quickly grabbed all of our belongings and ran the other direction. The sheep just kept coming! we had to hurry the whole way down the hill. Did that really just happen? I couldn't stop laughing. I can now relate to Simba when he was in the middle of the stampede in the canyon..Well, kind of. Anyways, it definitely was not the ending I had pictured for our lovely afternoon picnic.




My second adventure was attending the Medieval Festival in Sighisoara. A group of us wanted to go but we had no idea how to get there since it wasn't a planned event for us to attend. (Transportation is usually included when we have official plans). After being denied at the first bus station, yes I actually mean denied, we had to walk about half a mile to a different bus station. We then waited an hour and a half for the bus to come. Eventually we made it to the festival! It was incredible. There were people walking the streets in costumes, vendors were set up everywhere, and the FOOD was delicious. It was a great day of shopping and community with friends. A kink in our great day came when we had to get home. How do we find the bus station in an unfamiliar city with inhabitants who don't speak English? After searching, and walking, long and hard we found the bus station! JOY JOY JOY! We were not stranded in Sighisoara.


Pictures from our trip:

After making it back home we went to dinner at Rebecca (Bex) Rasmussen's apartment. She is from the U.S. and is one of Livada's full time missionaries. Every Sunday night the interns go to her house for fellowship and dinner. Since it had been a long day a few of us decided to head home early. The apartment where Bex lives is old as all get out. None of us use the elevator because it is so sketchy..as in probably built DECADES ago during communism. The door of it opens and closes manually. Since our legs were so tired, the 4 of us decided to suck it up and try the elevator. 30 seconds later, and 7 floors above ground, we were stuck. I have never experienced panic like that before! If it had been any other elevator I would have been A-OK, but it was THAT elevator. We yelled and yelled for about 10 minutes to see if anyone would hear us but eventually we had to call Bex using one of our phones ($$).  She had to call a guy to come and open the elevator shaft door and pull us out. It was definitely an experience like no other. Never ride in sketchy elevators!-Lesson learned.

In a fix..

(The ceiling)

As you can tell, there is never a dull moment here. I have been blessed beyond measure by the experiences, both good and bad, that I have had. This week the LOC kids are at camp along with children from another (state) group home. I am on the Alb (White) team. The American group that is here this week is a high school from Florida. It's the "youngest" team we've had this far but their energy is contagious, and very needed!


PRAYER requests for the week:
*Pray for the kids on my team. Pray that they would hear the gospel in a fresh and new way and that they would not be proud.
*Pray that the interns would feel rejuvenated and energized 
*Pray that we would have selfless attitudes. It's easy to have an attitude of entitlement since we've been here for so long.
*Pray for the babies at the hospital who are not getting loved on. Pray that the Lord's presence is with them.
*Pray for the American team members (high school students) who don't know the Lord, there are several. 

Week with the babies

A few snap shots of my week! (These are only a few of the kids)

(My sweet little Adina)

(Stefan is 4)

(Tanya)

(Claudia)

The past several days have been eye opening. There is so much to be done here in regards to child welfare but there are so few people willing to take initiative. I’ve spent the week in a hospital ward for abandoned babies (Gypsy) and toddlers who are being cared for by “nurses” who aren’t even trained. I saw a malnourished 3 year old be fed the same amount as a 16 month old. 1 bottle of whole milk 3 times a day. Sometimes they cry for hours before someone comes to change their diapers and the nurses are right around the corner the whole time. It’s hard for me to write this without fully epressing my anger and bitterness towards the situation.

            These children are left for months, sometimes years, by their mothers because they are either too poor to care for them, or they have too many children already. The babies and toddlers are too young to be put in to state care and when they become old enough it is often difficult to get their mothers to sign over rights to them. So, these precious 0-4 year olds sit wasting away in cribs with no one to care for them. After a few months of neglect, the developmental(cognitive and physical)damage is done.

When mothers hold their babies for the first time, it is a natural instict to slowly rock them back and forth. This slow and steady rocking is not only comforting for the child but it also creates stimulation. The babies at this hospital don’t have someone to rock him or her when they are upset, so over time they begin to rock themselves. They will either rock from side to side or forward and backwards. It’s heartbreaking to watch. Adina, who has stolen my heart, has only been at the hospital for a little over a month, and earlier this week she started “rocking” herself for the first time. She has been kept in a room by herself and therefore reverted to rocking for comfort.  On Tuesday, when it came time for us to say goodbye for the day, I put Adina back in her crib and started to walk away. She started screaming and crying so I paused, and walked back into the room. She was on all fours rocking herself and crying. That about did it for me and I broke down as well…

            While working with these babies is emotionally draining, it is also extremely rewarding. Maria, a specialist from the American team that is here, has been evaluating each child and training Gabi (the Livada staff member who consistently visits the babies) in therapy techniques. Georgiana, for example, is 3 years old and cannot walk or talk. We have been helping her stand and balance herself but yesterday she stood on her own, held her balance for a few seconds, clapped her hands (because we were all saying, “Bravo Georgie Bravo!), and then lost her balance. In only a few days she has made so much progress! That is encouraging.

(Georgiana standing!)

 Several of the other infants have made similar progress as well. It’s close to impossible to place these children in foster care because the system needs a lot of work but you can definitely be praying for a miracle! These babies need homes.

            Tonight we had Youth Group again with the kids from Livada’s two group homes. We thought it would be fun to set up a “photo booth” with all of our skit costumes and props that we use at camp. Judging by these pictures I would say it was a success. Ladies and Gentlement, I give you…THE LOC KIDS

OK, we had some fun too...Meet some of the other interns

(Kerra & me)

(Courtney & Mary)

(Kerra..again)

(Hannah)

(Heather)

The Greatest Gift

Hello all!

I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to blog at all this week. Hopefully I don’t make this post too long haha. I was on the Negru(Black) team and had 11-12 year olds-they all had so much personality! 5 boys and 1 girl. To say the week was entertaining would be an understatement.

Ema, Cristi, Sergiu, Robby, Marton, and Lulu.

Ema was the only girl (camper) in our group but she definitely held her ground. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that she spoke English! It was nice communicating with her without the need of a volunteer to translate. Ema has a heart of gold, seriously. Her story is heartbreaking but it is evident that she has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Ema is wise beyond her years and possesses an undeniable sense of maturity. Not to mention the fact that she’s hilarious. 

Cristi is a typical 12 year old boy, rambunctious and full of energy. He is the one kissing my cheek in the group photo. Cristi had a tough exterior but on the inside he was a total softy. I caught on to a little crush he had on a camper in another group and when I asked him about it he bashfully admitted it was true. This past week had eternal significance in Cristi’s life because he accepted Christ! Steve Howard (Jessica’s dad) prayed with him and talked him through that decision.

Sergiu was the quiet one of the group. He observed and participated in everything we did but he rarely spoke; he had some kind of disability. He loved to kick the soccer ball with me! I obviously enjoyed this quite a bit. He was the only one of the boys who beat Steve in an arm wrestling competition. Well, he was the only one who Steve didn’t mean to lose to ;)

Robby was the athlete of the group. He was good at everything! Robby’s sister, Roberta(good thinking, parents), was at camp as well. It was awesome to see how much he cared about her and looked out for her. He is going to be a good father one day. Robby also accepted Christ this week! We had he and Cristi both talk us through what their understanding of grace was, who they believed Jesus to be, and what they believed Jesus did for them on the cross. They both lit up when we asked them if they wanted to pray and “confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord” (Romans 10:9). That moment was the highlight of my week, hands down.

Marton did not live in the group home with the other children. His mother is a caretaker for one of the group homes so he was able to come to camp. Marton was so sweet! He had a good head on his shoulders and was nice to everybody. He and Cristi hung out together a lot throughout the week.

Lulu is ridiculously smart. The first thing he told me when I met him was the number of bones a snake has? As a conversation starter, that was a first. It was his first time at camp and he LOVED it, I mean really loved it. Lulu is going to do great things with his life. He gives 100% to everything he does and doesn’t settle with mediocrity. He has a “fighter’s” spirit.

Friday night the interns borrowed a projector and speakers from the Livada office and had a movie night in our living room. It was a very needed night of community and down time. We ordered pizza and put our mattresses on the floor so that we could have one big pallet. It was incredible. Today I visited the town of Sighisoara with the American team from Dallas Bible (aka Jessica and her family!) where we did some sight seeing. The town has been there since the 12^th Century and it had so many historic things to see. We climbed to the top of an old clock tower, visited an old church that was around during the Protestant reformation, and saw the childhood home of Vlad the Impaler. It’s been a good weekend so far!

(In Sighisoara. Mary is another intern)

(Me and Jess! At the top of the clock tower)

(View from the clock tower)

(Walking the streets)

The past week has been a roller coaster of emotions for me. It’s one thing to read a child’s heartbreaking story through a book, blog, or even in a news paper, and a completely different thing to actually KNOW the child who lived that story. I think that the reality in which these children live hit me full force this past week. The brokenness and pain that I see in their eyes is a constant reminder of my DESPERATE need of a savior because as humans, we are so broken. One of the most incredible things that Christ has done for us is give potential to things that are broken. Through a broken situation, death, he redeemed us and gave us the hope of life with him forever. This is the greatest gift! 

I have clearly seen God at work but I have also seen the Devil's hand at work as well. It is comforting to know that God is greater and that he is still in control but I would be kidding myself to believe that, while God is still the ultimate authority, Satan has no authority on this earth. 

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” Ephesians 6:12

This upcoming week I will be doing something a little bit different than in previous weeks. I won't be at camp but I will be assisting a few members from the American team (from Ohio) at the baby hospital! A specialist from their team will be going to the hospital to evaluate the developmental status of each child and will then train the Livada staff, who work with those babies on a regular basis, in techniques that will help facilitate development. Each baby and toddler has a specific developmental need and none of them are progressing normally. 

Throughout this week please pray for these things:

*Pray against spiritual warfare. Specifically discouragement, doubt,  and disunity among the body

*Pray for the volunteer translators who are hearing the gospel for the first time and the volunteers who may have heard the gospel before but whose hearts are hardened

*Pray for organization and leadership of camp activities

*Pray for the LOC kids. Specifically pray that they experience the Lord in a whole new way this summer. Pray that they are able to acknowledge a God who is good in the midst of a time in their lives that is hard. 

*Pray that God is glorified through broken situations

             

#1 Fan

It's Saturday afternoon here in TM and I am actually having some down time! The house is quiet and feels empty-moments like this are rare. 

It has been such a rewarding week. I mentioned earlier that the kids who came to camp were younger; their age made their need of having someone to love them very apparent. If you go to a park, or sporting event for young children, there will never be a shortage of "#1 Fans". Parents are (or should be) with their kids at all times. They are there to cheer them on, encourage them, hug them and tell them "good job!” The kids we had at camp this week have never experienced that kind of support or attention. I cherished every minute I had to be there for them and show them that I was their #1 Fan. 

My group had 5 kids-Larisa, Olga, Andrei, Ionel, and Cosmine.

Ionel had the most energy BY FAR and kept us on our toes much of the time. He loved to learn English words and enjoyed teaching me Romanian.

Larisa was our girly girl. She loved to do model poses for pictures and had the sweetest temperament.

Andrei is Larisa’s brother. He was obedient, attentive, and a GREAT listener. He also really loves to play basketball.

Olga was mature beyond her years. She has a heart for the Lord and absorbed everything we said like a sponge. She was the oldest in our group and was a strong leader.

Cosmine was my buddy for the week. He reminded me so much of Cole (Burdette). He was sweet and caring but he also had a fun silly side. Every day during free time he would come up to me and ask me to chase him and hug him.

(He has whipped cream on his face from a game we were playing)

The two American team members I had in my group, Angie and Rachel, were such a huge help! They were patient with me whenever I was unsure of the plan for the day and they never once complained. It was a pleasure being able to serve with them.  

One of my favorite moments this week happened after Ionel and Andrei got into a “fight”. They were both trying to get a piggy back ride from the same person when Ionel accidentally bumped Andrei in the nose, which then started to bleed. Andrei reacted out of pain and anger and hit Ionel. We got Andrei all fixed up and took him back to the group. After this incident Ionel and Andrei would not stop fighting with each other.

I took them both aside and said (with the help of a translator of course) that they needed to forgive each other for what had happened. I told them that I saw the whole thing and that Ionel had not meant to give Andrei a bloody nose. I also said that I was not right for Andrei to retaliate and hit Ionel. After a few minutes of talking about what happened, neither of them would apologize because they did not feel like the other person deserved an apology. I was then able to remind them of how God forgives us, even though we don’t deserve it, and that he loves us unconditionally. I asked them if they thought they could forgive each other because God has offered them forgiveness, even when they don’t deserve it...they both nodded, smiled, and gave each other a huge hug. It was such a good moment! They understood that we are sinners but God loves and forgives us anyway and then used that understanding to change how they acted in a tough situation-What a praise!

Here are a few pics from the week:

(Ionel and Cosmine)

(Slip&Slide at Vetca)

(Larisa & Olga)

(Hanging out with the LOC kids. This is Daniela)

In a few hours a new team of Americans will arrive and everything will start all over again. I'm looking forward to this week because one of my best friends is going to be here! Jessica Howard and her family will be coming with Dallas Bible. She has been one of my best friends since we were 6 so I'm excited to have the opportunity to serve with her in Romania for a week.

"What's up Party People"

What's up Party People! This isn't a phrase I would normally choose but for some reason the Livada staff (our bosses) really enjoy saying it haha. 

Today was the second day of WEEK 2. Someone mentioned that the 4^th of July is this week and I couldn’t believe it. July? Already? Time is flying by.

            This week I have a group of 8-9 year old kids! They are super cute but also huge stinkers. We are the Albastru (Blue) team.   Last week all of the kids who came to camp were teenagers but this week we have kids as young as 7 and as old as 14-15. The overall feel of camp is very different because they are SO excited to be there. No “too cool for school” business is going on this week. The American team that is helping out this week is from Allen Bible church-hooray for fellow Texans! This is Bruce’s (The Livada founder) home church.

            Last Friday we were able to end week 1 of camp with a day trip to Vetca. I explained in a previous blog that Vetca is a village where Livada owns some land. It is about an hour away from where we are staying. At Vetca we took the kids on a “treasure hunt”. There are several stations where each group must go and complete a certain task. They are then given a clue that leads them to the next station. The treasure hunt is really just a means of wearing the kids out haha. They run and run and run. At the end of the day we gather with our groups, give them “gift-bags” and pray for them.

            It was a challenging week because the kids at camp were older. They were less willing to open up about their lives and they didn’t have as high of respect for authority. I can’t blame them though. If I were in their shoes I would probably act the same if not worse. Despite the challenges of working with that age group, it was a great weak! In retrospect I can only pray that the Lord stirs in their hearts and that if they remember nothing else, they remember that someone loved them...even if it was only for one week out of the whole year.

            My weekend was VERY restful! I had a chance to call and catch up with family and several friends, which was refreshing. Friday night a group of interns went into town for dinner and desert. It was nice to relax and spend time with community. That same night, when we were all hanging out at the house, we had a little visitor. I guess someone left the front door open because we found this little guy hanging out on the stairs! Our neighborhood is never lacking in stray dogs.

I thought he was sick or going to die or something because even after we bribed him with food he WOULD NOT MOVE. After a while I guess he just got tired of taunting us and sauntered out of the house.  

                                           (Weekend fun with the interns)

 Saturday I was able to visit the Ludus baby hospital again! Ahh I love those babies. It was good to see them and play with them. The best thing about this particular visit is that several of the LOC kids came with us. Each Saturday we will be doing service projects with them-this was the first. It was encouraging to see the LOC kids love on babies and toddlers who will probably grow up to have stories similar to their own. It was a cool thing to witness.

                                              (Daniela, a LOC kid, holding Pia)

(Sergiu, a LOC kid, holding Ramos)

(Janos, an older LOC boy, holding Tanya)

AHH so cute.

            I have been thinking a lot lately about the sovereignty of God and how important it is to trust him, even with things that I don’t understand. To know the God of the Universe is something so sweet. It is a simple joy to know that I am his. Daniel put it perfectly when he said,

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his; He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things’ he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him"                                                                                Daniel 2:20-22