Summer Fun

Well, it has certainly been a busy summer here in Romania! I have barely had time to sit down and think since June started. I just released an e-newsletter talking about all that went on but I have so many pictures and experiences to talk about that a blog post was in order.

We started the summer with "pre-school" camp at Voluntari. I say "pre-school" but really these are our kids between pre-K and 1st grade age. Shelley and Natalie, two of our team members, prepared a great camp that played off our larger theme for the summer of "The Circus".

Remus running a clown relay race.

We wanted the kids to see that the world can use magic and allusions to try and distract us from the truth about God.

Sometimes you just need a helping hand!

Making crafts about Noah and the ark.

Our central Bible verse was 1 Corinthians 13:13: "Now these three remain: faith, hope and love; but the greatest of these is love." Each day we would have skits, object lessons, crafts, and games with the kids.

After "pre-school" camps came day camps. Each day we brought in groups of kids from either Voluntari or Peris to the team house where we continued with the circus theme. We had some special stations for the kids during game time: a trampoline, huge body bumpers for human bumper cars, and a slack line!

Dani trying the slack line.

Making clown cupcakes for snack time.

We had skits from the strong man and the bearded lady that taught about how faith, hope, and love helped characters from the Bible and how to apply these principles in daily life.

Tim on the trampoline.

Daniel getting ready to swim...you can never be too prepared!

Andreea taking a dive. This was her first time being at our pool for the summer. Our kids are fearless!

They love to swim but they can still get a little cold as Remus demonstrates.

Following day camps we had teen camps. First, we brought all the girls in from Rosiori, Voluntari, and Peris for a girls camp. Then we had the Voluntari and Rosiori boys together and ended with a camp for the Peris boys. As a special treat we took each camp group to a trampoline park. Everyone had a lot of fun jumping off obstacles, playing dodge ball, and tumbling into the foam pit.

Alina at the trampoline park.

Taking a run on the tumbling mat towards the ball pit. Even the most reluctant kids all got involved by the end of the day!

We also had daily panels where we discussed some serious issues with the kids such as running away, dating and sexual relationships, and developing a personal relationship with Christ. The kids were able to take each discussion seriously and we hope and pray that they were touched by the messages presented.

Human bumper cars during teen camp.

One morning was spent with the boys at the park where we played a human version of foosball!

This summer we had an amazing number of volunteers come out to help. At one point there were 37 people from around North America all living and serving under one roof together! And that's not including all of the regular, full time staff members who are here. Because we had so many helping hands we were able to have play days with the kids at the orphanage who were not involved in camp. Heather and I lead small groups of team members several times each week to share a story, make a craft, and play games with the kids.

"Elephant Golf" during our animal week themed play time.

Making trees out of our hands and discussing how each of us is unique.

It was a good way for the kids to get to spend time with the team members and for everyone to have fun and develop some special relationships.

With the conclusion of camps everyone has had a little bit of time to catch their breath and relax. We had a Canadian intern, Alex, with us until mid-August so we took the time to go sightseeing in Bran at Dracula's Castle.

Bran Castle

We didn't actually go inside the castle since the line was so long but we still did some shopping and sightseeing while we were there!

I was also able to go to the baby hospital for the first time in a long while. It was great to see the little ones there!

In just a few short days I will be leaving for a week of vacation in Greece on the island of Crete. Jen, Jenny, Talitha, Heather, and I have planned a little get away to rest and reset before school starts on the 14th of September. We have already started fall ministry planning and I'm excited to see what God has in store for the coming months!

Week 1

I can't believe I have been in Romania for a full week already! So much has already happened...I moved into my apartment, went grocery shopping on my own, learned how to take the Metro (subway) around the city, had four full days of day camp, and bailed out a flooded basement. Never a dull moment.

Right now day camps are the biggest focus of our ministry. We had the Peris camps last week, the Voluntari camps this week, and preschool camps next week. Every morning we have time for Bible stories, skits, crafts, team building activities, and obstacle courses. In the afternoon we bring the kids to the team house at Pipera, feed them lunch, and then go swimming in the pool. It rained almost every afternoon last week so the pool was *freezing*. The kids still wanted to get in as much as they could. The very last day of camps, though, it was raining so hard we couldn't go swimming so the kids watched a movie instead. That was the day of the Great Basement Flood of 2015. It was only rainwater (we think) unlike the Great Basement Flood of 2012 which was most definitely sewage.

Swimming at camp

Running the obstacle course

The theme of camps is about overcoming obstacles by having faith, hope, love, and perseverance. This is such an important lesson for the kids. They are all familiar with the gospel but they have trouble living it out. In the orphanage setting the knee jerk reaction is to fight, argue, curse, and hold grudges. What we are trying to share with the kids is so counter to what they live with day to day.

Snack time

Another fun but cold day in the pool!

Final obstacle course

As I mentioned above, this week will be day camps with the kids from the Voluntari orphanage. We are having to bring them to the team house in the morning because all their outside area has been turned into a giant sandbox (I'm assuming they are in the process of re-doing it but we shall see...). Praying that it will be a good time with the kids!

Prayer Requests/Praises:

• Pray for good weather this week for camps so the kids can go swimming.
• Pray that everything we share with the kids will take root in their hearts.
• Pray for some important licensure paperwork that will go before the Georgia professional board either this week or next week. This paperwork will determine if I will be able to become fully licensed in a year or not.
• Pray that I will continue to gain ground with my language.
• Praise God that I was able to move into my apartment and begin to feel like Romania is now my home.
• Praise God that I was able to renew my teaching license from the States!
• Praise God that we had a good week of camps last week with the kids from Peris.
• Praise God that the basement was not flooded with sewage and that we were able to get it cleaned up quickly.

Remember to email or message me if you want to be added to my secret Facebook group to get updates about my time in Romania.