Graduation

So, it has definitely been a hot minute since I last posted but I think the recent event I experienced warrants a break in the blog silence.

Friday I attended my very first Romanian high school graduation ceremony!

Both graduating classes from the technical high school in Branesti.

I have seen 10th grade completion ceremonies before but this was my first time seeing a 12th grade ceremony. There were four boys from Peris who graduated (there was also a girl, Oana, from Peris who graduated the same day but from a different high school).

Marin Dumitru

Marian Pana

Marian Stefan

Ionut Tudor

All our staff are incredibly proud of these boys. They were the first group to get to attend this high school. There were actually nine kids total but these four, plus Oana (who attended the other high school), were the only ones to complete the program and graduate. Peris only goes through 10th grade (and may only go through 8th grade starting soon) and this makes it difficult for the kids to get good jobs. With a 12th grade diploma these kids will have more opportunities open to them.

Marin and Marian Stefan have already signed themselves out of the orphanage (they can do this when they reach the age of 18) and are living with family. Marian Pana and Ionut will go back to the orphanage for the summer. We're hoping that all of these boys will decide to join our transition program in the fall. The transition program will teach them practical life skills to help them live on their own and help them get jobs and places to live.

Continue to pray for these boys as they start out on their own. Also pray that the kids at Peris will continue to have this opportunity open to them. There may be some directior changes at the orphanage soon and we're unsure of what the outcome may be and how it could affect our kids.

Praise God for His continued good work in our kids!

Sensory Play

If you follow me on Facebook you know that a few days ago I made rainbow pasta for my Life Skills (a.k.a. play therapy) kids. I thought it turned out really cool and was excited to see how the kids reacted to it.

I tried it on Monday with several kids and it didn't go over very well. They would pick up a few strands, smell it, move it around in the box, and then ask to play with something else. I figured it was a bust but I kept the box of spaghetti thinking that, since I had spent so much time making it, I could at least try again with another group of kids later that week.

So, on Wednesday, I met with my second set of Life Skills kids. I pulled out the spaghetti and put a few plastic jewels in it hoping to entice the kids to at least look through it for a few minutes. I was skeptical though; at this point the box had been in the trunk of our car for a few days and the spaghetti was moist, sticky, and had the sickly-sweet smell of gluten. Not exactly what I would call enticing.

I set the box out and called in one of the kids who I thought might like it. We started with a worksheet but before I could even get going with it they had spotted the box. Within minutes they were wrist deep in the spaghetti smooshing it around and grabbing it by the fistful. They loved it! After about 10 or 15 minutes the child was ready to move on but it held their attention and helped with some of the other issues we'd been having in sessions.

Child #1, they definitely enjoyed the spaghetti. 

I left the box out for the next child who I also thought might benefit from it and they reacted the exact same way. I tried to start with another activity but they grabbed the box of spaghetti before I could even finish with the introduction. This child was even more into sensory play than the first child. They grabbed the spaghetti, squished it, listened to how it sounded, smelled it, and then began to take it in and out of the box in piles. At that point I wished that I had a plastic mat instead of a cloth one and that the spaghetti wasn't so sticky that it basically became glued to every surface it touched but the point of the session was to allow the child to explore and process on their own. So, I let it happen (and later spent 10 minutes trying to sweep sticky spaghetti off the floor).

Making a huge pile with the spaghetti noodles.

Really wishing I had a plastic mat right about now...

I don't know if the spaghetti box will be sticking around, it's basically a mushy pile of dirty, smelly spaghetti noodles now, but I think some different sensory play activities will be incorporated into sessions for sure.

Life Skills

I'm really excited to announce that I have started my Life Skills groups/classes/meetings at Peris! For the last two and a half weeks I have been meeting with about 10 kids for 30-45 minutes each to help discuss problems they may be having. Some of them are very aggressive, some have trouble expressing their emotions appropriately, some are anxious and depressed, some have trouble sitting still...and I meet with them and work on these issues with them.

In Life Skills we use the sand tray to illustrate things we may be thinking, feeling, or experiencing.

We also use fun sensory objects like rainbow spaghetti to help process sensations.

This is really the work that I love doing. I love seeing kids learn to empower themselves and work through their issues. The kids enjoy it and will come up to me any time I'm at the orphanage and ask when we're going to be meeting together again. There are even kids who stand at the door to our meeting room and ask me every time I poke my head out if they can come meet with me too.

Working with the miniatures is really fun!

I hope to share a little more about my work with the kids. For privacy purposes I can't reveal too much information about the kids that I'm working with or the problems that they're facing but I can let you know how to pray for them.

Processing things about our strengths and weaknesses by using the miniatures and the doll house.

Learning that we can face scary or difficult things by working with the miniatures.

I'm still continuing to help with Character Classes and Youth Group at both Peris and Voluntari. It's nice to have a little break in between Life Skills days. Seeing five kids in just three hours is intense! Especially when they all want to dump out all the toy miniatures and throw sand and rainbow pasta around the room.

Talking about how we can handle some of the issues that we face.

Exploring emotions through play.

Today will be my third session with some of the kids and I'm already starting to see improvements. Pray for me and the kids as we begin to talk about some of challenges they are facing. Also, pray for the attitudes and mentalities of the orphanage staff. It's not an easy task to look after these kids every day and some of them aren't qualified to deal with the problems these kids present with. Pray for continued connections with the kids and that I will have the ability to help them build a safe space for sharing and growing.

I'm Back

I didn't make any big announcements about it but for the last two weeks I have been in the States on a brief furlough. Because my visit was so short I decided to keep it on the down low and focus on trying to see family.

Visiting my grandmother and grandfather.

I was able to celebrate Christmas with my family and spend a week with my nephew (who just turned 1) and sister-in-law.

Dinner with some of my family.

I also did some "housekeeping" type things like going to the dentist and taking a continuing education class.

My nephew reading his Romanian children's Bible that I got him for his birthday.

It was truly a blessing to be able to go back to the States for a visit. Typically we have to wait a whole year before we get any furlough but, because I came in July and the summer is our busiest time of year, I probably wouldn't have gotten to come home for almost 18 months. Thankfully I have a very understanding boss who allowed me to have a short little visit with my family.

My mom, me, and my aunt Becky at the University of Georgia gymnastics meet in Athens, GA.

I arrived back here in Romania earlier today and have been unpacking and trying to get my body adjusted back to this time zone. I took a nap earlier today which typically would be a big no-no but I kept it short and during a time when I would normally nap anyways.

Lounging with my parents' dog, Luke. I miss having a pet!

Tomorrow I jump into planning for play therapy sessions and helping with Character Classes and Youth Group again!

Me and my dad at the College Football Hall of Fame.

This is my life now...

I have come to accept the fact that winter looks a lot different for me now than it did when I was living in the States.

This was the weather report from Sunday here in Romania.

While it's been in the 10's and 20's (Fahrenheit) all week here in Romania, it's been in the 40's and 50's in Georgia. It's making packing for a two week visit rather hard.

Also, just because there is snow on the ground doesn't mean that I get a day off. Instead, we shovel a path out to the car, dig out the trusty old Opal (a type of car made here in Europe), and pray that we don't hit a patch of ice on the way to the orphanage. So far, so good.

A serene picture of the front corner of our house. There is actually a driveway under there somewhere and you can see how deep the snow is on the steps and around the landing where Talitha cleared it. We had about 5-6 inches total.

One thing I haven't gotten used to (and may never) is the kids thinking it is great fun to throw handfuls of snow in your face. They are quick and quiet with their attacks and don't seem to understand why having freezing cold, dirty snow melting all over your face, hair, and clothes isn't a great idea.

Having a true winter is going to take some getting used to for this Southern girl but at least I have a good radiator in my room, lots of warm blankets, snow boots, and wool socks.

Bring on 2016!

So, I realize that for the entire month of December I was MIA from my blog. I don't know what to say except that December was this weird vortex of craziness that I may never emerge from...but I mean that in a good way.

My girl Denisa and I.

A lot went down in December...I finished my language lessons, I learned to drive standard, I moved 1.5 times (it's kind of hard to explain...), I helped deliver a lot of Christmas presents, I taught Youth Group in Romanian, I celebrated Christmas...and that's just the quick and dirty summary. I suggest we just start anew with January and I'll try to be a better blogger.

Love to see Daniel in a happy, none-tantrum-throwing mood.

Right now I'm in a really good head space. I love my job. I love Romania. I love the kids. I'm excited about 2016. This will be the year I finally get down to my ideal weight (and stay there), find love, blog more, and learn to enjoy cleaning house (ok, so my goals are a little lofty...maybe really lofty...). Ok, so if none of those things happen I'll still be fine. But seriously, I've felt really good the last few weeks even though I have been insanely busy. Actually insane doesn't begin to cover it but that's the best word I could come up with for the moment (this is what lack a lack of sufficient, quality sleep will do to a person).

Robi looking quite grown up with his Christmas presents.

Right now we are in the midst of hosting our Holiday Team. We've done some orphanage visits, handed out some gifts, and today we had a little "spectacol" ("show") where the kids danced and did skits. I was in my happy place this afternoon riding in the back of the van with some of the girls from the orphanage piled on top of me, holding my hands, and napping on my shoulder. I've had some awesome moments of just holding kids in my arms lately and there's nothing I love more than just snuggling with a kid.

Marian and I.

I hope that your 2016 started with you being in a good head space too. I'm praying that it continues and that this new year holds more kid snuggles and full hearts. And maybe a little more sleep.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yesterday (Saturday) we celebrated Thanksgiving in Romania. It's not an actual holiday here, just something us Americans do to make us feel a little more at home. I know we're early but half of our American staff was leaving for a month of furlough today (Sunday) so we decided to go ahead and celebrate (because having just Jen and I attempt to feed almost 60 people would have meant a whole lot more tears and at least one guaranteed mental breakdown for each of us).

I love celebrations in Romania because it brings together so many people (some who I haven't seen the rest of the year), laughter, stories, and great food. Our Thanksgiving was a nice little way to merge an American tradition with Romanian culture.

Part of the celebration included a time for sharing what we were thankful for over the past year. Some of the things that we gave thanks for were the recent engagement of two of the transition graduates, the new transition kids and the transition program, safety and protection, and friends who have helped us and been there for us.

We took a little time to celebrate Emi's brithday (he just turned 5)...

and when the celebration was over Jenny broke out the first of the Christmas decorations.

My first Thanksgiving in Romania was a lot of fun and helped put me in the holiday mood. This next month is going to be all kinds of crazy with prep for the holiday team, prep for Christmas, getting my ministry programming figured out, moving to a new house, and all the usual day to day stuff but I pray that it will result in some special moments and new memories.