Big News!

This is really an exciting time for us. We will soon be applying with Heart 2 Heart International Ministries to be full time missionaries to orphaned children in Romania! You probably guessed that our two trips to Romania had tremendous impacts on our lives. After our first trip we felt we needed to go back for a longer time, which happened when we went to camp. Now after camp we have increasingly heard God's call to go minister to these kids full time. We were actually praying about this before we went to camp and were hoping that we would get our answer there.

During camp we were a little confused, we really enjoyed it but it was really hard too and we doubted that we could do this full time. But we learned that we need to rely on God and not ourselves in order to be used by him. When we came back from camp we stepped up our prayers and asked many people to pray for us that we would be able to discern what God wanted us to do. We have been able to focus on the tremendous good that happened at camp when God used us to touch the lives of these kids. Our desire to go has only increased since leaving and we have felt much affirmation from our family, friends, church, and H2H staff. God has called us to be love to these kids who don't often get to experience love. We want Him to use us wherever He wants, so we are going ahead trying to be very flexible and open to his voice.

So now we will start the process. We will apply and once our application is approved we will start planning and support raising. We are thinking that we will sell just about everything we own, like our house, cars, furniture, and whatever else we can't take with us. We'll have to raise support for our ministry, which we will have more details about later. We can't thank enough those who supported us on our previous trips, it is great to have so many people behind us.

This is an incredible step of faith for us, and we are trusting that if this is God's will He will make it happen. We are surrendering our lives fully to him and are stepping out in obedience to Him. It is all for his glory, and not of ourselves, because it's all about Him.

More On Week 2 Camp

Week two was a week of great relationships. Since the kids were a little older than the last group we were able to communicate more with them and talk about some deeper things. We still did lots of fun things too, and the kids' favorite things to do were still hiking up the mountain, going swimming, and singing at the campfire.

I made a great friendship with Elena (a popular name if you hadn't guessed that already). Elena loved to talk to me and have me try to understand. It was really hard because she talked really fast, but it was lots of fun. She would sound out words and have me follow along sound for sound until I was able to pronounce the word. We also enjoyed weaving lanyards together, which is actually how we met, she showed me how to create a lanyard.

Elena had lots of friends and we all hung out together sometimes. One very memorable time was when we were sitting at a picnic table together with Florenta, one of the translators. They tried to teach me a song in Romanian, and I sung some songs in English. I had them ask me questions like how was America different, what do I like to do, and what was it like where I live.

Elena's sister Christina and I also got close after I learned that she spoke very good English. She is in the blue in the pictures. She was shy about speaking but once she asked me a question in English, I was so surprised. I asked her a lot about herself and we got to know each other. She even acted as a translator for me sometimes and she was very good at it. I encouraged her to continue speaking English so that she could become a H2H translator some day.

Elena and Christina had a brother named Aurel who was also very nice. They were such a great family. I later learned that their father was a police man and was killed, and their mother is either not well or not alive either. So they are living in the orphanage with no one to be their parents. Thankfully their relatives are keeping their home for them so that they can go there after they get out of the orphanage around the age of 18. Most of the kids don't even have that to look forward to.

This is a typical scene after taking a picture, the kids always wanted to see the pictures on the camera.

Everyone enjoyed being with Ionut, a cute little guy who was just so cuddly. He always wanted to be picked up and if you said not now he would say puhleease! Rebecca grew very close to Kristin during the week and it was great watching their friendship increase.

Some of the kids leading songs by the campfire.

Mark & Christi hanging out.

More On Week 1 Camp

Week one was so fun and yet so challenging. This was the youngest group and boy did they have a lot of energy. We were on team portocaliu, which is orange, and we had quite a group. We spent a lot of time chasing our kids around because they were always running all over when they were supposed to be doing the activities with our team. By the end of the week we just let the kids run free because we didn't have the energy left to chase them around. It was still lots of fun though.

We bonded a lot with our team of volunteers too, Kristin, Lindsey, and George.

Mark stayed in a cabin with Petrisor, Bogdan, Claudiu, Marin, & Florin during the week. He had the craziest cabin of all and on the first night the boys wouldn't go to bed. After lots of staff coming in to try to help we finally got to sleep at 1:30AM. Then the boys got up at 6:30 so Mark had to keep them busy by running around hay bails to get some of that energy out. The rest of the week was much better and we told Bible stories and scary stories before bed. The boys wanted a really scary story the last night so they got it! The best part was at the scariest point they all yelled "Ghatta!" which means "enough". Yet they still wanted to hear the end. Mark's story telling lead to widespread fame because when some people from Bucharest came the third week they were asking about the stories.

Rebecca helping with crafts.

Some kids trying their first smores ever. They really liked them!

The whole camp - all the volunteers are wearing green.

Thanks Fairhaven!

On Sunday we were able to share a little about our time at camp with our church and it was great. Early last week we were asked to if we would be willing to talk about our trip and show some pictures. We had been wanting to do this so we were very excited. At each service we went up in front of church with a microphone, and Pastor Doug (our pastor of missions and multiplication) asked us some questions. Our pictures were being shown up on the big screens so that people could see what we did in addition to hearing. First we talked about what we did at camp. Then we talked about the most significant/impacting thing that happened at camp, so we told about our relationship with Elena. Third we told about some of the ongoing needs in Romania which are prayer, funding, and most of all people to go there and love the kids. Last we told a couple prayer requests. The congregation clapped for us a when we started and ended and we could tell that people were very interested in what we did. Many people that we didn't know came up afterward to us to talk about it and to show their support. We just felt so good because of the positive reaction. We just want to thank everyone at Fairhaven for their prayers and their support!

We are hoping that our church can partner with Heart 2 Heart to help minister to the orphans there, and our biggest hope is that many people will be inspired to go. There are short term trips happening all the time, and they are listed on the website: www.heart2heartint.org These trips are good for going there the first time because you are exposed to all the different sides of the ministry and you learn a lot about the Romanian culture. Longer term trips like what we just did are great to build solid relationships with kids. We are so thankful that we had the opportunity to go and we're praying that more people step up to the plate.

Letter From Elena!

I am so excited right now! We just received a letter from Elena, who I wrote about here: http://weloveorphans.blogspot.com/2008/08/elena-b-our-daughter-in-christ.html Elena is so special to us and getting a letter from her just made us so happy. It was a very sweet letter, in it she says how glad she was to meet us and thanks us for everything we did with her. She thanked us for talking to her, eating at her table, racing, giving her a necklace, letting her carry my backpack on the hike, and more. All those things meant so much to her and it's great that we can all cherish those times we had together.

We really do love Elena very much, and she returns that love. It is amazing to be able to pour out Gods love and it is also amazing to receive it. Elena also wished us good health and all of our desires to come true. I hope this one does: to see her again soon. We really want to be there for her to hug her and support her and be able to love her. She is really tugging on our hearts, it's amazing how God works, isn't it?!?

How Romanian Orphan Summer Camp Was Run

There are so many details from camp that we haven't had a chance to talk about yet, so now we are going to try to fill in the gaps with a series of posts. First I'll go over the structure of camp and how we ran the program most of the time.

We took kids from 5 different orphanages around the Bucharest area - Peris, Risiori de Vede (3 from there), and Voluntar. The kids would arrive on Monday morning or afternoon, always at a differnent time and never right when we expected them. When the kids got to camp after a 2-3 hour drive we would take them to registration tables to get them set up in their teams. We split the kids into 4 teams: portocaliu (orange), galbin (yellow), verde (green), and albastru (blue). The teams were mixed between orphanages and each had at least two translators in addition to us volunteers.

Then we gave each kid a toiletry kit with toothpaste, deodorant, soap, etc. Then they got a camp shirt and a brand new pair of shoes, which they were really exited about. A side note: most of those supplies we gave them were donated from our church for the container we sent to Romania last year. We then gave the kids their cabin assignments. They were in cabins with kids from their own orphanages so they would feel more comfortable sleeping. At least one volunteer had to sleep in the cabins with the kids so we got our assignments at that time too.

After all this we would take a hike up the mountain which the kids really loved. We would play games and hang out at the top until the kids got board, then we'd go back down. After that we would have free time until dinner where kids could work on crafts or jump on the trampoline. After dinner we would play a large group game like capture the flag or ultimate Frisbee. The last thing of the night would be the campfire where we would sing songs, have skits, and pull fun pranks on kids.

The rest of the week we would start off with a VBS skit after breakfast and maybe some singing. Then we would go into rotations that supported the lesson, such as games, crafts, memory verse, and story discussion. Then we would have lunch and after that the kids had to go to their cabins for quiet time, which was required by the Romanian government. We would also go to cabins even if we weren't sleeping there in order to get to know the kids better. After that we had structured free time where we would hike, go swimming, do crafts, jump on the trampoline, play cards, or go to the store in the village. Before dinner we would usually get back together to play a group game and then we'd do a game again after dinner. Then we'd have campfire and bedtime right after.

When Saturday came it was usually a sad time because the kids had to leave. Their buses usually weren't on time so we had lots of long goodbyes, with a bit of crying and lots of hugs and kisses. When the kids were gone we would clean up the camp and get it ready for the next group to come. We'd have some free time to relax, do laundry, go hiking or swimming, go horseback riding, etc. We would usually go into Curte de Arges and eat at McDonald's so we could give our cooks a break, and then we could go to the Internet cafe.

So that's generally what each week looked like. Each week had its differences so I will soon be writing more about each one, with more pictures.

Elena B, Our Daughter In Christ

The first day of the last week of camp we took the kids on a long hike and ended up by the soccer field. Some kids didn't want to play soccer and neither did I because it's too competitive so we played frisbee instead. We played in circles throwing the frisbee to the next person, and after a while there weren't many kids still playing. One girl that I ended up playing with was Elena. We had lots of fun. Through the rest of the week I didn't really see her much because I was leading games and she wasn't on my team.

By the end of the week I could hardly remember what we did at the beginning, and I was really tired. There was going to be a long hike to the monastery, and I didn't really feel like going. But at the last minute I had a thought, this was going to be the last hike I could go on with the kids, so I really should go. So I went and somehow ended up talking to Elena through Sarah the interpreter. I asked her what she liked about camp and she said everything, especially the games, and she said she liked having me run the games. Then she talked about us playing frisbee and I remembered. I couldn't believe that I had forgotten about that. So we talked some more, I asked her more questions and we had a lot of fun talking.

She told me that her favorite subject was physical education and that she likes to run, so I suggested that maybe we could race when we got back. She was so excited! She said that she had wanted to ask me to race the whole week but was too shy, and that she was so happy that I wanted to race her. She said that racing me would make camp so much better for her. And then she said what I'll never forget: that she would love it if I was her dad. My heart totally melted and I felt a such a strong connection with her. We talked more and enjoyed exploring the monastery together.

Later that night we had a dance party for the kids before the campfire. Elena was standing off to the side and I really wanted to talk more since it was the last night. So I asked her if she wanted to talk and she did so we went to a cabin porch with Sarah and Rebecca came too. Rebecca had been in Elena's cabin for quiet time so they had talked a little too, but Elena is quite shy so she hadn't opened up in that setting. So we talked for a long time, telling her all about us and she told us all about herself. She told us that she had gone home to her mom from the orphanage once and it was so bad there that she ran 25 km until she could get a taxi back to the orphanage. She has had a really rough life. But she said that she enjoyed going to church and singing in the choir and that she has accepted Jesus into her life, which made us overjoyed! She also said that she was so excited to see the Americans and that she could tell that we were different from the way we acted, as in how we lovingly interacted with eachother. She told us that she would like both of us as her parents which just made us so overjoyed. When we were done we told her we would keep in touch and be praying for her a lot, which we already have been doing. Saying goodbye to her the next morning was so hard, knowing that she is going back to her orphanage and that we can't be there for her.

It's so amazing that a relationship this deep can be formed in such a short amount of time. It really goes to show how starved these kids are for true love that they are missing from not having loving parents. It was such an awesome feeling to know that God was pouring out his love through us and I can only have faith that he'll continue to use people to pour love into the kids' lives.

Elena and Mark on the hike to the monastery.

Elena standing by some pretty flowers by the monastery.

Elena with both of us looking a lot like a family.

The epic race, guess who won - she is really fast!

Monasteries of Romania

While we were in Romania we were able to see several churches and monasteries. They are typically very beautiful and ornate and fun to see. The most unique monastery was one that is built into the face of a cliff. This was about an hour hike from camp over some mountains and over a river. The monastery was used by early Christians to hide from persecution, as it was well hidden and at that time only had a door small enough to crawl through. It has been used by 4 civilizations and is pretty well preserved for how old it is. It was really exciting to see because it is carved right out of the rock and it is so full of history.

The current doorway is by the white wall.

The inside is painted beautifully. The whole ceiling is painted but it is so old that it can hardly be made out as painting.

This is inside the middle window up above.

This is the doorway to the monastery at Curtea De Arges, the nearest town to camp. We went here on the second weekend after the kids left. The inside was very beautiful, with gold inlay and plating everywhere. There was a priest sitting down inside who at first we thought was a wax statue but then he moved and we were a little startled.

The outside of the monastery at Curtea De Arges. This monastery is on the Romania $1 bill.

Okay, now I'm cheating a little bit. We saw this monastery at Sinaia when we went there on our last trip to Romania. It was this monastery that attracted the first king to build his castle nearby.

The bell tower at Sinaia.

This is a typical Icon on the outside of a church. It is actually a mural, not a painting.

The Beauty of Summer Camp

Now that we're back home we will be telling more about our camp experience and adding LOTS more pictures. The camp and the surrounding area was so beautiful and serene, just like we had imagined it. This was a great place to have camp because most of the kids don't get out of their orphanages, and the area they live is very flat. Plus they all live in cities so coming out to the mountainous country was a very different experience for them. It was great for us too because we could experience God's glory through his magnificent creation.

The camp had several small cabins which the kids and some staff stayed in. There were also a dining pavilion and several small ponds. There was a pool but we didn't use it because it wasn't kept up. The camp owner is building a house out of clay and straw in the bottom of the picture.

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The mountains were very beautiful, especially at night.

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This is the river that we would hike down to for swimming. The kids all really had a blast swimming because it's something they almost never get to do.

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On the mountains almost all the fields look like this.

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Villagers harvest all the fields by hand and pile the hay up in stacks like this.

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When the hay dries out they move it by horse cart to their barns so they can feed their animals during the winter. The villagers live very simple lives and they work really hard. Sometimes I wouldn't mind living like that, without the stresses of a busy schedule and lots of obligations. This would be a wonderful area to live with all the beauty all around.

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This is an old horse/hay barn in the camp.

Some flower pictures from up on the mountain.

Hopefully you can see from the pictures why we loved this place and why the kids did too. Maybe next year camp will be here again.

Finally Home!

Oh, airlines. We should have been writing this update when we arrived home on Wednesday evening, but we didn't make it home then. When we got to Amsterdam in the morning we looked at our flight status on the screen and it said "Tomorrow." We were in disbelief, but it only got better. We went up to the arrivals counter and they told us that our flight was delayed and that we wouldn't be leaving until Friday (today). Apparently the pilot had been sick and the flight from the day before was delayed too, so there were a lot of people trying to get home. They told us that there was no posibility of catching another flight or going to a different airport, which we found pretty hard to believe, but what could we do? So they put us up in a nice hotel with all meals included. The airport and hotel were too far from the city to walk, and there was nothing around them. The problem with that was that we spent all of our money in Romania, and we didn't have a PIN for our credit card so we couldn't use it. We tried to get a cash advance from a bank with the card and my passport, which they said usually works, but it didn't. We called the credit card company twice and they said it should work but it didn't, so we had no money at all.

Fun stuff. The airline also gave us a 5 minute phone card, which was just barely enough to call my dad and let him know since he was planning on picking us up from the airport. We weren't able to get our luggage, so we were stuck with only our carry ons which didn't have clean clothes or our toiletries. The airline gave us some temporary toiletry kits which got us through, so we made it. We also didn't know when our flight would be so we had to check back later.

The airport had a nice mall in it but one can only walk around the same place so many times before getting bored. So we decided to take a walk by the hotel because we could see across the field that there were some houses over there. So we walked through a field that had ponys, miniature horses, and large horses. Then we walked for about an hour and ended up in a small villiage on a canal. It was very nice and the houses were typical Dutch archetecture. So even though we didn't get to go into Amsterdam we at least got to see some real Dutch sights.

So we left the hotel this morning at 6:00 and the plane departed around 9:00. When we got to Detroit we made it through customs, and it was like everyone knew about our flight. One said "Oh, you were on THAT flight, how could they delay it for 2 days?". It was pretty funny. We had to rebook our next flight and they put us on the very next one to Grand Rapids, even at the expense of possibly bumping others because we had already waited so long. In the end I don't think anyone had to be bumped but it was nice knowing that they gave us priority.

So now we're home, it's kind of wierd after having been gone for more than 5 weeks. This is just the beginning of our journey, now we start processing our emotions and trying to figure out what our next steps are. We want to share our story with everyone we know so we will keep updating this blog with pictures and more details of our trip. We also want to get together with everyone that we know soon so we can talk all about it. We really love sharing our experience with people and this trip was so amazing that there is a ton to tell.