Week 2 Camp

Wow, week two of camp is already over. We had a great time again with around 45 kids mostly from the ages of 12-14. This group as a whole was easier to work with because they didn't have the endless energy of the younger group last week. We ran basically the same program as last week, and it worked out well. The kids really enjoyed jumping on the trampoline, going to the river and swimming, and hiking up the mountain. They were really into the skits. Of course there were also some challenging kids but we let them do their own thing and sometimes put them to work, which they actually enjoyed.

Mark didn't stay in a cabin this week because there were more male staff that came. It was also nice to have a break from staying in the cabin because last week was a bit chaotic. The kids loved the campfires and really enjoyed singing. Some of them would also break out into singing at random times durring the week. One of their favorites was King of Kings and Lord of Lords (in Romanian of course). Some of the kids spoke a little english so we could get to know them better without translators.

The weather has been great, it rained one afternoon but that was it. It's been in the 80's and sunny, pretty nice. The one down side to that is that we're running low on water, which was also a problem last week. Most of our water is from mountain springs, and when they dry up we have to get a tank full transported in. We have been enjoying bathing in the river since we can't take showers. The river is really beautiful. We can't wait to post pictures when we get back home, and we have even taken some videos. We were able to check e-mail so we appreciate all of the support we've gotten. We would appreciate continued prayers too! Until next week...

Camp Update

Hi Everyone, we are here in a small city outside of the camp, and finally found an internet cafe to write an update. The first week of camp is already done! We had a great time and so did the kids. It was also very challenging with some behavior problems that a few kids had, but it has caused us to grow a lot. There were 43 kids from the ages of 6-12, and they all slept in cabins. Mark slept in a cabin with a group for all but one night, which was quite something! They were so excited it was really hard to get them to bed. Mark told some bedtime stories that the kids really loved, they wanted to hear them over and over. Rebecca slept in a tent with some other girl volunteers, as there weren't as many girls in cabins to watch over. Some of the orphanage workers slept in the girls cabins. Most of them enjoyed being at camp and seemed to actually care for the kids.

The kids left today and it was very emotional since we had become attached to lots of kids, and they didn't want to leave, which is so understandable. We got lots of hugs and kisses and had lots of cuddle time. One kid, Claudiau, asked us to come to the orphanage to see him again, and we were told that he usually doesn't get attached to people, so we are hoping that after camp we will be able to do that.

The rest of the kids' summer will be spent back at the orphanage with nothing to do. So this week of camp was the highlight of their summer and we tried to make it as fun as possible. Some highlights were climbing up the mountain with kids, going swimming in the river, playing games and doing crafts, and of course the campfire times. The camp is so beautiful and the weather has been great! We can't wait to sh0w pictures but we won't be able to until after we get back. This has been amazing so far and also such a blessing for us and the kids. Thanks for your prayers and e-mails, we really appreciate your support!!!!

Orientation and Relaxation

Today we had orientation and we learned about what to expect from this trip. Even though we've been here before it was still good to go through this, as it just reminded us of why we're here. Our primary goal should be to glorify and worship God and through that he will use us to work in the lives of the kids. Prayer was also highly emphasized and it is so true that we are going to need a lot of it during this trip. Praying for protection from Satan's attacks is so important and is probably our number one request.

We're feeling pretty good right now, we slept really well our first night so we're hoping that the jetlag is just about done. When we weren't busy with the orientation we hung out with our team and relaxed. The girls from the transition house came and we went swimming with them and had a blast playing with a beach ball. We had Shwarma for dinner, which is a Romanian version of a Gyro, with a pita, chicken, french fries, cabbage, pickles, and catsup. They were very good.

Rebecca and I are going to be the materials managers at camp, meaning that we will help make sure the right things are in the right places at the right times. This should be a challenging task but we did want to help with things like this so it is a good opportunity to do that.

Tomorrow we head to camp, so we are gearing up for that. Now it's time to go to bed and get some much needed rest.

We Have Arrived!

Well, we made it here in one piece. Our flights went as well as they could, they were on time and all our luggage made it here. Only one person had some missing luggage, so out of 19 that isn't too bad. When we stepped out of the airport it was really hot, in the mid 90's, and very humid. I guess it's not too much different than hot days in Michigan, it just hasn't been there yet. Some of us went swimming in the pool, which was really nice and refreshing. We are all really tired and are trying to stay awake until sunset, which is about an hour yet. We are 7 hours ahead of home, and because of flying we will be going to sleep for the first time in 26 hours. Hopefully the jet lag will be minimized by us staying up like this, it will help our bodies adjust.

We are getting to know our team here which is great, because we'll be working a lot with them. We will be going through orientation tomorrow and then Saturday we will head out to camp, a day early, so we can have enough time to set it all up. I'm quite sure that we won't be able to post once we get there so I am going to try and post some pictures before we head out.

It is still feeling a little unreal that we're back here again. Once we start tomorrow it is going to be a very busy rest of the summer.

How To Contact Us And See Other Camp News

While we are on our mission trip we hope to be able to post updates here and to also e-mail out notifications about the postings. There is a chance though that once we get to camp we won't have much access to the Internet, so we won't be able to post much. There will be whole camp updates posted on a more frequent basis, so if you don't hear from us on this blog then you might want to check out this forum: http://www.heart2heartint.org/h2hBB/viewforum.php?f=6

You can also use that forum to get in touch with us, instead of e-mailing, because we may have limited access to e-mail as well. You can register on that forum for free and you won't get spam from it, trust me, I've been registered there since our last trip. Once you are registered you can create a post or add to one where you can send us words of encouragement or other notes, and we'll get them while we're out at camp. Otherwise we may not be able to check our e-mail until we're back in the city toward the end of the trip. We hope to hear from you on the forum as it will be nice to hear from loved ones back home. Thanks!

Prayer Requests For Our Trip

Prayer is so important. We are very privileged to have a God that listens to and values our prayers to him. That's why we would like to ask anyone reading this to pray for several things having to do with our trip. We appreciate your prayers very much and want to thank you in advance for partnering with us in prayer. Here is a list, which I'm sure doesn't cover all the possibilities, but it is a start.

Pray that:
-We and all the volunteers have safe travels to and from and inside Romania.
-The orphans will also be safe in their travels to camp and while they're there.
-That we can effectively show the orphans the love of God and that God will change their lives.
-That we'll all just have a great time.
-That we'll stay healthy.
-That we'll get enough sleep.
-For patience.
-That others will see what we're doing and be moved to action also.
-Wisdom for running camp.
-That the orphans hearts will be open to the gospel.

Wrapping Things Up

The last few weeks have been very busy for us. Since we are leaving tomorrow and we will be gone for 5 weeks, we have been trying to get together with our family and friends, so we've been on the go a lot and have had a lot of people over. We have really enjoyed seeing everyone, and we're going to miss everyone when we're gone. We are so appreciative of all the support we've received, and we know that we will continue to feel that while we're away.

Sam and Jaden playing together in our basement

We also completed the basement work so that Dave and Holly would have everything they needed while we are gone. The main thing that was left was the bathroom, so we tackled that and finished it not too long ago (you can read about the beginning of the bathroom finishing in a previous post). Our friend Dan came over and we installed the vanity, counter top, and toilet. Dave and helped but left the plumbing up to him since he used to do that as a living. Dave and I hung the towel bars and then Rebecca helped me put up the big 48" X 30" mirror.

Dan and Dave working on the plumbing of to the sink

Me working on helping the vanity to fit by taking off some baseboard

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Dave was so happy to finally have a finished bathroom that he hugged the toilet! Actually he was installing the tank, but hey

Dan and I standing in the finished bathroom, minus the towel bars and mirror which were put up later

It feels great to have all that done, and it is so nice for Dave, Holly & Jaden. The basement is now mostly done and all of the important things are finished. So we can have the peace of mind of not leaving any big projects behind.

Summer Camp Schedule

Here is our schedule for the whole trip. I figure by posting this you can keep up with what we are doing and when. This schedule is of course tentative but I would guess it will stay pretty much the same.

Wednesday, June 25 – Depart US
Thursday, June 26 – Arrive in Romania
Friday, June 27 – Orientation
Saturday, June 28 – Orientation/Camp Set-up
Sunday, June 29 – Camp Set-up

Monday, June 30-July 5 – Camp #1
Saturday, July 5 – Kids leave in AM, Clean, rest, reset camp in PM
Sunday July 6 – Day off (rest, laundry, sightsee, etc)

Monday, July 7-July 12 – Camp #2
Saturday, July 12 – Kids leave in AM, Clean, rest, reset camp in PM
Sunday July 13 – Day off (rest, laundry, sightsee, etc)

Monday, July 14-July 19 – Camp #3
Saturday, July 19 – Kids leave in AM, Camp team back to Bucharest
Sunday July 20 – Some of camp team returns home

Monday, July 21-July 26 – Camp #4 (Teen Camp)
Saturday, July 26 – Kids leave in AM, Camp team tears down camp

Sunday, July 27 – Church at AlphaOmega Church
Monday, July 28 – Baby hospital, shopping
Tuesday, July 29 – Debriefing
Wednesday, July 30 – Team departs in AM