We had a wonderful time and our lives will never be the same. We were very touched by the orphans there and they will always be in our hearts. We wanted to say thank you for your support, it really means a lot to us that our family and friends were behind us for this trip.
Our purpose in going to Romania was to show Gods love to the orphans and to let them know that people out there do care for them. We wanted God to use us so that we could make everlasting impressions on these kids, so that some day they might grow up to know the Lord.
Going on the trip with people from our church was very nice because we were able to get together a few times before the trip to get to know each other. We were a very tight team and our openness was great. We worked together well at the baby hospital and the orphanage. We really grew a lot personally and as a team as the week went on.
We went to the baby hospital several times and really were touched by the kids there. The abandoned babies really need to be held, talked to, played with, and loved in order to develop normally. Without the missionaries and teams that work with them they may not know what the unconditional love of another is like. There were 5 children here that we cared for, and they were all very precious. The picture below shows us holding Ionut and Florika. Ionut has Cerebral Palsy, but he is very aware of his surroundings. He liked to go and look at cars out the window.
Florika is a perfectly healthy little girl, and she really stole our hearts. You can see in the next picture that we really felt a connection with her, and if Romania was open for international adoption we would adopt her in a heartbeat. She liked to play with Mark’s glasses and nametag and she also liked to stand up with a little help. She is developing so well, it is really a testimony of the care she receives from the full time missionaries and teams like ours that are there often.
Aristitsa, on the left in the picture above, has a genetic disorder that caused her fingers and toes to all stay together, and she also has respiratory problems. She is still pretty healthy though, and she liked to stand and has very strong legs. She was a real sweetheart too. Someone is sponsoring her to come to the USA and have surgery, by a doctor who is doing it for free. Wow!
The other two kids here were Dragoche and Mariana. Dragoche liked Rebecca and was very cuddly with her. Mariana has CP but was in a different room.
Going to the baby hospital was a great experience and we are so thankful that we had the opportunity to go there and love the kids. The hardest part was leaving, not knowing what the future holds for them. We really must trust that God has a plan for them and that he loves them and will take care of them.
We also went to an orphanage just outside of Bucharest and that was a great time too. The kids there were really happy that we were there and they were really starved for loving attention. We were able to put on a skit about Jesus and the Easter story for them and help with crafts. Some people played soccer which most of the kids just loved. We played mostly with the younger kids, playing tag, walking hand in hand, and playing other games too. The kids were excited when they found out that we were married, because they don’t see loving married couples that often. Some of them liked to pretend that they were our child, which was so touching and it made us realize how much they long for a family.
Rebecca got her hair braided by one of the boys, and lots of the girls got their nails painted, hair braided, and other fun things that they don’t always get to do.
The picture below shows Mark with his little guy, Bogdan. He loved piggy back rides and would bounce up and down like he was on a galloping horse. We rolled wheels across the play area to each other which was really fun. He found a spark maker from a lighter which didn’t work, but Mark would pretend to be shocked and he laughed. He also liked blowing bubbles. He really did have fun and laughed and giggled, and that made it so worth being there.
One other thing about the kids at the orphanage is that they don’t get to play with men very much because the majority of volunteers that go on these trips are women. So that meant that the boys all wanted to wrestle and swing around and go for piggy back rides. They need positive male role models so it was great for Mark to be there for them. It was so very great to see the joy that these kids were experiencing, because they don’t get this sort of interaction every day.
We also went to the boys and girls transition houses which are where some kids can go after they are too old for the orphanages. They learn job skills and how to take care of themselves. One thing we were surprised about is that they typically don’t know how to take showers because all they have in the orphanages are tubes sticking out of the walls that blast out water. We got to spend some time with hanging out with them and encouraging them. They were very nice and we really enjoyed hanging out with the guys because some of them knew pretty good English.
The picture below is a typical yard/house in a small village. This was the village where the boys transition house was. Walking through we felt like we had gone back in time. Most of the fields for crops are around the outside of the village, and the yards are typically gardens like this one.
We also did some sight seeing, like going to the open air market, the glass district, the Palace of the Parliament, the revolution tour, and the Peles castle at Sinaia. We ate a lot of good food and the team house was wonderful. It was great to get to know the Heart to Heart staff and we now realize what a great mission this is.
This trip was totally amazing and has left us yearning for more. We were able to have a lasting impact on these kids. God used us to pour out his love to the orphans and it was so great to see the orphans receiving it. We will be constantly thinking and praying about all the orphans and those that God has entrusted to care for them. Please also keep them in your prayers. You can check out the webpage to read more about H2H and the orphans here: http://www.heart2heartint.org/index.php Thanks again for your support!
