Romania 2015- Camp Summary

Days 31-33- July 13-15, 2015

Whew!!! It has been a whirlwind three days!!! Instead of trying to go back and give you daily updates, because to be honest I can’t really remember what happened when and I don’t have pictures to look at to remember; I’m going to give you a highlight reel of camp so far.  I figure tomorrow will earn its very own post seeing as it is the last day of VBS and our last full day with the kids… Just to let you know, picking moments for me is super hard which is why I normally give a daily break down, that way I don’t have to pick and choose what to tell you about…

For these first three days, I spent a day with each of the different groups: Grupa Mic (the youngest ones), The Middle Group, and Grupa Mare (the oldest ones).  Seeing as I love working with littles, I enjoyed my day with Grupa Mic.  And Kristian is the leader of the Middle Group, so I figured that would be fun and it was.  I was most apprehensive about spending the day with Grupa Mare, teenagers aren’t really my strong point.  BUT, God had other plans.  I think that I had the most fun with them!!  A few of them are pretty good at English and several others know enough to kinda communicate.  During games I was brave (for me) and jumped in to play Ducks and Hunters with them.  In typical Amanda fashion, I totally wiped out in front of them.  I was a duck and one of the hunters threw the ball at me to get me out.  I had already been hit once, so being hit again meant I was out of the game.  So I tried to get out of the way…and tripped on the BALL.  Yeah. That happened.  But they were so nice, they ran over to help me up and check on me.  J

That evening we did a scavenger hunt and I volunteered to be the photographer for Grupa Mare.  They had a list of 20 pictures they had to get.  For example they had to take a picture high-fiving Gabi.  So we spent about an hour or so running around camp getting different pictures.  Before doing this I wouldn’t have thought I would have fun, but it really was a blast!! They used me for two of the pictures (someone with blue eyes, and someone with a bag) and a big plus, I have pictures!!! I can’t post them, but at least I have them to remember they kids by.

After the scavenger hunt was the obstacle courses.  Well, I had had enough running around so I parked it on the ground to observe.   One of the teenage girls who is pretty fluent in English sat down next to me.  If you saw my FaceBook update, this is C. I had talked with her a little before that night, but she had seemed kinda stand-offish and like she didn’t want to talk with me.  We joked a little about the games and I made a joke about the bugs wanting to bite me because I’m so sweet.  She really thought that was funny.  That seemed to break the ice between us and she was willing to share her story with me.  (see FB for that)  The next evening, we got out the bracelet stuff during the afternoon session for the kids who didn’t want to play more rocket-wars (more on that later).  I had learned to make the bracelets to be able to help Terrie, our craft guru (more on her later).  C sat at the table across from me and said she wanted a bracelet.  I had her pick a color of thread and cut the pieces for her.  Then I had her pick a charm and beads.  I tied off the ends to get her started and went to tape it in front of her.  She said, “I don’t know how to make it!” I said that’s ok, I’ll teach you.  She responded, “You don’t like me??” At that point I was very confused and said of course I do.  Then figured out she wanted me to make it for her.  So I did! Thankfully it turned out much better than the example one I made!  And I’ve seen her wearing it! Makes my heart happy!!

Another high point: rocket-wars!! I had no idea what rocket-wars were when they were mentioned in our team meeting.  At one point they showed a video to the kids about last year’s camp.  There was a picture of people that looked like they were throwing things at each other.  I turned to Kristian and said that looks fun!  Turns out that was rocket-wars.  To set up, you put a row of chairs down the middle of the room to separate the teams.  Then each team gets a bunch of rockets, these foam things that have a rubber band type thing inside them.  You put the loop on your finger, pull the rocket back, and release!  It goes flying!!! There didn’t seem to be any rules, just hit as many opponents with the rockets as possible.  I don’t know how long I lasted, but for whatever length of time I was in there, it was a BLAST!!! I’m seriously considering buying some for a reward for my kids next year!!

Ugh, I’m having a hard time narrowing it down!!!

Team high point: Terrie.  She reminds me so much of mom.  She’s been super kind to me since the first day.  When I was crying because of leaving Cristi, she gave me a big hug and whispered in my ear how much of a blessing I was.  She’s been there to encourage me when I’m down and laugh with me when I’m laughing.  I’ve spent more and more time with her each day!! I just can’t get enough!!  She is super talented at crafts, like I don’t even come close to comparing and you know how much I love crafts!!!  I told her she has to come back next year to work with the women at Point of Hope.  She’s going to pray about it, would you too??  I plan to spend tomorrow helping her in crafts.  I’m so glad God led her to come on this trip!!

Tonight’s high point: the Talent Show AKA Romania’s Got Talent.  We told the kids about the talent show on Sunday so they’ve been working on their different talents.  The team was welcome to participate as well.  I wasn’t really looking forward to it, not that I didn’t want to go, but I wasn’t overly excited.  Right before it started Tina asked Kristian and I if one of us wanted to be a judge.  We both said yes, so she told us to share the position.  Two other team members were chosen to be judges as well: Melissa and Aubrey (who happens to be Terrie’s daughter).  There were 12 acts, 3 were by the team the rest by kids.  There was dancing, singing, poetry recital, gymnastics, a card trick, tap dancing, flute playing, and the cutest show of strength I’ve ever seen.  We had the best time laughing and singing along!!  Everyone got an award, and I was overjoyed with the experience!!

These highlights don’t even begin to cover the amazing week this has been!  I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!!

Please be in prayer that our last day with the kids is filled with love and happiness.  Pray that our activities point them to Christ.  Please also pray that that bonds we have forged this week will stay with us long past our parting, that we won’t forget these experiences or each other.  And please pray for C, she shared with another team member today that she has several friends who don’t want to be alive and she isn’t sure how to respond to them.  Pray that God gives her the words she needs and comforts her like no one else can.  Thank you again for your prayers so far, God is doing amazing things here in Romania!!

Romania 2015- Day 30

Day 30- July 12, 2015

Today we spent the morning preparing for the kids to arrive and making sure everything was ready for VBS this week.  Around 1 this afternoon, the bus full of kids arrived!  There are about 39 kids from group homes throughout Mures County.  All of them are orphans, most are social orphans which means their parents are alive, but gave them up for some reason.  We aren’t allowed to take their pictures, so my blogs this week won’t include any pictures of the kids.  I’ve taken some of the camp grounds so you can see that. 

Once they had dropped off their luggage, we all sat down for lunch.   After lunch, we took them to the chapel to get acquainted.   The first ice-breaker game we played was a game I found online that is like the name game I play with my students at the start of every school year.  In my version you sit in a circle.  The first person says their name and something they like that starts with the same letter as their first name.  The next person has to say what the first one said and then tell their name and something they like.  Each person has to say everyone in front of them, so by the end you’ve heard everyone’s name many times.  This helps me learn the names quicker!!  The version we played was called Picnic Basket, we were supposed to say our name and something that we would take to a picnic that starts with the same letter as our name.  Since we were such a big group, I said they only had to repeat the one person in front of them.  Well, being such a BIG group turned out to not work so well, so we spilt into a few smaller groups.  What I didn’t take into account was that when you translate some words they don’t start with the same letters.  So in English my example was “my name is Amanda and I would bring apples;” but in Romanian apples doesn’t start with and A, so I had to change it up.  It didn’t work as well because of the sizes of the groups and the translation issues, but we learned some names anyway.  The second game we played was Ships and Sailors.  Brett had the kids play it in VBS last week, so I described it there.  Next we made human knots and had to untangle ourselves.  My group didn’t do so well.  The team that won evidently did it twice and we couldn’t even get halfway untangled!  The last game we played was Mail Call.  I’ve played this before, but I don’t think we called it that.  Everyone sits in a chair in a circle.  One person stands in the middle and calls out a description that would match some of the people sitting around them.  If that description applies to you, you have to get up and run to find another chair.  The person in the middle tries to get one of those chairs.  They had a lot of fun with this game! 

Once the ice had been broken, we gave them some free time to play before dinner.  Krisitan and I went and sat by the soccer fields to watch some kids play soccer.  While we were sitting there, one of the older girls sat near us.  I can’t remember what was said, but we figured out that she knew some English.  So we chatted with her while we watched the others play.  Soon it was time for dinner!! It was a very yummy dish of rice and pork. 

After dinner we went back to the chapel to play some more games.  We split the kids into three teams for VBS based on their ages.  The teams then decided on names.  The oldest group decided on Tigers, the middle on The Brave Ones, and the youngest on Puppies.  (At least I think that’s what they all said, it was loud and I didn’t always catch the translation)  After that we went down to the soccer fields to play some relay games.  First they had to dribble a soccer ball between their teammates who were standing in a line.  Next we tied them to a partner for three-legged races!  It was funny watching them figure out how to walk while tied to a partner.  Some of them didn’t want us to untie them after the races were over; they wanted to get better at it!  Lastly, we had them run sprints.  I was the one of the “end posts” to show them where to turn around and run back to their team.  Most of my team ended up grabbing me to help slow them down so they could turn around!

Finally we sent them to bed!  After a team meeting we got to do the same.  This week is going to be jam packed with activity!!!

Please be praying that we will bond quickly with the kids and that we will have a positive influence in their lives.  Also, please pray that they won’t’ see this time as just play time, but really take something away from the Bible lessons each day.

Romania 2015- Day 29

Day 29- July 11, 2015

Wow, today was such an emotional day!!!  It is one of my least favorite days of the year: my last day at Point of Hope for the year. 

We met the new team at Point of Hope this morning.  There are 15 team members, all from Illinois.   All the kids Point of Hope serves were invited up today for activities, ice cream, and a special gift provided by the sponsors, ACF, and Buckner Ro.  We had the kids broken into age groups and split into four different rooms.  Two of the rooms had two groups: the youngest of the after-school program with a pre-school class.  We brought each group into the café separately and gave each kid an ice cream cone.  After they finished their cone, if they wanted more we gave them another scoop (or three) in a cup.  They loved the cold treat!!!

After ice cream, each group came a got their presents.  It was a bag filled some food stuff and a toy.  It was fun watching them look in the bags and get excited!  I watched as Rebecca and Lorena, the two girls I sponsor, opened theirs.  I wish I had brought them a little something extra!! Next year, I’ll remember!

Once all the kids had left, we ate a pizza lunch.  There was lots of ice cream left over so we decided to go hand it out to the neighborhood at the gate.  It was fun to see people running to get some!  Not just kids too, adults running for ice cream!!!

When all the ice cream had been handed out, we met quickly to determine who would go to what house for some home visits.  I had told Gabi I didn’t need to go since I went last year, but one of Crisiti’s sisters (Simona) asked if I was coming to their house.  Well, you know I couldn’t say no to that!!! So I went with a group to visit.  There were two groups of four that went to the apartments, we were then supposed to split.  Four of us (plus me translator, so six total) to Crisit’s house and four others (plus Mr. Libero and Markus) to another apartment.  Since I had been last year, I knew exactly where I was going.  Plus Rebecca was walking with me, so I couldn’t really have gotten lost.  I got the apartment before anyone else.  One of the first things I noticed was that they had rearranged a little, which made the very small apartment feel a little bigger.  Once everyone was in, we all sat on the couches.  There was a man there that I hadn’t met before, so I asked Cristi’s mom if that was the dad, she said yes and he shook my hand.  It was nice to finally meet him.  Now the only member of the family I haven’t met is the oldest sister, who is married with two kids of her own.  The team members weren’t really sure what to do, so I told them to ask some questions.  They asked how many kids there were (8 plus one on the way) and their ages.  I sat with Lorena content on my lap.  I felt so at home!  After a few minutes, there was a knock at the door.  The other four members had been turned away, but Cristi’s family welcomed them in.  The apartment was now very full!  With so many people in such a small space it was hard to translate all that was said, but it was mentioned how much I love the family and how grateful they are for me.  I tried hard not to, but I cried a little.  My heart was so full of love it overflowed out of my eyes as tears.  Before we left I said I had to have a family picture.  But unlike last year, I wanted to be in it with them.  I love it!!! My little Romanian family!!

It was SOOO hard to leave after that.  I wanted to stay and spend more time with them, but we needed to get on the road to camp.  I think leaving this time was much harder than it ever has been.  In the past I was just leaving my boy, but this year, I feel like I’ve gotten close to the whole family.  I LOVE my girls, Rebecca and Lorena!!  That family really has my heart!!!

Finally we got on the road to camp.  It took about two and a half hours to get here, but it was a beautiful drive so it wasn’t bad.  I’m not sure what I expected, but the camp grounds are beautiful!! After a quick dinner, we walked around the grounds some.  I think it is going to be a great week. 

Please be in prayer for the kids we will be working with as they travel here tomorrow.  Pray for the team as we prepare for the week tomorrow.   Please also be praying for me as I pray and seek God’s will for my future.  God has a plan, I trust Him to show me what that is!

Romania 2015- Day 19

Day 19- July 1, 2015

Another day of VBS done!  It was our last day to work with the ladies, which makes me sad!  I love them as much as I love their kiddos!!  They were lined up outside this morning to get in, I think they love coming as much as we love for them to come!

Jill led the devotional this morning.  She talked about God being with you all the time.  She told the ladies about how she was very sick as a child and in the hospital a lot.  When she was two years old she had an episode that put her in the hospital.  When she woke up, she told her mom not to worry, “because Jesus is my friend.”  She said her faith has never wavered since then, and that she has always know God is with her.

After devotional we had our last rotations with the ladies.  Today in beauty we did their hair.  Kim styled short hair, Bailey did an up-do, and Emily and I braided hair.  Kim had stopped at the store last night and got some combs to give to the ladies as well as a bar of soap, wet wipes, and Kleenex.  Wasn’t that sweet of her?!?  We handed out the combs and had them comb their hair, and then we went to work.  Not all of them wanted anything done, but most did. 

Next was lunch, while the ladies were eating we cleaned up our stations and made sure their crafts and gifts were ready for them to grab.  On their way out they got their bag of goodies and a bag of groceries. 

During the break between women’s ministry and VBS, Cristi’s mom came back to Point of Hope asking for Gabi.  She wanted to ask who had donated the groceries for her family.   Mr. Libero had told her someone loved her family when he had taken the groceries over.  She wanted to thank that person.  Gabi told her it was me and my church group.  She wanted her picture taken with me.  Then she told Gabi that her whole family loved me!  I’ve been so happy this week to spend more time with Lorena and Rebecca, Cristi’s sisters.  She told us how her husband had lost his job so those groceries really helped them through a hard time.  It really shows how God has a plan!!  When I left the extra money I had raised last year, I had no idea how much it would impact them.  Hopefully it strengthened her faith! 

In the afternoon we started the day’s VBS.  Another six rotations down!  As always, we started with inside games.  John Frank started with his Aroostashaw game and I videoed it so you could see, but of course it is too big to upload here, I'll upload it to Facebook instead.  Then they split the group and half went to play ping-pong/darts, while the other half stayed and played Man Bear Gun.  Man Bear Gun is basically a ”full body” Rock Paper Scissors game.  Players start out finding a partner and standing back-to-back.  Each part of the game has three actions to perform: Man: hands by your side; Bear: hands out in front of you like bear claws; and Gun: hands in front of you like guns.  Ties eliminate both players, to keep the game going quickly.  We would start with a chant: The man beats the gun… the gun beats the bear… the bear beats the man… if you tie, you die. Then count to three and they would have to turn around and assume a pose.   The losing player is eliminated (both players are eliminated if they assume the same post).  The winning player finds a new partner and play continues until there’s one winner.  They had fun pretending to be bears!!

Our second station was outdoor games.   Today we played the game where you stand in a circle holding hands and try to get a hula-hoop around the circle.   Once they got the hang of it in one big circle, we split them into to two circles and had them race.  So fun!!  Then, Markus set up a course for them to go through.  He showed them how they had to go through it, and then split them into two teams.   We didn’t get to finish, but they had fun!

Our third rotation was snack.  Today they had pretzels and juice.  Nice and relaxing!

Our fourth rotation was crafts.  They were given a scratch off cross to decorate.  Once they finished decorating, Liz painted either something on their hand or something on their face.   I drew on a few of them with markers as well.

Our fifth rotation was Bible.  Dan stared by asking them what Bible stories they knew.  He wrote them on the board as they said them.  Then he drew pictures and walked them through how all those stories were connected through time. 

Our last rotation was music.  The girls did two songs with them, I didn’t recognize either one.  Then the kids begged to play musical chairs so we did.  They really enjoy it!!

After music we sent them home!  Just one more day of VBS to go!!

Tonight we took the volunteers and interpreters to dinner to thank them for their help.  It was a delicious dinner!

Please be in prayer for our last day of VBS and for the revival meeting we will have with the community church tomorrow night. 

Romania 2015- Day 18

Day 18- June 30, 2015

Wow, another awesome day!!!  Thankfully, not quite as long or as tiring as yesterday, but still jam packed!!  Just looking at today’s pictures made me tear up, I love these people SO much!!  It was obvious that God was with us today.

This morning Kim did the devotional with the women.  She was super nervous and self conscious about what she had planned to say.  She had a hard time getting the first part out without crying, but that just showed the women how passionate she was about what she was talking about.  Several of them said it showed how much she loved God.  Her devotional was about God being there with you all the time to help you get past your fears and doubts.  It was clear that God was standing beside her giving her strength and showing His greatness through her words.  I know the women were touched and I was as well.  It was a great reminder to rely on God, especially when you feel doubtful of yourself and your abilities.  It reminds me of the saying, “If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.”  

After devotional we started our rotations.  Today in beauty we focused on our faces.  Before we got into doing anything to our faces, I shared another devotional I found online.  I talked about how our society and world in general puts a lot of pressure on women to be beautiful.  We are sold all kinds of products to “make” us beautiful.  But true beauty cannot be found by using these products.  It is found when we seek God and let the Holy Spirit into our soul.  Then true beauty radiates from us.  You can find the full devotional here.  I’ve been blessed to find a devotional that says exactly what I want it to, but way better than I could say on my own.  I know that God is watching over this time because He knows I really want to pour into these women.  After we discussed what true beauty meant, we pampered our faces.  We started by using a Mary Kay face wash with exfoliates to really get our faces clean.  Then we added some color with some eye shadow and lipstick.  They had so much fun!!  I’m so thankful to Katie Prewitt for her generous donation of Mary Kay products, she is AMAZING!!! They’ve loved using it all!!!

At the end of rotation time, I ate lunch with the women.  It was nice to extend our time together!  Then I had a short break before getting ready for afternoon VBS.  I am so thankful for Kristian and Brett who took over activities with the English lesson kids this week so I could have a break between women’s ministry and VBS!  They did a great job today!!!

Around 2:30 the VBS madness started!  I had two new kiddos in my group today, which brought us to 16.  The schedule changed just a bit so that they could go to snack to get something to drink after being outside.  Our first rotation was still indoor games.  Before we split, John Frank (leader of the Louisiana team) came up and did a game called Arooshtasaw (I have no idea if that’s how you spell it, he made the word up).  He has done this with them for years, so they all call it out when they see him.  I can’t even describe this game to you; I’ll have to try to video it tomorrow.  After that, we split into two groups.  One played Ping-Pong or darts and the other was with Michael and Gelu playing a game I didn’t catch the name of.  The point seemed to be to stand up without the person who was “it” seeing you, then to tag them.  Then you become “it.”  I missed the instructions, but that’s what I caught from watching it for a few minutes. 

Second, we went outside for outside games.  They played a game called Ships and Sailors.  The Captain (Brett and Conner) calls out situations and the kids have to do the correct action.  For example: if they call out “man overboard” each kid has to find a partner.  One of them gets down on one knee and the other puts a foot on the first one’s back, then they both put a hand over their eyes like they are scanning the horizon.  If you don’t do the right action or find the right number of people you’re out.  The kids had a great time playing!  After a round of that, they were able to free play with some soccer balls and hula-hoops.

Third, we went back inside to have snack/computer time.  A nice break after being out in the sun!  While the kids were eating their snack, Meagan made balloon animals for them.  They loved it!!

Fourth, we went to crafts.  The craft today was a bookmark that they got to color.  Once they finished coloring their bookmark, they got to get their face painted.  So fun!!!

Fifth, we went to Bible.  The lesson today was about God helping us overcome our fears.  Dan talked about David and Goliath and we read the 23^rd Psalm.  Then they colored a picture of David and Goliath. 

Lastly, we went to music.  They had fun singing and marching along to the music.  I didn’t recognize the first song, but the second one was “I’m in God’s Army!”  It took me a bit to recognize it, but I finally did!!  After singing and marching to two songs, they played hot potato to music.  I was in control of the music, hehehe!  Then we played musical chairs.  Alina won! So fun!!

After VBS we fed the kids dinner.  We took three groups into the café at a time to eat.  It blessed my heart to see them all bow their heads and pray before eating!! When the older kids ate, Cristi lead the prayer.  (Insert the proudest emoji ever!!)  Love my boy!!!!

Once we had fed all the VBS kids, we took the extra food downstairs and began feeding as many people as we could.  I think we handed out about 150 plates of food to anyone who came up.  Here is another time it was obvious that God was with us today.  It was looking very dark and rainy so we weren’t sure many people would show up to get food.  When one of the translators asked Gabi what we would do if it rains, she said, “It won’t rain until we’re done, God’s watching over us.”  And He was.  It rained further in Tarnaveni, just down the street, but not on us!  We had a few drops right as we finished, but not enough to matter.  God knew those people needed that meal! 

My heart is so full tonight!  I love these people and this place so much!! And I love seeing God working here!  Please be in prayer for tomorrow as it is our last day with the women.  Pray that we can impact them and show them Jesus.  Also please pray that VBS again goes smoothly and everyone has another great day!

This is Alin, will you pray for him?  Just imagine the impact if everyone would pray for these kiddos!!