Field Trip

Today I experienced my first ever field trip with my students. I have tried (and failed) many times to take students to the Holocaust Museum in Dallas. After all sorts of ridiculous problems, we were finally able to make it a reality.
Nineteen at-risk 10th grades (from age 14-19) gave up their "Christmas Movie Day" today to instead go to the museum. They were so excited. We loaded the bus and headed to Dallas.

My students just finished reading the book "Night" by Elie Wiesel. So many of them read ahead in the book, and most say its the best book they have every read. Some say its the only book they ever actually read. A few ask if they can have a personal copy.
We were blessed to hear a survivor speak. As we waited anxiously, we talked about how this is probably the only time they will hear a survivor. We discussed how their children won't have that option because the survivors are aging. My only pregnant girl on the trip proudly proclaimed that her daughter is getting to hear a survivor. I smiled. We talked about how when her daughter learns about the Holocaust in school, she will probably be the only one that ever had that opportunity, even if there is no way she will remember it.
Max Glauben shared with us. His story was amazing.(See it on YouTube link at end of this blog)
We combined with another school, with about 50 students of their own. My students listened, most with wide eyes. One of my favorite students, lets call her Julie, was the only one bold enough to ask any questions after his talk. She asked how he was able to stay alive with so much discouragement. Glauben shared about his faith helping him persevere. I was so proud of her.
His talk was about an hour and one of my most difficult students looked a bit bored. Let's call him Mike. I was disappointed because I thought he had tuned out. But then Glauben mentioned his tattoo, explaining how inhumanly it was applied. Mike is a tattoo artist, and his attention was immediately captured. After the talk, Mike was the only student brave enough to ask to see the tattoo up close.
Mike and I had some issues this term. He had been so disrespectful to me and our substitute, so I told him he could not go on the field trip. When we finished the book, he begged me to let him go, offered to pay his own way, and wanted his own copy of the book to read again. I gave in.
Today, I almost cried when he came up to me to tell me about seeing Glauben's tattoo. He said "Thank you so much for taking me, miss. This was a really amazing experience." I have never heard him so genuine.
As we made our way through the really small museum exhibits, my students spent SO much time reading and listening to their audio guides. I am not very good with museums and especially audio guides. I think they did better than I did. They took photos and asked me questions. They learned so much even though the museum was small. On the way back, they were hungry and rowdy, but after about 10 minutes, they all fell asleep :)
As I looked around at them sleeping and recalled their comments to me all day, I was so grateful for a chance to be part of this experience. Most of them will remember this experience the rest of their lives. They knew I fought hard to be sure the field trip happened. I have never seen such impact or gratitude. I am so blessed to be a part of shaping their lives.

Do or do not, there is no try

What horrible advice! I don't consider myself a student of Master Yoda. Although I think he's kind of cute, his "wisdom" isn't always wise. For some reason, I seem to follow his words.
Sometimes its easier to "do not" than to try and fail. I find that I will avoid trying new things. I would rather have the hope of success and enjoyment later than the failure now. If I don't try, it might still work someday when I do.
A silly example...every now and then they come up with new "low protein" food choices. (If you don't know, I have a special diet I need to follow). I will order the new product and when it arrives, admire it from a distance. Occasionally, I will examine the packaging. It takes weeks to build up the courage to have a taste.
The most recent was "low pro" hot dogs. I love hot dogs, but I am not really supposed to eat them. The "low pro" ones looked great and I was excited to try them. As soon as they arrived, I packed them away. They spent a month in the freezer. I would see them and have hope that perhaps I had found an alternative to hot dogs - that I could bring them to summer BBQs and maybe everywhere else I go. Finally, one day I had nothing to eat in my cabinets, so I gave in and tried one. It was probably one of the most disgusting things I have ever tasted! I once again had no hope of a "low pro" hot dog. So was it better to live with "hope" in suspense? Or to know the truth (that they were indeed DISGUSTING!)?
January of this year, I heard of a medicine that could change my life. I quickly signed up for the program. I was told I would try it right away. After months of insurance problems, phone tag, and misunderstandings, its now December. I might finally get to try it. And it scares me. For a year, I have had hope that it will work. I am so excited about what life could be...so much less guilt at meal time and so much more ejnoyment. In just a few weeks, I will either have a different lifestyle OR go back to my hopeless hot-dog-free diet. Somehow, the unknown seems more comforting than the truth. But I know that if I don't try, I will NEVER be able to enjoy hot dogs, pepperoni, and cheese guilt free. Do or do not, there is no try? I think not. I am ready to know the truth!

Peace

I've never wrote a blog without first knowing where I am going with my thoughts...but here goes...
Romania was a big wake up call for me. Being away from my "reality" for two months taught me a lot, but perhaps the biggest thing was how much my character had truly changed in the years after college leading up to the trip. And not changed in the good way. Changed in the snobby "I belong in the movie Mean Girls" way. Post college bitterness turned into "I deserve better". Add some people in my life who felt the same, and I had my own group to call or text me whenever I want to tell me anything I wanted to hear. I seemed to always be disappointed and worried about the future. I decided in Jan I needed to "fix" things. Over the last year, I have withdrawn from many people in my life (some good influences, some not so good). Before this summer, I found myself struggling with how I could ever stay in Texas and actually be used by Him with the mess I had here.
Then came Romania. I went from nights alone just me and God to living in a house constantly surrounded by people. I'd like to say the biggest thing I learned in Romania was something sweet about the orphans. They were amazing. But the thing I learned best was that I truly had a long way to go to get back to a character reflecting Christ. It's amazing how sharing close quarters with others allows your true character to spill out. I'm not proud of how shallow some relationships were. I am not proud of how little I did to encourage others. But I know God used it to remind me of who I was in Him in college and to teach me how to ignite that desire again.
Since I've been back, I haven't followed a different "formula" or "plan". Quiet times are about the same. My job is still demanding and really difficult. But somehow, now I have peace. The past few days, I was sick and had trouble sleeping. I began to feel a little stress. I realized that it was the first time I felt stress since before Romania. Instead of freaking out about the stress, I began to wonder, "Why no stress until now? " A lot has been going "wrong" by any one's measure. Although circumstances have not changed since this summer, my character and perspective have been transformed. I realized I am not feeling stress because I am finally learning to truly turn things over to God. In Romania,I lived without a phone and TV for two months. And when I came back from Romania, I had no computer for a month! It became normal. Now when problems arise, I don't call a friend; I pray first. The best part is that without distractions, I am able to hear God's voice again...
Work seems routine and hard. I pray. God says start a yearbook. Suddenly, I have something to love about work.
Youth stuff is confusing because I have no actual role in the youth group. I pray. Pour more into discipleship and spend time praying for students. Discipleship is going great and my students now talk to me about God in the middle of classes.
Relationships seem confusing. I pray. Friends and family bring up any topic I struggled with, within a day of praying.
My friend reminded me of some lyrics the other day..."Oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer". I prayed before Romania, but not like this. I prayed in Romania and found guidance about "camp" stuff. But now I'm back in my "reality". Its amazing how prayer without TV, cell phones, or even others to distract has truly changed my character as only God can. If only I could get back those years of needless worry and pain! Obviously that's not an option, but its amazing how God is fixing my past "messes" as I take the present trials to Him in prayer.

Self-Check Out

The other day I had an odd experience at the grocery store. It all started when I walked in. For some reason, I set the alarm off walking in. I paused, shocked, and looked around. No one seemed to want to check me or my large purse. I realized their were no baskets so I would need to go back outside to get a cart. On my way out, the alarm rang again. Really weird. But no one even looked my direction. My way back in I didn't even pause at the alarm...obviously no one cared.
Then for the next odd part.Remember when grocery stores had express lanes? Ten items or less allowed you to bypass those with a cart full of items. But someone had a great idea to create a self checkout line. It must have sounded like a good idea on paper...they don't have to pay anyone to scan the groceries. We feel special because we get to quickly scan groceries. Up until a few days ago, my only annoyance with them was the constant "skip bagging?" alert every time I bought a light weight item. But was this really a good idea?
I was at the store at a peak time 5pm on a weekday to pick up a few items. Since express lanes no longer exist and too many people were buying a months supply of groceries, I opted for the self checkout. They had 6 "lanes" total, so I did not mind the four people with almost empty carts waiting in front of me. The "supervisor" was busy wiping down a few of the "lanes" that I quickly realized were not turned on. Only 3 were on and open, only 1 for my line. Even though the store was packed and lines were growing quickly, the others were not turned on. But they were very clean when she was done with them. The few people in front of me were obviously annoyed. I saw the women a few people in front of me had flowers and I wondered how long that would take to scan and price check. To my surprise, the flowers scanned find. But it was a different story for the bottled water. The "supervisor" walked by them without helping. After repeated attempts to scan the water, the women just shrugged their shoulders and placed the water in their basket anyway. They smiled at each other and laughed awkwardly. These otherwise innocent 40 year old women had to resort to stealing! (Ok, they did not have to, but those behind them in line were not willing to wait for the supervisor to come back and help them, so no one told on them).
The next person had even more trouble. The supervisor had to enter her code three times. Not one time did she check to see why she was entering the code. I think it was an innocent mistake, but I am pretty sure the man did not scan one of his three 12-packs of cola.
I waited 15 minutes for my turn to purchase my seven items, and as I walked out the doors, the alarm went off again. I could have fit almost anything in that big purse of mine. No one stopped me or even looked my direction, so I just kept on going. I couldn't help but think how I could have saved 15 minutes and a few dollars had I just filled my purse with the items and walked out. Or waited in my line but skipped the scan for my higher priced item. Of course, I would never, but I wondered how many do fall to the temptation, or at least how many people "forget" to scan an item or two. I can't help but wonder if the stores really are saving money with these "self-check out" lines. In my fifteen minute wait alone in one line the store lost at least $10. I never knew a grocery store employee to make $10 every fifteen minutes. Perhaps they should rethink the system.

**Searching my purse later, I found that I had a DVD in my purse that I had been showing in my class that day...I'm guessing it set off the alarm.

REGRET IT FOREVER!!!!!!!!!

Every time I drive up or down I-35 across the Kansas turnpike near Emporia, my eyes are drawn to an old billboard with a simple message..."Accept Jesus Christ and be saved or REGRET IT FOREVER." Most people probably think its annoying, insulting, or maybe some think its wonderful. Each time I see the billboard the same thought enters my mind (which is often because the board is on BOTH sides of the road, how thoughtful of them). Perhaps its the sociologist in me, but I always wonder how many people have truly been "saved" through a billboard like this. Does God use it to convict people? Does it cause them to examine their lives? I am not one to judge, I have no idea what God might be doing through it, but it saddens me how the message if watered down.
As Christians, we try to remind people that they don't want to go to hell. Heaven sounds so much better. Who wouldn't want to be saved from burning in hell? But what is heaven? If heaven is eternity with God, and someone hasn't ever experienced God's presence on earth, why would that be appealing? We are asking them to trade in a lifestyle that seems fun to them for an investment that to them only pays in the end. And in their eyes, the pay isn't all that great.
Since when is the gospel only about joy in eternity? What happened to the joy that comes in Christ NOW, on this side of heaven. Scripture is filled with references to the kingdom of heaven being NOW on earth and in heaven. So many passages deal with how Christ transforms our life today, not by laws and morals, but through peace, joy, and purpose. Why are we trying trying to reach a instant-gratification generation with an attempt to "sell" a better afterlife when clearly Christ offers so much more.
The problem is most of us live with the Heaven part in mind, and let the every day reflect our human nature. I can tell everyone they can have joy in Christ now and for eternity, but as I grumble about my job, finances, social situations, love life, etc...why would they ever believe me? If I am not living like my life is transformed now, then the world sees my faith as nothing but "fire insurance".
Recently, I listened to a sermon about Matthew 13, the parable of the Sower. As the pastor elaborated on the different types of seeds he explained that the seed that fell among thorns started to grow, but was choked by the thorns, by the trials in the world. I began to wonder if that is what I look like to the world. As trials and just everyday life happen, do I let my faith be choked? Is my faith still evident? I know my relationship with Christ is genuine, but is it reflected to others? I have never bought into the "fire insurance" style of evangelism and never will. I don't need to be perfect, that's not possible this side of heaven. But if I am going to be so bold as to evangelize a faith that transforms lives here and now on earth, I want to be sure that is what my life is a testimony for.

Romania Videos 4:Body Builders

And I could not resist showing a clip of the "body builder" competition, a fav of mine every week. This is the same as the one I posted before, but the sound makes it that much more fun.

Romanian Videos 3: Camp Cheers

Cheering for our teams...it was this crazy every week. This is from week one, when I was team SUA.
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Romania Videos 2

This is my team winning first place...what a great moment

Romania Videos

Just had a friend send some videos from Romania. This one is from camp worship time, one of my fav videos because it shows the personality of girl I sponsor, Maria.

A MacBook Odyssey...a story of epic mishaps

It has been one month and twelve days since I have been able to access my own computer. Now it is time to blog again, but first let me explain. See if you can solve the mystery...
Years ago, about two years ago to be exact, there was a teacher who was so excited that she was no longer a poor seminary student. She decided to celebrate by ordering a MacBook which even came with a free i-Pod. She was so excited. When her MacBook arrived in the mail, she turned it on ready for excitement. But shortly after turning on, the MacBook shut off. She turned it on again. It shut off again. And again, And again. She new something must be wrong. Luckily, Apple has excellent service so they decided she should send it back and they would fix it. So she did. It was a motherboard problem, about $1000 paid for by AppleCare.
A week later, her MacBook came back. It was just as she imagined...all the fun of a Mac but portable. A few months later though problems started again. This time the young teacher did not want to wait for the mail, so she took her MacBook to the Apple store, an hours drive. After $1000 of repairs again paid for by AppleCare, she had her MacBook a few weeks later. Six months later this happened again. And again. $5000 worth in repairs later, this teacher was done. She was headed out of the country and took it in for one last repair at the beginning of the summer. After that, she would DEMAND a new one. After another costly repair, always free to her, she left for two months. The poor MacBook made it through life in Romania with minimal problems, but the teacher annoyed everyone with her dominance of electrical outlets. The MacBook only worked when plugged in. It died at random if it was ever unplugged, but at least it worked. The two months in Romania required much emailing and online chatting during breaks. She might not have survived without it.
Upon returning to the US, this teacher slept for two days, then finally when she woke up she turned on her MacBook. She was so excited to see her Romanian friends online, but in the middle of a chat, her laptop shut down never to turn on again. So she took it to a local shop and called Apple asking for a replacement. Apple said they only give replacement if a computer has had at least three major repairs, so it was unlikely. But after careful review of the sage of her MacBook repairs, they appologized for the many problems and gave her exciting news. Stuart from Apple would send her a new one as soon as possible! All she needed to do was print off the labels online and mail it. As soon as FedEx scanned the labels, a new laptop would be overnighted.
Well this teacher was really excited, but with the school year beginning it was hard to find time to mail the old laptop in. The computer store offered to store her hard drive for free for a few days. Everything was perfect. She was bragging about the new laptop already. She printed the labels and taped up the package. She was a little worried that she had not used enough tape - what if the paper she wrapped the box in came loose? Surely it wouldn't, but all they needed to do was scan the label anyhow. She looked online for drop of places that had a pick up time the same day, Pack N Mail was the winner. As soon as work was over, she sped over to the store. The young twenty-something behind the counter said FedEx already picked up that day. She said that was odd the internet said otherwise. He said oh well. He said to leave the package on one of the side counters where customers packed their boxes while waiting for their turn. It seemed like a weird place to put her package. He did not bring it to the back with all the other packages. The teacher thought that was fishy, but said nothing. Then the young worker printed a small receipt off his computer. He said FedEx would not scan the package until tomorrow. She was annoyed, but what could she do?
The next few days, she kept checking for the scan online. Stuart emailed that he had noticed she printed the labels but no package was sent. She was very confused. She called PackNMail. They said not to worry, they found the package in their system but FedEx must have had trouble scanning it. It was ground shipping and would arrive in a week. All she had to do was wait. So she waited, two weeks. No package. She called FedEx and PackNMail. Now PackNMail had NO record of the package in their system, even though they had before. This was suspicious. FedEx agreed and said to file a claim. The teacher was very glad she saved her receipt. Unfortunately, FedEx said since Apple paid for the labels only they could file a claim. A small little company like Apple computers was not about to file a claim against FedEx for a package they had never seen shipped. So began the battle. One tiny sheet of paper was the only evidence that the computer was ever sent. Apple was not sure what they wanted to do. Stuart updated the distraught teacher almost every week. They were on a first name basis and he even recognized her voice when she called. The teacher was growing worried because the receipt was a month old and starting to fade to nothing. That slip of paper was the only thing she had, worth $1000 to her. She sent it to Stuart one last time. Finally, Stuart emailed saying good news, updates will ensue. The teacher was excited, but puzzled with what kind of person would use the word 'ensue' . Though Stuart no longer updated her, later that same day a FedEx tracking number was e-mailed to her. The next day, she had a brand new MacBook. The computer store put her old hard drive info onto the new MacBook. Now the new teacher has a new laptop that looks the same only runs a million times faster. No one will every know what happened to the cursed original MacBook, but now no one seems to care.

from on RO to another

As I prepare to write this blog, part of me wishes I was still in Romania and everyone around me is aware that my heart is still there I really just did not want to be back at work in River Oaks. But God has really encouraged me this week.
Anyone who knows me well knows that I like my job MOST of the time, but my biggest discouragement is that students will drop out suddenly. It sometimes makes me feel like it is all pointless. However, today I was blessed with two wonderful students back in my life. They were on my heart and in my prayers months after they left, and now today I once again have a chance to be a part of their lives. In a previous blog back in May, I wrote about both these students. Read there backgrounds here http://elamourie.blogspot.com/2008/05/highs-and-lows.html. The first I called Manuel. He read his first book ever in my class and we talked many days as he shared his fears about being a young father. He was kicked out of school for low attendence. He had to work so he could afford to support his son. Today I saw him for the first time since April. He was so excited to see me and told me how his son had grown so much. He still feels graduation is impossible, but he is determined to finish school so he will provide a great life for his son. I am so excited that I get to be part of his life again.
The second was Amanda. One day last May she just stoppped showing up. I knew she had just ended things for good with her "baby's daddy" and was worried where she could be. Today she came back. She could not stop talking about her son and all the time she had spent with him this summer. I know she feels like she can be open and honest with me still and I look forward to continuing to build my relationship with her.
Today also deepen a relationship. A student I had last year came to me today because she is pregnant. Let's call her Maggie. She is so scared and considering her options. She and I talked a lot about adoption but she knows her parents would never let her have that option. They will want her to keep the baby , but she has goals and plans that cannot happen being a teenage mother. They would probably kick her out among other things. We talked about Gladney Adoption Center and I shared what it felt like to be adopted. I was honest with all her questions, even the hard ones. She is thinking things through and I hope and pray I can help her make the decisions she needs to make.
Now I remember why I love to teach :)

Back to reality...

My apologies for the delay in this blog. Its been a long journey home, which included my laptop finally meeting its end my first day back in Texas. My blog is blocked at work, so I was forced to wait until I found a working computer to write.
Being back in Texas has been very surreal. It turns out I am not a full-time camp counselor, I am an English teacher. That was a harsh realization when my alarm rang Monday morning. It was hard to know a week of camp went by in Romania while I was sleeping away the jet lag. It’s hard to live in an apartment by myself when I spent the entire summer living with many roommates - twenty at the highest point. And most of all, its hard to be away from the kids. I loved getting to know Alina and Ovi, the Livada follow up staff, while in Romania. Not only was their friendship was such a blessing, but I also now can have complete confidence that each child and teenager will have amazing people pouring into them all year long. I trust that I will be back in Romania some day, hopefully someday soon. For now, my connection lives on via e-mail, Facebook, Yahoo Messenger, and most importantly, prayers. I have no idea what God has in mind for my future, no idea what part Romania will play in His plans for my life, but I do know that my heart will forever be connected to Romania and all the staff, translators, and kids I met this summer.
Thank you so much for all of you who read along with my travels and joined me in prayer. For now, this blog will return to my thoughts and adventures in teaching. You are welcome to keep reading, and hopefully someday this will once again transform into a Romania blog.

Week 6- Franta

I am not even sure how to put this week into words, but I will try. This week was by far the most emotional, partly because the kids on my team were very emotional, but also because many moments my thoughts would dwell on the fact that it would be my last week in Romania. It was an amazing week to end on and I learned so much, but it took a lot out of everyone.
Going into the week some team members prayed that I would be blessed with opportunities to minister to teenage girls (so far aside from the Casa week last week my groups are teenage boys and younger girls). The very first day I was a little worried because our group had one girl, Meli, and four leaders. But God answered my prayer with four teenage girls: Meli, 17; Ana Maria who went by Usagi, 17; and her sister Lora, 14; and Erika, 20 (but she counts as a teenager in my book). Our team also had Erika’s boyfriend who came attached to her, Tranifur, and then Jonas, 18.
The very first day our team had some issues. Meli was the only one there that day and she burst into tears when the team lists were read. One of the translators, Dora, did an amazing job calming her down. She was upset because she didn’t like the girls on our team and she was separated from her boyfriend. Since she was the only one on the team I was worried she would not want to do anything. Not only did she do all the cheers, she played so well in the games that after the first day our team was in 1st place. Meli’s father died a while back and Rick, on our team members, was amazing at stepping in and loving her like a father would. He of course shared that even if he could not be there, God was her father. She and I talked about the fact that I was adopted and her struggles with why things happen. I am not sure how God used any of my words, but she listened. She struggles so much with believing in a God she cannot see. One of my prayers for her was that she would be able to feel His presence and know He is real.
Usagi and Lora were sisters and both were so quiet at first. They didn’t want to cheer or participate. The two of them and Meli spend most their time at the campfire smoking. I spent most of the first day with the smokers praying for opportunities, and God provided. I found out that both Meli and Usagi knew a little English. Usagi also listened to my story about being adopted and from that moment on, we really connected. She invited me down to the fire pit to chat with them each time they went to smoke. She understood English and I understood most Romanian, but both of us were not very good at speaking, so I spoke English and she responded in Romanian. It actually worked really well. Usagi was really into Japanese animation, hence her name change. She and Lora both had their hearts softened and began to sing the songs, listen to the messages, and just act like kids. Lora made the same progress and connected really well with the other American team member, Rachel, who was only 12. The two of them played volleyball the entire time and she started acting 14 again. After the first day, she didn’t join her sister at the smoking pit any longer- she just wanted to play.

Jonas is hard to describe. He brought me a CD with his picture on it and started talking in Romanian. I understood something about him looking handsome, but I couldn’t get the rest. Apparently he was just telling me how good looking he was. He loved to sing Manile (Romanian music) but didn’t want to sing “God songs”. He did however have compassionate heart. Isaiah was on crutches all week and Jonas was literally at his side constantly during the days. After Isaiah left, he clung to me and I am pretty sure he kissed my cheek at least a total of 50 times during the course of the week. He did stay to listen to the last message, the one that talked about having a relationship with God. My prayer for him is that those words will just continue to come back to him.

The couple, Erika and Trandifur, both stayed together the entire time and didn’t really want to participate in anything. I did however get opportunities to talk to both of them each meal. Thursday morning was really difficult though. The two fought and Erika would not say a word to anyone. I just sat with her for a while and prayed for her in English, then finally took her to the doctor. The two of them and Meli’s boyfriend actually got sent home for some other issues, which I was afraid would discourage our team, but they stuck together. Even Meli, who was crushed that her boyfriend had to leave, was able to pull things together to play the games and listen to Brian’s message. When Thursday night hit, each one of them cried the as the first words of prayers came out of our mouths. I have never connected so much to the entire team. It was amazing. Overall we finished 2nd, which was a great end to such an emotional week for each of them. The goodbyes were some of the hardest I’ve had to do, but I know God will continue to work in each of their lives.
As always, below are the photos...

RO Week 6 Franta

Week 5 -UK (Casa Kids)

This is a pic of our team getting first place!! This week, we took the kids from Livada’s care to camp. It was so much easier than all the other weeks because most of the kids knew some English. We did not take any volunteer translators, only the Romanian staff members, Alina and Ovi, and our main translator, Alexandra. My group was made up of a few of the kid, including the girl I sponsor, Maria, Cornel, Katy, Krisztina, Daniela, Levi and Stefan. I had met each one of them during previous visits to the Casas, but this week I was really able to build relationships with a few of the girls, especially Maria.

I asked ahead of time to be in her group and was hoping to spend a lot of time with her. But from the first day, Krisztina decided she always wanted to stand by me in line all the time. I had been to the Casas a few times and tried to talk to her but she never seemed interested, yet as of Monday, she and I really clicked. She had so much energy, which I am told is not normal for her. She is a bit of a tomboy so she was great to have around on the games. She constantly told me she loved me and even made me a bracelet. My favorite memory of her will be when we made her our “body builder”. She really wanted to do it, but we weren’t sure she had it in her. Not only did she take on the role, dancing and posing, she also helped us win first place. During the last night of prayer I had been warned that she would probably not be focused. As I went up to pray for her, she took me aside far from the group. As soon as I finished my prayer, she asked to pray for me. I didn’t understand much since it was in Romanian, but I know she thanked God for sending me to camp with her. It is a moment I will always remember.

Kati was a bit tougher. She obviously crazed love and attention, but she would shy away as soon as it was given to her. She wanted to be so independent, but I could see how self-conscience she was in almost everything she did and said. One day, she hurt her toe on the slip and side and I tried to help her walk to the doctor’s tent. She would not lean on me, but she allowed me to walk with her as she hopped. As soon as we got to the doctor, I took her hand. She suddenly pulled away, saying, “Don’t touch me” (her favorite English phrase I think). But as the doctor poured alcohol on the cut, she reached for my hand again. As soon as the sting was gone, she pushed my hand aside and once again said, “Don’t touch me”. This is sort of a picture of who Kati was all week. She obviously has a lot of hurt and mistrust in her past, and I know the years with Livada have helped, but I also know she needs so much prayer, especially now as she is in her teenage years. My prayer for her is not only that she will know Christ personally, but also that she will be able to find her identity and confidence in Him.

Maria and I did not get to spend much time together at camp. But the times we had were wonderful. Going into the day Thursday, my prayer was that God would really help me have deep meaningful conversations with her. During the walk to town, Krisztina clung to me the entire way there, so I wasn’t able to talk to Maria much. But the way back, somehow it ended up being just her and me. We had a great conversation about her family and background. Then that night, after I prayed for her, I still longed for more. I prayed for the rest of the kids in the group, then went back to sit with her. We started talking again, about the future, when I could visit again, and if my family could come meet her. She said she loved spending time with me and both of us almost cried, but we knew it wasn’t goodbye yet. I can’t even imagine what goodbye will be like. Even though our communication is sometimes limited, I feel like she is one of my “youth”. She is the same age as the girls I disciple back in Texas and in so many ways I feel like she is one of them. I wish I could stay and disciple her, but I know for now at least, I need to go back to Texas. As I pray to hear God’s voice for future plans, I pray and hope that Maria will be a part of it.
The rest of the kids were also such a blessing, but this is already too long. Each one of them made me smile and laugh. Team UK produced their own version of the Spice Girls as well as many other fun memories. Below is the link to the pictures and a special treat – a clip of Krisztina winning the body builder competition. Once again, there is no sound, but it was MC Hammer’s Too Legit To Quit. You know you love that song, so just play it or sing it while you watch. Enjoy.

RO Week 5 UK (Casas)

Week 4- Romania

This week I finally got a chance to be the “home team”, Romania. This week was probably one of the most difficult and emotional of all, but amazing. This blog will be a different format than the past few because the week was so different. My team was wonderful, but God opened the doors for me to bond with a few kids not on my team…so I’m just going to tell a little about each kid whether on my team or not.

We took the kids from group homes called Sincrai. We visited there a few weeks back and one of the boys, Florin, instantly clung to me. I found out quickly that he loved my camera most of all. He was not in my group, but he is actually responsible for most my photos this week. From the first day meeting him, he told me he loved me, even when he didn’t want my camera (though usually he asked for it shortly after). He was cute and knew how to use that to his advantage. It was hard to say no to him at times, and usually if I said no, he would find someone else with a camera to cling to. But he always came back to me. We had a “handshake” that I taught him those few weeks back and he remembered all of it this week. He was such a blessing in my life and made me smile and laugh even through a difficult week of feeling sick everyday. The many pics of the two of us smiling should show it all. I am pretty sure we took about 15 pics just the two of us, but I narrowed it down for my album. ☺

Ileana was so much fun right from the beginning. She was on my team and participated in everything. She loved to dance and to cuddle. During the Thursday night time of prayer, she was obviously emotional as I prayed. Afterward, she even prayed for one of the leaders. She and I really connected the last day at the pool though. She had a bracelet she made with her brother and sister’s name, Boby and Rodica. I told her that I was their camp leader (Week 1) and she lit up. All three of them somehow were put in different group homes. They talk on the phone, but it doesn’t seem like they see each other often. She told me that Rodica said she loved me and was so excited that I had been their leader too. It was such a blessing, not only to bond with her but to know that I made an impact on Rodica as well. Boby and I obviously connected, but Rodica was much more of a challenge. Ileana spend the rest of the day with me, drew me a picture, and gave me her email to send her pictures and letters. It was a great way to end the week.

The last story of the week is of Adrianna, one of my girls from last year. My favorite part about last year was working with the teenage girls. So far this summer, I have not had a chance to get to know any. I did not know Adrianna was a part of our camp until late Tuesday when we finally saw each other. She is quieter by nature and although she hugged me, we did not talk much. Last year, we were with Ana Maria and the three of us talked a lot via Ana Maria and I speaking in Spanish. This year since Adrianna was not on my team we spoke very little. I kept praying for opportunities to talk to her and none came. The last day, she told me in Romanian that she wanted my email address to write me. I was so excited. Her sister knows English and so she said she will write me in English. I may not of had the opportunity to talk to her this week, but I am so excited about what God can do through e-mails.

There are so many more stories to tell, but I’ll save those for when I see you in person. The rest of my group was Rares, Adrianna’s brother who loved to make me laugh, Luci, a sweet-spirited guy with the best laugh ever, Adina, a tomboy with amazing soccer skills, Ioana, the educators daughter who was adorable, Mihai, the cutest little boy who could yell ROMANIA louder than anyone else, and the older boys, Pippi and Bela, who could dance with amazing skill. If it works, there is a video of them dancing in costumes for our advertisement. There is no sound (my camera has no mic) but turn on your favorite Romanian techno music while you watch and enjoy.


Pics from the week...

RO Week 4 Romania

A week in the life of an intern...

Ok I realize that I have been blogging all these deep emotions about camp and I haven't actually shared what we do. I am going to explain a very generic version of what a week is like in Romania. I will try hard to leave out stories and emotions...but its me :)

MONDAY
Usually we sleep in a bit and do some stuff around the house/town. At about noonish -we go to the office for lunch and divide into Countries (teams) with translators and the visiting group. We take some time to pray for the week then head out to the orphanages or group homes. When we arrive, we paint nails and play with kids. After we know all the kids are with us, the Romanian volunteers start us off with a skit explaining that the Olympics in China are canceled and instead will be at Vetca...only we need people to compete. We divide the kids into teams and after some cheering and face paint start off the competition with four sets of games. At the end of the games, we say goodbye. We are usually exhausted as we arrive back at the office for our pizza dinner. Evenings are free and usually include walking someplace to use the internet or packing.
TUESDAY
Tuesday mornings always involve packing and taking that last "real" shower before heading out to camp. The bus picks us up about noon and we head out to Vetca. We arrive a few hours before the kids and set up their tents making sure each kid has sheets, a pillow, and two blankets for the cold nights. By the time kids arrive, we manage to finish (usually) and have enough energy to cheer for them. After camp rules and moving in to there "5-star" tents, we create our team flags...and usually spill paint everywhere. Then we have an amazing game of wiffleball. Romanians seem to have no concept of baseball, the translators and the kids are always so confused. Picture a clip from the beginning of the Bad News Bears and multiply the lost confused kids by about 10 and you have our game. Kids pile up on first base and the ball is thrown to just about every person before the next pitch. Its a bit stressful, but most weeks all I can do is laugh. In the evening, we have "Club" time, a great talk about how rules are actually in place to make life better. Then we play around a bit more until its dark enough for a camp fire and smores. By then, its 10ish and time for bed...and everyone of us is very ready.
WEDNESDAY
We begin every morning at camp with an 8:00 meeting to discuss the day and pray for energy (very needed at this point). At 8:30, we begin "morning exercises" with the kids - mostly dancing around to YMCA and other choice songs while doing stretches, always fun. It even gets me energized and everyone who knows me knows I am NOT a morning person. After breakfast, we have "Club" time again and then stations of games. The kids also get to make a t-shirt and memorize the days verse.Then free time and lunch, followed by slip-in-slide and sometimes another water game. This usually involves hosing off at the end, the only shower for many the entire week. The evening is the wonderful "Messy Games" Olympics, a series of fun games for more points. By the end of it all, its once again time for bed to rest before another day at Camp Vetca.
THURSDAY
Morning meeting at 8:00 always seems so early by Thursday. The morning exercises and breakfast are pretty much the same. Then "Club time again, and the singing usually wakes me up. The stations for the day include decorating a picture frame and each kid gets a photo of the team to take home. After lunch we make AMAZING advertisements for our team's country. These will hopefully be posted online later, but let me tell you they are funny even if you don't speak the language. Afternoons include a walk to the village for ice cream and conclude with a Decathlon that usually has about seven or eight games (hmm). After dinner, we watch the videos and create our own body builders (great for photos). Then we learn the final standings for the week (still working on getting the gold medal). We conclude the evening with my favorite part of the week, a time of prayer for each of the kids on our team. This part of the night includes tears, laughs and lots of pictures. The kids go to bed with a gift bag full or little items that they love and a camp t-shirt. By this time, we are usually all emotional as well.
FRIDAY
Friday morning after the meeting and exercises, we help the kids pack up and load the buses. We head out to "The Weekend" a really large public pool. We spend our last day with the kids swimming and playing around at the pool and then say our goodbyes. By the time we get back to our house, we are exhausted and usually shower for the first time since Tuesday. The rest of the night is almost always low key.
SATURDAY
I usually have no trouble sleeping in these days. We have the option of visiting the orphanges, the Casas (Livada's own kids) or hanging out around town. For dinner, we head to the Livada office for a cookout with the visiting team, usually followed by hanging out with them.
SUNDAY
Most Sundays I have been going to the Baptist church down the road which is actually very similar to our churches. After church, we have afternoons free. Dinner is always with the other interns at the house and we gather for a time to share our weeks and what God has been teaching us. We pray and prepare to begin it all again...

Week 3- Germania

This week was a very different week. We had a group of teenagers, my absolute favorite. Most of my group ended up being 18-23 year old guys, so I can’t say I really got to know any of them well but we had a lot of laughs. And most importantly, we finished 2nd. We were amazing at all the games, a drastic changes from previous weeks. The boys got a bit competitive at times, but they obviously had fun.

Levi is an artist with amazing talent. He created most of our Germania flag (not all of it…that would have been cheating). God has gifted him with the ability and he uses it to create and sell works of art. He is 23 years old and I know God has great plans for his future.
The younger Levi loved to hang out with the guys. He had such a fun time hanging out with the guy interns that at times I felt bad trying to move him to our group. However, he seemed to love every minute with us too. My favorite memory of Levi will be when I allowed him to paint my nails blue and apply makeup. It looked ok until he added the blush. And he painted the outline of my nails first then filled in the middle.
Szabi is crazy and had my laughing so much. He spoke English a little and after a short conversation about my life, he decided to call me teacher. It was so funny to hear him calling out “Teacher, Miss teacher” in his Romanian accent. He was always the one to cheer the loudest for the team, mostly cheering right in the ear of one of our team members. The kids obviously look up to him, so my prayer is that He can be an example for them.
Aghi had herself literally attached to me about half way through the day Tuesday. When I went to my tent, she was waiting outside. When I went to the bathroom, she was standing right outside my stall. It was a huge test of patience. She obviously needed and craved attention and love, but those of you who know me well know that it is REALLY not my thing to be touchy-feely. With a little help from other team members (providing distractions every once in a while so I could pee in peace) I was able to change my attitude and hopefully really imact her as well. I was able to pray for her brothers surgery one morning with one of the other translators as well as pray Thursday night. Hopefully God will use that in her life.
Ilie was quiet with me but loved to be a part of the team (He was obviously NOT quiet with other Romanians). Gyongyi was the same way. I wish I could have spent more one on one time with them, but they both had a blast with the video and the games. We had one other team member, Zoli, who was the caretakers son. He joined us with most events and seemed to have fun as well. We didn’t get to talk much, but it was great to see his mother cheering on him and the other kids with each game.














Below are pics from the week again....

RO Week 3 Germania

Week 2 - TEAM UK

After one week of camp, I guess I felt I knew what to expect. But I was wrong.
This week was entirely different. Week one was made up of young kids and special needs kids. This week, my group was made up of four teenagers and three little kids. My translators were once again great, and I also had a few guys from the Irish team helping out.
The first few days, I didn’t feel very well and did not feel I connected well with the kids. I took some time out one afternoon to really pray that God would give me opportunities to connect with each one and He answered.
Ionel was the oldest teenage boy in our group. He was placed in the group while we still had mostly little kids and I automatically assumed he would be one of those kids that was too cool to have fun with us. I was very wrong. He cheered the loudest and encouraged the other boys to participate. It was wonderful to have him as part of the team. He also knew a little English which was great to talk to him and allow him to help translate during meals.
Adi was one of our youngest. He was adorable and a great soccer player for a kid his size. He didn’t talk much but always seemed to be having fun. The picture is of him and one of the translators, Timi.
The other young one on our team was Lunita, an adorable kid who knew she was cute and tried to use that to get her way. She would play with my hair during all the talks and cuddle up for me and ask for her water even though she knew she was not allowed to have her bottle during the club time. Then she would pout, turn the other way, and cuddle up with someone else to try the same thing. She was a handful, but so fun to have on the team. She let me do her makeup and nails but she insisted on putting many layers of bright lipstick on. Love that about kids.
Flavius was younger and usually very quite. During free time, he usually chose to play by himself. He might have been quite, but he had tons of energy. About half way through the week, he decided he absolutely loved Jamie, one of our Irish guys. He attached himself to Jamie the rest of the week and kept Jamie running around the pool all day Friday. This is him and Ovi, one of the Livada staff members.
Marcel was a younger teenager with amazing athletic ability, a great plus to have on the team. But what I loved most about him was his smile. He had a smile on his face the entire week. He loved to practice his English with the leaders. He was always wanting to share with everyone in the group. It was amazing to see him so happy in the midst of all the circumstances in his life. It seems I didn't take any "normal" pics of him, but this one captures his personality.
The last two girls, Edit and Judit, were sisters. They joined our team late Monday. The picture below is of both of them, plus Lunita because she just had to be in the picture, but she is not one of the sisters :). They were older, 18 and 19 if I remember correctly. Both of them were very quiet. I learned that they had not seen their mother in 14 years and were in the orphanage because their father was in prison. I have worked with a lot of students with similar stories but the hard part was learning that their father was in prison for killing their brother. I cannot even imagine what that is like for them. I have no idea how long ago this happened, but they don’t seem like they have been in the orphanage too long.
The last night when we prayed, everyone was laughing and not very focused. When I prayed for both sisters, I prayed for their family, including their father, and that they would know Christ as the heavenly father. They were laughing too and I didn’t even thing they were listening. But they knew enough English to understand the word father, so after they asked one of the translators what I prayed for them. I was able to explain a little about my prayer and that God is their father even though their earthly father failed them. I have no idea what God will do with that, but I will continue to pray that He reveals himself to them as Father.

See more pics from Week 2 of Camp...

Week 2 of Camp - Team UK

Week 1 of Camp, TEAM SUA

Last year, I wrote pages and pages about my trip, only a week long. This time I have many weeks left of camp, so I will try really hard to keep it short. I may not succeed. I am not even sure where to begin with all the stories and pictures I have, but let me share a little about each kid in my group, starting with the girls.

Ana Maria was shy and sweet when it came to our group, but any chance she had, she was off visiting another team meeting boys from other group homes. Honestly, I had patience with her but the other groups did not. They kept getting annoyed that she was in the group. It wasn’t til the last day that she finally felt part of the group. She became involved in the games and was genuinely sad to leave. Hopefully, she listened a little bit to the message.

Rodica was the most challenging of the group. She was fine on second, and off pouting across the field the next. Anytime she messed up at a game, she threw things and ran off. It was challenging to try to encourage her without knowing the language. The translators were very helpful, and by the end of the week, she was in tears not wanting to leave. She might have been the most challenging, but she was also the most in need of love and attention. At the end of the week, we get a chance to pray for each kid on our team. Praying for her was the hardest because she pulled away from my arms and resisted so much. I know she couldn’t understand my words and that’s probably best, but she more than any I saw this week is very in need of emotional healing.


Arpy and Rupy were the calm within the craziness of our group. Both of them were full of energy and wanted to win. Rupy was a wonderful athlete and loved to help the team. But he also loved to cuddle with any of us who would let him. Arpy tried so hard in all the games and didn’t get discouaraged even if he didn’t do well. He was very attentive during all the lessons, and remembered the details. My prayer for him is that God will allow Arpy to understand all the truth he learned this week.

Then there was Nicosor, a young boy with autism. He was so happy all week long. I am not sure how much of any game he understood, but he always had fun. The simple things were enough to make him smile. He was such a blessing. My prayer for him was that God would help him understand His truth as I know He can.



Last but not least takes a little introduction. While praying about camp this week, my slightly lazy, selfish side was praying for a deep bond with one of the girls, preferably one who liked to sit around and paint nails, create fun hairstyles. God had the complete opposite in mind for me this week and it was such a blessing.

Even before camp started, we heard stories about a kid named Boby who was built like a body builder, full of energy, and only eight years old. Though he sounded fun, I figured the many male interns on this trip would keep him entertained. I can’t imagine a child more opposite of me in personality. Not only did Boby end up in my group, he also attached himself to me. During free time he didn’t want to play soccer with the other kids because they were not good enough. But he wanted to play with me. During group times, he was always cuddling with me, if my arms were around him, his were around me. Instead of relaxing during free time, I was chasing Boby around the entire camp. I was exhausted but it was worth it.

When we finally had to say goodbye, he gave me the longest hug and told me he loved me in Romanian. It was an amazing week.

More pics of the week here...

Week 1 of Camp -Team SUA (RO)

Pics

If you want to see more pics other than the few I post here, go to this link

A few days to rest

I have started 3 out of the last 4 blogs with the words "at last" somewhere in the title. How very unoriginal, but it expresses my anticipation for the weeks to come. The past few days, however, was time for much needed rest.

Friday was a relaxing day of shopping and doing laundry. It was in no way exciting, but the rest was much needed. We did go to training with the 40+ high school age volunteer translators, almost all females. They all love to practice English and laughed at my Romanian pronunciations (mispronunciations that is). Those of you who know I love working with teenagers can imagine how exciting that was. I pray I will be able to build relationships with each of the girls I work with this summer.

Saturday I slept in as much as I could (til 9) and headed out to Real for some snacks to take to camp. It was easy to get the taxi to Real but we weren’t really sure how to take a taxi back. I was able to practice my Romanian skills and ask around for a taxi with very little problems (good think pointing is universal language). Then when our taxi number arrived, a woman ran toward it to take it from us. We didn’t know what to do, but I knew it was our taxi we called for, so I just stuck my head in the window and told the driver where we were going and we got in. The lady looked mad, but another taxi pulled up right after. It would have been more polite to say “Sorry, this is our taxi number so you will just need to wait” but the only words of that I know are “Sorry…taxi…” so I didn’t even try.

Then I went to Casa Ana to visit Maria again. I showed her pictures on my laptop. She loved seeing pictures of my family (also sponsoring her) and of my apartment and car. Honda is a rare import here, so they were very impressed with my fancy car (where as Mercedes makes the local garbage trucks here). Then I opened up Photo Booth and the real fun began. The kids enjoyed making silly faces for almost an hour. Below are some of the photos we took. Enjoy.

Setting up Camp

Camp is all set up and ready for the kids.
This week I learned how to pitch a tent, not just any tent, but British Army tents. As a group, we set up 15 military tents and 3 large pavilion tents. My favorite part of the work had to be when one of the Livada staff members. Alina, and I were cleaning out the storage shed. We had almost cleared out the entire shed and together pulled on a large tarp sitting on the top shelf. Two mice fell over our heads and we both screamed as they ran to out the shed. I picked up a pole and poked at the rest of the tarp and one more mouse ran off. We hesitantly drug the tarp on the ground out the door as we laughed at our adventure. It wasn’t really the mice I was afraid of as much as it was the shock of rodents almost falling on my head. We managed to clean the mouse droppings and organize all the new supplies without running into any other live creatures, a fun bonding experience for the two of us. I borrowed the pics from the livada blog because I was working too hard to take pics.

I am becoming familiar with Targu Mures this week as well. We made a few trips to Real (pronounced Ree Al) which is something like a Wal-Mart or Super-Target. As long as I have Real, I could manage to live here. The evenings have been interesting walking around the city center. We found a cute coffee shop with free internet, which is where I am writing my blogs. We also tried eating out a few times. I have learned that hot dogs here have some thick nasty casing and that Chinese food (sticky rice) tastes the same everywhere. I am also able to read menu items and understand what most of them are, which is great progress.

The other night two of the girls and I went out to dinner and ran into some of the mentor apartment girls. The mentor apartments are places for older orphans in Livada’s care to learn skills they need for real life, like cooking, budgeting, and other things orphanages do not teach. The girls joined us walking around the center and showed us the fun places to go. As we were talking, we saw a man chasing after a woman, both yelling in the street. He tried to kiss her and hold her arm back and she was trying to push him away. The man was obviously drunk. We didn’t know what to do and of course none of the interns spoke Romanian. Ani bravely asked the women if we should call the police. We stood at a distance and as soon as the man turned to walk the other way, Ani called the woman over to us to make sure she was safe. The woman explained that the man lived with her and her kids and often acted like this when drunk. She had a scar on her head that looked like she had been hit. Ani proceeded to boldly tell her that she should kick this man out and did not need to let him treat her this way. The woman had heard the same thing from friends but did not listen. We offered to pray for her, which she allowed, and then we parted ways. Hopefully God will use total strangers to help her realize her situation and make the right choice. Regardless of what she does, it was amazing to see Ani take such leadership counseling a total stranger. I have no idea where Ani is in her relationship with God, but she obviously has been through a lot in her orphanage days and it was great to see how God could use her and her experiences to help her be bold and counsel others. I am sure God will do great things with her.

Meeting the kids at last

At last, we’ve been able to hang out with the kids. Not only was it fun, but also it makes for better stories and pictures.
Saturday we went to the baby hospital. The babies were adorable but it was so hard to leave knowing that they will just stay in the crib all day with no one to play with them or hold them. Livada has set up a program to visit this hospital about three times a week just to love on the kids, teach them to walk and talk to them. I am so glad they have this, but it still breaks my heart to know that so many other hospitals exist without anyone to come at all.
Then we went to one of the orphanages, Zau. We were not allowed to take photos, but one of the little girls, Emilia, jumped in our car and used my camera to take a photo of us. She was a bit shorter than me, which is obvious from the angle ☺ The kids had so much fun playing with us and were fighting for attention. I taught a few girls some dances, threw a football, and enjoyed the swings, which were not made for my size people. There were a couple girls there who were deaf and a few of our team members knew ASL. Though it was a bit different then the sign they knew, it made there day to have people able to play and communicate with them. I am so excited to see the relationships that will be built there.
Today I went to church at First Baptist Targu Mures. It was actually very similar to Wedgwood’s format and music style (my church back in Texas). We had headsets to translate the sermon. I was so tired which made it really hard to stay awake, but I am excited to go there every week to see the Livada kids.
The next part of the day we went to the “Casas” to visit the Livada kids. For those of you who don’t know what I mean, Livada pulled three groups of orphans from the worst orphanage and started their own group homes for these kids. They have been in Livada’s care 3-4 years and are healing from the past. They live in a family-type setting with some natural siblings and some others. Livada funds the group homes through sponsorship of each child (let me know if you want more info on how to do this or go here...http://livada.org/learn_about_sponsorship.htm)
My family and I have been sponsoring a girl named Maria. I saw her very briefly last year and decided to sponsor her when I arrived back in TX. Today I was able to meet her again. She was so excited. We went for a walk and talked about the fun things she and I can do together this summer. I have weekends off and can visit her as often as I like. I can also help with her Sunday school class!. I asked her what she liked to eat and she quickly replied French Fries, especially McDonalds. I knew God had led me to the right girl ☺
And last of all, here is a pic of my room so you can see where I stay when I am not sleeping in a tent. And yes, it’s messy. It’s really great to wake up to the sun shining in every morning and to be able to unpack everything in all the space. I’ll update with a pic of the outside of the house someday when it’s finally not raining.