The next chapter...

This summer I will be heading overseas to help design and implement a special education program for youth living in Sighisoara, Romania. The program will provide occupational and social interventions for young adults who have disabilities; it will operate on Christian principles and from a Christian world view. Each month will have a slightly different focus.

May

I will arrive in Sighisoara during the second week of May. My immediate focus will be on enrolling in language classes and continuing the needs assessment already begun by Veritas and other nongovernmental organizations around the area. We will meet with teens with special needs, along with their parents/caregivers, to learn about their unmet needs and what services might be most beneficial for them. If the needs assessment is in agreement, we will organize regular social events for fellowship and social skill support. Ideally, we will meet at least twice a week, and our group will include youth with disabilities as well as teens from other Veritas' clubs. Participating in some summer camps and equestrian therapy are other options we will explore. The second tenant of the program will be laying a foundation for job skills training. We will use a vocational skills/interest survey to decide what types of job training would be practical and match the abilities and interests of the young people, as well as the local job market.

June & July

Within the first week of June I would like to implement the program. We will do ongoing assessment of our program and the teens' progress, build our vocational and social skills curriculum, and through collaboration with each other and local professionals, work on our own professional development. As we learn more about the needs and personalities of the youth and their families, we will make different adjustments to better serve them. On the side, I will be writing grants in an effort to secure more funding for the continuation of the program.

August

Most of the summer camps and clubs wrap up at the beginning of August. Our program will be no exception. The last few days of July and the first few days in August will be spent organizing all of the supplies and plans for when the program re-opens; we will finish the final youth and program assessments and make any last minute adjustments. I will come back to the States during the first week of August.

The Budget

I would like to raise $7,000 - $10,000 for the start-up of the program. My expenses – airfare, transportation, room and board, language classes, and translator – will be covered by around $4,000. The rest of money will be used strictly for program start-up costs, and any remaining money will go into an account for future program costs. Veritas plans to continue the program and even expand it to run all year.

What do I desire in my deepest heart-of-hearts regarding this trip and project?

My primary goal is to create a fully sustainable and culturally-appropriate program which effectively meets the needs of the youth in Sighisoara and can be continued and built upon by Veritas. However, I would love to see it reach much deeper than this. I want it to be a safe place for youth and their families, where they feel the welcoming and supportive love of Jesus and the local body of believers. Job training is very important for the youth, but we will have missed the mark if that is our main focus. I don't want to lose sight of the teens as people with unique needs. Relationship and discipleship should also be our focus. If I can play a part in creating a program that strives to meet the needs of young people and their families in this way, I will be incredibly blessed.

Romania 2008 ~ Making Memories

"Making Memories" was my motto in Romania. It fit every situation and described the attitude I wanted to have. God called me to Romania, and He paved the way for me to go - I didn't want to miss a thing. I wanted to take advantage of every opportunity I was given to interact with people and form relationships, lend a helping hand, and experience the culture. My little motto was quickly picked up by my room mates, and it became a quick way to remind ourselves (and each other) of the mindset we wanted to have. Every experience - from the wonderful times to the embarrassing cultural and/or language blunders - was about touching lives with the love of God and learning the lessons He called us to learn. By keeping this perspective we were able to keep a good attitude, laugh off the embarrassing or trying moments, and make great memories.
Pre-trip and travel
From the very beginning it was clear that God was calling me to Romania. I didn't realize what a walk of faith it would be for me, but it has been awesome to watch God provide for all my needs - everything from money to a new passport. As awesome as it was to watch God move, it wasn't easy to wait on His perfect timing. There were several times I doubted God's call as I waited for the money to come in and traveled to Chicago for a new passport after finding mine had expired. Thankfully the Chicago Passport Agency issued me a new passport in only 3 hours, and the money I needed came in through the generous support of my family and friends. As each obstacle arose, God provided a way for me to move beyond it. Nothing stands in His way "for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." (Romans 11:29). He is faithful!
Travel to and from Romania went quite smoothly. Our flight route took us from Akron/Canton through Detroit to Amsterdam and finally to Bucharest. All of our luggage arrived safely with us, minus 1 bag which came a few days later. Thankfully the bag contained donations and was not needed immediately. Sighisoara is 5 hours away from Bucharest, though the drive took us 7 hours due to an accident we encountered on the road. We arrived in Sighisoara at 12:30 am after a little over 24 hours of travel. When we arrived, we were grouped according to our host families and taken to our individual "homes" for the next 3 weeks.
To learn about the various experiences I had and people I met in Romania, keep reading below!

Romania 2008 ~ Upon Arrival

When we arrived in Romania we had 4 days of orientation before serving in any of Veritas' programs. We spent the time getting acclimated to the area and time change, and we were given 3 Romanian classes. The staff was gracious enough to take the time to meet with us and tell us about the different ministries Veritas has. We were shown around the buildings - the Family Center, House on the Rock, Floare de Colt - and told about the ministries each one houses.
The Family Center is home to Small Kids Club, Big Kids (teen) Club, Kindergarten, and Special Needs Club. It also has the kitchen which serves lunch Monday-Friday to the staff, volunteers, and elderly from the area.
The House on the Rock is the administrative headquarters for Veritas. Inside are the main offices, library, conference room, computer room, and classrooms. The main floor is used for the International Cafe, a cafe owned by Veritas. The cafe workers prepared most of our group meals, and they were delicious! If you're ever in Sighisoara I highly recommend eating at the International Cafe in the citadel.
Being a servant
The programs we served in - Kindergarten, Small Kids Club, Big Kids Club, Elderly Club, Special Needs Club - didn't have need (or room) for 15 extra volunteers, so our team was divided into 3 different service groups. Every group had a different schedule which differed each day to allow the groups to serve in all the programs. It also gave us different periods of free time or "extra" service opportunities. Some of the extra opportunities we had were to go on home visits with the Veritas staff, help with construction/rennovation projects, and clean/organize the Veritas buildings and attics.

Romania 2008 ~ Family

My family I had no idea how close I would get to my host family (Gita, Mia, and their son, Dorin) when I met them that first night. They became family, and I truly felt their home was my home. The hospitality and love they shared was incredible. I lived with two other girls from the team, Cari and Lindsay. We shared one large room and quickly became close friends. (We didn't know each other before the trip.) We walked the town and shopped together, did each others' hair, had some great talks, and survived many other bonding experiences. It was encouraging to hear their stories and the work God is doing in their lives, as well as to have two others of the same heart and mind that I could pray and share with.

My most treasured memories with my host family came from the evenings and Sunday afternoons we spent together. Mia and Dorin were our teachers. They let us practice the Romanian we had learned and helped us expand on it. They also taught us how to operate the toilet and shower; I'm ashamed to say it wasn't a one time lesson. =)
Mia was my mother hen. She saw to it that I was well fed, warm and dry, and knew how to get wherever I was going. Both she and Gita went out of their way to make sure we got to our destinations safely. In the evenings the girls and I would sit in the kitchen drinking tea and talking with Mia while she cooked. She never let us help, but she did share some of her recipes.
Dorin was like a brother to us. He loved our attention and was such a patient Romanian teacher! We normally spent at least part of the evening playing with him. If we weren't tickle wrestling, we were playing "red light, green light," "duck, duck, goose," or "hot and cold." And yes, I can STILL play all 3 in Romanian!
Gita treated us like daughters. He did his best to include us in everything. He invited us in to watch TV with himself and Mia, and he made sure we were included in all the meal conversations. He doesn't speak English, so communication was a bit more difficult. Thankfully both he and Cari speak Spanish. With Cari translating we were able to sit and talk. He told us about the family farm, the years he worked in Spain, and about life in Romania.
It is impossible to put into words everything my host family meant (means) to me or even why we grew so close in such a short period of time, but I know the kinship we share in Christ and the time we spent praying for each other before we met had something to do with it. I miss them dearly!

Romania 2008 ~ Elderly Club

There are three elderly clubs hosted by Veritas. They meet in the church, citadel, and Baragon. I only visited the clubs in the church and Baragon. Elderly club offers the elderly in the area the chance to socialize, play games, and drink coffee or tea. There are two things you must know in order to survive elderly club: how to play UNO and Rummikub. The rules to the games change with each person you play with, so it stays interesting.
On the first day, I played UNO with Maria. When we finished playing cards, we did a few puzzles. Maria must have had them memorized because all she did was sort the pieces into various piles and give them to us to put into place. She got a kick out of watching us put it together! On other days, we played rummikub, looked through magazines, or simply served tea, coffee, and cookies. I wish I had a better grasp on the language; it would have been nice to talk with them, hear their stories, or just listen to their conversations. The men and women were so kind; they seemed to truly enjoy having us there.
Looking back, it seems like such an anomaly. I went to serve, to do something, and yet the best and most appreciated thing I could do was share my time and honest interest. Isn't this what we all want? Someone to care and take the time to show us they do? I am thankful I had the opportunity to invest in Maria and the others, and I am thankful for the love they showed me in return.

Romania 2008 ~ Special Needs Club

Special Needs Club, a club for adults who have any type of disability, meets twice a week. Monday is their instructional day when they learn different computer and Internet skills or practice English. Thursday is a fun day; those who come can do whatever they want - talk, play games, or use the computer.
Out of all the different clubs, I spent most of my time at the special needs club. The people I met are some of the friendliest I have ever known. They accepted me into their group with open arms, no hesitations. They shared their stories; we learned together, and we laughed together. The amount of English they knew was astounding. Emeshe, the club "leader," did a little bit of translating for me, but we mostly spoke in English. I tried to use the little bit of Romanian I knew, too. They even helped me learn a little more! One Monday we tried to make a list of all the words we knew that started with an "F," in English. We filled over two white boards with our words, and they even had us struggling to find another word. On the fun days, we played UNO, Sequence, and talked about life, our families, and our hobbies.
Once again I found my perspective of missions and service changing. I never thought playing games for two or three hours could be considered a ministry and a blessing, especially one that goes two ways. Each one of the Romanians I got to know thanked me for my time and care, and yet I continually found myself blessed by their hospitality, warmth, and acceptance.

Romania 2008 ~ Kindergarten

Kindergarten was the first program my group volunteered in. The first day was a bit crazy, but things improved with each day I went. On the first day, I and a few others from the group taught a Bible lesson. We talked about Noah's ark in Genesis 6-7. Szeri, the teacher, translated for us. We gave each of the kids a foam die cut animal, and as we talked about the animals boarding the boat, they put them inside our paper ark. They seemed to enjoy the interactive part of the lesson. We wrapped it up by singing "Old MacDonald." They really got into the "E-I-E-I-O!"
I didn't have the opportunity to teach any other lessons, but I did get to help with crowd control and various projects. It was humbling to learn the same material the students were, such as the names of wild animals, but they thought it was pretty funny. I was able to interact with the kids a lot during their craft time. We colored pictures and talked - as much as we could with my extremely limited grasp on the language. The kids took such pride in their work, and they thrived on the extra attention. This doesn't mean, however, that they didn't try to push our buttons. Kids will be kids, in any part of the world! I wish you could have seen their faces as they proudly displayed their work, though. What a memory!
It wasn't long before I got to know the kids and better understand the kindergarten program, and soon I wasn't such a novelty. It was a joy to get to know each one of the children. They have infectious joy and mischievous energy; they're also rotten - in a fun, yet challenging way. The small things - having a short Romanian conversation with one of the boys, helping with a lesson, learning animal names in Romanian, making crafts - meant the most. As personal relationships were formed, the kids started approaching us out on the street or in the park. It was fun to interact with them in a different setting.

Romania 2008 ~ Kids Club

Veritas hosts two kids clubs, small kids club and big kids (youth) club. I spent the most time with the youth. For one activity we made salam de biscuiti to share with the elderly clubs. It is made with crushed cookies, raisins, Turkish delight, cocoa, milk, and rum flavoring. We had fun crushing up the cookies and mixing all the ingredients up with our hands. We went outside and played some games when we finished in the kitchen. We played a clapping game, soccer, and volleyball. We also took a lot of pictures; the girls loved modeling for us.
I went on an ecology field trip with the younger kids. We took a long hike to a river/field and picked up all the garbage we saw. We collected quite a bit! The kids did a great job, and I enjoyed working with them. I'm ashamed to say, however, that the kids had a much better attitude about the long hike and heat than I did. They gave me a reality check as we walked back to Sighisoara. I was hot, sweaty, and tired from the hike. I was beginning to think about all of my complaints when it hit me -- the kids are over half my age, have probably done more today than I have, have been more enthusiastic about their work, and haven't complained about anything the entire afternoon. They put me to shame, and I'm proud of them for it.

Romania 2008 ~ Tigmandru

I only had the opportunity to visit Tigmandru once; I wish I had been able to visit again. My time in Tigmandru was one of my first real encounters with extreme poverty. As I looked around the village, I was humbled to realize that in the short time I had been in Romania, I had seen more than some living in the village ever would. And at the same time, I was impressed by the people's work ethic - that they would leave their home for work in another part of the country or a different country to provide personal income, as well as remittance income for their families.
Going to Tigmandru was a wonderful experience. Nelutu, the man running the programs at the church, is an awesome guy. He has an evident passion for God and the people in Tigmandru. His ministry grew out of a terrible car accident he had near the village some years ago. He developed a love and heart for the people then. It was great to hear his stories; it is evident he genuinely cares about the welfare of the adults and children.
Nelutu runs a few clubs out of the church in Tigmandru, and I got to visit those. After he taught a lesson, I did facepainting with the younger kids. I'm really not that good at it, but they didn't seem to mind. I painted unicorns, cats, flowers, etc. It was so neat to witness their excitement!
The teens came later in the evening. Nelutu wasn't there when they first came, so it was a little awkward at first. The teens just stared at us when we walked in. We didn't know what to do, so we grabbed Ker-Plunk out of the stack of games and started teaching ourselves how to play. Two teens came up and joined us, and eventually as we asked, others started joining us, too. Soon we switched to playing Pick-Up Sticks. I never knew such a silly game could be so much fun! We laughed
so hard, and the teens loved it. It wasn't long before everyone was playing with us. We were having so much fun, Nelutu cancelled the lesson and let us have a game night.
As I sat there playing games, I kept wondering where these kids are spiritually. From listening to Nelutu, I know many of them don't have a personal relationship with God; do any? I feel very burdened for them. Please bless the ministries happening here, Lord, and draw these kids to You.

Shame on me

God is TRULY an amazing God. I'm not saying that to be cliche'; I believe it with every fiber of my being. He nevers leaves us, abandons us, forgets us, or ignores us. He is always there! And if His presence isn't enough, He is constantly active in our lives. Shame on me for being too busy to notice. It just blows my mind to think that the Creator of the universe - the same God who walked with Adam & Eve; the God who refrained from destroying the world with a flood, but gave us a promise of hope instead; and the God who used His only Son to purge the world from sin - cares about the intricate details of my life and is weaving them together for HIS glory. And yet, I'm often too focused on me to notice the great extent of His love. Once again, shame on me.

Unconditional Love

I stumbled across this last night, and I was so blessed by it that I wanted to share. These verses come from Psalm 37:23-24:

"The steps of a man are established by the LORD, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the LORD is the One who holds his hand."

Isn't that awesome?! I take it for granted that God has a plan for me and has laid out a path that I should follow. That He would be so concerned with all the intimate details of my life is an outstanding display of love in itself. But to think... He is still holding my hand when I stray and when I fall. God (who is holy and pure) never lets go of us, no matter how far we fall. What love is this!


PS: I love the mental picture these verses give. "Hurled headlong" definitely paints a specific picture in my mind. I'm so glad our Father has more compassion than this!