It's been quite awhile since I last posted about Romania and I never did give you guys a sum up of my experience there. So here it is. It's pretty impossible to use less words or space or whatever to explain everything so this is going to be a very long post.
After those first two or three days we started camp. Our first week were the kids that Livada has taken into their own care. Their ages range from 8-17. There are about 30-40 Livada kids living in Casa Ana-Nadia and Casa Rebecca.
Side Note: Mondays are day camp days. Then from Tuesday-Friday we are at Camp Vetca with the kids.
This week was a very interesting week. These kids are very accustomed to Americans so we were nothing terribly special to them. On the easier side of things, because Americans are nothing unusual to them, the majority of the kids spoke great english. When we first met with the kids and had camp with them, the girls, specifically, did not act as though they wanted us around. Until Thursday nigh when we get in our Achipas (teams) and each leader prays over each child. We cried like little babies.
Of the kids there are three that I became super close with over the month that I was in Romania: Bella (a 14-year-old boy), Ana (14-year-old girl), and Kati (16-year-old girl).
The next three weeks were state care kids. The first week of kids in state care had a lot of special needs kids. This week was a totally different ball game than the first. Their English skills were much less that the Livada kids so our Translators were seriously our mouth pieces. It was a great week though.
The next week was my absolute favorite week. These kids were from ages 18-24 (crazy, I know). We were told during orientation that this would be the hardest but most rewarding week of the summer; and other than getting blatantly pushed down by a random kid for no reason, it wasn't that terribly hard. And don't worry one of the guys on my team Luci (18) went after him and probably cussed him out in Romanian, he then protected me the rest of the night haha!!
I got and have remained close to one of my guys Liviu (20). He is pretty fluent in English and we have gotten many opportunities to chat on facebook. He became a believer just a few weeks after we left RO and has told me all about his feelings about Jesus and what he knows to be true of Salvation. It has been incredible to have so many chances to talk to him even after being back in the States.
We had a wonderful time in RO and the Word of God was preached to every ear that would hear. And of course, whenever the Word of the Lord is preached Satan has to get in there and try to ruin everything. We had so many battles and continue to battle with Child Protective Services in RO. After week 2 we were no longer aloud to take pictures of or with any of the kids. After week 3 we signed a waiver saying we would not post anything about the kids and after week 5 camp was shut down.
Continue to be in prayer for these kids that we met this summer and for Livada to be able to continue to preach of God's Grace. Pray for Sarah Meszaros and Rebecca Rasmussen who are still in Romania. Sarah is there until next September and Rebecca has been there for the past 3 years. They are two wonderful ladies that I had the opportunity to get really close to this summer and I admire their hard work and love for every kid. Pray for Kelly she has been in Romania for the past 5 years and is coming back this year to work for Livada in the States.
While there were plenty of times that I really didn't know what the heck I was doing in Romania, there were plenty other times that I knew exactly what I was there for. And now, more than ever, I know that the Lord has called me to do His work. To Love the Unlovable and to Remember the Forgotten.
Livada is continuing the Intern program next summer, so please let me know if you are even slightly interested and I would love to meet with you and tell you more about it.
Thanks again guys. Also I applaud you for making it to the end. It's hard for me to sum up my experience so easily.
