Sometimes in my life on the mission field, I think about the journey that God has led me on. Sometimes the path is smooth and straight like a Kansas road, but most of the time it is more of a series of ups and downs. Sometimes it feels like going over some bumps, other times like scaling a mountain only to go down into a deep valley. Sometimes it feels like a bungie jump. A free fall to the depths only to be shot up to the heights. I know that every life experiences this, but sometimes, in the pursuit of an abundant life in Christ, I feel like maybe the heights and depths are accentuated a bit. February was a bungie jump of a month. I was back from furlough in the US, which is always bittersweet in and of itself. The joy of returning to RO and the kids and people I love here, back to my mission and calling, with the sadness of goodbyes to family and love ones back in Kansas. It was accentuated this time around by my Mom having back surgery right after my return only to be followed a week later by a fall and a broken leg/hip. Something about being far away when someone you love is walking through something difficult reminds you of your total dependence on God to be your helper. Jenny was gone on her furlough so I was balancing things without my assistant, but at the same time enjoying solitude. I got back into my routine. I was able to visit all of our different ministry locations and check on how things had gone while I was gone. When I called Domnul Doro, the Boys Transition House Director, I received some great news. That day, at a special service at their church, three of the boys in our transition house raised their hands and went forward to accept Christ. Two of these boys are from Peris, and I've personally worked with them for a long time. One of them, I've known for 13-14 years. What a privilege to see fruit from many, many years of people pouring love into their lives. When I visited the following day, it was such great time listening to each of them tell the reasons for choosing to follow Christ. They had put thought into their decisions and I was impressed by the maturity of mind that I witnessed in their stories. What a time of celebration! Tuesday morning I received the opposite kind of news. Maria Duta, a girl who began our Girls Transition Program in 2012, but dropped out after a month, was murdered by an ex-boyfriend. After she left our program, she moved in with a boyfriend and didn't maintain contact with us, but we had one of her brothers and one of her sisters graduate from our programs. Jenny returned to Romania and the next morning we headed to Rosiori for the funeral. I kept reminding myself that we weren't watching a tv show, that this was real, and it happened to one of our kids. Even in attending the funeral there were so many highs and lows. The senselessness of murder and how Maria died. The "what ifs" that came to mind. What if Maria wouldn't have dropped out of our program, would she have had one after another dysfunctional relationships with men that eventually led to this event. It was hard not compare the joy of the boys currently in the program, to the despair of a life cut short by poor choices. At the same time, many of our kids came back and it was good to see some that we hadn't seen for a while. We saw a director who had pictures of Maria and her siblings from when they were little and it reminded me that some of the people from the government that work with our kids, do truly care for them. It was also great to see how orphans band together when tragedy happens. It is like a true family, there may be differences and disagreements, but when there is true need they stand united. A little over a week after the funeral, we welcomed a new team and we celebrated Karla's second birthday. Life going forward. Another high of getting to celebrate life with these kids and see proof of a broken cycle. Ups and Downs. Highs and lows. Life--but it is a life that I wouldn't trade and am honored to be chosen to live it.