Summer Fun!

I have just completed my 20th summer in Romania doing ministry with H2H!    Time is funny in that though it has flown by I feel as if I've been here awhile.  I've seen many things change over the years, but the essence of what I do is the same:  Sharing the love of Christ with the orphans of Romania.

This summer began in May with the Biola team.  We had teams from the Wave Church in San Diego, The Radiance Church in San Fransisco, Bakersfield, and North Carolina.  Outside of the organized teams we had summer interns and individuals who came from all over the United States to help us run summer camps and to love on our kids. About 70 volunteers in total!   We did a total of 11 camps this summer plus tons of other play times, story times, baby holding times, H2H family BBQs, and you name it.  It was a busy and fun summer.

People ask me what I actually do doing summer ministry.  Though I joke and say that I sit by the pool, eating bon bons, my official job is to facilitate and direct everyone and everything that is going on here in RO.  Here are a few of the things I do that might surprise you:
 Pool maintenance.  I had no clue how much work goes into taking care of a pool, but our kids LOVE pool time and for many of them it is the highlight of the summer.  So in addition to playing with kids in the pool I make sure that the pool is ready to go each day.  I change filters, adjust chemicals, vacuum, etc.  Lots of work but worth the smiles!

Teams!  I spend a lot of time in the summer communicating with teams.  I post a daily schedule and change it as needed.  Each morning we have team devotions.  I lead a devotional time or facilitate a devotional led by a team member.  Then we make sure everyone knows what is happening and everyone has what they need.  Getting a team out the door to a ministry site is a lot like getting your kids out the door to school on a bigger scale.  How many people are going? How many vehicles do we need?  Do we have enough drivers?  Do all the vehicles have gas?  Do they have ministry materials?  Does everyone have water and sun screen?  Is everyone in a van and no one left behind?  Are a few of the questions that go through my mind each time.  Each evening we have what we call Night Light.  It is time to talk about what happened during the day, discuss any problems, share joys and struggles, explain cultural things that people didn't understand, answer questions about locations and kids, and pray together.  We also talk about the next days' schedule and tasks.

Directors.  Coordinating schedules with directors is an important part of summer!  This sounds like an easy task, but in Romania, nothing is easy, especially when its part of the orphanage system.  We establish a schedule a the beginning of the summer but a director can change anything on a whim with or without communication.  So when we show up to pick kids up for camp and they aren't there, its my job to figure out what we are going to do with the team of volunteers that are waiting for those kids.  I do a lot of juggling!  Somehow, it always works out, but living out our acronym of being FAT (Flexible, Adaptable, and teachable) is a daily reality.  Oh and did I mention the stamps?  At least three different documents have to be completed and stamped and turned in before we can get permission to take kids out of the orphanage.  Nothing can be done if you don't have a stamp.  I have a stamp and ink pad that I can carry in my purse!

Tour guide.  Showing teams the ins and outs of a culture also means giving them a glimpse of Romania outside of the orphanage.  We do something called the Revolution Tour, where we take a team of volunteers to the city center and show them where the Romanian Revolution occurred.  For a team member to understand our kids, they have to understand why there are so many orphans in Romania, and to understand that, they need to understand some of Romanian history.  Jim or I usually put on our tour guide hat for this!

Grocery shop!  With the number of volunteers plus the number of kids that come to our camps we go through a lot of food!  Jenny plans the menu, but it takes both of us plus usually some helpers to shop.  We do one big shop a week and 2-3 smaller trips for fresh items and things we run out of.

Some other things I find myself doing:  laundry, house cleaning, driving people where they need to go, fixing scrapes and boo boos, helping with meal time and clean up, and being a listening ear.  

All of those things are worth it. because I love what I do, love our kids, but most importantly love God.  What a privilege it is to serve Him here!

At the beginning of the summer I wrote down some personal goals for myself for the summer.  One of them was to watch as many sunsets as I could.  We have a pedestrian bridge close to our house and it gives a great view of the sunset.  My goal was, despite the busyness and never ending to do list of summer ministry, to take a few moments to stop, remember God's Greatness and the beauty He has created and be thankful.  I didn't make every sunset, but I saw many!  Now, at the sunset of summer ministry, I can once again pause, remember God's Greatness and the beauty that He has brought us through and be thankful!