The Fab Four

 This summer we had four people, Ryan Schmidt, Ciara VanBruggen, Parker Wedel, and Drew Pankratz,  from the Buhler area come and join us for 6 weeks of ministry. .   We typically name our teams, so I was looking for the name that was the best fit and Fab Four became the affectionate way we addressed this crew.  They were here for the bulk of the summer so they got to help out with pretty much everything.  The boys went on the 2 backpacking trips while Ciara helped with girls camps.  They helped at day camps, visited all of the orphanages, went to the baby hospital,  were apart of all of the short-term teams that came, and helped with so much of the day to day things that are required of summer ministry.  They jumped into to everything (even the sewer disaster cleanup) with willing spirit and hard work and a lot of humor.  In the picture above they are with Ruthie, one of the H2H grandbabies.  (yes she's getting big!)

Here they are with Caroline, another summer team member, ready to go to the baby hospital.

We were also able to fit time in to show them some of the beauty of Romania.  In this picture we are at Rasnov, which is one of my favorite locations, a 13th century fortress. 
Thanks guys for coming and for all of your help--it was a fun summer!  Thank you, as well, to everyone who helped support them financially and through prayer! 

We Are Champions!

 As the sun sets on another summer in Romania, I wanted to look back at some of the great moments.  This summer, like every summer here, was busy and full, but also so amazing.  There is something special about summertime, when the confines of school scheduling falls away and we have so much more freedom to pour into the kids.  (The sunset is a view from our house)

This year we did an Olympic Theme and our motto was I am a Champion!  We split the kids up into countries and made flags for the opening ceremony.  They also had to come up with a chant for their country. 

 The torch relay and Olympians Oath was also part of the opening fun.  Then during camp we talked about the life of Paul and focused on the ideas of perseverance, sportsmanship, and integrity. 

 When the kids came to camp they got to swim, which for many of the kids is one of the highlights of the summer.  They come to the pool with many levels of ability.  For some kids it takes us a while to coax them into the pool and overcome their fear, while others are fearless and jumped right in.  Sometimes we wished some of them were a little more cautious!

 This little guy was one of our fearful ones.  He is the oldest of three brothers who were brought to the orphanage this past May.  They are so little and have had to adjust to life in the orphanage and have been very quiet little ones.  It took us almost an hour to convince him to get in, but once he jumped to me one time the deal was sealed.  The rest of the afternoon was spent jumping in and gaining courage.  I wish I could attach the sound of his laughter, because it is priceless and one of the best memories of the summer for me!

 I thought I would show you the pool at one of the orphanages.  This is an old non-functioning fountain that they fill up and get wet in.  One look at that and the dirty water inside, is enough to show why the kids are so excited to come swimming at our pool!

 Eating, of course, is also a big part of summer camps. 

 Over the years we've introduced them to more and more kinds of food.  In comparison to the bland, non-diverse orphanage food it is pretty shocking for some.  Some love it, others have to be convinced to try.  Do you want to guess what the number one favorite is?   Pizza!

Lots of great moments with lots of great kids!  Thank you Lord for another amazing summer!