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!

May 2017!

May was a month of preparation for summer. We had a few guests at the beginning of the month, and our "normal" program keep moving along. We used the time to work out the day to day schedule of the summer teams, shop for materials needed, and do a few fun things like celebrate some staff birthdays. The summer really kicked off on May 25th with the Biola team. We usually say that we know that we are on the right track with serving God, by how much opposition Satan throws our way at the beginning of the summer. If we measure in that way, we are going to see God do some amazing things this summer, because just about every obstacle that could come happened during the Biola team! They were delayed in London, we had lost luggage, middle of the night airport runs, directors of the orphanages changing the schedules over and over, broken down vehicles, and a fender bender, just for the highlights! Despite the obstacles we had a great time ministering together with the Biola team. The foundation of the Biola team comes out of the Symphonic Winds Orchestra so whenever Biola is here, we have a strong music emphasis during the time with the kids. This year we did Children's Day Carnivals in 4 locations, we had end of the year celebrations for the music and the character classes, and we had youth group bonfires with the Peris and Voluntari orphanages. The team members also helped with crafts and story time, sat in on individual music lessons, had a musical petting zoo for the kids to try out different instruments, did a concert at Peris, used music therapy in several locations, taught conducting and played with and loved on our kids. Romans 8:31 "What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"

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.

Home To Home

I just returned to Romania after a one month furlough in Kansas. One of the questions that I often get asked is, "Which one is Home?" Kansas, and the United States, will always be my home. It is my roots, my foundation, my family and even though the US is going through difficult times, I'm proud to be from Kansas and I am proud to be an American. Romania is where I've lived for the last 18 years. It is my home. My daily schedule, my things, my kids are here. So I'm very blessed. I leave home to go home, no matter which direction that I'm going! My time in Kansas was very, very full this time around. I was with my family for Christmas. It is always good to catch up with my brothers and my 7 nieces and nephews. My younger brother and his family have gone through a difficult period this year and he was recently divorced. Because of this, I was even more anxious to check in with my nieces and nephews and be a support where I could be. I was able to visit some friends and supporters. I also gave several presentations and did some support maintenance. I gave the sermon at my home church one Sunday and tried to give the kids a taste of the orphanage during Wednesday Night Clubs. They decided to have a Romanian Birthday Party. We talked about how different celebrating a birthday is for an orphan, and how H2H tries to celebrate and make each kid feel special. The kids from my church brought small gifts that we will distribute in Romania. They collected about 3 suitcases full! I brought one back with me and the other two will hopefully come over with my some of my family that would like to come this summer. (God willing my older brother with his three kids and one other niece!) I also was the wedding coordinator for Claire Gregory's wedding. I was a babysitter and nanny for the Gregory family and they took me in as one of their own. I've been involved in Claire's whole life, so it was a privilege and honor to get to be involved in this major milestone as well. Whew! I know! It was a busy time. I returned to Romania on the 22nd. Jenny is on her furlough, so I came back to a quiet house. It has been good for me to see the grandkids and visit with the staff and the orphanages and reconnect with my family here. Back to life, back home!

2016 in Review!

My fellow H2H staffer, Jenny, did this and I liked the idea so much that I stole it! Here are a few of my favorite moments of 2016! While I was looking at pictures, I kept thinking, "Whew, what a year!" January March April/May June July August September October November December