Spring 2022

With summer ministry starting this week I thought it essential to get out an update about the spring. It has been very busy and full but worth it! Here are some things that I've been up to: Peris- Corni and Caterina and I continued to go to Peris on a weekly basis and teach English and life skills. Bingo continued to be a favorite and I was impressed how far the group came along- especially my teacher students! We finished the school year mid-June. The orphanage part of Peris is closing. They've moved out all but 5 of the girls to other locations. They are either being aged out, sent to family, or private foundations. We are trying to follow as many as we can are praying for open doors to the private foundations to continue our ministry with the kids that have grown up with us. So far the reception has been good and we are concentrating part of our summer on developing those relationships. We were able to have a nice closing party at Pipera with the kids before a big group were moved. We ate, swam. played pool basketball, and looked at old photos and reminisced

Boys Transition Program- We were able to finish out the BTH well! Both Iuli and Andrei graduated the program on June 19th. This spring was busy with lots of lessons on budgeting, conflict resolution, how to live in an apt with roommates, job skills, etc. We also did quite a few work projects and some fun as well! The big project this spring was to repair and repaint parts of the stucco work on the team house and fence. Past and present graduates pitched in and helped provide all of the labor. It was hard work, but I'm sooo pleased with the result!

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Ukaine Crisis

In my last blog I wrote about the unification of several churches and organizaions to help with the Ukrainina refugee crisis and war. The group is called UBC22 and its been an incredible way that we can stay involved with this ministry while balancing time with the ministry with Romanian orphans. For me personally it has benn an excellent way to work as the Body of Christ and not feel as if I have to do everything or find solutions for every case. I've met many amazing people who have come alongside to help. Some have come to Romania just for this purpose and some are Romanian and I've met them for the first time or have gotten to know them on a deeper level. I was able to go on two Humanitarian convoys. The first was with a group of 9 vans and we entered Moldova and went to the Ukrainian border there. This was a ten hour drive with a 3 hour wait at the border. We experienced problems there with a guard who wouldn't let us pass through with our food donations. She wanted us to pay a bribe and found many issues with our paperwork and goods. Eventually we got through and made it to a church in Moldova at 4 a.m. We unloaded the food and goods and got to get some rest. I was the only woman on this convoy. At the beginning there was a lot of hesitation from some of the other drivers about me being with the group. I don't think they thought that I could keep up! But because I was the only woman I got to sleep at the home of our guide and translator's mother's house. I was taken care of very well and it was very, very nice to have a private room and bed to sleep on after such a long day! The second day we went to the border. We weren't allowed to be at the official border, but had to wait in a waiting area for people to come across. It was a desolate and dusty place and the feeling of desperation and corruption was thick. We spent the day waiting for people to come and I saw many acts of corruption and people profitting from the needs of others. It broke my heart. By 7 p.m. we were loaded and took off. I had 7 people in my van and 4 dogs and a cat! It was cold and rainy and difficult to communicate with the people in my van. I had an elderly man sitting next to me. In so many ways he reminded me of my Dad. He spoke to me little, but found ways to communicate that I was doing a good job. At a bathroom stop a young many, who spoke a little English told me that they discussed it in the back that I'm a hero, to be a woman driving so far in the rain! It was a nice sentiment. I was given a locaton of a church that could house the people in my group and dropped them at 5 a.m. I wasn't sure how the other drivers were feeling about me in the group, but I was told by the leader that having a woman along made a huge difference for the Ukrainians. Most of the people coming across are women and children and to be greeted by a group of men is hard, but to have a woman changes the feeling and the women and children feel much more at ease. I also must of done a good enough job driving because I was invited to go on a second convoy.

The second trip was to the Romanian/Ukrainian border that is close to the Black Sea. This time we entered into the Ukraine with 12 van loads of food and supplies. This trip was night and day different. There were two more women along. One was a American women who has been a missionary in the Ukraian for a while and she was along as a translator. It was fun to find out that she is from Kansas and her parents live in Moundridge! She has a Mennonite backgroud as well and connections to Buhler. Its a small world! The trip was also much shorter and the other drivers treated me like one of the guys. I made the team! We made it to the border in about 4 hours. We crossed over by taking a ferry across the Danube River into the Ukarain. We went to two churches and another location to make supply drop offs and met many Christian brothers and sisters that are ministering in their country. Driving through the Ukraine on a Humanitarina convoy was also quite the experience. You stay close together as a group and don't have to follow stop signs or lights. Everyone moves over and lets the group pass and many wave and cheer. We finished the drop offs and came back over the border on the ferry. The refugees coming across were on the same ferry with us and the atmosphere at the border was amazing. So many people there waiting with food, water, hygiene supplies, phone cards, etc. There was an open, welcoming feel and I was very proud of Romania in that moment! We were loaded up with people to bring back to Bucuresti. I had a small group, since seats had been removed in the back for supplies. It was a mom and her two boys and her mother. They had the name of a friend of a friend that would take them in if they could get to him. It was another glimpse into the layers of uncertainty and fear that the refugees are living through. I tried to put myself in her shoes. Coming into a foreign country with a phone number, not knowing if it is a safe place or not and trying to also protect your children and mother. Very hard. Fortunately, in this situation, the man was a fellow Christan and it was a very good place for them to go.

I've given you just a small glimpse into my experiences! The full stories would take too much time in this format! I've been asked back on several more convoys, but for now, with the start of our summer mininsty and camps, I've put that on hold. We've also continued to house refugees at our H2H Snagov home. We've had an average of 20 people there at a time and I've lost count how many have come through. There have been many that have stayed for weeks if not months and we've been able to get to know them very well. We've had many amazing moments doing special art projects, playing, or excursions. We've also had special meals together and this past week they came to Pipera to the pool. Several of the ladies have become friends and they helped me with the logistics of the wedding I hosted at the team house.

As each person finds a way forward, either by going to a new country, returning to the Ukraine or trying to settle in Romania the goodbyes are hard. I'll close with this little story. One thing I've loved during this time is watching Ruthie and Karla (two of my grands)learn to give back and serve in new ways. Karla, who is 7, especially has loved making new friends with the children and it doesn't bother her at all that they don't speak the same language. Recently one of her new friends returned to the Ukrain. I was telling Karla that her friend was leaving and I was taking them to the bus. She asked me if it is safe for her to return. I told her that the war is still going, and even though the area they are returning to is safe for now, we need to keep praying for her. Karla was quiet and closed her eyes. She said "I'm not sleeping, I'm praying." She was quiet and then said "amen" I asked her what she prayed for and she said "MOM, I can't tell you!" We had a discussion that you can choose to keep your prayers between just you and God but you can tell others to. She said "I prayed for Zlatia to be safe, to not be bombed, to not see any guns, to have a home, and a family, and a cat, Amen!" Oh Lord hear our prayers for our new friends!

The Whirlwind Continues

Has it only been a month since I lasted posted!!! It feels as if time has gone very fast but the beginning of March seems like a very long time ago! Life continues to be full and very busy. There are many things going on with both H2H and the Ukrainian refugee project as well. Corni and I have continued to teach at Peris. I've continued to really enjoy this time. I feel as if we've been able to build connections with all of the kids now. This school is a combination of kids from the orphanage and poor children from the town. The kids from the orphanage know us well, but the children from town have gotten to know us and we've built new bridges. Yesterday we had a special afternoon of Easter activities with them. I used the resurrection eggs to tell the story of Easter. What stood out to me was that the kids from the orphanage knew the answers. They knew what the item in each egg represented from the story of Jesus and his crucifixion and resurrection. The children from the town didn’t know. It was a reminder for me of the importance of consistency and proof that teaching children the truth does pay off. We ended the day with Bingo (their favorite activity) and a Easter egg hunt outside.

I have a new staff member that has arrived. Her name is Caterina, but most people call her Cat. She was born in Romania and then adopted by an American family when she was four. She came back for a visit in 2010 and met H2H and has come back on 3 short-term teams and internships with us before deciding to join our staff. She's made an initial three year commitment to serve with us. One of the parts of my job is to help integrate new staff into life with our foundation and in Romania in general. That means lots of talking, showing the ropes and teaching how to navigate the public transportation system in Bucuresti. She has begun Romanian language lessons. We are happy to have a new addition!

Currently, two of my staff members Nicu and Melissa Perghel, are on furlough in the US. They are the administrators of the Boys Transition Program, so with them gone, I’ve had the two boys that are currently in the program staying with me at the team house. My favorite part has been morning devotions with them. We’ve been going through the book of James and I’ve really enjoyed teaching them and having good discussions about living out our faith. They’ve also done work projects with some of the other staff, continued academic tutoring and classes, and have helped out at the orphanage and refugee centers. Andrei started an internship at a job. Because of some special needs that Andrei has, we were anxious to see how he would handle a job. So far he’s done really well and the construction company that he is working with has talked with us about hiring him full time when he graduates from our program in a couple of months.

The refugee crisis has continued to be a big part of life here. The church that I attend has grouped with several other churches and organizations to give some organization and structure to the aid that we can offer. It is called UBC22. We have three locations that can house refugees. A large church in the city center is our intake center and temporary housing/transition center. People can stay there if they need a place for 1-3 nights and are just passing through. Our Snagov house, which is a H2H property, is for people that need to stay 1-2 weeks, and then we have a camp outside of the city for people that need to stay long term. So far we’ve had 1573 people that have passed through or are still receiving aid. In the first weeks I helped at the main location, but once we got Snagov ready to take in people my efforts shifted to help maintain that house and keep things organized and running there. I have several other people from my church that are in charge of transport and purchasing items, and I can assist when I have time from my other ministry. I go a few times a week and check in and spend time with them. I have had many special moments. I met a little girl named Masha and we played mister potato head for a long time which turned into hide and go seek. We could not speak the same language but being able to help her smile and laugh was precious. One of the mom’s said “you helped her forget about the war and be a child.”