Yesterday was our first day of ministry with H2H International. Our team split into two groups to do different things. One group visited with Ukrainian refugee children. They shared a brief message and spent most of the time playing with the children. The team members who went this came back with huge smiles and stories about how despite a significant language barrier (english >>romanian..russian) they were able to make meaningful connections with the kids. They can't wait to go back today and see the kids again!
The rest of our team hosted orphaned boys from a small orphanage at the H2H team house. Our high school students looked a little apprehensive when the first van full of boys pulled into the driveway. Most of these 'boys' were teenagers themselves, muscled and mustachioed, playing on their phones and looking very mature. A few younger boys came too and the team was quick to jump into playing rock paper scissors and learning names. We had a brief time singing led by Isabelle (very enthusiastically from our American crowd) and then we divided everyone into teams to rotate through various activity stations. Despite the seemingly simple activities (memorizing a Bible verse, making a craft with popsicle sticks, playing team water games) these big, muscled 'boys' actively participated. The American team members were quick to offer smiles and engage with the Romanian kids as best as they could. It was fun to see Kaleb and Sofia helping the boys make their crafts.
We had lunch together and then it was time for the activity they had all been waiting for- la piscina- the pool! Shane on our team was the first to jump in with all the boys- and became the primary target of a very wild water fight/pool basketball game. Several other team members soon joined him (some more willingly than others!) and the wild pool games went on for several hours before it was time for the boys to head back to their orphanage.
In the evening, we gathered as a team to debrief the day. Many shared about the challenges of not speaking Romanian but also their surprise at how much they could communicate. Jen (H2H staff leader) answered questions from the team and gave a little more insight into some of the kids' lives. She shared how the older boys who came today were all under 18 years old (despite their looks) and many had grown up participating in H2H programs. She encouraged the team to look past their outward appearances and recognize that these boys were desperate for connection, love, and people they could trust. By hosting short-term teams, H2H is able to provide these fun experiences for the kids in Romania- camps, pool parties, meeting new friends. These experiences become core 'good memories' for the children in orphanages- who tend to live very rough but monotonous lives.
The two wildest and 'roughest' boys from today are the 'leaders of the pack.' Jen encouraged the team to pray for these boys (we'll call them D and D if you want to pray with us!) specifically. Over the many years H2H has ministered to Romanian orphans, they have observed that when the children who are the orphanage leaders follow Jesus, the entire orphanage is changed.
On a personal note, this trip is a bit of a homecoming for me- my first time back to Romania in 11 years (after serving here consistently for most of my life). As Jen spoke last night about watching generations of orphans come to Jesus, I couldn't help but look around at some of the H2H translators, staff, and helpers that were assisting us today. Many of them were children that I met 15-20 years ago when they stepped out of a van from their orphanage and came to a camp I was helping at. One of the 'kids' who is helping in the kitchen today recognized me immediately and recounted that she and I were on the winning team at a summer camp 20 years ago (complete with team chant and high fives). Short-term mission trips are sometimes looked down upon in the American church ("how much help are they really?" "They cost so much money..."). But tonight looking at these young adults mixed in with our high school team I am struck that God uses many unlikely things to build His Kingdom. Two weeks on a summer mission trip, a day of pool basketball, an afternoon spent holding a child who doesn't speak your language... we just can't see all the ways that God is working in and through us.
My prayer is that this team will catch a glimpse of what God is doing through this time. And that despite our many limitations, Jesus would do a mighty work in the lives of the kids we get to be with here in Romania.
The rest of our team hosted orphaned boys from a small orphanage at the H2H team house. Our high school students looked a little apprehensive when the first van full of boys pulled into the driveway. Most of these 'boys' were teenagers themselves, muscled and mustachioed, playing on their phones and looking very mature. A few younger boys came too and the team was quick to jump into playing rock paper scissors and learning names. We had a brief time singing led by Isabelle (very enthusiastically from our American crowd) and then we divided everyone into teams to rotate through various activity stations. Despite the seemingly simple activities (memorizing a Bible verse, making a craft with popsicle sticks, playing team water games) these big, muscled 'boys' actively participated. The American team members were quick to offer smiles and engage with the Romanian kids as best as they could. It was fun to see Kaleb and Sofia helping the boys make their crafts.
We had lunch together and then it was time for the activity they had all been waiting for- la piscina- the pool! Shane on our team was the first to jump in with all the boys- and became the primary target of a very wild water fight/pool basketball game. Several other team members soon joined him (some more willingly than others!) and the wild pool games went on for several hours before it was time for the boys to head back to their orphanage.
In the evening, we gathered as a team to debrief the day. Many shared about the challenges of not speaking Romanian but also their surprise at how much they could communicate. Jen (H2H staff leader) answered questions from the team and gave a little more insight into some of the kids' lives. She shared how the older boys who came today were all under 18 years old (despite their looks) and many had grown up participating in H2H programs. She encouraged the team to look past their outward appearances and recognize that these boys were desperate for connection, love, and people they could trust. By hosting short-term teams, H2H is able to provide these fun experiences for the kids in Romania- camps, pool parties, meeting new friends. These experiences become core 'good memories' for the children in orphanages- who tend to live very rough but monotonous lives.
The two wildest and 'roughest' boys from today are the 'leaders of the pack.' Jen encouraged the team to pray for these boys (we'll call them D and D if you want to pray with us!) specifically. Over the many years H2H has ministered to Romanian orphans, they have observed that when the children who are the orphanage leaders follow Jesus, the entire orphanage is changed.
On a personal note, this trip is a bit of a homecoming for me- my first time back to Romania in 11 years (after serving here consistently for most of my life). As Jen spoke last night about watching generations of orphans come to Jesus, I couldn't help but look around at some of the H2H translators, staff, and helpers that were assisting us today. Many of them were children that I met 15-20 years ago when they stepped out of a van from their orphanage and came to a camp I was helping at. One of the 'kids' who is helping in the kitchen today recognized me immediately and recounted that she and I were on the winning team at a summer camp 20 years ago (complete with team chant and high fives). Short-term mission trips are sometimes looked down upon in the American church ("how much help are they really?" "They cost so much money..."). But tonight looking at these young adults mixed in with our high school team I am struck that God uses many unlikely things to build His Kingdom. Two weeks on a summer mission trip, a day of pool basketball, an afternoon spent holding a child who doesn't speak your language... we just can't see all the ways that God is working in and through us.
My prayer is that this team will catch a glimpse of what God is doing through this time. And that despite our many limitations, Jesus would do a mighty work in the lives of the kids we get to be with here in Romania.