These past two weeks have been full of joy, God, and challenges: I couldn't have asked for a better trip.
To start off, being with the orphans gave them so much joy that I couldn't help but be joyful too, and I wasn't expecting that. It's humbling that this VBS that H2H organizes is the highlight of their entire year, and I'm so glad to have been a part of that. A memory I have that gives me joy is when one of the kids at the Gypsie village by the name of Victor didn't want to participate in the games outside. I barely knew any Romanian, but with some hand motions and the phrase "Te rog" (which means, "please") I tried my hardest to convince him to join the fun. At first, he was reluctant, but after a few minutes he caved in and played some games. The next day, I didn't have to convince him---he was already in the midst of fun. The day after that, he sprayed me with a water gun, and I chased him around and was filled with the joy I could see in his eyes. I'm not sure if I made Victor's day, but he definitely made mine.
In the middle of everything, God was there. He was there in the laughter, in the 101F heat, in the car rides: He was everywhere. It was also a joy seeing how God worked uniquely in every team member and in the H2H staff. Everyone did an amazing job serving in any way possible, and it would probably take a few pages to write down how God used each of us, so I'll just give shout-outs to three of my teammates. Shout out to Levi for being the brake for the zipline every day in the intense heat and for cleaning the guys' restrooms every day until the H2H staff convinced him to stop so someone else could get the chance to do so. Shout out to Lizzie for playing with Ghitza (I probably spelled that wrong), who couldn't sit still and was hard to control, yet Lizzie was able to be with him, so he didn't have much of a chance at throwing crafts beads at everyone haha. Shout out to Rachel for helping some of the kids with the crafts even though it was really hard to communicate with them verbally. God used each and every one of us to serve in the ways He wanted us to serve, even when it got tough.
Throughout the two weeks, it was hard for me to focus on being in the moment with the kids at times. The heat made it hard to focus, and I'm also a deep thinker, which can be a problem when I focus more on thinking rather than doing (or I do, but my mind is elsewhere). God was with me through the challenge of lack of focus, and He was reminding me to lay down all my worries/thoughts before Him so that He could use me to serve the kids and H2H staff in the ways He wanted me to. Towards the end of the trip, I was reminded to spend some quiet time with God, and when I did, He gave me peace, which was such a blessing. God used this trip to squeeze and stretch me so that I could realize just how much I need to rely on His strength every single day.
To conclude, I wasn't the only one who learned so much from his trip: God taught everyone so much. Even though the trip is over, I'd like to make a few more prayer requests. Please pray that we wouldn't forget what we learned on this trip. Not only that, but that we would put into practice what we've learned. Wisdom isn't just having knowledge; it's putting knowledge into practice. Pray for the H2H staff so that they can continue being a blessing to these kids throughout the year, as well as for their transition program for orphans who grow out of the orphanage and don't have the necessary skills to living a responsible life. And please pray for the orphans specifically; that God would work through their hearts and change their lives, just as He has changed mine. I'm so blessed that I was able to be a part of this fantastic trip and learn more about myself, God, Romania, and all the darkness in the world; but more importantly what we can do to be a light. Even though it's almost been a week after the trip, I'm already missing Romania so much; and if God wants me to go again next year, I would more than gladly take that opportunity. There is so much more I could say about this trip, but it would take pages to write, so if you want to learn more shoot me a text/email/call and I'll hopefully answer quickly. Thank you all so much for your prayers and/or support: I could not have gone on this trip without you guys!
To start off, being with the orphans gave them so much joy that I couldn't help but be joyful too, and I wasn't expecting that. It's humbling that this VBS that H2H organizes is the highlight of their entire year, and I'm so glad to have been a part of that. A memory I have that gives me joy is when one of the kids at the Gypsie village by the name of Victor didn't want to participate in the games outside. I barely knew any Romanian, but with some hand motions and the phrase "Te rog" (which means, "please") I tried my hardest to convince him to join the fun. At first, he was reluctant, but after a few minutes he caved in and played some games. The next day, I didn't have to convince him---he was already in the midst of fun. The day after that, he sprayed me with a water gun, and I chased him around and was filled with the joy I could see in his eyes. I'm not sure if I made Victor's day, but he definitely made mine.
In the middle of everything, God was there. He was there in the laughter, in the 101F heat, in the car rides: He was everywhere. It was also a joy seeing how God worked uniquely in every team member and in the H2H staff. Everyone did an amazing job serving in any way possible, and it would probably take a few pages to write down how God used each of us, so I'll just give shout-outs to three of my teammates. Shout out to Levi for being the brake for the zipline every day in the intense heat and for cleaning the guys' restrooms every day until the H2H staff convinced him to stop so someone else could get the chance to do so. Shout out to Lizzie for playing with Ghitza (I probably spelled that wrong), who couldn't sit still and was hard to control, yet Lizzie was able to be with him, so he didn't have much of a chance at throwing crafts beads at everyone haha. Shout out to Rachel for helping some of the kids with the crafts even though it was really hard to communicate with them verbally. God used each and every one of us to serve in the ways He wanted us to serve, even when it got tough.
Throughout the two weeks, it was hard for me to focus on being in the moment with the kids at times. The heat made it hard to focus, and I'm also a deep thinker, which can be a problem when I focus more on thinking rather than doing (or I do, but my mind is elsewhere). God was with me through the challenge of lack of focus, and He was reminding me to lay down all my worries/thoughts before Him so that He could use me to serve the kids and H2H staff in the ways He wanted me to. Towards the end of the trip, I was reminded to spend some quiet time with God, and when I did, He gave me peace, which was such a blessing. God used this trip to squeeze and stretch me so that I could realize just how much I need to rely on His strength every single day.
To conclude, I wasn't the only one who learned so much from his trip: God taught everyone so much. Even though the trip is over, I'd like to make a few more prayer requests. Please pray that we wouldn't forget what we learned on this trip. Not only that, but that we would put into practice what we've learned. Wisdom isn't just having knowledge; it's putting knowledge into practice. Pray for the H2H staff so that they can continue being a blessing to these kids throughout the year, as well as for their transition program for orphans who grow out of the orphanage and don't have the necessary skills to living a responsible life. And please pray for the orphans specifically; that God would work through their hearts and change their lives, just as He has changed mine. I'm so blessed that I was able to be a part of this fantastic trip and learn more about myself, God, Romania, and all the darkness in the world; but more importantly what we can do to be a light. Even though it's almost been a week after the trip, I'm already missing Romania so much; and if God wants me to go again next year, I would more than gladly take that opportunity. There is so much more I could say about this trip, but it would take pages to write, so if you want to learn more shoot me a text/email/call and I'll hopefully answer quickly. Thank you all so much for your prayers and/or support: I could not have gone on this trip without you guys!