We have returned safely from a great week in Romania. We took 8 students from our community, 4 boys, 4 girls, and along with a couple hundred students from other military installations in Europe went to work in Romania. Our site was at a school. We built a playground, did VBS style relational ministry, and also did a sports ministry for a week. Seeing a hundred Romanian children running around and playing on the playground at the end of the week when we had completed it was an amazing thing to see. But more than the labor, the relational ministry is what I believed left the biggest impression. A Romanian Mom was talking to Aretta, and their conversation went along the lines of the Mom asking if we would return next year. Aretta said she hoped so and if we came back we could build some other things and do more construction. The Mom then said that this ws not the reason she hoped we would return. She said they really appreciated the playground and it will be really great to have, but it was our interactions with the children that make the biggest difference. She said people in that area, they don't smile a lot. After the first day when her kids came and played with the Americans, they went home and couldn't stop smiling and being excited. She said we had brought some joy to them. That was pretty cool to hear.
Sorry, no time to write more. I am leaving fro Greece in about 10 minutes. 21 hour bus ride back from Romania got us here at 7 a.m., now I am making a 20 plus hour car ride leaving at 1030 a.m. the very next day. Not sure if that is smart, but it will be well worth it. This trip is just vacation, and I will be officially using my first vacation days ever as a "professional". Fun stuff. I am hoping to get a few more passport stamps, I added two last week, we'll see which borders will do it now. I will write again when I get back.
