It's a God thing

In the blink of an eye, our 10 days in Romania is over. We're back in America & I for one am still stuck on Romania time (as I lay here in bed writing this at 6AM.) I woke up about two hours ago and my emotions were all over the place. I'm crying because our trip is over yet I'm laughing and smiling as I'm looking through our pictures and videos already reminiscing over all the memories we just created. I found myself on my knees, thanking God for the tremendous blessing He just poured upon myself and our team. I also prayed and prayed for Him to put Romania in my path again as soon as He possibly can!!
This was my second trip to Romania within 8 months. I knew way back in June, after we returned from our first trip, that Romania would always have a special place in my heart and that wouldn't be the last time I saw all those beautiful kids that I fell in love with. My biggest fear going into the trip this year was that the children wouldn't remember me. I'm a sensitive person so I knew it would rip my heart in pieces if this would happen. Let me just say, it did my heart good to hear them call  my name when they walked through the door or ran towards me with open arms. Some of those kids I only came in contact with once on the last trip, yet they still remembered. Our church has stressed to make sure how important it is to keep these relationships & continuing to build on them but I didn't realize exactly how important it was until this trip. They NEED us. They need us to love them, hug them, listen to them, hold them & just to be that reminder that God loves them and they have a purpose in this world.
Our team had such a great bond, we felt like one big family and I think the kids and staff recognized that. On our last day spent with kids, children from Apt 7 & the families program would be spending time with us. During our "girl time" on this day, some of the girls shared their own personal testimonies. It was a powerful, Spirit filled day that I'll never forget. Before our tears and goodbyes, each of us on the team received hand written letters (some even written in English), friendship bracelets & gifts (I had to find room to pack a huge teddy bear :).) The selflessness of these kids just goes to show what an incredible job CTL does & how invested they are in their lives.

It really is hard to explain the love and deep connections you make with these children, It's a God thing. <3

With Love & Blessings,
Sara

❤

Friday, February 12, 2016

Last fall when the 10 of us started on this mission journey to  plan a return trip to Bucharest, Romania with Children to Love, February 4-14, 2016, seemed like a long way off.  Brandon Snyder did a wonderful job of planning and organizing all the logistical preparation for this undertaking.

Everything gradually fell into place and finally the big day arrived.  We were on our way to Romania.  Three of our team had been there in July 2015 but the remaining 7 were filled with excitement of the unknown.

This blog has kept our church family and loved ones updated on the day to day activities; each day seemed more and more exciting.  The children were beautiful and eager to give and receive love.

Each day seemed to build upon the previous day, the team sharing the songs, lessons, crafts and dancing.  They loved it, we loved it.  Our God is so good!

But, today was different.  The lessons, games, sharing and activities were all wonderful but . . . today we had to say goodbye.  Our hearts were breaking as we hugged, kissed, exchanged Facebook contacts, promised to stay in contact and then kissed and hugged some more.

The #1 question they asked was, "Will you come back?"  With tears in our eyes, we told them we would love to.

CTL is all about building relationships.  And after seeing their reactions, that's exactly what happened.

Tomorrow, Daniel, a CTL staff member will be taking us sightseeing.  Then early Sunday morning we will board our plane to Istanbul and then on to Washington Dulles.

Thanks to all of you for the prayers and words of encouragement.  What a blessing you all are to us and to the children and to CTL.  We are all the hands, feet, and heart of Jesus.

Thanks for making this happen.

Bonnie Troutman, Brandon Snyder and Luke Jacobs

Puddle of Tears

I have been looking forward to this trip ever since it became a possibility. For everything that our team meetings have prepared me for had no way prepared me for how great this trip has grown to become. Every day is different, every day is special and everyday my heart breaks a little bit more.

Over the past few days I have met the most amazing staff here at CTL and the sweetest kids. The hardest part about every day is getting to know and then love these kids and then having to leave them after only a couple of hours. You grow attached, you love them, and then you say goodbye. I cannot begin to count the amount of times I have cried on this trip, and it's not even over yet! 

Today we spent time with the girls from the Home of Hope and the children from the Tei Center. It was so great to see their cute faces again. The best part is when they recognize you and come running in for a hug. We started the day playing games, which involved a bunch of 4 to 7 year olds running, crawling, and hopping around the room.. The right way to start the day. We then had a lesson on the 10 Commandments and then a craft where the kids had to trace their hands on a piece of paper and then glue the commandments on each finger, decorating it with anything they wanted whether that was with glitter glue or funky stickers. Then to the part that I think the kids enjoyed the most, dancing (Zumba with Jessie!). As all the little kids and adults stood up to start dancing to the first song this little boy about four or five years old came up to me and held my hand. I had known by meeting these group of kids the previous day that this little boy has some form of Autism and was surprised that he came up to me. So I grabbed both his hands and started to dance. He didn’t really move unless I moved with him through the movements. After the first song was over he turned around with a big smile on his face, he was so happy. I could see the pure joy on his face. He then put his arms and legs around me giving me the biggest hug ever. I picked him up and started dancing with him in my arms. I started to think while holding this precious gift of God in my arms and wondered why he was given this life. This life where he lives in a home where there is no running water, electricity, and just the basic needs in life. The Tei Center is mostly a daycare center for kids that come from low income families. I cannot begin to fathom the life that these kids have. The hardships and trials that they are going to go through. I want to help them, I want to give them all my love and dance with them in my arms forever.

But for now all I can do is hold him. This little boy named Ionut (you-noot). I sat down on the couch with him in my arms. He hugs me tighter and I hug him tighter. I tried so hard not to cry but the tears came out anyway. Everyone continued to dance to the last song as I held Ionut. Eventually a worker from the Tei center saw that I was crying and told Ionut to let go and sit down. I then went upstairs to calm myself down so the kids wouldn’t see me crying. I had to remind myself that I am not the only one who loves these kids. The CTL staff loves and takes care of them all the time and God loves them. I hope that when these children grow up they will continue to learn about God and know that He will always love them.

I have grown attached to Romania and all of these people and children. I never want to let them go. My heart has been ripped in half in the best way and I will remember these moments forever.

~Loghan

1 John 4:16

 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love, lives in God, and God in them.

Hello from Romania

It's hard to believe we are more than half way through our time here in Romania.  It has been absolutely amazing here.  It's awesome to see how kids are drawn to a particular adult.
Before we left the USA for Romania we were each given a picture of a child from Apt 7.  I knew that we would see kids from apt 7 but wasn't sure if I would get to meet my girl Maria. 
The first day we were here, children from Pinocchio orphanage came to visit.  I was sitting on the couch attempting to play a game with the kids when another group of kids came through the door.    One girl made a b-line right to me and told the little boy next to me to move and she sat next to me to help me play.  Something looked familiar about this girl so I went up to get the picture I was given.  I looked at the picture and showed it to someone else on the team to see if they thought it was the same girl.  She looked a little different, older and with darker hair.
But it couldn't be my girl Maria, she was from apt 7 and all these kids were from Pinocchio.  So I took the picture down stairs with me and asked her name.  She said Maria.  I showed her the picture and the look on her face was priceless.  She kept asking me how I got the picture.  She stayed by my side the entire day.  She is a very affectionate girl.  Always holding my hand, giving me kisses on the cheek, telling me she loved me.  She spoke decent English so we were able to communicate fairly well.
At the end of the day she took the picture and wrote something on the back in Romanian.  When I asked her what it said she said "I love you and I wish I could be with you always".  It broke my heat that this young girl has so much love to give and nobody to give it to.
Maria was back again today and once again she was right beside me and full of affection.
Every time we meet a group of children, something is drawing the children and adults together in some unspoken way.  We all know that it's God speaking to us and drawing us together.  God knows who belongs together and he knows who will have the biggest impact on all our hearts.  Sometimes it's easy to be drawn to the cute little kid with the dimples and curly hair, but God has other plans and instead points you to the shy little girl in the corner.
We thought we were coming here to share our love and teach the children about Christ, but they have certainly taught us a few lessons.  It is heartbreaking when you leave one of the orphanages or the kids leave the CTL facility and you know it's the last time you are going to see them.  But we know God is watching over them and the people here at CTL will continue to bless them with their love, and Gods words. God is definitely at work here and I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

God Bless
Patty

A day that will be remembered for a lifetime...

    This mission trip up through yesterday, has been so wonderful.. meeting the children from separate orphanages and trying to get to know a little about each one. Some are immediately drawn to us, and others take a little longer to interact depending on personalities and of course past issues. Yesterday morning we had a group come here to CTL and it was around 20 children or so. I was drawn to a autistic boy named Adi, He continued to wonder around the room, all the other children were playing with the team , so I attempted to go over to him and see if I could find something for us to do together that may kept somewhat of his attention. Sara and I found memory cards and tried to play a game with him , and he loved it . He was so excited to find the matching cards, It made me smile watching his reactions. We had balloons blown up and decided to tap one back and forth with him.. He stayed with this for a hour at least. We said our goodbyes, and in the afternoon we ventured out to the Chitila orphanage which were troubled teenage girls and a few younger girls in that group. We did Zumba and testimonies, sang songs and each girl got a polaroid picture taken with whoever they wanted to,so they could keep it and have a memory of our time spent with them. Originally I thought they would want to be in this picture with one of their friends, this was not the case, they bombarded all of us with excitement and it became the highlight of these girls.. running around and picking the team member that they wanted with them in their picture. Talk about feeling the love!!! It was a amazing time.
      Today is the day that will be remembered to me for a lifetime. A day that a cried so many times that my eyes hurt. A day that god gave to me for my own healing. Yes, I thought I was there to establish relationships, talk about Jesus, and love on them.. was I mistaken!! God knows exactly what he is doing at all times. I know we always say that , but he has blessed
me with this day and I sit here and still play it over in my head. I don't want to forget a single second.
       We went this morning to a orphanage and I walked in and saw my new friend Adi... Not knowing if he would come to me , I was pleasantly surprised when he did.. I got a high five!! I ended up getting him to sit with me for quite a long period of time we looked pictures on my phone and played with uno cards, He knew my name was Cathy.. My heart was so full, he hugged me numerous times and I even got a few kisses on the cheek. On and off he laid his head on my shoulder, this in itself is amazing, autism as you know can be not easy for them to touch or get close too.  When it was time to go , we realized we wont be seeing this group again. I tried to hold it together, but it walked to the door and began to cry.. I made a connection with this child, and now had to say goodbye. This was incredibly difficult , and I thought our next group in the afternoon would keep my mind off Adi . When I later was told no one ever usually tries to go to him, they mostly try to spend time with the others, and he doesn't ever connect like he did with me, I was torn between happiness and sadness.
          The second group meet us at CTL and we quickly realized we saw this group before also. I spent a good amount of time with a few of the teen girls doing their hair, they LOVED it. Soon it was time to eat, sing songs and a few of us share out testimonies. A few of us decided to share our testimonies and how god has worked in our lives. I decided to give story, and how I was raised in a Christian home with loving parents, until my mom passed away when I was 17. I unexpectedly lost it , I started to cry and I could no longer speak, overcome with sadness, reliving he pain. Finally I feel one of the teen girls sitting next to me grab my hand ,and held it in both hers. She whispers, "it will be ok",( in broken English).. I continue my story with crying moments between words ,and share how my father decided to spend his nights trying to fill my moms shoes, leaving my sister and I alone and feeling abandoned. I concluded that I was thankful for my foundation of knowing Jesus, and HE is what carried me through the many dark days I had ahead of me ahead of me. For ultimately God is my true father, and all I'll ever need to fill that void. I then look at the girls sitting around the room wiping tears from some of their faces , smiling at me , staring at me , being so sympathetic.. I  had countless hugs and kisses from these young ladies. The girl that took my hand pulled me aside to tell me that I was a amazing woman and beautiful inside and out and hugged me so genuinely. I am in awe over this!! I was here to witness to them, and what I received was a gift from god . A healing of a heart that has been covered over for so long.. for God showed me HIS love through a orphaned child, the unwanted, someone who lives with knowing there is no parent there to care for them. I will forever remember this day.  BLESSINGS FROM ROMANIA ,   Cathy Schadel

DISCLAIMER: DISCLAIMER 4 hours of sleep makes me realize I was seeing double, rocking in my seat, and trying to see the screen at 2am. Please forgive me the misspells and double talk but enjoy enjoy the message. love

Pinocchio, Teens, and Jesus Talk

 Teenagers, my favorite age group! (Well, sometime with my own 3 teenagers I understand why animals eat their young, but they are still alive...) It was my pleasure to be their teacher and mentor along with several amazing leaders. Our mission was to talk about our purpose in life and how God uses our pasts to minister to others in our future. I shared my own story of being poor and sometimes not having food and heat in our home. Of the time I was asleep and I woke up to a rat scratching my back and using my face as a race track as he ran to get away from my wrath! I know you all just died... But imagine the impact my childhood story could have on a child living in low income conditions and we take the time, effort, and money(thank you all) to come see them. We talked about how God could use our current circumstances to grow our faith and later use our lives to serve him. To share God's amazing grace and how he could use any one of us for great things!
  I then shared about my business and how we run a supportive friendly environment based on God's love. When we have a godly support system we can lift each other up and help our friends who are down. I told them that one of these women was in the room and has now become my best friend. I asked the teens if they could pick our that person. A girl by the name of Daniella points to Sara and says "Sahrah(insert Romanian accent) because of the way she looked at you while you were teaching.". How cool was it that Sara loves me THAT much a teenager saw her love for me.;)
 That then led us into sharing how God's love for us and His faithfulness is when we follow His will. The MOST exciting thing was learning these teenagers had never heard about Jesus and they were so receptive to His word! How AMAZING is that?!
 Later we spent the afternoon in a troubled girls home. We spent quite a bit of time dancing, laughing, and testimony sharing. The look of lightness and excitement in their eyes was truly a blessing. When they receive love, attention and kindness they truly blossom.
 In closing, 700 teenage boys now are my Facebook friends saying "ooh lala Jeshie". I can't wait till they read this;)    Lots of Love from Romania! Jessie

  




 

From the eyes of a child

Blessings from Romania my dear church family and friends.  

"For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, Plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

This is the message that I hope to share with the children here in Romania.  These children need to know that GOD loves them and values them.  The kids struggle everyday for the love and attention that we take for granted and don't always appreciate.  Most of us have family to love us, share our day with, parents to help with homework, to take us to piano, dance, football, soccer, practices, take us to church  and teach us about Jesus, see that we have clean clothes and food to keep us nourished.  The kids here in Romania don't get these daily hugs and kisses from their parents.  I guess this explains why 20 girls ranging from the ages of 12-14, greeted members of our team, who they rememberd from last June, with huge smiles and hugs.  You could visibily see the pure joy that was exchanged between them.  AND to my delight were so eager to connect with us who are here for the first time. While the guys left with a group of boys to enjoy an afternoon of getting shownup by 10 year old boys in soccer, the ladies stayed back for an afternoon of bonding with some amazing young girls. Our time together started out with praise songs that we sang in both English and Romanian.  The girls sang so beautifully and you could feel the room feeled with love for Jesus.  I was in total awe!  Jessie and Sara did a short session with the girls showing off their Zumba skills.  The girls absolutely loved it and quickly picked up on the steps and joined right in.  Some of the girls were eager to show off their dance skills and talents with us.  One girl in particular, Carmen, showed us her ballet skills.  She was absolutely amazing!  Two other girls demonstrated their love of "street dancing".  There was not one girl that did not participate or who was not enjoying herself.  The room was filled with such energy, and excitement.  The team of us, shared our testimonies with the girls.  After I shared my testimony, a young girl by the name of Georgianna came up to me and shared with me that her baby brother died when he was 1.  She was asking me questions about Joe.  She gave me a huge hug and the look in her eyes, I will never forget.  They were eyes filled with love and total understanding of heartbreak. This young girl came over to comfort me.  I am here on this mission trip to comfort these broken children and here this child was comforting me.  How amazing is that?   She noticed my necklace and asked me what the charms meant.  I explained the initial "J" stood for Joe, the word "blessed" represented the tattoo he had on his arm, and the cross was a symbol of his Faith in God.  She told me her sister had a cross necklace but she did not.  A dear friend of mine from work, gave me a beautiful poem about the cross with a small cross attached to the poem for me to share with the members of the team.  Right away I knew I was to give Georgianna my cross.  She was so thrilled.  I was so thankful that GOD provided this cross for me to share with her.  A little later she came back up to me, and in a gentle voice, asked if I would take her home with me.  I was shocked!  I didn't know what to say because I didn't want to disappoint her. My heart just melted.   I started to tear up and I told her if I could I would like to but I didn't think I could.  She grabbed hold of my hand and told me it was okay.  We sat together holding hands comforting one another.  Here again she was comforting me. When the afternoon ended and she left, I was regretting that I didn't share more of Gods word with her.   I look forward to seeing her later in the week so I can tell her that God loves her and share Jeremiah 29:11 with her.  

This was day 2 and God has already touched me and opened my heart to something special that I know will be apart of me for the rest of my life.

Blessing from Romania,
Dawn

Emmalees Blog Post. Our Day Off.

In the last week we have traveled to the city Vijayawada for a day of rest and tourism. We went to a clothing store where the people were very welcoming in helping us figure out how to tie our saris and which colors are best. Each of the girls on the trip purchased one after trying on and retrying on of them multiple times. We also visited a hotel where we had a buffet lunch. Unsheltered by the chef at the orphanage who uses mild spices in comparison to traditional spicy hot Indian foods, our mouths were burning. We also tried traditional Indian desserts whose names I have long forgotten (and by long forgotten I mean the second I stepped away from the nameplate at the buffet). We also took a ferry to an island where we did a rope course through the trees and a good scenic walk. Baskin Robins ended our day happily with a taste of home.

-Emmalee

Blog Post Carries Thoughts

I'm not sure what day we are on or even what day of the week it is, I guess that's not important.  All I know is my heart has been touched in so many ways. I look around this orphanage and see the face of God all around me. That along makes it worth the heat, the crazy driving, the differences in the food, ALL the people (which is ALOT), the sacred cows the water buffalo that are EVERYWHERE and the fact that most of India does not even like Christians.
   
    The time in the churches was amazing, witnessing people come to know Jesus, young kids on their knees praying..... All these experiences this far are more than I can put into words. Thank you for all the support and mostly the prayers. God is for us! Carrie ;)

Blog Post for 7/6

Blog post for 7/6

We are on day 5 in country and we have already seen so many God moments and have learned many new things about the country, people, and the overall culture of the area. I will tell you a little about what I have learned and experienced.

We have taught in 3 buildings. 1 village church, 1 ministry church, and the ministry center. In all services I have played the guitar for the kids and prayed for alot of people. It was very interesting to pray for a mass and I really did not expect to do it.

I will be honest though, this no beef thing is very difficult. Although I have found new alternatives that are quite tasty. Anywhere from lamb to Nan (a type of bread crepe thingy). Anyone who knows me can say that I love food and I have enjoyed all of the many new flavors and spices!

My overall rating I give this country is a 5 star with 2 enthusiastic thumbs up! I am excited to see what the rest of the time will unfold!

-Justin

Journal Entry From Saturday the 4th

Journal Entry From Saturday the Fourth.

Tonight was a night I hope I never forget. The day was kind of hard. We were planning our teaching time with the children later this week and then later we planned what we would do visiting churches. I felt like I just needed time alone to think and plan, but that doesn't really happen on trips like this. I also feel like I don't know what to do with the kids. I don't know what to say to them because they don't understand me, and I don't have any fun things to do with them except show them the iPad, which seems pretty lame.  So it wasn't the best of days.  But did God ever turn it around. We drove to the village church. The guy driving us is from the orphanage, and I've dubbed him Jeff Gordon.  We went on the narrowest road we've been on yet, between busy storefronts in a small town, which by the way is packed with people.  Then we were on country roads half done. Finally we turned on a single lane dirt road and stopped after one hundred yards or so.  We walked back a raised, dusty path in the dark to a church that might have been twenty feet by thirty feet, packed with women and children.  Of course they all sat on the floor but honored us by bringing us chairs.  It was perhaps the hottest place I've ever been.  I could hardly hold back the tears. They are so poor, but they listened to every word with rapt attention. I love them. I haven't felt such love for the children at the orphanage, but I couldn't stop thinking how amazing and beautiful these people were.  After the service, Kiran asked if any of them wanted us to pray for them, and every hand went up.  He lined them up in rows and told us to go to a row.  I knew which one I was going to right away...the one with my favorite bright eyed smiley girl in the front and the woman who had nodded in agreement the whole service right behind her. I knelt down and smiled, folded my hands over hers and prayed.  I didn't know what she needed and she couldn't understand me, but we were both crying.  God put specific prayers on my lips for her. I've never felt anything like it, and the same thing happened with all the other women in my row.  Praise the Lord.  He is good, and I can't wait to sit with these sisters at the banquet feast in heaven. After prayer, we were shown the home of the pastor...a thatch roofed hut that might be ten by ten, if we're being generous.  Five people live there, and just this morning a king cobra slithered out of the roof and into the hut, where his beautiful and bright daughters often sleep on the floor. Ten thousand dollars would buy him a new house with two rooms and a bathroom. Not to mention that not long ago this pastor went to help put out a fire in a nearby hut, inhabited by Hindus who had recently beaten him for sharing the Gospel.  He had Kiran call the fire department and also helped with the building of their new house.  They have since become believers.  I can't tell you how good the Lord is and what power there is in praying with His people.  Thank you so much Father. I love you.

-Patty

Landed in India

Well, we are finally here after 16 hours on two planes. Things went well and we are trying rest up before exploring Hyderabad. Its 11 am here when this is posted.

-GUM General Update Manager

June 19th, 2015

There are few times in life when your soul is touched so deeply that it profoundly changes you.  I count myself blessed to consider this experience one of those times.  Romania has been a place I've felt drawn to and called to for many years.  When I heard of the opportunity, I was overwhelmed with a sense of the Lord's hand at work.  One night, I had a dream about my upcoming time in Romania in which a young girl with wild curly hair ran into my arms.  In the dream, I felt an instant connection with her.  A few months later, our training team came to Halifax from California to prepare us for our time with Children To Love. During the training, they put photos of some of the children up and we were asked to pray for them leading up to this week.  I noticed in one of the photos, the very girl from my dream.  Meeting her at the beginning of the week was such an incredible, touching, and profoundly changing moment.

Today, I once again got to spend some time with the sweet and beautiful young lady. In addition, she was joined with her 5 housemates/"sisters", and about 20 other young children from a center we'd visited earlier in the week. We presented (likely for the 5th time this week) the story of the man who built his house on the rock. I've been so touched by the Romanian CTL staff and the ways in which they live their lives, dedicated to showing these beautiful children of Romania how to find a rock suitable for building their house. One of the team members shared a story of times when they tried to "build their house on the sand."  The children responded with such love after hearing the story. (This love was clearly learned by the many people investing in their lives on a daily basis.) They expressed concern, and responded with relief when they heard that the individual had eventually found Jesus as His rock. Later in the day, a new group of preteens and teens came to the ministry center, and enjoyed time worshiping and spending time together.

In the evening, we had a chance to visit a Christian book store. I've been really enjoying learning the language here, and was able to purchase an English/Romanian translation of the New Testament.  I'm really looking forward to continuing my study of the language once we return.

As I reflect on the profoundly changing moments, these are the top 10 things I believe I will now carry with me.

1. The JOY of the Lord is our strength

2. Life's simplest law= Love wins

3. Behind every face is an untold story.  Be the ear that hears it.

4. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ Jesus our Lord.

5. God shows up in the most unexpected ways.

6. Dutch Blitz crosses all language barriers.

7. When you do something for the least of these, you are doing it unto the Lord.

8. Simply put, I am so blessed.

9. Give generously, even when you feel like you have nothing left to give. (both financially, and in giving of yourself.)

10. A piece of my heart now lives in Romania.

Thank you all so much for the support and prayers for this team. We were met with challenges, but we were also met with amazing witness of the things the Lord is doing.  Praise be to God. Amin.

Kim Musser

Day 6 June 18th, 2015

A picture is worth a thousand words, and with these pictures, no words are necessary. Due to the sensitive nature of orphan care and protection, we are refraining from posting many pictures of children from the facilities online. We look forward to sharing them with you in person when we return. Until then, we'd love to share some pictures of the awesome Romania 2015 team. Thank you all so much for your support and prayers thus far. Our God is an awesome God.

Silly fun with mirrors at The People's Palace

Florina and Marc version of a selfie!

After a long day. Team selfie!

We had a tour of the People's Palace. 

Exhaustion after running around and playing at an orphanage this afternoon. 

Lots of laughs were had today. Such a good day!

A quick break at Starbucks. It was fun to sit and relax after a hard day of work.

Day 5

Day 5 - June 17.  This morning, the whole team went to the rehab center.  The center consists of kids with all sorts of disabilities...some mental, some physical.  Jamie and I had been working with several kids in the rehab center since Monday.  She has been helping with the autistic kids and I have been helping with the kids that need physical therapy.  Many of the kids I have been working with are very low level, meaning not one of them can walk, a few can barely even sit on their own and most can't even do that.  Because they can't do these things, they spend a lot of their day lying in their beds sleeping or staring at the wall.  It has been challenging this past week to keep them focused when doing rehab with them.  Today, we asked Justin to bring his guitar into the therapy room and play for the kids to see if they responded any differently....and boy did they ever!  One little boy, who usually would just smile and reach for your hand, actually was bobbing his head to the rhythm of the music and then started kicking his legs too.  We heard a few good belly laughs from him as well!  All the kids did so much better during therapy with the music.  The physical therapist at the rehab center is new, but very caring and eager to help the children.  The downfall is that her hands are tied as the center does not have the funds for more staff or more equipment.  So this afternoon, a few of us went to get some supplies that should help the physical therapist better treat the children.  

Tonight we had worship night at the ministry center.  It was a great time.  We interacted with all the kids that came over doing things from playing basketball and soccer to card games to singing songs, to just talking and joking around(with a translator of course!).  Several people also shared their testimonies, which were powerful and I'm sure every child was touched by at least one of them.  

Another highlight of my day was meeting the girl I sponsored before I came here.  Her name is Mariana and she is 10 years old.  We talked for a little bit, but I could tell she was a kind of shy.  She was painting her nails with her friend, so I asked her if she wanted to paint my nails.  She thought that was hilarious and was super pumped to do it!  She kept laughing every time she saw me with my purple/sparkly nails.   Just looking around the room, I saw so much joy in the children's faces as well as our team members and the CTL staff members.  

We ended the day with our usual debrief time.  We shared our highs and lows and what we will take from this week so far.  While going around the room and talking about these things, it hit me that each one of us has a purpose here and was called to come to Romania for a reason.  Each person may not know what exactly their purpose is right now or are able to put it into words, but I have seen everyone of us touch lives of not only the children, but the lives of the CTL staff and the lives of the other team members.  Many of us, if not all  of us, had our worries and fears about committing to go on this trip and following through and actually going, but many times the greatest moments in our lives lie outside of our comfort zone.  Seeing all of my team members learn, grow, step outside their comfort zone and ultimately flourish in this environment is amazing to watch.  I know there are still more days to come, but it is safe to say that this trip will be one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  

-Brandon

Day 4

DA, DA, DA!! (Which means "yes"..my favorite Romanian word).  Waking up this morning at 6:30 a.m. was not so easy when we only got to bed @ 2:30 a.m. It was a rough night of yet again spiritual warfare that not only myself am experiencing, but my entire team. How was this day going to turn out? The last thing I wanted was for this to affect our day or the way we serve while we're here. After our morning devotional we headed out to Tei center. Tei is a day center that has children with parents (1 or 2) that have some sort of income but live in extreme poverty. While the kids are there they are bathed, fed 3 meals & loved immensely. We worked with kids from the ages 2-5 years old. When we walked in the doors the kids immediately swarmed to us. I had a little boy Mario sit in my lap, wrap his arms around me & lay his head on my chest. It made wonder if he embraces everyone that way?

After Tei we walked back in the rain to the ministry center. Did I mention we got these amazing cheese pretzels on our way there? When we got back, some of the children from the counseling center were already here. We had lunch, played dutch blitz with the kids & CTL staff and had worship time. While eating lunch, Nelu, CTL team leader, asked if I would like to go with him to photograph Ana's kindergarten graduation this afternoon! I can't even explain the amount of joy that came over me in that moment. Ana holds a dear spot in my heart. Back in April when we had our team building weekend, we were each given a picture of a girl we would be praying for while we were preparing for our trip. I was given Ana's picture, she is one of the six girls from Home of Hope. When we first met the girls at the beginning of the weekend, the staff told each girl to grab one of our hands and Ana came to me. Coincidence? No. That was a total God thing. It seem's like something so little but it was such a memorable experience for me.

2 hours & 200 pictures later I was back at the ministry center. The team was winding down & we gathered for our nightly debriefing session. We shared our highs & lows and what God was teaching us this week. Let me tell you, it was quite the Holy Spirit roller coaster ride. I can't put into words how incredibly blessed I'm feeling. Romania has stole my heart already.

-Sara

Ana & I after graduation 

Day 3

Last night's team debriefing was such a blessing to us! The presence of God was so real as we joined together in prayer, seeking God's direction and divine touch as we prepared for today. We felt surrounded by the prayers from home as peace settled over us and we were able to enjoy such a peaceful night of rest. (Even though we didn't get to bed til almost 1:00 AM and the sun rises here before 4:30 AM.)
We rushed to get ready this morning and gather together by 7:45 AM for team worship. Again, what a blessing this time is as we have the opportunity to worship with the CTL staff. We began with songs of praise and adoration, followed by individual introductions. Brandon taught today's lesson and gave the introduction to the book of Galatians and also covered chapter 1. After our study, songs filled the ministry center once again as we joined together in singing praise and worship songs in Romanian and English. The presence of God was so real in the room that several of us had goose bumps and teary eyes. God is so good.
By 9:00 AM we were energized and set to go to the rehab center/orphanage. This center is populated with orphans who are seriously disabled, physically and mentally impaired, have autism and some are blind. In the Romanian culture these children will remain until they die receiving no education and very little therapy or interaction. While some of our team members were so eager to visit this orphanage, others were very apprehensive and fearful to encounter these children who has such severe special needs. When our team arrived the children were waiting anxiously for us to arrive and greet us at the gate. Giggles, squeals of delight, sounds of clapping and waving hands welcomed us warmly into their "home".
We quickly gathered the children who were going along on our adventure to the park and McDonald's, carefully pairing them off with one or more team members who would then be responsible for that child. The adventure began as we travel to the park with the children by taking public transportation of the tram system. Upon our arrival at the park we joined in play and games with the children. After playing about an hour, we walked them to McDonald's to treat them to Big Macs, French Fries and Sprites! Some children required little to no assistance eating, while others needed to be monitored because they tried to eat too much at a time. Some children could not feed themselves at all and depended entirely on our team to feed them. All the children were so ecstatic at this amazingly special treat! As we left McDonald's to take the kids back, we experienced our first official Romanian thunder/rain storm which left our team and kiddos pretty soggy to say the least. Goodbyes were a little sad as we bid them farewell but only until Wednesday when we will see them all again.
Jamie, who is an autistic support teacher, and Brandon, who is a physical therapist, didn't join us at the park or McDonald's outings but instead remained at the Rehab to help the staff's physical therapist perform therapy. Originally Jamie and Brandon were only to be able to work with these children Monday and Wednesday morning but since today went so well they are going to be working there every day! Praise God!
We arrived back at the ministry center where lunch was waiting for us. Around 1:00 PM we set out for another orphanage for teen girls called Chitila. At this orphanage we did a bible study with the girls by performing a short skit about Jesus being our Rock and the importance of building our house upon that rock. After discussing the skit, the girls sang worship and praise songs. I was overwhelmed with tears and emotions as I watched and listened to them sing and worship Jesus. This time of worship was followed by Brandon, Dana and myself sharing our own personal testimonies. The girl's attention were glued to us as we shared. They were so surprised to hear that American's also experience storms and pain in their lives. After the study we took the girls out in the courtyard to play games and continue to visit. I had the opportunity to meet with one of the girls during that time and pray with her. Surprisingly, although we have encountered very different experiences in our lives we shared several details of pain in our lives that were the same and immediately bonded.
After our time at Chitila, we returned to the ministry center for dinner and then out for a night touring "Old Town". We ate dessert at City Grille and shared our debriefing time there. Once again, another late late night but oh so rewarding and joyful. I am no longer questioning "why" I came on this missions trip. My heart is so full and overflowing with gratitude as we grow together in our faith and show love to these dear children. To God be ALL the glory!!!


Love in Christ,
Krista

Day 1 and Day 2

1st day -June 13th- Having been on two planes flying over 12 hours in less than a day, i guess you can say we were all a bit "out of it" this morning. But as sunny as the day over here, we got up and began getting ready. After breakfast we shared the thoughts one another had about everything so far, even though we had only been in country for about 12 hours at that point. Many feelings were brought up and we began to get involved in discussion.
Soon enough Bogdan was there with Marc and we were sent off on a tour/introduction to Romanian life. Even though it started as just a tour of the city, there was so much more than just sitting on a bus for an hour listening to people talk around you. We embraced Romania as more than just another country, but as another culture that seemed so different than that of the "perfect" U.S. society.
After our "culture-shock" as John Penrose put it, we walked back to the CTL center for a break from the hot and humid weather outside. Some then chose to take part in a game to test the very primal instincts of man and the "to the death" feeling many have when it comes to extreme sports...Dutch Blitz. Which up until today i knew nothing about.
After break we all climbed back into the vans and made our way to the Home of Hope to pick up the girls for a day at the park. Although when we met up with the girls, the forecast had begun to show some rain and we canceled the trip to park and settled with bringing them back to the CTL center and playing games.
They delighted us with the chance to hear them sing their little lungs out to some of their favorite songs, while we sang along in English. Then we took part in game after game with the girls. Anywhere from arts and crafts, to ball, to games of which i cannot pronounce their name. Needless to say we could feel the presence of God the entire time. But 7:30 came fast and the girls were taken home.
We ate dinner and debriefed as a group as we discussed if anybodies feelings had changed since earlier, which obviously they all had. And so ends the first day of Romania.

Day 2 -June 14th- Up at 08:00, needing a little boost due to layover jet-lag, we got up, ate breakfast and it was off to church with all of us. But instead of just jumping in a car and going like Americans, we walked a mile to the metro, rode the metro for a while, and then walked uphill for a decent time to arrive at what looked like an abandoned office complex that turned out to be the place that the service was going to take place at.
After an amazing service with songs, prayers, and a great message, we went for lunch at McDonald's, which actually tastes better in Romania. I witnessed a God event that i will tell you all about later due to the lack of time on this blog. But after McDonald's we made the trek back to CTL where we worked on a lesson and skit for the upcoming orphanage visits that we will be doing.
Then we loaded up the van and headed off again to the Home of Hope to escort the girls to the park for the much needed fun day, while my father, Jamie, Krista, and I stayed with Marc and Nelu to build cabinets and chairs for the Home.
At around 7:30 again the girls were back at the house and we had just finished everything and we watched as their little faces lit up with excitement when they saw what we had made for them.
We then met back at CTL for pizza and some debriefing from the days events. Many stories had risen up into conversations and many people had witnessed God moments much like my own. Then we opened up a couple more letters from the families back home. After a long day filled with many experiences and stories, it is time to call it a night and mark the end to the 2nd day! Goodnight Everybody! "Noapte bună"

Justin

Meet the Team

With only two days left until the Romania Team goes global, this is a good time to meet the players!

Romania Team

Meet the 2015 Romania Team! 

Krista Keiter, Dana Reed, Schelly Thompson, Kim Musser, Jamie Popp, Amy Erickson, Justin Leonard, Cheyenne Reed, Sara Troutman, Heather Frantz, Waylon Leonard and Brandon Snyder