December Update!

“You crown the year with Your goodness,
and Your paths drip with abundance.”
Psalm 65:11

I decided that since so much happened this month to do a "quick" photo update for you all!  Otherwise this would be a 5 page update!

 

One little story I have to mention.  I have one little girl Vasilica, who is in my first grade class and who is a total tomboy.  She has A LOT of energy.  I allow her to stand next to her desk while she works because physically sitting still is too hard for her. At the beginning of the month I started to receive hugs from Vasi.  I'm not speaking of just a hug goodbye, I’m talking about lots and lots of hugs.  I will be walking by her, and next thing you know I have a Vasi attached to me giving me a hug.  This may sound like a small thing, but for Vasi it is huge! This is such a God thing, and I am being blessed beyond words to be a part of her story.

This month for our life skill lesson we taught the children about brushing their teeth and the importance of good dental hygiene.  Most of the kids have someone in their family who has lost their teeth and even our 5th graders show signs of their teeth deteriorating and many cavities.  Some have already had to have their permanent teeth pulled.  We were blessed to also be able to hand out tooth brushes and toothpaste that we had received in donations.

Of course we had a lot of fun preparing for Christmas and practicing for our big Christmas Program.

We made a lot of Christmas crafts and had fun singing Christmas carols about Jesus every day.

We put on our Christmas Program for all the parents.  Each grade did something.  My first graders had a little mini play that they put on for us.

As my kids walked off the stage, they were so filled with pride and joy!  It was such a treasure to see! I received a hundred hugs that day from my kids.  I was so proud of them.  Once the room cleared out, I realized how much I am going to miss them over these next few weeks that we are all off for Christmas Break.  All I could think about was how much I love my kids and how thankful and blessed I am to be here.

 

My second graders sang Feliz Navidad in Spanish, English and Romanian!  And my 5th graders sang a Romanian Christmas Carol.   You can click on the picture above to watch a little clip of the video!

 

All the grades also sang We Wish You a Merry Christmas in English and Romanian at the end of the Program.  You can click on the picture above to watch a little clip of the video!

 

The organization I work treated us to a delicious Romanian Christmas dinner to thank us for our hard work during the year.  It was a night of fun times and good food with my Firm Foundations Romania family.

I was also very happy to hand out Christmas Shoeboxes once again this year at the Children’s Hospital where I work once a week.  It is always such a joy to spread a little Christmas cheer to the kids, parents and staff of the hospital!

I was very blessed by a last minute visit from my missionary friend Dawn.  Dawn lives in Bucharest and works in a center for disabled children and young adults.  I've know Dawn for years and was blessed to have visited her in Arizona before we both moved back to Romania.  It was so fun to spend time with her walking around my city and experiencing some Romanian culture together!

I had such a Merry Christmas this year.  I spent it with these lovely people, my Firm Foundations Romania family for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  The day before Christmas Eve some of us went and watched my colleague Juliana put on a Christmas show at her church.  We had lots of wonderful food and many laughs.  It was a time of fellowship and fun.  This will probably be one of my most favorite Christmas memories of all time!

This year has certainly been an adventure.  From working at Casa Teresa with the pregnant homeless women, to moving to Romania and working here in the After School Program in the Roma/gypsy village of Budila and working in the children's hospital. I can totally see God's hand leading me and I'm excited to see what He has in store for 2015.

I pray you all have a wonderful and safe New Year’s, that the Lord would bless you and your families and that He would shine His grace in your hearts.  May you all find the freedom that Christ offers and may your hearts overflow with His joy!

To see more pictures from this past month and my time here in Romania, click HERE.

Happy New Year!  La Multi Ani!

Grace and peace,

Rachel