Well when I first began this letter I had
been in Romania for 6 months! Now it is closer to 7! Time just does
not stop for anyone!
Truly I cannot believe that half a year has come and gone already.
Spring is in full swing here in beautiful Brasov, Romania and new life
is everywhere. I know everyone loves spring and the new life it brings,
but growing up in So Cal I am always mesmerized by the changing of the
seasons here. 3 weeks ago it was snowing and today, all the trees are
in full bloom, the grass has grown, and there are flowers everywhere.
It is amazing!
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I love anniversary dates, they give us time
to pause and look at what has been. My first 6 months back in Romania
have flown by. Everything has felt so natural, like I never left, and
yet so much has changed in this country it feels like a new place. So
many contradictions I know, and yet, all feels like home.
The work in the After School Program has been amazing. It is like all
of a sudden what we have been teaching the children is sinking in! I
have kids who know how to read, recognize the alphabet, can do math in
their heads, and all I keep thinking is, “when did this happen?” But I
praise the Lord for their successes, even the small ones. We received
some new books for the children to read, they do not have anything like
these simple children’s story books in the village or at school. They
contain beautiful pictures and simple, large print words. They kids ask
to either be read to, or read them alone every day!
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The kids are learning about the Bible and
each week they memorize a new Bible verse. As I have said so many times
before, we will not see true transformation in the lives of these
children with just teaching them math and reading. Their little hearts
need to be transformed and this can only be done through the Word of God
and Jesus Christ!
Here are some of the kids saying their verse for the week.
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I do of course have another story about
Vasilica. Our After School Program is not just about learning, it is
also about showing our kids love, and sometimes love can be shown in the
most practical ways. Vasi had really long nails and they were filthy,
completely black underneath. I brought in a pair of nail clippers but
she would not let me cut her nails. She just kept saying she was
afraid! So I cut my own nails
in front of my 1st grade class, then the other children asked
me to cut their nails, and so I did, and finally Vasi let me cut ONE
nail. After this she was totally ok with it and she let me cut all of
her nails. Then I noticed that her and her sister’s hair had been
growing out but they were always a disaster. So I brought in a brush we
received in donations and my own brush. Once again there was NO way
Vasi or her sister Raluca were going to let me brush their hair. So
first I let them brush my hair with my own brush (they have lice pretty
frequently so no hairbrush sharing was going to happen!) Then they
braided my hair. Finally, after we kicked all the other kids out of the
room, Vasi said I could brush her hair. She laughed and squirmed the
whole time. I was super gentle and when I finished she walked around
showing off her hair and holding her head a bit higher. She was so
proud!
Here are some pictures of the hair brushing experience!
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Since then, she has come to program with her hair brushed and even had her hair in little braids one day!
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I had a really good meeting with my
leadership here in Romania, thank you for your prayers. They are very
supportive of all that the Lord showed me during my time of rest and
seeking Him in Budapest.
I will be switching some things up. I will not be doing my regular
hospital shift on Fridays for a while, I will still go in to visit Cami
the play therapist and to say hi to the kids but will not do a full
shift. I will also give up some of my responsibilities for helping my
boss Sarah with her music stuff. These are two things which I am a bit
bummed about, as I love doing them, but for now I feel that this is
where the Lord is leading me. The Internship Program will be starting
in a few months and I have a lot to do to prepare for this and need more
time to do, so this will allow me to do that. I’m so excited about the
program and all that the Lord has in store for it. I just accepted my
third intern. I can’t wait to invest in their lives and in turn watch
them invest in the lives of the people here in Romania. I was saying to
my friend today, that even though I cannot do everything that I want to
do here, I am excited to have the interns, it will be in a way an
extension of myself, they will be able to do so much here and my
investing in them is an investment in the ministries here in Brasov.
That is the news for now! Thank you all again and again for your prayers and support!
Grace and Peace,
Rachel
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Prayer Requests:
- My apartment
- Wisdom for the Internship Program as I am setting it up
- The grace to be able to let some things go, as I implement what it is the Lord has asked for me to give up for now.
- God's continual provision
- My health
- Language learning
Praises!
- My time of rest and refreshment
- God clearly speaking to me His will
- His grace!
- Friendships
- Support and encouragement
- How everything is coming together for the Internship Program
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