A Day in the Life of a Racer in Romania

 

8am- Wake up at our house, shower, and do team morning prayer.

 

9am- Nelo picks us up along with Tim, Terri, Elizabeth, and Hannah Bale American missionaries that help run the girls home. (Along with the rest of the Bale family, Esther, Sam, David and Nate)

 

9:30am We arrive at the girls home and Janina has made us a Romanian breakfast of hard boiled eggs, bean paste, cream cheese, olives and bread.

 

10 am- We have a Bible study with the girls at the home. Only 3 are regular attenders but since we are there more have been coming. We sing, read and pray.

 

11am- We head upstairs to the girls living room. It’s an open tiled room with minimal furniture. The girls are all rocking back and forth. How much they rock gives you an idea of how much they are handdicapped. Geta sits on the table, blasting her music, rocking rapidly- she’s one of the worst cases. Marianna runs over to me squealing as she hugs me. She’s mentally around the age of ten. Oana is running around trying to get attention- shes the mental age of 7 or 8.

 

11am to 12:30pm- We talk to the women, rub their backs, hug them. They are in such desparate need for physical touch. Each will flinch when you first touch them but then relax and will stop rocking as you touch them. It’s an amazing example of the peace God brings through us.

 

12:30- Lunch time! Janina has made us 2 courses, the first is always soup… with every part of the chicken in it, or pork in it. 2nd course is this potato cassorale creation. hum..yum.. sometimes…

 

1;30 The women come down to eat, they eat the same thing we did. We usually get a few minutes to check email in the office or sit outside for some much needed peace and quiet.

 

2pm-5pm- Each day can offer a variety of experiences during this time. If we stay indoors we brush their hair, do the same puzzle over and over 40 times, color, make friendship braclets, play with playdoh or play with a ballon. If we go outdoors we take walks, play jumprope or with sidewalk chalk, or I will go sit next to Florintina, one of my favorites, and play with rocks for a few hours in silence. Some of the girls are learning how to read Romanian, some English, and some teach us Romanian. They are on so many differant mental levels. They love to wash their clothes and show us their clean rooms. They are learning good hygine so we get asked everyday, “Did you take a shower today?” I always love their facial responses if you say no.  Since Geta always blasts the radio, we have introduced her to Misty Edwards and Cory Asbury- shout out to all my IHOP peeps!

 

5:30pm- We eat dinner. Janina has cooked us rice pilaf and vegetables (by far our favorite dinner and the most American…) Then Nelu drives us home.

 

6-bedtime- We get back and have team feedbcak or team time. We pray over evch other, prophesy over each other, laugh a lot and sometimes watch a movie. Then bed after a tiring day at the girl’s home.

 

One day we threw the women a Birthday celebration to celebrate all of their birthdays. We had Janina made 2 huge cakes, played lots of games and had a great time. Below is a group photo from our party day.

 

(Florintina is next to me in the winter hat.)