We have spent the past 5 weeks in Romania, which is the longest that we have been in one country! However, I felt like I traveled around so much more in this month than I have yet… This is how my month went:
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Bus from Kosovo to Pestere where we stayed for 12 days
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Multiple trains to Budapest for 3 days
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Multiple trains back to Pestere for 3 days
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Train to Draganesti-Olt for 5 days
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Bus to Bucharest for 3 days
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Train to Brasov for 6 days
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Bus back to Bucharest to fly out!
So yeah, not a whole lot of staying in one place, but that’s what I signed up for! There was so much happened in those 5 weeks, though.
Our assigned ministry for this month took place in Pestere. This is a teeny tiny village of 400 people that is about an hour and a half outside of Timisoara. We were in the foothills of the mountains and there wasn’t much around, but the peace and quiet was such a welcomed change of pace! Every night there was a stunning sunset and never before have I seen more stars in the night sky. It was a beautiful reminder to slow down and take in God’s glorious creation.
We worked with Apa Vie Ministries. They have a compound that hosts kids camps and pastoral conferences. We quickly fell in love with our adorable hosts, Roy and Melania! They were the type of people who woke up at 4am (twice!!) to see us off and give us chocolate bars for long trips. They also have a dog, Blacky, that we all fell quickly in love with.
While we were there we did a lot of manual labor. We painted, we made cornhole boards, we constructed a guest house, and so many other random projects! We also spoke in nearby churches on Sunday mornings and weekday nights and got to share testimonies from our lives. There was also a kids camp that took place for 5 days while we were there that we helped with. We fell soooo in love with those kiddos and already miss them! We worshiped in Romanian and English and got to pray over the kids every night. You could tell the Holy Spirit was so present and moving in their lives, and it was truly impactful to experience.
My team and I compiled all of our adventure days to take a trip to Budapest, Hungary! It was such a beautiful city full of gorgeous architecture. We got to explore, I saw my first Basilica, and it was such a fun little getaway. I highly recommend going if you ever get the opportunity! (Plus, the food was PHENOM)
We had a few days back at our ministry before myself and two other girls from the team traveled to a different city for the Parent Vision Trip!! After 228 days apart, I finally got to hug my parents!!!
We worked with a church and did many different types of ministry. We spent time at a social event the church hosted, talking with visitors. Then we walked around in the heat of the day and passed out Bibles, engaging in good conversation with many people and just sharing Jesus with them. On our last day of ministry together we got to host this kids camp and had such a blast! We were in charge of one of the water games and the kids loved it! We also played “Duck, Duck, Goose” when we had extra time (or as the kids said, “Ratza, Ratza, Goosca!”). Mom and Dad jumped right in, and I think I was having more fun watching them play than the kids were! It was such a blessing to do ministry with my parents. They have grown so much in their faith and trust in the Lord this year and it was so cool to have deep conversations with them. They stepped into uncomfortable situations and were champs!
Incorporated in PVT was also free-time to spend together. On our last day we all went up to Bucharest and got to explore all day long. We toured the Palace of Parliament, saw the Botanical Gardens, and explored Old Town. It was so much fun to just spend time together before saying goodbye again (but this time only for a few months! 🙂
My last week of Romania was spent in Brasov where the whole squad got together for Debrief. This is when we take several days to reflect, teach, learn, and grow together. Brasov was such a beautiful city to be in and explore. We grew closer as a squad and had so much wisdom poured into us from our leadership.
Debrief was the perfect way to end our time in Europe. It came and went so quickly, and tomorrow we fly out to AFRICA!! I am so excited to experience a new culture and see why so many people fall quickly in love with this unique country. Please keep our squad in your prayers as we begin this new season of the race and as we step into yet another unknown.
It wouldn’t be a month recap without the one second video 😉
