After seven months of FaceTime calls, pictures via text and long-distance holidays, my parents are I were reunited in Draganesti, Romania!
Here’s a little glimpse of what our week together looked like:
Tuesday, April 24th
- 4PM Greg and Linda arrive in Draganesti, Romania!
- My dad exits the bus first, we run to each other and hug, and I realize how very much I’ve missed them.
- My mom leaps out of the bus and sprints towards me.
- We cry, a lot.
- We cry some more.
Wednesday, April 25th
- 8AM I meet my parents for breakfast then we explore the city.
- 10AM My mom begins to develop a plan to save all the stray dogs in Draganesti.
- 10:05AM I tell my dad that he cannot flush toilet paper in this country and he is horrified.
- 11AM We’re still talking about why you can’t flush toilet paper. Dad is still horrified.
- 12PM We all have lunch together then head to the city of Craiova to minister in a gypsy community.
- 2PM I watch my mom love on gypsy children and boundlessly pursue the people surrounding her.
- I witness my dad heading down the road, with a group of parents and leaders, to hand out bibles and provide help in the community, whatever the need is.
- 3-5PM My parents play games with children, chat with the gypsy Grandmas, give hugs, and laugh with all those around them, regardless of background or country of origin.
- My heart explodes.
Thursday, April 26th
- 8AM Breakfast
- 9-11AM I read through the journal I’ve been keeping for the last seven months with my parents to illustrate some the of huge growth and amazing things I’ve experienced on this adventure.
- 12PM Lunch
- 1PM We all load up into a van and head to Craiova again for an evening event.
- 4PM My parents and I are given the responsibility of hosting a table at an English-Speaking event where locals in Craiova have been invited to meet Americans, practice their English and hear the Gospel.
- 5PM The event begins, and we are joined at the table by our translator Veronica.
- My parents talk to Veronica all night and are deeply moved by her ministry and story.
- I chat with a new friend, named Mario, and the night flies by as I’m able to hear about his life in Eastern Europe and tell him a little bit about my own life.
- My parents and I leave the event full, as we each had the incredible opportunity to learn about life here in Romania and pour into this community.
- 9-10:30PM We sleep in the bus on the way home.
Friday, April 27th
- 8AM Breakfast
- 9-11AM My parents and I spend some much needed one-on-one time together, catching up and acknowledging how thankful we are for this time together.
- 12PM We eat lunch then are whisked away in a car with an unknown driver to an unknown place.
- 1PM My parents are concerned that we don’t know where we’re going or what we’re doing, and I realize what I’ve learned to consider “normal” on the race, isn’t actually all that normal.
- 2PM We arrive at a random house in a neighboring town and learn we will be delivering food to people in this community.
- 2:30PM We walk the streets, meeting locals in this town and handing out bags of food.
- I watch my mom pray for a homeless woman who likely has never received prayer in her life.
- 4PM We arrive at Rita’s house. She is a widow who has lost two husbands and one child.
- Rita ushers us into her home and serves us coffee on her bed, as she only has one room in her house.
- We talk and laugh with Rita.
- She tells us she has never met an American before.
- My Dad assures her she now has three American friends.
- Rita shows us her garden and plants before we hug her goodbye.
- My mom prays for Rita and we feel so blessed, having had the opportunity to spend the evening with this special woman.
Saturday, April 28th
- Free Day in Bucharest! We explore the city, eat delicious food and enjoy our last day in Eastern Europe together.
Sunday, April 29th
- 11AM My parents and I say a tearful but heart-filling goodbye, thankful for time with each other and a beautiful week serving Romania together.
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:13
All my love!
Amy <3
