Half way through the month, a lot of us had a desire to find an orphanage to help in! A few of the girls looked up possible orphanages around Bucharest that we could go to! We knew that this would be a harder task because the laws here in Romania are very strict about having Americans helping orphans! But we felt that God wanted us to pursue this idea!
We had found one place that was run by an American and we sent out our email explaining who we were and if we could help out in any way! That night she responded back! She said that her place really wasn’t an orphanage anymore but would love for us to come out and visit her and maybe help her in other ways! Then she said why don’t you come out tomorrow?!
The next day we took the hour long bus ride to Casa Shalom and met Becky! It was a beautiful property with a huge garden, many buildings, lots of chickens, turkeys and dogs and smiling faces! We didn’t know what to expect but we were so excited to be there!
She invited us to her home and offered us tea and treats! For the next 3+ hours, Becky opened up and shared all about her life! She shared what she use to do before the orphanage, how she got to run an orphanage, her struggles, what she does now…she was an open book! We felt like we had known her for years after she got done! She was so sweet!
She offered us lunch and then asked if we could help in her around the house that day! Her and her staff was swamped with things they needed to get done and they didn’t have enough time. So she said we could either help her in the garden pulling weeds or helping by plucking feathers from the chickens they just killed that morning!! We choose to help in the garden!
Then she mentioned that if we would like to join her, she would love to take us to the Gypsy villages next week! We jumped on this opportunity!
Becky has created some amazing relationships with some of the gypsy families that live nearby! Sometimes she delivers food and clothing to the families, sometimes she helps them start gardens or does repairs to their homes but she always tells them how much God loves them and shared with them stories from the bible!
For 2 days, we got to follow Becky and visit four communities! We sang songs and did silly hand motions, they heard about how powerful Jesus is! They heard testimonies from fellow Romanians and then got a piece of candy or an apple! One of the stops we made, we handed out New Testament bibles to the kids and adults!
I could go on about these visits…but I just wrote a blog about my experiences! So I won’t go into more detail!!! hahaha
We searched for an orphanage and found a woman whose heart is for the children that nobody wants! We traveled a long way to sit in the kitchen of a woman who has had a crazy life and needed someone to sit down and listen to her! Again we left the house with an agenda and God simply said Follow me and I will show you so much more!
Every time we were with Becky, she trusted us to follow her and to take us into her own passions of ministry! She wanted us to learn lessons and for our own eyes to be open!
We came to help her and in the end…we each learned lessons that we will always remember!
