Viile Tecii is absolutely beautiful. Today was a perfect introduction into ministry here. We drove through the rolling Romanian countryside to walk the gravel & dirt streets of a quaint gypsy village. With every step, a new dirt smudged check appeared from the myriad of tattered clothing hung to dry. I was in the middle of the street. It was then & there that I saw her. A small child- no taller than my waist. Her hair, the most golden of blondes, falling over each ear into the tiniest braids I have ever seen. She wore fire engine red tights & overtop two toned shorts of yellow & green. Her pale pink sweatshirt adorned with cartoon characters completed her already joker like appearance. She stood still observing from afar. Our eyes locked. My emerging smile was enough invitation to beckon her forward. With determination she ran towards me. Five feet to go- she stopped dead in her tracks- too timid to finish the journey. I extended my hand & almost instantaneously she propels forward to latch relentlessly to my side. Her head tucked & nuzzled into my shirt. Her arms locked in a tight embrace. For minutes we did not move.
