Disclaimer: this is a rather long blog. If you just gander at the pictures, I would understand. I usually do the same thing.
As you will read, we have done a lot this month. But, perhaps the most important thing that we did was further come together as a squad. We have been able to spend a lot of time together and really make big strides towards our goal of community. I love you guys 🙂
We will be leaving Casa Shalom on Monday to go to a conference of all the World Race squads currently on the field. We will be there for a couple of days, and then we will be headed to Israel in a week! I can’t believe four months have gone by. While at the conference – I-Squad will be competing in a dance off. We have been practicing hard, and can’t wait to win!
We have gone through many changes as a squad this month. Perhaps the biggest of the changes for me is that there is no longer a Team NEON. I loved my team, and I was starting to see them as a second family. There will always be a NEON-colored spot on my heart.
One of the big lessons I am learning on this World Race is that change is a good thing. Will Miller is no longer my team leader – he is now sharing his awesomeness with Team in.tent.city, and our Matt Ruple has stepped up as leader! I am lucky to have been able to work with such fine gentlemen as my leaders! And, I am now team finance person. (Whaaat!?) We also gained the fabulous Kaleb Poth.
Without further ado, I would like to introduce you to…
The Bamboo Brigade
“Ducks fly together.”
We live near a bowling alley, and bowling was our first “Bamboo” activity. I am not ashamed to admit that I was only 193 pins away from bowling the perfect game. If you’re wondering about our outfits, no worries, we know we look good.
The name “Bamboo Brigade” was chosen because bamboo is an amazing plant and alliteration is awesome – I never knew so much about bamboo! Here are some bamboo facts to enlighten you:
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Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on planet Earth. Some species have been measured to grow over four feet in 24 hours.
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Bamboo has incredible strength. Bamboo structures have been known to withstand 9.0 megnitude earthquakes.
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Bamboo is twice as stable as oak.
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It’s also pretty and pandas eat it – so it’s a winner in my book!
Now you know! 🙂
Things at Casa Shalom have been going swimmingly – we have been doing a variety of work around Bucharest! I am picking up new skills I never tought I would. Example: white-washing apple trees. (So the bugs can’t NOM NOM NOM NOM the delicious apples!)
We have also been working with children from around Bucharest, and we got to spend a day hanging out with the girls from a local women’s home. We have done a variety of things, and it has definitely been an awesome month! 🙂 Here are some random pictures from our time here:
This is probably irrevelant, but I am totally in love with one of the dogs that live here. His name is Poofy. I want him.
The children here swear that this dog is Poofy’s mother:
I think they are lying.
Here’s a good story: Last night we were in downtown Bucharest, helping out our contact, Becky, with a project her church was doing in the city. There were two young girls, about 6 and 8, circling our group and smoking cigarettes. Literally smoking at 6 and 8 years old. Their clothes were rough and their hair was a mess. They tried to take things we were holding and I looked at them and thought, “wow, they are annoying.”
After they left, I couldn’t stop thinking about them. What kind of life must they be living to be on the streets of a crazy city – smoking cigarettes and taking whatever they can from strangers? Thinking about this broke my heart – and the rest of Team Bamboo was feeling the same way. We went and found the girls and asked if we could buy them McDonald’s.
The girls were sooo excited! One of the girls, Denisa, grabbed my hand and kept saying “diapers.” I ended up taking her to the store and buying her diapers and a baby bottle and shampoo and various other personal care items that she pointed out. I was wondering why she would need diapers. As I was saying goodbye to her at the bus stop, and I found a woman who could translate for me. The translator asked me, “Do you know who this girl is? She is a Gypsy. Why would you buy her all these things? Do you even know what she is going to do with it?”
For the rest of the night, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I love the Gypsy people – Denisa wouldn’t take advantage of me, right? I thought I would never see her again, until I saw someone running towards me and yelling my name a few hours later. It was Denisa. Carrying her little sister. She just kept pointing at her and yelling “diapers!” She shoved the baby into my arms and was smiling from ear to ear – and then I thought about it. She turned down a meal for herself to get diapers for her baby sister. The sister that she cares for alone on the streets of Bucharest. Once again, my heart broke. I held the baby and we hung out with the girls for the rest of the evening. I couldn’t believe that I had once looked at them and thought “wow, they are annoying.” I had a complete change of heart. A lesson learned. The end.
Thanks for all of your prayers, encouragement and financial support! It still means the world to me – and I am getting so close to my financial goal! 🙂 Love, love, love back to home 🙂
