So here's the thing… I am constantly wondering WHAT to write about in these blogs. I have never considered myself a writer but having been raised by one, I feel like I should be better at this. I want to keep everyone updated but I don't want to fall into a pattern of posting lists of things I've done that week. So here is what I am thinking… I would LOVE it if those of you who read my blog would post ideas/questions/things you'd like me to write about. It would be WAY helpful for me and it would also ensure that you're actually interested in what I am talking about.
THAT BEING SAID… Here's a list of what I've been doing lately 😛
-Translating. This weekend the church held a conference for pastors in the area as well as pastors visiting from Canada. We had 5 power points written in English that some of the Romanian missionaries needed to write in Romanian. They needed my help on deciphering some words. This task sounds easy enough until a Romanian asks you to describe the meaning of the word “squelch” and “squish” isn't in their vocabulary either. By the end of the night Carly and I had turned into slap happy translation zombies.
-Falling in love with THIS GIRL…
Every time I go on a mission trip I fall in love with children but usually there is one in particular that REALLY captures my heart. I still miss & pray for a little girl named Chemensope from when I went to Kenya. As for Romania, this is Ionella. She seems to have taken to me just as much as I have to her. There is just SOMETHING about her that feels powerful and special. I am hoping that within the next week God will reveal something to me about my purpose in her life/ the reason for my infatuation. If not, I'll be satisfied to be a prayer warrior for her.
-NOT shaving my legs. During services at the church the women are required to wear skirts. Yesterday I looked down at my legs and literally gasped out loud at the horrifying view. I realized coming into this trip that it wasn't a fashion show and I would probably not be looking my best, however I didn't realize that I would immediately turn into a Sasquatch during month 1. Don't worry guys, I TOOK CARE OF IT.
-Picking up trash. This week Raul gave us free reign on how we wanted to spend our ministry time. In Draganesti, trash can's are basically just a decoration. The streets are COVERED in cups, wrappers, glass, animal feathers, you name it. Amanda remembered that Raul had mentioned hat picking up trash was one of the ways his team of missionaries gained people's trust when they first moved to Draganesti so we decided to try it out. It was a full time job for 10 people for 3 days straight and we only ended up clearing the main road and a few side streets. We are hoping that it touched some hearts and that Hope Church reaps the benefits of our effort.
-Gorging on Romanian snacks. One thing I learned very quickly upon arriving in Romania is that snack time is ALL THE TIME. We are constantly being offered plates of pretzels, crackers and cookies. And by constantly I mean every 1 to 2 hours. I'm not exactly complaining but my question is… Are these people just insanely generous or have they been trained that you must feed American's in order to keep them happy?
-Getting Unstuck. Our team has done several children's programs each week since we've been here but this week was by far my favorite. We did a skit called “Stuck”. The basic premise is this… Someone walks up to a chair labeled “SIN”, ignores the sign and sits in it anyway. They then try to get up from the chair and realize they are STUCK in SIN. Clever, riiiight? As people walk by they try to help the stuck person and consequently get stuck themselves. Finally Jesus (or in our case Amanda) comes and saves them from their sin/unsticks them from the chair. The kids LOVED it. They thought it was absolutely hysterical (as did I). Not to mention, the message is SO simple but SO true. Here is a picture of the skit…
THAT'S ALL FOR NOW. LOVE & MISS EVERYBODY, OKAY BYE.
