WHEN IN ROMANIA
Month 2 Recap
Twas a morning in Romania and all through the Mission House, every team member of W squad was shivering even Charlie in his dog house. Tip toe down the rickety stairs and see 76 shoes all lined up in a row, the smell of oatmeal passing through the air to and fro. Come into the kitchen to find Leighton cooking over the stove while a few others are having some quiet time.
A house of 38 people all waking up in Dragensti, Romania… getting ready to seize the day!
Welcome to all squad month. A house full of 38 people, no heat, one washer, three toilets, two showers and a house with one mission: Love.
This month I had the pleasure of living alongside 37 other people in the same house, working everyday for Hope Church in Dragensti, Romania. A town in the heart of what in America is called a gypsy community but is most commonly used and correctly termed “Roma” community in Romania. The word Gypsy in Romania and surrounding countries is a derogatory term.
Each member of the squad was spilt into different areas of outreach and projects under Hope Church. This month I worked alongside two teammates for a Romanian missionary family, The Berchet Family.
Tavi and Nicoleta Berchet, along with their two daughters, stole my heart this month. This family in particular is working outside of Dragensti in a village called Maruntei. This small village of 2,000 has no church and really no way to hear about God. I had the opportunity to work with their family by hosting kid’s clubs for the children there and also holding adult Bible studies. In Maruntei, you would see elderly women walking along the road with their cows and sheep, farmers pulling supplies down the road with donkeys and children playing without any shoes. The Berchet’s vision for Maruntei is to meet the needs of the village both physically and spiritually.
This month I had a joy of playing with so many children, playing soccer with teens, hosting Bible studies, while showing love and intentionality to the people.
My two teammates and I also had the task to set up a website for a church plant the Berchet Family want to start called Hope for Maruntei. I grew so much this month in administrative tasks, working with websites and making videos. I’ve learned with just a phone and a computer you can do so much more than you think!
The Berchet Family have such a huge heart for the people of Maruntei and want to give them an opportunity to know the love of Christ. I had the chance to become not only friends with the Berchet’s, but family. We did life with them for a month. The family supports themselves through bee keeping and selling honey. I was able to see this first hand and help them with the bees! I also was able to indulge in some of the most delicious honey I’ve ever tasted!
This month I was a support system, a helping hand and part of the Berchet Family. This family invited me and my two teammates into their lives and trusted us to so much to serve them. I’ll never forget their daughters constant laughter or Tavi and Nicoleta’s passion for Christ and heart for the Village of Maruntei. It was truly an honor to work alongside this family and be welcomed into their hard work they are doing in Romania.
Only in Romania will I eat Gagosh, be welcomed in by the kindest and goofiest family, live with 37 other people and wake up everyday so excited to pursue whatever was to come.
I ask you to consider praying for The Berchet Family and their vision for the Village of Maruntei. It was an amazing experience that I’ll never forget. Some incredible things are happening in Romania, and I am so lucky I was a little tiny part in it. Thank you!
The World Race | Romania from Lauren Louise Burns on Vimeo.
For more information about the Berchet Family, the Village of Maruntei and Hope Church check out these links!
https://hopeformaruntei.wordpress.com/
