A Journal

I kept a journal while I was in Romania. I don't really keep a daily journal at home, but I have always kept a journal when I travel. I just don't want to forget a single aspect of my adventures. When I keep a journal, I basically just write down all of the things that happen each day. For example, "Went to group home and played Uno with the girls." My journal entries are devoid of emotion. It's pretty basic and quick. I've always thought they would be fun to read back over later on in life and they do help me figure out what monuments and cities I am in when looking through the hundreds of pictures that I took. When I return home, they usually get packed away in a neat box of mementos that I have from the trip. 

For some reason, unbeknownst to me, my Romania journal has floated around my room for the past 6 months since I returned home. It hasn't been packed away for the future. It has sat next to where I charge my phone each night. I don't even have to open its pages to remember the words written inside. Even though the words only recount the events of each day, the emotion floods back with them. Most of the time when I was recording things in my journal, I was either sitting on the bumpy bus or getting ready to go to sleep at night. I can remember trying to frantically write each word before it got too bumpy or my eye lids closed.

God has written my story and the time that I was in Romania was a gift. My recorded words stand as a testimony of the amazing things He is doing there and the work He is doing in me. I don't want to forget those things. My Romania journal has sat as a reminder to pray for the things God is doing there and for all of the sweet people I met. It reminds me that God is constantly moving, both in Romania and in me!

Do you keep a journal?
Can you look back through it and see God moving in your life?

Christmas in Romania trip Concludes

Well at this moment the team is sitting at the Bucharest airport preparing to board the flight to Paris and then onto US soil. The team is ready to return home but hearts have been broken and remolded. It is amazing to see how our Lord works in the lives of people. I have been bringing people to Romania for over 6 years now and it never ceases to amaze me how the Lord works. The trip was significantly different due to the make-up of the team. Typically, teams are dominated by women however this team was made up of 4 men and 1 women, making it "different". The focus had a construction flavor but the real transformation did not happen when sheet rock was applied to the walls of a classroom. The transformation happened when we were in the presence of children. The team took frequent breaks to see the children perform different activities and that is where the team fell in love with the ministry that Another Child Foundation does for the children and their families in Romania.

I am sure there will be many stories told by the team that I could not even attempt to tell within a blog posting. So, I will not even try to describe the difference I see in the team that came to Romania with open hearts to serve the children of Romania and our Lord and Savior. So, if you had a family member as a part of the "Christmas in Romania" trip be prepared for some awesome stories of how ACF is truly reaching, teaching, and transforming children, mission trip participants, and our donors.

ACF is committed to making a substantial long term difference in the lives of people by empowering them to be able to provide for themselves and their families. Early education plays a large part in what ACF does but to transform a community of people much help is needed. Sponsorship of children and ACF programs are a great investment into God's kingdom here on earth. If anyone reading this blog would like to be a part of the ACF experience go to our website www.anotherchild.org and see how you can be involved.

May God bless you and your family during this Christmas season! America....here we come!!!

Pictures to Enjoy!

Christmas in Romania Picture book!

 



 Point of Hope Children in the classroom

 



The joy of receiving a Christmas present 

 

 The children received a gift and a goodie bag full of fruit and treats

 

 The parents of the children enjoying the Christmas program

 

Little Valli dressed up as Santa

 

Children singing Christmas carols

 

Holding tight to the Christmas gifts!

 

All the children told part of the Christmas story- Jesus's birth!

 

Enjoying a home-made treat

Dennis decorating Christmas cookies in which they will take home

Day #6- Christmas in Romania continues!

Today the team really settled into the routine of the trip. The schedule is becoming a bit more predictable and the jet lag has passed. The team arrived at the Point of Hope Development Center first thing in the morning to continue the work project only to be side tracked by the Christmas program for the 60 preschool children at 11:00. Today the youngest children (3 yrs old) got to show off some of their educational skills to their parents. I am not 100% sure what the children spoke about in the beginning of the show but I think it was a Christmas poem. The children then sang some Christmas carols and received a gift from ACF/Fundatia Buckner along with a gift bag of a blanket, fruit, and other goodies.

After a lunch of soup & sarmale, which resemble cabbage rolls, the team was back to work finishing the sheet rock. Being a bunch of amateur carpenters, and using sharp and heavy objects, I am happy to report that no injuries occurred! The team did a great job of staying focused on the job at hand even though some of the after-school children were wandering by the room with construction.

One other thing that happened today was a live interview with WDLM radio out of the Quad Cities. Dennis Huston and myself shared with the listeners what was going on with our team and the difference the work we were doing was having on the children and families we serve. Dennis did a great job of conveying the feelings of the trip to the people of the Quad Cities. We even gt a plug in for Christ United Methodist Church in East Moline.

Tomorrow I am hoping to post a few more pictures of everything going on with the team, the activities, and the construction project. The big item for tomorrow is the home visits we will be doing. The team will get a chance to visit some homes of children who attend the Point of Hope and say thanks to the parents for letting us help them shape their child's spiritual nature as well as help with their physical and emotional sides. Please pray for the team as we continue to look for ways to make a difference in the lives of children. Thank you for your support!!

Day #5- Construction Begins

Today the team took their first step in the part of the trip that involved the renovation of a classroom in the Point of Hope Development Center in Tarneveni, Romania. But before the team got going hanging the sheet rock on the concrete walls of the center the team had to deliver some humanitarian aid to some children. The team arose at 7:00 am to get off to a good start for the day. After a hearty breakfast the team took a short bus ride to the Rose Marin preschool where the team was delivering 81 bags of goodies prepared the night before by the girls from the Buckner Group home. Each bag included a blanket which were collected in the ACF Project Respond humanitarian aid drives, 2 oranges, 2 bananas, a juice box, and some other candies. The team also had a large box of stuffed animals to distribute to the children. But before we handed out the Christmas bags we did a cute craft project. Using strips of construction paper each child created a Christmas ornament to decorate their classroom. Eventually those ornaments will be taken home for the children to enjoy there. Finally, it was time to play Santa Claus and bring the bags into the classroom. Their eyes lit up like a Christmas tree when they saw the bags and were told that each of them would be receiving one of the beautiful bags of goodies. The bags were then quickly given to the children and the smiles that followed were priceless. The room was a glow with happiness and joy. After the kids were told they could look into their bags the team was on the move to let the kids enjoy their presents with their friends and teachers.

The team had lunch at the local KFC (yes...Kentucky Fried Chicken) where the food was pretty much like what you would get in the States. Even though it was KFC the team enjoyed comparing the differences in fast food establishments. Most of the team then took off for Tarneveni where they would start hanging sheet rock. However, Dacian and I still had to visit a group home where 11 of the children ACF & Buckner has worked with for 6 years now reside. These children formerly lived in the Zau orphanage and have been attending our VBS camps since we started hosting camps in 2007. It was good to see these kids again and give them a nice gift and wish them a Merry Christmas. Each of the kids also received a video of the 2012 summer camp produced by an ACF volunteers Taylor Jenkins and Jessica Huettel. I think they watched that video 5 times in the hour I was with them. They loved reliving the memories of the past summer. Dacian and I then moved on to see the dance team from the Point of Hope Development Center at their first performance. The crowd absolutely loved the performance and 1 little guy named Alex stole the show as he performed with incredible energy and talent. I am hoping to link a video of the dancers in the next day or so.

The rest of the team got off to a great start hanging the sheet rock before the evening set in. When completed the room will be used to help educate the children in the after-school program. Currently, Buckner has 28 kids in one room trying to be tutored and teachers helping with homework. Once the team leaves the classroom will be ready and the teachers will be able to help the kids in a much more efficient manner. Thanks again to Christ United Methodist Church in East Moline, Illinois for the funds and 3 mission trip participants to complete this important part of the ministry. The goal for tomorrow is to complete the drywall and get it taped and mudded while also starting on the suspended ceiling.

I will plan on getting some additional pictures onto the blog tomorrow. Keep the team in your prayers and pray for health and general well-being. Your prayers are helping because as of now we have no big issues. Our long-term missionary and construction leader Dennis Lofton is fighting a bug so if you could pray for his quick return to health that would be appreciated. Thanks for your support!

Day #4 Picture blog

Today went really well. A beautiful church service at Libertati Baptist Church in the morning and an afternoon, dinner, and the evening at the Buckner Group home. The day was great and the team was very impressed with the Buckner and group home staff. The team also fell in love with the 7 beautiful young ladies who live at the home. The rest of this blog will be pictures...ENJOY!


The Ski resort and slopes we stayed at the first night

Some beautiful Romanian countryside

 

Sighisoara mainstreet

 

Libertati church

 

Texas snowman

 

More Romanian winter scenery

 

The team in Sighisoara

 

Point of Hope children Christmas caroling

 

The beauty of children dancing

 

Dennis enjoying a bread bowl soup...not exactly Panera...even better!

 

Dennis, Kevin, and Jim preparing Christmas gifts

 

The team and group home girls doing a craft project

 

 

I hope you enjoyed a few of the pictures and sites the team has enjoyed so far. I promised the team tomorrow will be even better!

 

Day #3 The Ministry Begins

Today started out in a new hotel with the team preparing to start the reason they came to Romania. To serve children and witness to them the Good News of the Gospel. The team started out the morning by meeting the girls in the Buckner Group Home. The trailer the team will be using to transport the building materials is stored at the group home so the team took a few minutes to get introduced to the 7 young ladies. After a short visit the team managed to make its way to the local building supply retailer and bought all of the necessary items for the construction project. The team then drove 45 minutes to the city of Tarneveni where the Point of Hope Development Center is located. After dropping off the materials the team enjoy lunch at Pizza Motors in the downtown area of Tarneveni. The team really seemed to enjoy the Romanian pizza served.

The team then moved onto one of the more inspirational parts of the trip. The team got to see 6 of the girls that attend the Point of Hope perform in front of TV cameras for the first time ever. A local TV station is doing a feature on the children at the Point of Hope and how Buckner Romania is going superb work at the center. The team watched the girls and other boys from the community perform a high energy Gypsy dance. The performance lasted 12 minutes with an interview with the children after. All of this was video taped for the future show. Everyone did an amazing joy and the team was exhausted after watching those kids dance that enthusiastically for 12 minutes.

The team then went back to the POH where Gabi Szabo did a Romanian orientation telling the team the story of the center and the progress ACF and Buckner is making with the children and their families. After sorting out all of the humanitarian aid brought by team members for the children, staff, and volunteers the team headed back to Targu-Mures for the evening. The team then enjoyed a delicious dinner at a local restaurant and browsed a park where the beautiful Christmas display was being seen by many people. The team even got their picture takes with St. Nicholas.

The days are flying by and I am sure I am leaving out many of the details the team is enjoying. I am sure they will fill in anyone who wants to hear about those details.

On day #2 I asked the team and anyone else reading this blog to consider the question..."why did Jesus come to earth?" Here is the answer I have learned. Yes Jesus did die on the cross to save us from our sins so that we can spend eternity with him in heaven. This is indeed the good news we share with people. But he also wants us to bring his kingdom in heaven to earth. Jesus came to mend the brokenhearted and to repair our relationships with him, ourselves, and with others. The first two we can work on ourselves. But the third one is where we have to work together. Jesus constantly strived to help the poor and the weak. And called us to live a life a similar life. Not to bring us salvation but to bring his heavenly kingdom to earth. This can only be done by his followers who work to mend the brokenness of this worlds relationships. This is not the place or the time to discuss the complexity of poverty and injustice but dealing with the root cause of poverty and injustice is where we start. This is what Another Child Foundation and our mission teams are doing. The team does not simply lend a hand to people in poverty but we work to lift the yoke of injustice that keeps the people we serve bound. ACF strives to do the best job possible to bring his heavenly kingdom to people here on earth.

You probably noticed no pictures yet...tomorrow...I promise!

Day #2 of "Christmas in Romania" mission trip

Today was another very good day for the team. We woke up to a beautiful sunny, but very cold morning. The ski slopes of the ski resort are virtually in the back yard of our hotel and the view from the balcony was stunningly beautiful. These slopes, like the ones in the U.S., can create snow if needed, but man-made snow is not needed at this time. You see many homes and businesses with huge mounds of beautiful glistening snow on the roofs. Many postcard worthy pictures are being taken of the beautiful winter scenery. After the morning devotions and a typical European continental breakfast of bread, salami, eggs, cheese, and yogurt, the team loaded into the 8 person Volkswagen van and headed north towards Sighisoara where the team was to visit the medieval city. The team enjoyed seeing local artifacts from the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th century. Sighisoara was also the home to Vlade Tepes or Dracula for 4 years. So, the team saw some of the weaponry and medical items used during his reign as King of Romania.

After a little bit of shopping the team then completed the trip north and were greeted in Targu-Mures by Gabi Szabo, the Buckner Missions Coordinator, and ACF's long-term missionaries Dennis and Swanna Lofton. The team then settled into their rooms at the Continental Hotel which will be home for the team for 3 nights. After some rest the team took a brisk 10 minute walk to the Excalibur restaurant where the team enjoyed a unique meal. The food was not unique but the way the food is served was the uniqueness. The food was served on 1 large platter which included a whole chicken, pork chops, ham, sausages, chicken livers, ribs, roasted potatoes, cabbage, mixed vegetables, apples, cucumber, kiwi, banana's, and probably other items I did not see. Also, since it is a medieval type meal no utensils were given to eat with. However, we did happen to find a couple forks to use. Everyone got their fill of delicious food and I even tried the chicken livers wrapped in bacon. I do not like chicken livers but how bad can anything be if it is wrapped in bacon....well liver can still be bad even in bacon...yuckky! At the end of the meal we still had enough food for a family. So, Dacian was the benefactor of the left-overs and got to take them home.

I am sure you are asking if I could post some pictures of the trip and I promise I will try to do that tomorrow. The team has been talking plenty of pictures but I do not have access to them yet. Tomorrow I will get a few of the best ones to share with you. The plan for tomorrow will be going to shop for all of the construction supplies we need for the project at the Point of Hope Development Center. I would like to send a "shout out" to all of the people from Christ United Methodist Church of East Moline, Illinois for supplying all of the funds for this important project. After shopping for the materials at Baumax (the Romanian version of Lowe's or Home Depot) the team will get the materials delivered to the Point of Hope and start preparing for the work project. The team will also be witnessing the shooting of a TV show for a local Romanian station that is highlighting the transformational work being done at the Point of Hope. This is a huge event for Buckner and ACF. Getting community support for the work we are doing there will be a huge benefit for future support of the community. Dacian Moldovan and his staff is responsible for the great reputation this center has now developed in the community. Pastor Jeff Schlesinger has said that the work being done at the Point of Hope is the purest form of the Gospel he has ever seen as a Pastor within the mission field. The team will then get its first look at the POH Center as well as meet some of the staff there. Finally, the team will return to Targu-Mures for the night.

I have no specific prayer requests for the team other than Kim Gaskins-Delz is developing a cough and would appreciate prayers for her and the entire team to fight off any illnesses that might be creeping in. But please pray for the team as they are considering a question I asked them to think about during devotions this morning. I will ask each of you to consider the same simple question. Why did Jesus come to earth? Sounds simple but the answer is obviously very complex. Think and pray about this and I will give you a response that I have learned to this question in tomorrow's blog.

Please share this with your friends on Facebook by using the share button below the post. Thanks and have a great day and evening!

Christmas in Romania Team Arrives!

Well the "Christmas in Romania: team (Dennis Huston, Kevin Sack, Jim Power, Kim Gaskins-Delz, and me) has finally arrived in Romania. The team did not suffer any time or travel issues at all on day #1. We left O'Hare International at 4:30 pm (Illinois time) on Wednesday, December 12 with sunny skies and seasonably warm December temperatures. We arrive at the Amsterdam airport at 7:00 am their time (12:00 am Illinois time) and met up with our Texas friend Kim Gaskins-Delz who flew in from San Antonio, Texas. The team then flew the final 3 hours to Bucharest, Romania to find frigid temperatures and lots of snow. Approximately 15" of snow have fell onto portions of Romania in the last week. Tonight the temperatures are expected to fall near 0 degrees Fahrenheit.

Each a every team that travels with Another Child Foundation seems to develop their own story and chemistry. This trip might be the snow! We have already had to push the Buckner van out of a parking place due to the unplowed areas in parking lots. But do not worry! The roads are fine and Dacian does a great job keeping the team safe. The team is really looking forward to getting involved in ministry work with the children they were called to serve.

Tomorrow looks like we are going to get off to a fairly early start (9:00 am) and drive to Sighisoara. Sighisoara is the oldest medieval community where people still live in the original buildings. This should give the team a good flavor of the Romanian culture. We will end up the day in Targu-Mures where we will start preparing for ministry work.

The team is now resting comfortably at this beautiful ski resort in Predeal, Romania. Keep the team in your prayers as we still have quite a few miles to travel and people to greet!