Day #2 of "The Incredibles" VBS

I thought I would share with you today what we have covered the first 2 days of our VBS based on the animated movie "The Incredibles." Day 1 was focused on Mr. Incredible and how he used his strength to overcome the problems he faced in life. We looked at how we can abuse our talents or strengths if we are not careful. We told the kids that God has given each of us very specific talents to use in out lives to make us happy and how those things can bring joy to others around us. Of course there were plenty of games and activities that made the day really a fun day. The weather could not be any better than it was on day #1. Sunny with a high temperature in the mid 70's and a cool gentle mountain breeze. The evening required a light jacket but the full moon and clear skies keep us up a little later than usual playing games until 10:00 pm.

The message for day #2 was the Mrs. Elastic and her power to stretch and be adaptable to any situation she encountered. Mrs. Elastic always showed concern for her loved ones first before thinking of herself. We used the story of Mary and Martha to show the difference on how we can serve God.

Everyone on the team is doing well. Besides some minor sore muscles that most of us have not used much over the years the team is doing great! Gary & Joelle Crockett have found themselves in the middle of some great conversations and Gary spent more time in the sand trying to dig volleyballs than most Olympians do. Lori Hilgart has found some new friends to minister to while Brian has a number of kids hanging on him at any moment. Please pray for Brian's back to held out another 3 days. Kim Gaskins is doing a great job adjusting to the crafts even when some do not go as planned (ask her about the slime project). Finally, Dan Hille is being that wild and crazy guy I thought he would be. Dan has stepped up to the challenge very well. Last but nor least Swanna and Dennis Lofton are providing some much needed experience to the camp.

I am hoping to provide a picture posting later tonight so you can see some of the fun activities we have been doing. Keep the team in your prayers as we approach the half way point of the trip. Pray for our health and strength to win out over fatigue and sore muscles. And that the Good News of the Gospel is felt through our actions by the children we are serving here this week!

7th Year of Camp BEGINS TODAY!

It is hard to believe that this will be the 7th year that I have been coming to Romania to do VBS camps for children here. Once again I marvel at the beauty of this country. I get off the plane and I feel as if I am at home here. This year is quite different though. This will be the first year that my wife Theresa will not be at my side and that makes me somewhat sad. The brightness of her smile and her ability to connect with children and people in general will be missed greatly every moment of this trip. However, we do have a great team who will pick up the slack. We have 4 others from Illinois (Lori Hilgart, Brian Moore, Gary Crockett, and his wife Joelle) along with Pastor Dan Hille from Avon, CT, and Kim Gaskins and Debra Guinn from Kingsland, TX to show God's love to these kids.

We have selected the movie "The Incredibles" as the theme for this week. Tonight we will watch the movie together and then each day we will break down the theme of the movie into areas of our lives. For those of you who have not seen the movie it is about a family of superheroes who have set aside their special abilities so they can be normal. However, the father in the movie decides that he just has to use those the superhero qualities God has given him for the betterment of his community. Once he does this then the family also follow's his lead and the family uses their hero qualities to fight off evil and the world become a better place because of it. So, the goal of this years camp is to let these kids know that each of us have a special talent or hero quality in us. It is something that God has given to each of us to use to make the world a better place. So, between the 4 family members we know we can connect their special hero qualities with the kids talents given to them.

So, pray for the team to be able to communicate a clear message to the children that they are special and that each of them has the ability to make the world a better place. The team is ready and the children will be here in just a few hours for a week of fun.

Tim Oloffson

Next stop Amsterdam

We've made it through security and are waiting to board our plane bound for Amsterdam.  Lots of excitement is in the air even if the FUGE kids are a bit worn from their week of missions camp ministry. Hopefully it will be a quiet flight as they get some needed rest.

Getting to this point in a mission trip is quite an accomplishment. Many of you have given time, money, and prayer effort in helping us prepare for this journey. Thank you all!!!  You have made it possible for us to minister in the name of our Lord to children that desperately need the grace and mercy of our Savior.

They are calling us to board, so until Amsterdam I must sign off. Keep us in your prayers for safe travel.

The Point of Hope Staff

We celebrated Roxy's birthday today at the Point of Hope. She currently teaches the third year students. Her love for her students is tangible! She is excited about her job and does it well. I have been blessed to get to know Roxy and the other staff at the Point of Hope a little better this summer. As we all sat around the lunch table today to celebrate Roxy, the staff members began to share stories and be silly. Most of it was in Romanian, so I didn't understand very much of what was going on, but their smiles and laughter were contagious! I enjoyed just being around them!

I can relate to the staff at the Point of Hope in more than one way. I am a teacher, so I completely understand wanting the best for my students, as they do, but there's a big difference between my job and theirs. The staff at the Point of Hope is responsible for their students' education, as well as caring for their spiritual growth, health and social interactions. They give the students showers and feed them meals. They love on them and praise them just like I would my own students, but the things that their students experience here in Romania can be very different from what my students experience in the States. Sometimes it might be the same, but not always. These men and women go far beyond what it means to be a teacher and take on the role of parent, friend, mentor, and encourager.

We are also the same in the fact that we are shy when it comes to trying the other person's language. It is definitely not easy to catch on to a new language and sometimes this can stand as a barrier between American and Romanian. The great thing is that it doesn't have to! Joy transcends languages. We have learned it's ok to try to say new words. We just might think it sounds funny when a word is mispronounced, but we'll do our best to help the other person practice saying it correctly again and again.

Our team got some time to take the staff out to dinner. We took half of them to dinner on Wednesday and the other half on Thursday. It was a time to enjoy one another's company, to learn more about each other and to thank the staff for their hard work this year. We had brought small gifts for each of them, but before they opened their gifts, we told them thank you. We wanted them to know that we recognized their hard work! We wanted them to know that they are making a difference in the lives of the children they work with and even the children's families! The staff at the Point of Hope amazes me! I am thankful for the time that I've been able to spend with them!