Living, Learning and Serving in Sighisoara, Romania

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Be the Living Water

Hello,

This morning we had a sermon given to us by a man named Phil who is from London, England (Phil's heavy accent made it hard to focus, because all I could visualize was Shrek giving the sermon. Yes, his voice sounded JUST like in the movie!). In Phil's sermon he began to speak about sin in our lives and how it takes hold of us. Giving into sin quenches our "thirst" temporarily but always leaves us scarred in the end. On the other hand we have an opportunity to drink from the fountain of salvation that promises us our sins are forgiven by the grace of God. It is then that we leave our old life behind us and look straight ahead to Him. God loves us so much that we have the opportunity to not only gain salvation but bear the Fruit of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control. It doesn't mean we will never face the sin that once had a hold of us, but God will give us the strength to turn away from it. He wants us to follow Him.

Phil then began to talk about our spiritual life and the Dead Sea. What about the Dead Sea, do you ask? It is called the dead sea because water flows into it but nothing flows out. This was representative of many of our spiritual lives. Many times, whether it be at Church, through a devotion, etc., we allow Christ to speak into our lives but do not let Him flow from us.

As soon as he said this I realized there are many moments I am the Dead Sea when I could have been the living water. There are moments my actions could have been of value to someone's life but instead I chose not to act. It's amazing how something that seems so simple can be a daily challenge in our lives. Let these words encourage us to strive to be all that we can be for His glory!

Psalm 36:9 (NIV) For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.

Blessings!
Darbi

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Let the Good Times Roll

Hello! We’ve missed you!

There has been a lot that has happened in our lives over the past few weeks and we’re excited to share a little bit about what that has looked like. Since beginning our practicums the four of us have found ourselves being pulled in different directions. Sarah has found that she enjoys focusing her time on Elderly Club. This was a population group she never thought she would be comfortable working with but has since proved herself wrong. Ashley focuses her time on Kids and Teens Club where she has been able to hear their stories and do home visits. This has made her passionate about doing what she can to have a positive impact on their lives. The bulk of Veronica’s time has been spent on Kid’s Club where she has bonded with the children. The other programs she is to be involved in are still in the planning stages, which she has had the opportunity to be a part of and is eager for them to get started. Darbi began her practicum with Kids Club, Special Needs Club and Elderly Club but has since decided to work only with Special Needs Club and Elderly Club. She has found that the developmentally disabled population is one that she most connects with. They challenge her to look at life through a new lens and to find joy in each day no matter what the circumstances.

Memories we’ve shared together…

We helped plan and hold Open House at the Veritas Family Center for the community. Veronica helped with games, Sarah did face painting, Darbi did hair-strings, and Ashley did manicures. It was a success! Over 100 kids showed up!

We have gone on two more hikes. The first was to a place called Biertan where we saw one of the most beautiful fortified churches. Not to mention we saw a plastic baby head on a stick. Can you say creepy?! The second one turned out to be more of an adventure than we had planned. Originally our plan was to hike on a mountain in Sinaia where we would take a ski lift up and back down. It turned out to be too snowy to hike there, so we went to a new place called Scaunul Domnului. It was a solid 4 hour hike up a mountain and 3 and a half back down. We’re still feeling the effects of the hike but the view at the top was breathtaking.

We took a day trip with Dorothy to a salt mine in Praid and a village in Korond. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day. The salt mine was way bigger than we anticipated. There was a church, a high ropes course and a lot of kids’ inflatables inside. Korond is known for its pottery. We all had a lot of fun walking around and looking for souvenirs. ;)

And last but not least, we convinced Dorothy into letting us all have a slumber party at her house! We watched a Romanian movie, had a delicious dinner fixed by our favorite language professor, Elena (it was candle lit!) and stayed up for hours chatting with each other. GIRL TALK...typical!!!

(And we literally just received an email from our professor at MVNU and found out we wrote the best paper of our lives!)

La revedere!

Veritas Open House!

Deanna and Veronica are ready for the kids!

Sarah face painting.

Craft stations for the children.

Our hike to Biertan.

Fake baby head on a stick!

One of the many beautiful views in Biertan!

We made it to the top at Scaunul Domnului.

Look closely and you'll see snow capped mountains.

Breathtaking view!

The church down in the salt mine.

Just spending a Saturday afternoon in the salt mine.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Getting Settled In

Hey everybody we’re back! Sorry it took us so long to post, but the good news is we’re finally settled in with our families. We were all very anxious and nervous to meet our families and to begin living in a new culture.

Before we arrived, our advisor Dorothy spent a lot of time praying about what students to place with each host family. Each day with our families has been living proof that God revealed to her the best family for us.

Sarah and Darbi are living with the Moldovan family, which is 45 mins away (walking), from the Citadel. This is where most of their days are spent. They are delighted that their host family shares their humor and love for adventure. Tavi (Ta-vee), Dad, their professional photographer, loves to take them on fun adventures. Especially before their program is scheduled to go, so they have a head start. He says, "When they leave the family is going to have to adopt two girls." Adrianna (Ah-dree-ah-na), mom, works at the city hall. She is the sweetest lady who loves to mix her languages (Spanish, German, Romanian and English). She makes sure they have everything they could want or need including a ride to school in the mornings! Madalina (Mu-da-lina), sister, is 15 years old and a sophomore in high school. She has been their best tour guide, Romanian coach, and "mom". She's even more in tune with American culture than they are. Last, "little" Gabi (Gah-be), brother, is 12 years, full of humor, and always wants a hug…even from ducks! They still love him though. Darbi and Sarah are proud to announce that they introduced him to oreos and peanut butter and now have him hooked on it.

Ashley and Veronica are living with the Bocskay family 15 mins away (walking). Illona (Ee-lone-uh), mother, has been a wonderful cook. Ashley and Veronica will literally eat ANYTHING she cooks. There have even been some foods that they wouldn’t normal care for in the states but have been very good here. Illona is an English teacher, very motherly and has such a sweetness about her. Laci (Lot-see), Father, has a sociology degree and is a school psychologist. He teaches psychology & some optional classes. Bogi (Bow-gee), 15, plays piano, clarinet, and dances. Bogi has told Ashley and Veronica that she feels like she’s known them a lot longer than she really has. Iringo (Ee-ring-o), 12, spends a lot of time playing games & hanging out with the girls. Veronica and Ashley love when she shouts things in Hungarian, because even when she's not upset she sounds like it. Jackal is their German Shepard, whom they have yet to become allies with, and Juszufka (You-shoof-ka) is their guinea pig.

***

Since our arrival, we have begun our language, history and hiking classes for the semester. Majority of it has involved our orientation, being introduced to the staff members we will be working with for practicum as well as the different population groups. Sarah will be working with Kindergarten and Eldery Club/home visits, Darbi with Special Needs, Kids Club (afterschool program) and Elderly Club/ home visits, Veronica with Kids Club and a teen group called “It Takes Courage” and, Ashley will be working with Adolescents and Kids Club. The first day of our placements began yesterday and was a little overwhelming and scary at times. Needless to say, we made it through and today was a successful day!

We absolutely love it here and could go on forever about our adventures, but if we did that we wouldn’t have anything to share with you when we come home! ;) Here is a little sneak peak of a few of our favorite memories so far…

· Attending the Film, Hop (Beer) and Music Festival. This is where Sarah and Darbi were first encouraged by their host sister, Madalina, to “Do it for Romania” by eating Hamsi (small fish….we HATE fish)! This is also where Ashley and Veronica watched their host sister dance and play clarinet.

· We went on our first hike to Breite which nearly killed all of us. At that moment we were all regretting signing up for the hiking class. Since then we’ve had two more hikes to Vila Franka and St. Demitrie Monastery which weren’t nearly as hard.
· We spent our first Sunday at the local Nazarene Church. Everything was in Romanian and we all loved it. We heard familiar songs and hymns that we grew up singing. It was a reminder to us that God remains a constant everywhere.
· Veronica is learning how to walk all over again. She’s still trying to adjust to shoes that aren’t heels, and has had quite a few close calls (tripping daily).
· We have all grown to love Monday nights at Dorothy’s. This is our time to just be Americans and fellowship and pray with other missionaries and RSP students.

On Sarah and Darbi's walk home from school it started pouring and the walking space was limited. They tried to avoid the waves from the cars driving through puddles but it was inevitable. Needless to say, they were soaked!

Ashley and Veronica went to a birthday party for Illona's mother. That side of the family speaks ONLY Hungarian, so that was quite an experience!

Thanks for being a part of our adventures. We miss and love you all.

**Shout out to Sonrise Community Church in Bryan, OH. Your donation to Veritas was a blessing to everyone. They will be sure to put all items to good use for their programs. :)

Hamsi

St. Demetrie Monastery

Sarah, Darbi and host siblings!

Hike to Breite..We made it to the top!

Veronica, Ashley and their host sisters

After trying to avoid the waves.

"Give me a hug!"

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Our Adventure Begins....

Buna ziua!

We finally made it to Bucharest, Romania and are currently on a train to Sighisoara, Romania where we will live for the next 3 months. Yesterday we began our adventures arriving to the Columbus airport, checked our luggage in and spent the last hour before we boarded our flight with our families. Before we left we all joined hands as our parents prayed over us and our journey for the semester. Needless to say the power of prayer saw us safely to Romania. It should be no surprise to those who know us that we had some hilarious/ interesting experiences during our travels.

· Thanks to our paparazzi parents we felt famous!

· To start off all 4 of us left our laptops in our bags and held up security. But to our relief we didn’t feel so bad after finding out that the woman in front of us had a bag full of fried chicken in her carry on (also holding up security).

· The first plane was so small that even Veronica had to duck to get into her seat.

· Veronica tried to ask the flight attendant a question but apparently, her inside voice was his outside voice and she terrified him.

· We saw the only WWII German aircraft that still flies, take off while waiting for our first flight to depart because we were delayed an hour.

· We saw the statue of liberty before landing.

· When we arrived to New York all of the fire alarms were going off.

· We killed time playing Euchre on the floor in JFK airport.

· Darbi and Sarah spent way too much time on the flight to London trying to play their movies at the same time…THEY DID IT! J

· Veronica and Ashley sat with a sweet younger Bulgarian lady named Alex who gave tips about traveling abroad.

· We saw the sun set and rise during the same flight.

· They fed us A LOT on this flight—snacks and two full meals.

· LONDON IS EXPENSIVE! First of all the airport looked like a mall. Second, they are very EXPENSIVE. Sarah and Ashley bought a drink and candy each which ended up being $15 a person in American dollars. Ashley is still bitter about not getting the right change back but wants you all to know she drank every drop!

· The last flight from London to Bucharest was the worst for all of us. It had the most turbulence and Sarah, Ashley and Darbi had had no sleep yet.

· Throughout our travels we all had a smooth trip. We had no problems finding our way around. If we needed help we found it right away and everyone was more than willing to show us. Nobody’s luggage was lost, and we found Dorothy right away!

Once we arrived Dorothy took us to the Hostel where we would be staying after eating dinner at IKEA! Yes, you read this right. There is in fact an IKEA in Bucharest. Darbi says, “Aunt Deb! I’m so sorry our first IKEA trip couldn’t have been together. On the bright side, I got to go before school started! ;)” Our first experience in a hostel went well with one exception….Darbi almost lost her pointer finger. She woke Sarah up at 8:00AM (which still feels like 1AM for us) freaking out because her pointer finger was huge and purple. She fell asleep with her ring on and she couldn’t get it off. They tried soap, lotion, ibuprofen, a frozen rag, and raising her hand above her head for an hour…NOTHING was working. Finally, before she was about to leave to a clinic she was able to yank that thing off. Her finger is now back to normal for the most part! Afterwards, Dorothy took us to the only mall in Romania to get a Starbucks, which is a luxury here, before we headed to the train station. We got lunch at a Romanian fast food place called Spring Time and all had Soarma (similar to a chicken wrap but better)! Once we finished lunch, Dorothy took us to our seats on the train that we’re currently on and left to go get the other students from the airport. We’ve only been on board for an hour and it’s been interesting to say the least. We’ve experienced the most culture shock here. It’s been hard being on our own and not being able to speak Romanian let alone understand it. Ashley wanted to use the very few words she knows but then they think she knows Romanian then that causes more problems. Before the train left, people were constantly walking up and down the train isle trying to sell all kinds of things. Including a guy who came scooting by on the floor, who we assumed couldn’t walk, begging for food and money. We couldn’t understand him until he realized we spoke English and then he said, “Food for the starving children.” We told him we didn’t have any money and he continued to beg. We all were very surprised and felt bad but we are quickly learning that in this country you have to be firm. He finally scooted away but then 20 minutes later he came quickly walking by our seats. It turns out that he can walk!

As we continue our journey we will keep you updated through our blog. Photos are soon to come! Continue to pray for us. We appreciate all of your love and support!

Love,

Ashley, Darbi, Sarah and Veronica