Living, Learning and Serving in Sighisoara, Romania: October 2013

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

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!