A Christmas Recap!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are preparing to have a Happy New Year! My Christmas this year was great and completely different. I experienced new traditions and had fellowship with new friends. The children of Casa de Copii went to relatives homes and the mommy's homes for Christmas... with the exception of the 3 older boys. On Christmas morning me, Jennifer, Elijah and Shawn got up and went to church. Jennifer is awesome at Romanian since she is in the Peace Corps and has been here for almost 2 years so she was able to translate the sermon for us. Afterward we at Sarmale (cabbage rolls, a very traditional Romanian Christmas meal) with some of the older boys at the orphanage. Later that afternoon the four of us went to the hospital here in Lupeni and sang carols (in Romanian) to some of the children and nurses there.




During the days leading up to Christmas and the days after I experienced new traditions... even ones dating back 2,000 years! We had multiple carolers on Christmas eve and we were expected to give them fruits, sweets or money. One group of adult carolers came to my apartment and all of us stood in the stairwell and listened to them sing. We gave them sugar cookies I had made earlier and they gave us homemade pretzels and oranges. It really made it feel more like Christmas. I also got to meet my neighbors which was nice!

Another tradition I encountered was an old pagan one that gyspy men participate in. They run around town banging drums and chanting while wearing traditional Romanian garb and bear skins. Yes, it's true. It was so neat to see this take place and hear them coming! The purpose of this is to ward of "evil spirits" for the new year... and also to make money because they look for tips.




On Saturday Jennifer, Elijah, Shawn and myself decided to go up to Straja. Straja is the big mountain here in Lupeni where there is skiing and hiking. It was the most perfect day for this venture! It was clear and there were blue skies. We all enjoyed the beauty and majesty of the mountains. The day came to a close and the boys had to catch their train home. I was sad to see them go but appreciated their company while I had it! Jenn and I hung out on Sunday and ate more Sarmale and she caught a ride home with some friends of friends! The Lord is such an awesome provider!



I missed everyone back home but the I really loved experiencing Christmas in a different culture and having more quiet time to reflect on the birth of our Savior!

Tour of my apartment "decorated" Christmas! :)

Ok so this is my first Christmas away from home but I wanted to decorate my apartment to bring a little of the Christmas spirit I'm use to here in Romania! I really don't have money to spend on decorations and such so I got as creative as I could and spent less than $20 on everything! :)

This is my lovely Christmas tree with white lights, gold ornaments and a lovely red bow topper! :) Notice the snow outside the window... this will be my very first "white Christmas"!











This is my bedroom with my white lights and gold ornaments dangling. All the cards on the wall are from my friends, family, the kids at Killearn and the kids here at the orphanage! :)













This is my favorite Christmas smell! Oranges, cinnamon and nutmeg! Yummy.












Ok- so I obviously would much prefer an apothecary or a hurricane vase but this is what I had so it will do! I also reused the red ribbon from a gift I received.








Here is the rest of that ribbon! I was at the piata (an outdoor market) today and a little old lady was selling mistletoe! Of course I had to get some! This hangs over the entrance to the kitchen.


So this is my apartment for Christmas, it's not much but it is a little more homey! Merry Christmas!

December- where have you gone?

Ok well it's universal... the month of December FLIES by everywhere! I mean where has it gone? So far in the month of December I have seen the following: Santa, a group of school children bring gifts to the kids of Casa de Copii, snow and lots of it, ice which I'm not a fan of and lots of Christmas caroling in Romanian.

One thing I am most excited about this Christmas is having guests! Two of my friends, Elijah and Shawn, are missionaries in Ukraine and they are coming down to spend Christmas with me! Also another "friend", Jenn, who I've actually never met before but feel like I already know (she is a friend of a friend) may come down for Christmas or after it I'm not sure yet. She is in the Peace Corps here in Romania. It's very exciting! So the thing that I'm most concerned with is what to feed these people. See- call me lazy but if I have to walk to the store in the snow just to buy food that I then have to prepare and cook... well I'll just drink more water and eat a piece of fruit! I know that two men do not have the same idea (nor do I expect them to) so I'm going to have to actually cook. Really I don't mind when it's for more than just me... I'm just concerned with my culinary skills! I'll let ya'll know how that works out!

Slight change in subject: So Pinti is the 20 year old orphan who helps take care of the little ones. He is studying to become a carpenter and he speaks really great English! We converse often. He is also an artist... and a good one at that. Pinti has not stepped foot in a church since his dad left him. That was 10 years ago! We've talked about church and God on a surface level before and I've encouraged him to come but he is always kindly opposed to coming for no particular reason (at least not one that he has disclosed to me). I've also been weary about pushing the subject too much and getting too personal because he is 20 and a guy and I feel like it's more of a guy's place to befriend him on such a level... which brings me back to the previous paragraph! (See why it's a slight change in subject). So I am hoping Elijah and Shawn can befriend him as well! See it just so happens that Pinti is staying at the orphanage (the other kids are going to be with relatives or families in the church) for Christmas AND Elijah and Shawn staying there are too! Please pray for Pinti's heart so be soft and ready for seeds of truth to be planted.

I'm excited about Christmas, but I also know that it could be difficult seeing as it's my first Christmas away from home. Please pray for me and my family during the next couple of days! It is so neat to see how God has orchestrated these people to enter my life and become my friends. I'm not going to be alone on Christmas... I will have English speaking people to laugh with... and fellow Christians to share the joy of Jesus' birth with!

Much love-

A Few Pictures!

Ok- so sorry I didn't think to do this earlier but for all of you who don't have facebook or who aren't my friend on facebook (and you should be by the way!) here are my facebook photo albums so you can see ALL of my pictures from my time here in Romania.

This 1st album is full of pictures from September and October in Romania:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2108377&id=75303007&l=385cb06dd4

This 2nd album contains my pictures from Poland:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2113181&id=75303007&l=71bc2ee00c

This 3rd album is full of more pictures of Romania from mid October through the end of November and a few pictures in December:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2109896&id=75303007&l=618ac7a050

AND lastly the 4th album is the most recent and is full of pictures from December:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2115003&id=75303007&l=2da125be41

So that is a lot of pictures... but I hope you enjoy them! Sorry I didn't think of it sooner! :)

-Much Love

Thank You!

I'd first like to thank all of you 1.) for reading my blog 2.) praying for all of these things I've been writing about and 3.) for the support you've given to me whether it was a sweet message, money or a care package for the children here. THANK YOU... it's not really more than those two words, I truely am appreciative for you and how you've contributed to my life.

Yesterday I went to Deva to pick up a package! It's a long drive but it's always exciting to get mail! I was expecting this package because I had gotten an email about it.

In Lake City, Florida there is a church called Parkview Baptist (it's actually where my parents got married!) and in this church is a sunday school class with a bunch of girls who are apparently praying for me and the kids here. It's an awesome feeling to know my sisters in Christ who I've never met care enough to not only pray for me but to send a wonderful package half way across the world! The package was filled with paper, pens, markers, tissue paper, glue sticks... pretty much everything you could ever want for making crafts with kids! They also included a sweet scrapbook filled with encouraging notes from them with thier pictures which I will share with the children tomorrow!

The Lord is gracious and I feel completely blessed to be here. Thank you for your continued support and love.

Much love-

Today I Fell In Love!

This morning I woke up and went to Petrosani. I expected to get to Colonie (a poorer neighborhood) walk to the Center and then listen in on the English club and get a feel for how things are done. Instead I arrived and was informed the teacher was sick and that I was suppose to run things... ok? Well at least I was told in English!

I had no lessons prepared... I had no knowledge of what these kids had been taught. I stood up in front of them and greeted them and the next hour flew by! I loved it... I fell in love with it. We played "I spy" with colors in English, we learned the alphabet, we counted to 10, we spelled our names, played games and learned animal names and then time was up! The kids were precious. The youngest was around 5 years old and I'm guessing the oldest was around 11? As they left they said goodbye to me in English which was sweet. One boy said, "Goodbye teacher" which made me smile. I can't wait till next Saturday... this time I will come prepared!!

This is Colonie- it's a poorer neighborhood in Petrosani. The center where the club is held is in this neighborhood. The center is not technically a Christian center but they do offer Bible classes and it is led by some Christians. I am so excited to be able to help them!

I left Petrosani and headed back to Lupeni. My friend Dea had planned for her choir from Timisoara to come down and spend the weekend here in Lupeni and to sing a concert for the Baptist church here. I was excited to get to meet her friends and be able to talk with them considering they are University students and most of them know English. I arrived in Lupeni ate lunch, met her friends and headed up the mountain.

We took the ski lift and I had no idea how far up the mountain we were actually going!!! Let's just say it was a LONG way. Well we explored the top of the mountain... found a neat church that had a tunnel leading up to it. In the tunnel the choir stopped and sang a few songs which was nice. The funny thing is- is as soon as we walked in the tunnel I thought "oh wow, these are great acoustics I'd love to sing in here". We couldn't see much which was a bummer because the fog was so intense.

So this is when the story gets interesting. The ski lift stops at 3:30. I thought, "oh no problem"... problem. Everyone else decided to walk down the mountain. Who said walking downhill is easier than walking uphill? So walking uphill maybe harder on the lungs... but walking downhill requires every (and I mean EVERY) muscle from the waist down to be used. Not only that but the rocks were shifty and the mud was slippery. Let's just say it took me an 1hour and 45 minutes to get down that darn mountain. It was actually an enjoyable hike... I just wish I had been dressed for one. At least I've exercised enough for the entire month of December!

Oh one more thing... here are a few pictures of the kids from this week! I know some of you may not have a facebook so I want to make sure you can see some pictures too!

I painted Tina's nails!

Alaina's new hair cut! It's super cute on her!Delia's nails! She picked Orange.... :)Mario knows he is cute! I mean you can't disagree though! David made a guitar out of Legos! He gave me and a baby doll a concert!

Giving Thanks Despite the Turkey

As most of the east coast woke up to start their turkey or begin their food preparations I was riding through the mountains of Romania. I had gone to Deva to pick up a package from my dear sweet friends and was feeling very loved and thankful for the wonderful people the Lord has placed in my life. Tata Vasille was driving and I was enjoying the gorgeous mountains and the sun peeking out over them. We had to stop... apparently this stop was to try and locate Petre's(one of the children at the Casa De Copii) mom or existing family. We stopped some place in Hunedoara and talked to a lady and her children who were playing in the street. They gave us directions to go to the gypsy village outside of Hunedoara.

We ventured on and came up to the Gypsy village I remember seeing on Sept. 29th my very first day here in Romania. The large houses brightly painted with the elaborate roofs made of metal. To my surprise we parked the car and they asked me (in romanian of course) if I'd like to go with them. I figured why not? So I grabed my coat and scarf and we headed across the street.

Here is a picture of the gypsy house we parked at which I took back in September. Notice it's elaborate design... yet the building to the left is not so nice. It's a little store. So we walked across the street and asked a man where we could find the woman we were looking for and he pointed up... up the mountain that is. We began hiking up the mountain and the path was muddy and full of trash. Quickly the huge gypsy houses turned into tiny dilapidated houses. We stoped yet again to ask for more directions and this time a specific house was pointed out. It was at the very top of course. As we got closer Tata Vasille grabed a stick to ward off the stray dogs wandering around. We got to the house and opened the gate to find 2 small children and a woman chopping wood.

Dilapidated doesn't begin to describe this house's condition. Windows no longer had their panes instead they were covered by strips of cloth. The floors were made of dirt and there were 3 "rooms" 2 full of trash and clothes and the third with 2 beds and more trash and clothes. It smelled awful yet the children didn't seem to mind. Remember- I had my coat on and my scarf... because it was cold. These children were wearing sandals... which I guess was better than nothing. There was no doubt this was Petre's mom! He favored her immensely.

See Petre has been at the Casa De Copii for 10 years. His mother has not tried even once to make contact with him since he arrived here in Lupeni. The orphanage even wrote to her and still no reply. He wants to reconnect with her and spend time with her over the holidays. Petre has been misbehaving here and I think that it would be good for him to see where he could be verses where he is. My heart just breaks for the 2 little ones still living in those conditions. The more I am here the more I want to be here. As we left Mama Cheta emptied her pockets and gave the woman all the money she had. I assure you Mama Cheta doesn't have much money either. As we walked back down the mountain an overwhelming realization of the many things I have to be thankful for hit me. Even in the poorest city in Florida... their homes are nicer than that one was.

Please pray for Petre as he is faced with decisions about his future. Also that he would understand there are people who love him here in Lupeni and more importantly he has a heavenly Father who loves him more than he could ever imagine.

One more thing- try and realize how blessed you are even in the toughest of circumstances.

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Jesus Christ" 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Visiting Auschwitz- Sobering and Surreal

One of the things I knew I wanted to do while in Poland is visit Auschwitz. It is only an hour and a half outside of Krakow so it seemed like a good opportunity. My whole life I've been interested in history and the stories behind the people who make it. Going to Auschwitz was sobering and surreal.

I've studied the holocaust over the years in school. I've been to the musuem in Washington, DC, I've heard a holocaust survivor speak and I've read multiple books and diaries... but until you see in person the horrific place and retrace the steps of the people who lived and died there it just doesn't sink in.

Marta and I arrived in the city Oswiecim and started walking toward Auschwitz... how anyone could live in this town is beyond me. It was overcast, dreary and cold- the perfect day for the event we were partaking in. We got to Auschwitz and watched a short film that was a breif recap of WWI and the events leading up to WWII and the camp itself. Some of the images were terrifying.

We began at the entrance where the sign read "Arbeit Macht Frei" which means "Work brings freedom"... right.
We continued on and walked through the buildings where people lived and mostly died. We saw the "hospital" where Josef Mengele did his experiments on children, he was more commonly called "the Angel of Death". The pictures were something I will never forget.








We went into one building where they had the confiscated items from all of the people that were brought to Auschwitz. Piles of glasses, suit cases with names and addresses on them, piles of shoes all the way up to the ceiling... shock set in. Then I came to one display. Piles and piles of little shoes, shoes from all of the children. I wept. It was completely overwhelming. It is beyond me how someone could justify the wrong that they were doing... especially on such a grand scale! Some of the children there were little gypsy children from Romania. In the pictures they looked the same as they do now. It definitely stuck a nerve.







I was thankful to leave all the confiscated articles... it just made it too real. I wanted to escape reality for a moment. We headed outside and went to the Death Wall. Not too much relief. I stood where the S.S lined innocent people against a wall and shot them. Very sobering to say the least.








We moved on and went to the gas chamber and crematory, it was the only one the Nazis didn't destroy before leaving the camp. It was a small place and somehow they manage to kill over 800 people at once. It was tiny and sad... we walked through in silence and it was strange to think only 60 something years ago thousands of people were killed in that little building. There were so many ashes left over they used them to build the streets we were walking on....

Because the Nazis were bringing so many people to these death camps they had to expand the camp to make room for all of the people. We went to Auschwitz II and Birkenau where there were the biggest gas chambers and crematories. This is where the train would arrive and people would get off and be selected for work or for death. I walked down the railroad tracks down to the remains of the gas chamber and crematory. I saw where the people "lived".
Here are a few pictures from Auschwitz II and Birkenau:

Hello from Poland!

Well I safely made it to Poland... despite forgetting my cell phone in Lupeni. Yeah, I know that was dumb. Anyway I took a car from Lupeni to Petrosani and then a bus from Petrosani to Timisoara. Then I took a plane from Timisoara to Vienna, Austria where I caught a plane to Krakow, Poland! Whew.

Marta picked me up from the airport and I was so excited and glad to see her. We hopped on a bus and headed towards her flat. I met some of her roomates (she has 5!!!) and they were very nice. Then we did some sight seeing, shopping (thank you dad) and eating! We have a lot planed for the week so I am going to see as much of Poland as I can. I will post some pictures later.

Much love-

Sweet Delia

I want to thank you all for praying for Delia and her attitude. It really has made an amazing difference. After being gone from the kids nearly a week I missed them entirely too much! Apparently they missed me too. When I walked up stairs the other day all of them yelled "Ella!!!" and ran and covered me in hugs and kisses. It was wonderful!

Little Delia was the last one to waddle up and yell to me! She latched on and didn't let go. She let me kiss her, normally she wipes kisses away and sticks her tongue out. She gave me kisses and wrapped her sweet arms around my neck and refused to let me put her down. It was just fine... I had no intention of putting her down.

At lunch she has been feeding herself (a huge improvement) and she insists on me sitting next to her. Delia has not been so deliberately disobedient! To reward her sweet behavior I painted her nails. (She always touches mine when I have mine painted!) She was so precious walking around showing everyone how Ella painted her nails. They were pink and sparkly of course!

Today I tucked her into bed and walked back into the kitchen. About 2 minutes passed and I heard a little voice yelling, "Elllllllla" and walked in her room and asked her "Da?" she just smiled at me. I layed down next to her and pretended to sleep... after 5 minutes or so passed I kissed her on the forehead and said, "noapte buna". (good night). I treasure all my moments here but I'm especially thankful for that one.

She is being so sweet and she has adjusted well to the home, the mothers and the other children. Thank you for your prayers... clearly the Lord has been answering them.

This is for you mom!

Ok, after many strategic and loving complaints about how my mom was having difficulty reading my blog I changed it. I really loved the purple but she said it was difficult to read... therefore it is now a simple black and white (with a fun background because lets be honest... I'm not a simple black and white kind of girl). I hope this helps! :)

Also I have been told by some of you wanted to comment on my blogs but couldn't. Sorry- for some reason I had the settings so you could not comment... but now you can! So comment away! I'd love to hear from you.

Much Love!

Sunshine and Dirt

This morning I woke up feeling great and super excited to see the sun pouring in my window! It has been a while since I have seen the sun. Quickly I noticed all the dust and particles in the air and I was annoyed. I thought, "It wasn't this dusty yesterday!? What happened... how did it get so dirty in here?" and then I realized that the light pointed out all the filth that filled my room.

Isn't that the truth? We get annoyed so easily with the Light in our lives. The Lord points out the things in out hearts that are filthy and dirty. It's easier to live life not acknowledging their existence but what kind of life is that? The gospel is offensive... it points out the things in our hearts that we aren't proud of. "Jesus is the light of the world" is such a commonly used phrase and many people associate light with joy and neglect the responsibility it puts on us. We have to clean. We have to strive daily to purify our hearts not to gain salvation but to show our love for our savior! To show love to others.

In Matthew 5:14-15 we are told "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house." That's a tough job. Not only am I called to be bold and share this knowledge with everyone... I'm suppose to be the light... but the light reveals the filth.

Until we see our filthy and dirty hearts in the Light of Jesus Christ we won't see a need for a savior.

My friend James Barnett wrote, "I’m not so sure our symphony is a popular one. It won’t end up on the billboard top ten and it won’t be played on a stage in Central Park. It will be a lullaby sung within the hearts of the poor. It will be cried out by those who hunger and thirst for what is right. No, it may not be a popular song, but it will be a good one."

I'm going to Poland!

Well thank you for your prayers... apparently they worked! I'm feeling so much better today and I'm excited to hopefully have a normal day tomorrow.

Poland:

So in case you are unaware this summer my family opened up our home to three girls. One from France, one from Slovkia and one from Poland! Marta, from Poland, and I became good friends and I helped her deliver her books for about a week and a half. (They were in the states with a program selling books door to door). She said she would pay me but I declined. The night that they left she gave me a card... I opened it to find a note that read something along the lines of, "Congratulations you just won a trip to Poland!!!". She had left a $100 bill in the envelop and a sweet message. "Ok"- I thought "now I have to go to Poland"! (darn) haha.

Fast forward- The other day I was looking at airfare between Poland and Romania and I found a great deal. I bought the ticket and I am flying to Poland on the 16th of this month... in less than a week! I am very excited and grateful for the opportunity to see a different culture, meet her family and speak English for a whole week! Originally I thought this trip would be perfect for me to get my visa, seeing as I had to leave the country to acquire one. However I was told (after purchasing the ticket) that I will have to leave around Dec. 27th because that marks 90 days... maybe I will go to Hungry?!

Anyway, I leave Sunday on a bus to Timisoara where I will stay with my sweet friend Dea for the night... then I will get up SUPER early to catch my flight out of Timisoara. I will fly into Austria for a short layover and then board the plane for Krakow, Poland where Marta will meet me. Please pray that I will travel safely! I feel so independent... this is not like me you know. At least it was not like me! :)


This is me and Marta on her last day in Tallahassee!

42 Ceiling Tiles

Well I've been sick now for 5 days... which feels like a lifetime. I'm hoping tomorrow morning I will wake up feeling all better. If not and I wake up with a fever I have to go to the hospital. Apparently here they go to the hospital like it is a family doctor... so I guess it sounds worse than it is. Either way I really don't want to go.

I've pretty much been in my room since Thursday afternoon with the exception of walking to the pharmacy (in the rain), walking to the grocery store to buy my ingredients for mac and cheese and walking to church last night. Sooooo a grand total of about 3 hours outside of my room since Thursday afternoon.

Did you know I have 42 ceiling tiles in my room? I am thankful I have the internet now! I'm pretty sure I would have gone crazy by myself for nearly 5 days without it. I really miss the kids! I especially miss their hugs and kisses... and there is no way I'm letting them get near me before I know I'm not contagious. Well, that's it I guess. It's been a super uneventful weekend. Please pray I get better soon! Much love!

Hey Ya'll!

Well I've been sick the past few days and it's been raining pretty much non-stop. So today I decided at 6pm to finally leave the house. I headed over to the grocery store to purchase a few necessary items. I needed some comfort food! Proud of myself for finding everything I needed dispite it all being in romanian I headed home.

I made it home practically exhausted from my outing and started on Paula Deen's- Lady's Cheesy Mac! True southern comfort food and something you definitely don't find here in Romania. Here is the link to the recipe if you like:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/the-ladys-cheesy-mac-recipe/index.html

Again I had to use a coffee cup to measure out my ingredients. I also had to shred the cheese (they don't have shredded cheese here or cheddar cheese). Of course I had to keep an eye on the oven because I don't have any clue of the temperature.

It turned out delicious and it's a good thing because it looks like I will be eating for the next week!

Close but no cigar...

I thought I would share this with you all because I found it is too funny to keep to myself:

The other morning I was offered some tea. She said to me in broken English "would you like some fornication tea?". Slightly taken aback I was confused but accepted. I later looked at the box and it read, "Organism Tea". I didn't want to correct her and run the risk of embarrassing them so I just laughed to myself and drank my "fornication tea". Oh man!

Doubt Creeps In...

Last night I attended church in Petrosani. Being that it was a Wednesday they didn't have their typical service; instead they had more of a Bible study type setting. I couldn't understand the lesson but I did read along with the scripture passages.

Honestly yesterday was kind of a tough day. It could be because I didn't feel well and I'm getting sick... but my patience with myself and my lack of understanding the language got to me more than usual. I started to feel like I was just in a different country and I wasn't being very useful. That I was wasting time. It's easy to let negative thoughts and doubt creep in. I was in prayer a good part of the day (it's easy to pray when you can't understand your surroundings!) just seeking God's direction for the next few months. OK.

So last night at "Bible study" Tabita Gall wanted to introduce me to the church. I got up and told them a little about me and what I am doing here. (Tabita of course translated!). After the study many people came up to me and introduced themselves to me... which was so nice to feel like part of the church. One woman in particular introduced herself and told me she ran an afterschool type program...hmmmmm right up my alley right?! Yes, exactly. She told me she would really love if I could help with their English club!

The best part is- I've been praying for an opportunity to teach English! The Lord is so reassuring. He always knows when I need that encouragement or a specific detail to unfold.

The center is in a very poor neighborhood in Petrosani. The English club meets on Saturday mornings which is awesome because I can spend the week with my kids here in Lupeni and then go to Petrosani on the weekends. God is so awesome and I don't know why I even begin to question Him!

I'm right where I'm suppose to be.

Cemetery Strolls

Well Halloween came and passed... I didn't see a single vampire here in Transylvania.

Let's see this weekend I went to Petrosani (it's becoming a habit... a good one though) and I got there on Saturday afternoon. We didn't do anything too exciting but it was nice to be in good company.

Sunday morning I woke up and made everyone pancakes or pan-uh-cakes (that's what I called them). We didn't have syrup, another luxury of America I guess, so we used honey and homemade jam. Everyone seemed to enjoy them! Then we all went to church.

Church was really neat because we were celebrating an engagement! The bride is from Romania and the groom is from India. They had a special speaker as well and he was from Holland! The common language used between all these different nationalities is English- praise God! So I was able to understand the entire sermon... which was such a nice change. I enjoyed the emphasis the church put on their engagement and how it was more about the body of Christ and Christ love rather than the couple and the couple's love.

After church Nelson and I decided to walk home. Being that it was November 1st (the day of the dead) Nelson wanted me to see the cemeteries full of people visiting their deceased loved ones. The first cemetery we went to was huge; it went all the way up the side of this mountain! There were a ton of people... mostly gypsies.
Nelson told me it was a pagan holiday where they celebrate the dead and eat and drink for them... I guess in their honor. The demographic there was so different. Most of the people were very poor and unkempt and some were trying to sell us candles to light for the dead. There was one guy who told us he had 4 kids... he was 17 years old.

Ok, enough. We sat down on a bench and enjoyed the GORGEOUS view. I mean rolling hills, mountains with snow, horses, little houses with chimneys and smoke coming out. It was/is beautiful. We continued to another cemetery where Nelson's grandma is buried. It was not nearly as crowded, but it was nice to go there and it made me miss my Papa.

We headed back home to get some hot soup to warm us up... but first we stopped and got hair dye. Nelson tried to get me to dye my hair purple but I told him my mother would kill me! haha... I went with red instead.

That night we stopped by the cemetery to see all the candles glowing. It was really neat and kind of creepy but definitely freezing... we didn't stay long.

Today (Monday) I went to the Orange store, kind of like an alltel or sprint, and got wireless internet! YAY. It only took 4 hours!! Apparently my windows vista is too advanced for their program, whatever it works now! I went to the orphanage and played twister with Sebe and David and also got my computer out for the kids! What a treat?! We played with the camera- taking silly pictures and making videos. Delia even made her own laptop! She climbed into my lap and put her laptop right in front of mine. She is doing so well and behaving much better. Thank you for the prayers!

Many blessings and much love-
I hope these pictures make you laugh as much as me! :)

Mistakes are fun and exciting?

Monday morning I woke up in Petrosani and had a lovely breakfast with Christi and Nelson. I decided I would go to the shoe store before I caught the bus back to Lupeni. I went to the shoe store and found out I have huge feet and everyone here as tiny little feet... maybe I should stay here! I would probably save a ton of money! ;)

As I was leaving the store I realized the bus was approaching the stop! I hurried my pace in order to catch the bus. I quickly got on thinking to myself, "what perfect timing!". I took my seat and was proud of myself for being so independent! As we rounded the corner we veared to the left... which was not the way home. It occured to me I never read the sign... you know the sign that tells you which bus you are getting on! Ahhh... frustrated with myself I thought of all the options I had. Then I realized the last 2 people other than me were getting off. I quickly went to the driver and tried my best to explain that I needed to go to Lupeni. He of course spoke no english but he was kind. He took me off his route and stopped and pointed me in the right direction. I thanked him profusely! I started on my walk to where he had pointed. I stood there under the bus sign thinking, "I feel like I should be on the other side of the street... but this is where he pointed..." right then someone tapped me on the shoulder. It was the driver- he had parked his bus and walked to me! He informed me I was on the wrong side of the road! He lead me to the other side of the street and walked me to a woman. He also informed her that I was American and that I can't speak romanian then he asked her where she was going... and to please make sure I got to Lupeni.

We boarded the correct bus, which was so packed I had to stand, then she informed everyone that I needed to go to Lupeni... and that I only speak english. Everyone was looking at me... but not in a annoyed bad way... more of a curious kind way! When some people got off at their stop a lady offered me the seat next to her. She was sweet and she didn't speak any english but she did manage to say "America" and "California"! I smiled at her and she smiled back.

I got off at my stop and walked home with a big grin spread across my face.

It was such a wonderful experience... and I was overwhelmed with thankfulness for the kindness and helpfulness the people showed me. It could have easily become a frustrating case of the "Mondays" but instead it was exciting and reassuring of God's love and provision in my life.

Cornbread

Well- before I left the United States I asked Nelson if there was anything he'd like from the good ole' US of A. He responded with a no... which was later followed with a "do you know how to make cornbread??". I said.... "ummm yes" (thinking this is a strange question). It turns out Nelson visited the United States and one of the things he enjoyed about his visit was cornbread.

So this weekend Nelson and I went to the grocery store and got all of the cooking supplies I needed in order to make him cornbread. I was definitely nervous about cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen, with ingredients in a different language and converting cups and teaspoons. Turns out I didn't need to convert anything because they didn't use measurements! Great... So I used a coffee cup for all of my measurements and just used it as a relative measurement. I was thinking to myself "Oh no Elizabeth, there is no way this cornbread is going to turn out... and Nelson will be so disappointed!"

So after combining all the ingredients I went to put it the oven... which didn't have a specific temperature because it's gas. Good to know. Well I watched the cornbread and when I thought it was done I took it out.

Praise the Lord it turned out! Haha I was so relieved! Everyone said it was delicious and I believe them because they ate it all! Nelson was happy... and ate a ton of cornbread. Mission accomplished... at least that mission.

Information

Many people have asked for my address so if you would like it here it is:

Elizabeth Dew
Str. Spiru-Haret, Bl. 5/5
Loc. Lupeni, jud. Hunedoara
335600, Romania

Also if you would like to donate to help me stay here till March you can send your donation to Global Outreach Mission (just make sure to write Elizabeth Dew- Romania on the memo box) and their address is:

Global Outreach Mission
PO Box 2010
Buffalo, NY 14231-2010 (all donations are tax deductible)

Thank you everyone for your support and your prayers! Much love!

Update finally (Glad to have internet)

Well I hate that I haven't updated this sooner because now I have too much to catch you up on! I haven't had internet since Thursday here in Lupeni (which about drove me crazy). Let's see:

Friday- I went to Petrosani. I was suppose to be picked up by a friend of the Gall's (the family I stay with when I am in Petrosani) but that fell through. So I texted a girl who I knew was suppose to be going to Petrosani that day. Apparently she was sick but her brother said he didn't mind accompanying me. I was thankful not to have to go alone... but maybe in retrospect I should have ( one of the first things he said was "I am single. Like you, yes?"). Well it is about a 40 minutes bus ride... this was THE longest bus drive of my life. The bus (when I say bus I mean coach/van) only had 20 seats but there were at least 30 people stuffed onto it. When I got to Petrosani I attended a youth conference with Noemi (the Gall's 19 yr. old daughter)... it was more of the church setting I am use to in the states... with the exception of the whole language barrier! After the conference ended for the night Noemi, her 3 friends and myself went and got hot chocolate which was so nice and warm!

Saturday- I woke up and attended the second part of the conference...but I left early because it is a long time to just sit in one place and not understand what's going on around you! Then I went to see the progress the Gall's had made on the mission they're building. The view from the 3rd floor is incredible! Afterward we headed home and Nelson (the 22 yr. old son) finally gave me the accordion concert I had been asking for!!! It was fabulous. I couldn't help but smile. Then he let me try... it's much harder and heavier than it looks!

Sunday- I went to church, it rained and it was cold. We went home afterwards and had a big Sunday lunch... no fried chicken and potato salad sadly! I took a nap and then headed back to church. I didn't realize it but this weekend they decided to celebrate Thanksgiving in Petrosani! So I had Thanksgiving twice... without the turkey this time. Instead they served the traditional Sarmale which is a meat and rice mixture rolled into a cooked cabbage leaf. It was interesting... not bad but I couldn't eat very much of it. It was rainy and dark when we left the church so I decided to return to Lupeni in the morning.

Monday- I took my very first bus ride alone. It was nice and I finally felt a little independent. I made it home in time to take my stuff back to the apartment and walk to school to pick up the kids. It was nice to see them. I really missed all the kids a lot! I came home and did laundry... which is an all day process. I am still waiting for some of my clothes to dry!

Well, hopefully my internet will hold out so I will be able to update you sooner! Much Love!

Forte Frig!!!! (very cold)

It all started Oct. 13th... I woke up in serious need of a shower only to find out we had no water! Don't worry there was PLENTY outside. It was pouring and Anda (my roommate) and I had to go pick up the kids from school. We shared an umbrella until Anda stopped by her old workplace and borrowed one... so now we had two umbrellas and we had to pick up one 6 year old and two 3 year olds. (I'm thinking the entire time how the heck are we going to pull this one off!?) Thankfully the Nemes met us there with a car...oh wonderful cars!

Well we made it back safely and fairly dry. We ate lunch and the kids napped. Around 4pm Pinti (one of the older boys) pointed out zapada (snow) on the mountains! All the kids...and me...got really excited! Soon after this discovery it started snowing where we were. Of course I went outside to experience this crazy thing called "zapada" and I about froze! (well I am from Florida)

Today I felt like I was in a snow globe all day and it was like someone was constantly shaking it! It was snowing SO hard that I couldn't even see the mountains! Sorry, I didn't take any pictures- today I stupidly thought I left my camera in my "camera" (room... isn't that confusing!!) but... apparently I did not. No worries, I have 5 1/2 more months of snow! haha.

Also, Sebe and Delia's mom came to visit. It was sweet and sad. She looked like she has had a rough life and I have no clue to even begin to guess her age. They were sweet showing her everything at the orphanage (including me!). She was only there for 15 minutes or so... I'm still not sure of that situation and why they are here, hopefully I will find out soon.

Well, that's all for now! More pictures of snow to come! Much love-

Zapada on the mountains!

Sebe learned how to say "I love you" in english just for me.

Rares checking out the new snow on the mountains! :)

Pinti in front of the mountains with fresh snow!

Me freezing outside.

Happy Thanksgiving...yes in October!

Today was Thanksgiving here. I woke up this morning and went to church where fruits and vegetables were displayed everywhere! There was a lot of special music by the adults, youth and the children. Everyone seemed especially thankful for the things that they have (which is a lot less than what we, Americans, have).

On Friday I mentioned that in America on Thanksgiving we eat turkey. When I arrived at the Nemes' house today for lunch they had prepared turkey. It was very thoughtful and sweet! We had soup, turkey, carrots, potatoes and pickles...OH and bread of course (they never serve a meal without bread here).

The kids sang a song about Thankfulness and it was adorable! At one point Mario and Delia (3 yrs.) were kissing... and I couldn't help but laugh!

It was a good Thanksgiving day here... it was strange without the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Also without my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, mom and dad, brother and sister. But I think that this Thanksgiving I am probably more thankful than I ever have been before. I am thankful for my family, my friends, this experience and the people who have made this journey here possible. I am thankful for these children. "Multumesc Lord"