July 8-12 Camp

Last week was spent at camp with the older children from Point of Hope and the mission team from FBC in Lafayette, LA, along with 3 mothers.  Although more mothers were invited, many were unable to come due to smaller children at home.

The primary focus of camp was on the children, with a theme of “do not fear, for God is with you”.  What an amazing “coincidence” (NOT!!!) that the topic was fear, for one of the children who attended camp was a victim of domestic violence just the week before.  This young man witnessed his brother’s murder, and was viciously attacked himself………oh how he needs to feel God’s presence.  His trauma is so fresh that the nightmares haunt him every night.  His mother told us that he refuses to sleep by himself, and most nights he cries in his sleep.  Please pray for this student as his psychological needs are great, and the resources are few.  He will definitely need some intervention, but will have a difficult time finding it.

My time this week was spent with the moms.  Nancy and Lisa, two ladies from LA, were the point people with activities for the moms; my role was buffer.  Although I’ve been working with Gabi and the moms on a monthly basis, two of the moms at camp I’d never met before.  It was difficult to ease into a relationship with them, as they were very reserved and hung together.  Dennis and I broke the ice by sitting with them at breakfast the 1^st day.  They were still very leary, but we did our best to make them feel welcomed.  Dennis scored points when he brought each of them a cup of coffee J  The 3^rd mom was the mother of the injured boy.  Maria has been to a couple of our monthly meetings, and she speaks some English.  This came in very handy when trying to communicate with the other moms, as our Romanian is still very poor (but at least we tried).

Some of the activities we did with the ladies included some sewing, scrapbooking, a new form of tie-dye shirts, and photo tiles.  Each day we had a new activity, but were in a room that allowed us to keep the previous day’s activities laid out.  The ladies had the freedom to work on whatever project they wanted.  They also had the freedom to go out and watch the kids in their activities.

As a part of their scrapbook, we also took pictures of them throughout the week.  They really seemed to enjoy this project the best…….guess it was because they never really had anything to remember themselves, or their children, by.  Oh how we take a picture for granted!  The moms were so excited to see themselves after I took their picture; and I loved to watch their faces as they looked at it.  It didn’t matter if the shot wasn’t composed just right, or if a flower looked like it was growing out of their head…..it was them.  Since the mission team had brought a small printer, we were able to print almost immediately.  This was great, until we ran out of paper on Thursday morning.  I promised the moms that I would print more when I got home.  Right now I’m waiting for the mission team to upload their photos to Dropbox so I can pull what I need.  Although we didn’t get all their pics printed, we did tell them to go ahead and pick out their paper and embellishments for their next pages.

 The tie-dye project used colored sharpie and alcohol (thanks Pinterest!!!).  This was so much easier to do then traditional tie-dye, with a lot less mess.  It also allowed the moms to be creative with their designs.  The original plan was to place a plastic cup between the layers of the shirt and draw a design over the cup.  Once your design was complete, use a syringe (minus the needle) to squirt alcohol over the area; then, sit back and watch the colors run.  You repeat the project until you’re satisfied with the overall look.  I did one for Cameron using this method and it came out ok.  Some of the colors are more vibrant and run better, thus creating an awesome pattern; it was just trial and error to start.  The 2^nd shirt I made for Hunter; this time I just drew the sharpie across the shirt in a wiggly line pattern.  By drawing the sharpie across the shirt, it allowed for areas where the shirt would pull up some, creating a dotted line.  I really liked this pattern the best.  I finished his shirt with the shape of Romania on the back.  That was a fun project!!!

The sewing project was making yo-yo’s with fabric.  We made several and I showed the ladies how they could sew them onto a blouse, skirt, or pants.  They didn’t want to do any of that, but seemed to enjoy making them.  I was trying to figure out something that we could use them for, when I thought about a bookmark…….not just any bookmark, but a cross bookmark.  So I began sewing the pieces together and came up with this………

We put a few together for our sewing club.  This will be another project that they will be able to offer for sale.  If you’d like to have one, please drop me an email (swannalofton@yahoo.com) and let me know if you have a preference for color, and what size (large or small).  We will sell them for $3 each, and I can either mail them to you ($2 mailing cost), send them home with the next mission team (which will be here on Friday, and the mailing cost will be $.75 from the states), or bring them with me when we come back to the states in November.

Each day before mealtime, the kids lined up in their color groups and had to recite the memory verse.  This provided a great incentive to learn it quickly!!  They also enjoyed water balloons, watermelon, a hike and campfire during the week.  Sometimes I wished that I could have been with them more, but my time with the moms was awesome.  Next week will take care of that desire, as I will be helping with recreation.

By the end of the week, the ladies and I were at ease with each other and having a great time together.  I hope to see them all at our next monthly meeting.

The week provided a great escape for Maria and her son, as they were able to remove themselves from the community in which many guilty fingers were pointed; guilt, not in the fact that she committed a crime, but because it was her husband who committed the crime….and against his own family.  Because of the economic situation in Romania, many people will leave the country to find seasonal work.  Maria was in Germany working when everything happened.  I guess there were signs that something could happen, because she told us that she wanted to come home earlier.  Her boss wouldn’t let her leave, saying that he might do something to her.  Of course, no one thinks that a father would hurt his children…….but he did.  Fortunately for Maria, she is safe; if she had come home earlier, she would have probably been the first victim, and still unable to protect her children.  Please pray for Maria and her son, as they both have a very long way for recovery.  She showed great strength and courage when she shared with us her story; but  like everyone else who has experienced great tragedy, she is just beginning her journey.

A Week with the Women

This past week was spent with the women in Tarnaveni and the mission team from the states.  Jan Larson, from IL, spoke each morning about the importance of each woman.  Day 1 she used a tea cup as the visual – delicate, fragile and unique.  Jan talked about how a tea cup is made, and that a lot of work goes into the making before the final piece is ready for show.  She also shared with us that sometimes, tea cups get broken…..just like us.  But even in our brokenness, the pieces can be used to create something new and beautiful.  At the end of the day, each lady was able to choose a tea cup that was sent over for them.  Each cup also had a tag with the name of a woman in the states who would be praying for them.  Jan was able to take a picture of each lady with the tea cup they had chosen, to give to the person who purchased it in the states.  This made each mom very proud – knowing that someone, somewhere else, wanted to pray for them.

During the day, the ladies were able to participate in a quilting project, decorate canvas bags, and attended a medical session where they learned about healthy eating, and better choices for what they put into their bodies, especially since so many of the women were nursing.  The ladies were very receptive to the topic, and a Q&A was held afterwards.  Erika, a physician who led the session, said that many of the women asked questions, with several asking more questions about birth control.

Day 2s devotional included a reading of the story, The White Pony.  It is about a young Indian brave who has a special white pony that he greatly loves.  But as the brave grew, his eyes find a very simple, but loving, girl.  When he asks the father how many ponies it would cost for him to marry her, the father replies, “one pony”.  This gave to gossip all over the village about how little she was worth.  When the young brave heard the talk, he asked the elders, “what is the most ponies paid for a bride?”  When he learned that 20 ponies had been paid, he set out to purchase 20 ponies.  A few days later, the young brave parades through the village with not 20, but 21, ponies (including his beloved white pony).  He presents all the ponies to the father for his bride, stating that she is worth more than any other woman in the village.  She is filled with great joy!!  The moral of the story is that everyone holds great beauty, and we are all worth many ponies.

Activities for the day included a facial scrub for the ladies, creating a wreath and learning how to make tuna salad.  Some of the ladies, however, did not like any type of fish and wouldn’t even try it.  It was explained to them that even if they didn’t like it, their family might. 

 

I worked with Jessica and the 1^st group of ladies with the facial scrub.  The scrub was a mixture of  honey and lemon juice.  Each lady was given a small bowl in which to stir their mixture, then apply to their face.  Since there were no mirrors, the ladies ended up applying the mixture to someone else’s face.  What a wonderful group!!!  They were laughing and talking – having a good time together.  After they were all sticky, they began being silly – sticking the stir sticks on the faces.  It was awesome to watch them as they let down their guard with us, and just had fun!!  After 15 minutes of silliness, and itchiness, they were able to wash their faces and feel refreshed.

 

Day 3s devotional talked about the relationship between Ruth and Naomi, and how important it is for women to have other women in their lives; not only for friendship, but also for teaching/training and learning.

The craft for this day was to make a cross out of folded magazine pages. 

 

The other activities included more quilting and learning how to cook rice.  Very few of the people eat rice because they don’t know how to cook it, or what to do with it.  After they had a chance to sample some, I think that more rice will now be served

 

Day 4s devotional was about the importance of “more than one strand”; that we are stronger in numbers.  .Jan used some strands of thread and demonstrated that one strand could be easily broken; but 2 strands (a woman friend) are more difficult to break.  If you add a 3^rd strand, God, then the bond becomes even stronger.  She told the story about the woman at the well, all the time while twisting 3 strands of string together.  Not just the part about how Jesus accepted the woman, but how Jesus became a part of the woman’s life – He was now entwined with her.  Then she went out and told others about him, and she became a part of their lives.  When Jan was finished telling the story, she held up a beautiful strand of string that was entwined together, and was stronger than the 3 strands that just worked alongside each other.  Wow!  What a great visual.

The day’s activities included a hand scrub and nail polish in one rotation, making a friendship bracelet in another rotation, and apple crisp in cooking.  The friendship bracelet required the women to help one another by holding their neighbor’s string while it was being braided.  The ladies all worked together in the cooking classes, each having a specific task to prepare the food.  Each task, left to its self, was nothing more than what it was; but, when put together, became a product that was delicious.

 

The day ended with each woman receiving a small bouquet of flowers and a bag filled with goodies.  Oh yea, there were also lot of hugs and kisses.

Although the mission team ladies said goodbye to the women, I’m so blessed to be able to stay and continue working with them.  Thank you Jan Larson, Amanda Cox, and Jessica Huettel for sharing your time and energy with us this past week.  We hope that you'll come back again! 

Our Return Trip to Romania

Our trip back to Romania was anything but boring.  It began with us and our luggage…..all 10 pieces.  Dennis had 2 duffle bags and 1 keyboard to check in, while I had 2 bags; but we also had 2 backpacks, 2 carry-on items (one of which was a bass guitar), and a bag with 2 cowboy hats.  We were a site to behold!!!

The shuttle driver came to hotel to pick us up, along with 4 other passengers, in a small van.  We had told the clerk at the hotel that we had LOTS of luggage, and some pieces were quite large, but apparently they didn’t think LOTS was as many as we actually had.  Anyway, the driver pulls up and the first thing he does is try to put the keyboard case behind the back seat…..nope.  It won’t fit!  And that was just the 1^st bag.  So he decides to take the van and exchange it for a people mover……much better plan.  Now we were able to fit everything, and everyone, inside with room to spare.  Thank goodness we were the last terminal for drop off. 

Getting everything out and onto the curb was fun…..looked like we were moving……again.  Fortunately, DFW has curb-side check in.  Now all we had to do was check in….. separately (someone has to stay with the non-checked in bags to make sure no one tampers with them).  Dennis takes his 2 duffle bags and heads to the scales….both bags under 50 lbs and he gets his boarding passes right then.  Now my turn.  Well, I’m not so fortunate.  The 1^st bag weighs in at 52 lbs.  So I quickly open it and remove a 3 lb bag of chocolate chips (they now become a part of my already heavy backpack).  Now that this bag is under the limit, I’m waiting for the gentleman to take this bag off and let’s weigh the next one.  Nope.  Apparently I can’t check in at curb-side.  Not a big deal, except there are more bags than we have hands available.  So, how do we take them all to the check-in counter?  The decision was made that I would take my 2 bags and check in upstairs, as well as get my boarding passes; Dennis would stay on the curb with the other bags.  Since I had already removed 3 lbs from one of the bags, there wasn’t a problem with weight on either one.  Check in went without a hitch, but took longer than I expected.  With boarding passes in hand, I head back down to the curb to help Dennis bring up the rest of our stuff, including this very large (2’x5’x8”) keyboard case (thank goodness it had wheels!!!).  Now it’s time to check this baby in.  Back at the check-in counter (with the same person I just dealt with), the case weighs in at 79 lbs, 4 lbs over limit.  So, here we are again, opening the case to see what we can remove to lighten the load.  Keep in mind that whatever we unload, has to be loaded into another bag.  Thank goodness I kept my carry-on weight at 45 lbs – just in case!!!!  So, out comes some clothes that we used for packing protection, and hope that the case holds up to the baggage handlers.  Now that that’s settled, the paperwork begins.  After 20 minutes of paperwork, now it’s time to pay for an 3^rd checked-in bag, as well as oversize.  Another problem.  Dennis has already checked in 2 bags and the system has double booked him with the 3^rd checked in bag.  More paperwork LL  Thank goodness we arrived at the airport 4 hours before our flight left!!!  Another 30 minutes of trying to figure out how to delete the duplicated booking, we were able to pay the hefty fee and head to security.  Security……..gotta dump out all the electronic equipment (which were my cameras, who had found their way to the bottom of my backpack), plus the baggie with the 3 oz limits, plus removing all the jewelry and shoes……..all for a quick 3 second walk through the scanning machine.  Fortunately, there were no problems there J

Our flight went from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Atlanta.  With a short layover, we hurried to our next gate.  Here we waited about 15 minutes before they began boarding for our next journey.  While waiting, one of the airport personnel came and asked me if I wanted to check in my carry-on (free of course).  I didn’t hesitate one minute….take it…..one less bag to drag around.  That now left us with 2 backpacks, one bass guitar, and a bag with 2 cowboy hats.

From Atlanta, we headed to Paris, France.  Exciting you say…….yes it was, but not for the reasons you’d think.  Seems like the turbulence began at 10,000 ft.  Ok, just some rough clouds until we reach flying altitude…….nope!  We rocked and rolled the entire flight!  Meals were a bit tricky……your fork would be heading for your mouth, but before it reached its destination, the plane would drop and now your fork is heading towards your forehead.  Drinking was even harder.  I’m surprised that they didn’t pass out bibs for us to wear…..we certainly could have used them.  I’m not sure the “fasten seat belt” sign was ever turned off (it was a 9 hr flight).  Thank goodness that most of the flight was in the late evening, so everyone tried to sleep.

Then we arrive in Paris.  Our next connection was in an hour.  De Gaulle Airport is not difficult to maneuver around, but it is quite large.  I knew that we would need to exit the plane quickly and head straight to the gate.  Unfortunately, we weren’t able to pull into the assigned gate….apparently the plane ahead of us had mechanical problems and was unable to leave.  We were told that it would take about 5 minutes to get the situation taken care of.  Nope.  After 15 minutes of waiting, we were told, again, that it would take about 5 minutes to push the plane away from the gate.  Nope.  Our next message was that ground personnel were waiting for a tractor to move the plane.  Now we’re getting antsy.  We’re 20 minutes into our hour layover and we’re still sitting on the tarmac.  After another 15 minutes, we find out that we are being redirected to another gate.  Nope.  Twenty minutes later we are heading to a parking lot to be bused from the plane to the terminal…..a different one than where we were supposed to be.  By now, we’ve decided that we’re gonna miss our connection.  That wouldn’t have been too bad, except we had someone who would be waiting for us.  After 75 minutes of sitting on the tarmac, moving to the parking area and waiting for a bus to shuttle us to the terminal, we finally arrive in a new location.  Now it’s time to find the reservation counter to re-arrange our next flight.

When we finally get all our stuff and get to the Air France counter, there are 60-70 people already in line L  Dennis decides to try and Facebook someone in Tarnaveni to get a message to Gabi, letting her know that we missed our connection and would not be arriving at the scheduled time.  Because internet time is limited at the airport, he sends a message and hopes that someone sees it soon.  Now more waiting.  When we finally get to the Air France representative, the first thing he asks is, “what kind of guitar do you have?”  Ok, here we go again…..a situation with carrying the guitar on board.  Not this time.  The man was a bass player and wanted to look at Dennis’ guitar.  So he unzips the gig bag and they chat about the type of music each likes to play.

Meanwhile, we ask about our luggage……….don’t worry, it will be transferred to your new flight.  Let’s hope so!  After an hour of waiting in line and then discussing the pros/cons of guitars, we have our new flight to Bucharest.  Off to the gate to wait.  Oh, but before we go, the rep comps us a free dinner for our hassles.

Once we arrive at the new gate, we realize that we actually have about 1 ½ hours before we begin boarding, so off we go to find a place to eat.  We found out that there are only 2 places that honor the free dinner passes, and the one closest to us was a sandwich shop.  Ok, not exactly what I had in mind, but I wasn’t real hungry anyway.  So, we’re looking at our choices when a very unpleasant woman asks us what we want.  When we ask about what is covered with the meal, she points at what’s available.  Ok, gives us a minute please.  Once we decided, she put our stuff on a tray and turned away…..no “thank you”, no “have a nice day”, nothing but a scowl on her face – guess she missed her connecting flight too.  At last, we can sit down for a few relaxing moments and enjoy some food.  Nope.  The sandwich bread could have been used by David to slay Goliath, and there was NO hint of mayo.  I pulled the little piece of meat and tomato out and rolled it up and ate it.  The dessert she put on my tray was not the one I pointed at…..guess that one didn’t come with the meal.  No Pepsi, so I opted for a Sprite….not a good choice.  So we basically chunked the meal down the trash and headed back to the gate.

Three hours later, we arrived in Bucharest.  So glad to be home!!!!  Now let’s grab our bags and head to the house.  Bags………..hope they’re all there.  Nope.  After searching all the baggage claim areas, we were short 2 bags…….one being the keyboard!  Now what?  We met with an airport official, who led us into an office to fill out more paperwork – woo hoo!!!!  Ok, the guy tells us that the bags are on the next plane in and will be there in another 3 hours (11p).  Now we have a problem……..we can’t wait another 3 hours for our bags to arrive, because we have to be home for a workshop on Friday at noon (it’s a 6 hr drive from Bucharest to Targu-Mures).  The guy says that our bags will be delivered to our house by Friday afternoon.  Dennis reminds him that we live 6 hours away…..no problem, we’ll get them to you.  The brightest part of the whole return flight home, was the fact that Air France had our 2 bags to our doorstep by noon Friday!!!!  Kudos for you Air France!

Ok, so what time did we make it back to the apartment?  2a.m.  You would think that we’d drop everything inside the door and hit the bed.  Nope.  I started unpacking one bag, then another, then another, until all the bags were unpacked and everything put away.  It must have been jet lag, ‘cause I have no other reason for why it was important to take care of that at that particular moment.  3a.m. we’re finally in bed…..plumb tuckered out!  But more than that………we’re finally home!!