I am back in Romania and enjoying the warm spring weather and the wonderful companionship of good friends. My arrival in Romania was, as always, marked by some sort of small "catastrophe". This time, I flew directly into Romania. It seemed I was more irritable than ever upon landing in Timisoara (a large city an hour away from Arad). I had to continually pray for patience as I slowly worked my way through passport control and on to the small baggage claim area. Here, I discovered that only one of my bags had arrived. Many other passengers from my flight also had baggage that was unaccounted for so we all had to wait to give our baggage and contact information to the airport. Finally, an hour after I arrived (and this is a small airport, smaller than the Colorado Springs airport that some of you may be familiar with), I walked through customs without problems (I think the customs officials were afraid to stop any of the passengers from my flight because they could see how upset people were). I was met by Walter (my missionary colleague), Roni (our house dad at Ana's House) and Radu (one of the boys from Ana's House). Roni wanted to run some errands so we drove through town and the traffic at that time of day was unbelievable.

The day I arrived was a Friday and it was the day that the Evangelical Christian community celebrated Good Friday and the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. We saw a theatrical portrayal of Jesus' walk to Golgotha while carrying the cross. Some people from a local church had dressed up as Roman guards and one man was dressed as Jesus. As he walked through the streets carrying the large wooden cross, the men playing the guards beat him with a whip and sticks. I later discovered that my good friend, Adi (the biological son of the house parents of Steven's House) was there in Timisoara for this portrayal. He and some of his friends followed the procession through the busy city streets.

This began a meaningful weekend for me as I celebrated Easter in Romania for the first time. Church services were held at the Speranta Baptist church on Friday night. Then again on Sunday morning and Sunday night. Then again on Monday morning and Monday night. Churches in Romania are not like American churches. They do not have multiple replicas of the same service. I was explaining this to our house parents the other day. Every service is a different program and everyone goes to every service. I went to a worship service at another Baptist church on Tuesday night because Andreea (the biological daughter of the house parents of the House of Hope) was singing with the children's choir. Needless to say, I spent a majority of my time those first few days in church. It's easier for me to go to church here now. In the beginning, it was hard to sit still for two or three hours when you had no idea what was going on. The novelty of a foreign church can wear off quite quickly at a super-conservative Baptist church like Speranta. Now that I understand most of what is said, it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to remember what it was like to sit there for the first time, 19 years old and on my first over-seas mission trip.

This Easter season in Romania, I enjoyed learning of the Romanian traditions. They paint and eat hard-boiled eggs as we do but they color them all red. The red is to represent the blood of Christ. The egg represents the new life given us when we are covered by His blood. Dorel, house father at Steven's House, was explaining that the colored eggs are actually a tradition acquired from the Orthodox church. He enjoyed watching my expression as I came to the table on Sunday morning, was told to choose an egg that looked "tare" (strong or hard) and was then told to hold it in my hand with the top of the egg exposed. Flavius then took his egg and slammed it down on top of mine while saying, "Cristos a inviat!" (Christ has risen!) Whoever's egg remained unbroken after repeating this game with everyone at the table, was deemed the winner.

I am still settling in here, looking for an apartment to rent, and praying that God will use me and shape me during this time. Things are much more expensive so I'm not sure how long I will stay but I am now, and always will be, comforted by God's enduring presence and His faithful love and guidance in my life thanks to the sacrifice and victory of His Son, Jesus Christ. It is in His name, I pray blessings upon all of you!

Cristos a inviat!
Sarah

If you have traveled to Romania on a mission team or as an intern, I’m sure that you were blessed by the beautiful voices of our children. They often sing as a choir for a variety of audiences, from mission teams to small village churches. Romanians love music and I have learned many Romanian songs. I have been surprised by how many worship songs I have learned to sing in Romanian long before I learned to sing them in English. “Lord, Reign in Me” and “Everyday” are just a couple of the songs I sang in Romanian with the Global Hope kids before I even knew they were originally written in English. Please give me a break here, there are so many beautiful worship songs and hymns out there, it’s hard to know them all.


The children of Global Hope singing at the village church in Marga, Romania (Summer 2007)

One of my favorite Romanian worship songs is also a favorite among the teen-agers at the Global Hope homes. Recently, I was thrilled to find the song in English on iTunes. As I listened to the song, I was happy to discover that the Romanian translation is very close to the English lyrics. Some of you may recognize this song: “When the oceans rise and thunder roars, I will soar with you above the storm. Father, you are king of all of life. I will be still and know you are God.” This song now has new meaning to me.

I recently finished reading a book by Karen Kingsbury. One of the characters in the book writes a research paper on eagles. Eagles are magnificent birds, often called the “king of the skies”. They are known to fly during thunderstorms when other birds seek shelter. They wait for a thermal current and use it to soar above the dangers of the storm. As I read this, I was instantly reminded of the lyrics of the song. If we wait on the Lord, He will lift us up above the storms of life.


San Isabel National Forest, on the way to visit the Community United Methodist Church in Westcliffe, CO (March 2008)

Coming back to the United States was much harder than I expected. I was so blessed by time with family and friends, but I was surprised to find my heart had changed. My passion for serving in Romania seemed to have vanished. I couldn’t help but wonder, “What happened?” As I sought the Lord, I began to see a completely different path for my life, a path that would keep me in the United States for a time. I was so discouraged and confused. I couldn’t discern what God wanted from me and for me. I couldn’t determine His will. I was facing questions and decisions that I hadn’t anticipated. There were moments of great anxiety and panic. Those moments never lasted, though. I actually felt a great deal of peace. Like, God wanted me to walk through this time. He wanted to teach me something. Even now, I haven’t fully grasped everything that the Lord had for me to learn during this time. However, I was forced to wait on the Lord. I was reminded of His divinity and His goodness. As I waited on Him, He lifted me above the storm and carried me over it. I didn’t even realize it at the time.

Now, I feel a renewed passion for missions work in Romania. It’s a different passion, quieter than the urgent excitement and anxiety that moved me to Romania last May. I think my calling is more deeply rooted in reality. After seven months in Romania, my eyes have been opened to some of the hardships and challenges of over-seas ministry. Nonetheless, I have never been more convinced of His faithful presence, lifting me above the storms and astounding me with moments of miracles and beauty. I am excited to return to Romania soon.


Enjoying the ocean at West Palm Beach while visiting the Wellington United Methodist Church in Florida (January 2008)

I recently bought my airline ticket for April 24th and I am making plans to fly from Denver International Airport to Munich, Germany and then on to Timisoara, Romania. I would greatly appreciate your prayers. I need to raise more support. After living there, I have learned that I can live there for around $18,000 a year. I also ask for your prayers about my student loans. I would like to pay them off before considering a career in missions. At this point, I’m not sure what this will look like. Please pray that God will send answers, perhaps in the form of someone to help me pay them off. Or, perhaps, He may ask me to return to the States and work to pay them. If this is the case, please pray for peace. Finally, I thank and praise the Lord for all of you. Your love, encouragement, support, and guidance is so important to me!

Mulțumesc şi Dumnezeu sa fie cu voi! Thank you and God be with you all!

I cannot believe that it has been six months and in only 2 weeks I will be going back to the States. WOW! These past six months have truly been amazing. I can't even express how this time has impacted me. It's interesting, but I often think about all of the interesting, first-time experiences I have had while in Romania. I decided to compile a little list:

1) First overseas mission trip
2) First time bathing in a mountain stream
3) First time on a motor bike
4) First dog bite
5) First time riding a horse bareback
6) First time I've ever eaten liver (suprisingly, I don't hate it...)
7) First visit to a fish farm
8) First time a baby has ever thrown-up on me
9) First time living in an apartment by myself
10) First time eating rum-flavored cake and ice cream (not a fan)
11) First visit to a working convent
12) First visit to Dracula's castle (the touristy one, not the real one)
13) First time, I REALLY listened to gospel music (and now I love it)
14) First time, I have stayed over-night in a hospital (had to get over my fear of hospitals to do this one)
15) First time I helped put in an IV
16) First time I've tried to feed newborn puppies with a syringe
17) First time I've ever put ketchup on a pizza (and now I can't eat pizza without ketchup...the Romanians corrupted me)
18) First time I've ever participated in a feet-washing ceremony
19) First time at a wedding where they steal the bride and the groom has to pay to get her back
20) First time as the official photographer for a wedding...that was fun
21) First time traveling on a train by myself
22) First time traveling internationally by myself
23) First visit to a radio station
24) First time I was in a city newspaper article
25) First time speaking through a translator
26) First time translating
27) First time singing in another language
28) First time on a mission team where I was the only American


My mission team to Draganesti-Olt (southern Romania). I was the only American.

29) First time performing (singing) in a city park
30) First visit to a medieval castle
31) First time I've ever held a frog
32) First time I touched a snake (it was dead, but still kind of freaky)
33) First time I've walked through a cave without a flashlight
34) First time I stood on someone else's shoulders to change a light bulb (and they got me up there and then figured out the new light bulb wouldn't even fit)
35) First time teaching English


Teaching "Let Us Pray" to kids in Comanda, Oltenia (southern Romania)

36) First time I have ever COMPLETELY surrendered my heart and life to the Lord, trusting Him fully and letting Him work in me and through me.

So these are just a few of my many firsts...there are many more not listed here. My experiences in Romania have truly changed and transformed my life. As I prepare to come back to the States on furlough, yet another first for me, I humbly ask that you pray for me. I must raise more support and I am also planning to travel a lot so I can share with others about the children and staff of Global Hope. During the upcoming holiday season, I hope and pray that you are daily reminded of God's love for you as we prepare to celebrate in the birth of His Son!

Many, many blessings!


Cristi, Baby Darius (Tata Visu and Mama Anelory's new son) and me

Hey Everyone!

For those of you who have been faithfully checking my blogsite...I am so sorry that I haven't posted anything in such a long time! Thank you so much for your faithfulness and interest in my crazy life here in Romania. Seriously, I can't believe the summer is half over. Things have been going at a hundred miles an hour around here. In July, things really picked up as I went away with Steven's House on a short vacation to Oradea. The trip was cut short due to poor weather. We came back and had about 3 days to do tons of laundry.

Then we ALL packed and went to Marga. When I say ALL, I mean all of the Global Hope children, plus a few extras, all of the houseparents, five of our house helpers, three translators, two cooks, Walter Williams, Jasmine (a Global Hope intern), six American mission team members, and me! It added up to around 50 people! This is the third, and probably final, year that we hosted the Global Hope children's camp in Marga. It was, like the last two years, full of wonderful experiences and much fun and laughter.


Our beautiful translators: Lore, Lois, and Ionela

We did a five-day VBS program. This year the theme was Lift Off - Soaring to New Heights With God. There was music, Bible Stories, the kids performed skits every morning, crafts, snacks, and games. A lot of chaos, but also A LOT of fun!


Hoini (4, Steven's House) enjoying her snack

We also tried a few new things this year. We had a water afternoon and coordinated some fun water games with the kids. It was warmer this summer than last summer so everyone enjoyed the time to cool off. We filled up water balloons and used them in a couple of fun relays. In one game we lined up all of the little kids in one line and all of the big kids in another. The little kids had to pass a water balloon under all of their legs and the bigs kids had to alternate between under their legs and over their heads. When you got the balloon to the end, you could throw it at the other team. Most of the kids missed each other when they threw it, but a few of them landed right on target! Then we did an obstacle course which was fun because the adults took the opportunity to pelt the kids with water balloons as they were going through the course. After that, we could hold the kids off no longer and it was a water balloon free-for-all! This didn't last long so they dragged some of the adults down to the stream where they commenced their own baptism ceremony, dunking one person after another. Obviously, it was the girls who were getting dunked. I managed to stay dry until Mircea came up behind me with a bucket of water. I was standing by some of the adults and they all laughed and patted him on the back, "Good job, Mircea!"

We also spent the last evening playing Capture the Flag until it got dark. We played boys against girls. There were more girls than boys but it didn't really work in our favor. Most of the girls spent the majority of the game in the boys' prison. We also had some people stepping in patches of stinging nettles and thorn bushes. Despite the cuts and bruises, all of the kids loved this game!

The missionaries and mission team members spent A LOT of time playing football (soccer) with the kids. We discovered that we had some pretty good female soccer players on the mission team. Jasmine and I can also play pretty well (in Romania, I've discovered that I'm a pretty decent goalie...who knew? Lol!), so we played boys against girls a lot. I am proud to say that the girls played very well and I think that the boys were surprised when we would almost always score the first few goals and they would have to play catch-up.


Time out: Alexandra (8, House of Hope) and Ionuts (15, Steven's House) taking a break from a soccer game

We also played a rather chaotic game of soccer with the little kids one evening. Some of them were feeling left out so I volunteered the mission team to play soccer with them one night. The little kids just loved the attention.

I think some of my most favorite memories of Marga took place at the stream. We went there everyday to bathe, swim, do laundry, or just cool off. I also enjoyed laying out on the balcony with some of our Romanian adults, watching the stars come out. This was probably the coolest thing I did at camp. The stars were so bright and the sky was so open and cloudless. It was AWESOME! On one of the last nights, the mission team shared the balcony with the Romanians and we looked at the stars and sang. First the Romanians would sing one and then the team would sing one.


Adi (17, Steven's House) was our worship director for VBS and also happily accompanied our night-time sing-alongs

The Lord blessed us with the Marga camp. For three years, it has given us so many wonderful memories and blessings. I have to admit that it saddens me to think that we may not go again. I will definitely miss going there.


Team member, Tracy with Robi (11, Ana's House) and Cristi (10, House of Hope)

The life of a houseparent is not an easy one. Spare time and quiet are precious commodities. Maintaining patience when constantly picking up discarded articles of clothing and forgotten toys demands the willpower of a tri-athlete. Keeping pace with growing, hungry kids and helping with hours and hours of homework is enough to make even a four-star general drop in exhaustion. Add to that church involvement, relationships with friends, neighbors and family, and even pursuing further education of your own; it's easy to see that the Global Hope house parents are truly gifts from God, angels in disguise. These special people are Romanians and fellow laborers for Christ. They all had children of their own before they were willing to move into one of our three homes and become parents to seven to ten children.

Despite the seemingly endless hours of hard work, frustration, and even tears, this life-calling also brings many blessings. When a child calls you "Mama" or "Tata" for the first time or when they come running to you to show a picture that they drew in school. Or when they simply sit in your lap and hug your neck, you know that you are in God's will, that He loves you, and that He will continue to bless your efforts.

In Steven's House (our newest family home), God's blessings overflow in the form of a little four year-old girl. Hoinal or Hoini is still new to the Global Hope family, only being with us for just over a year. Her connection to the foundation dates back even further to when she was first abandoned at the hospital in Arad. Over the past year, we have watched this little one blossom under the care of house parents, Dorel and Gabi Stanca. She is incredibly smart and talented, starting kindergarten a year early. And while we rejoice in her growth and progress, I have been wonderfully surprised to learn that the greatest impact has been made by Hoini herself.

She makes everyone around her stop, watch and smile. She sings and twirls around, quite independent and quite the show-off when visitors come to her home. She has an endearing tendency to talk to herself and chatter on incessantly about whatever subject enters her mind. Mama Gabi once told me that when Hoini first came to Steven's House, she didn't speak, "but now," she said with a smile, "she talks all of the time." Like I said, she is very smart and likes to repeat what others say. I was surprised to hear her repeat my English perfectly without any pronunciation problems. When she does something wrong and she is corrected, she says in a pathetic, little tone, "Sorry. Sorry, Mama. Sorry."


Hoini of Steven's House

The other day, I sat at the computer with Andrada (Dorel and Gabi's thirteen year-old biological daughter), Cristina (9), Marian (8), and Hoini. We watched a short home video made with a digital camera of Hoini's fourth birthday. As everyone on the screen sang "La Multi Ani", Hoini began jumping up and down and clapping her hands. When the video finished and we moved on to another video, Hoini kept saying quite firmly, "Go back to the little girl. Go back to the little girl!" She's definitely a little ham and her cute little antics keep everyone guessing.

I sat with Andrada on the sofa in the family room. Hoini climbed up onto the end of the sofa that is shaped like an "L". I was sitting in the middle of the long side of the sofa and Andrada was sitting on the short side. Hoini would go to the end of the sofa, launch herself over me, and land with a thud at the corner where the long side and the short side meet. This scared me the first time, as I was talking with Andrada and suddenly saw this four year-old bundle of energy flying over my legs. Eventually she got tired of this and pushed me off of the sofa. I didn't know what she had in mind so I just stood and watched as she resumed her "flying" without the annoying hindrance of me in the middle.

She sings very well. She sang "Here I am to Worship" in Romanian for me one day. She has the sweetest little voice that would make anyone go "awwww!" She has the sweetest laugh that comes from her heart like little bubbles of love and joy. Life for Hoini isn't without its challenges, though. She has been diagnosed with gluten intolerance and needs a special diet to thrive. At four years old, she doesn't understand this so I just smile as her parents try to make whatever she is eating look and sound more appealing than what everyone else at the table is eating.

She is truly a special little girl, bringing joy and laughter into her home and her new, big family. Please pray for her as she grows. Pray that she will continue to feel and experience the love of her family and the God that created and formed her perfectly. Pray that she will draw close to Him, letting Him become the source of her joy and happiness.


Hoini with one of her big brothers, Ionut