I'm going to start a little series about camp this last summer in Marga because there is too much to put in one message...so enjoy!

This summer, we took all of the Global Hope kids to camp in Marga (a small village about 3-4 hours away from the city of Arad). Transportation to Marga occurred in shifts on multiple days because we had only 2 vans and one small car, and we had to get like 53 people to camp! On the ride there, I got to sit on a large Rubbermaid storage box. It was actually pretty comfortable. This is something you learn when you go to Romania. The Romanians are very good at cramming a lot of people into a vehicle relatively comfortably...and safely...

When we got to camp, we arrived just as another group was leaving and the building was not left in the cleanest state. This is another thing you will learn about Romanians...they are probably the biggest neat-freaks ever! So we immediately set into cleaning mode. We scrubbed, swept, and mopped that place from top to bottom. It definitely helped the smell...


Camp at Marga

We had a fun experience trying to kill spiders that had taken up residence in high corners. This turned out to be an all-girl job and we have pictures of us knocking down spiders with brooms and then jumping out of the way for someone to stomp on it before it got away. I was a designated spider stomper and I was very good at my job!

Everyone arrived either that day or the next day. The VBS program we had planned didn't start until a few days into the camp, so we got to have a couple days to adjust and set things up. Now this camp looks rather small from the outside, but it can probably sleep up to 80 people. We had a lot of empty beds. The rooms were broken down like this...the American women (plus Lois, she is the daughter of one of our house helpers and was a translator for our camp. She is nineteen years old and is very mature and sweet), the American men (plus sixteen-year old Adi, he moved up into their room about half-way through the camp. He is the natural son of Dorel and Gabi, house parents of Casa lui Steven. He is also very mature and is very musically-talented. He plays the trumpet, piano, and the guitar), Casa Noua (plus Ruben, he is thirteen and very funny. He was always reminding me that I am a lady...as if I did not know), Casa lui Steven, and the House of Hope (plus Dorotea, David, and Octavia, the wife and children of Romanian pastor Romica who is also the Chairman of the Romanian side of Global Hope; also Denisa and her mother Iulie. Iulie is one of the house helpers at the House of Hope. Denisa is a very sweet and affectionate little girl). Our other three cooks slept in separate rooms downstairs.

The building is circular in shape. There was a large main room that served as the dining room and the recreation room. We also used it as the meeting place for the beginning and end of VBS.

The food was very good. It was a typical Romanian diet for the Americans... sausage, salami, goat cheese, and tomatoes for breakfast in the morning. Breakfast in Romania always takes some getting used to. Americans are used to toast and cereal for breakfast. I love watching the faces of the Americans when the Romanians bring out sausage that looks and tastes a lot like hot dogs for breakfast! The mid-day meal is traditionally the largest meal of the day. That meal usually consisted of a soup, a main course of something like pork and potatoes, and a dessert. There is also always an abundance of fresh bread.

Stay tuned for more posts about Marga...