Romanian Reflections 2 - What were the SWEET SPOTS for you on this trip?

Lori:
·         Grace in action
·         Relationships
·         The tapestry of God
·         No electronics
·         Watching my own children in action
·         Broadening my perspective
·         Experiencing a difficult culture
·         New friendships
·         Miracles of the supernatural
·         Stretching – growth
·         Surrender
·         Doing something outside of my comfort zone
Christie:  One of the main highlights of this trip was definitely meeting the orphans and the airport travel.  I don’t know why, but I love airports and traveling so that was all fun.  We actually got to go to London and I loved that airport a lot.  The main highlight, however, was the orphans.  I became really good friends with a little boy named Manes but I called him “Mayonnaise” because I liked it better :) we were literally inseparable.  I got to wake him up every morning, and then I would be with him all throughout the day just playing and going to chapel and stuff.  After dinner and chapel at night I had the joy of tucking him into his bed.  I loved being able to see him wake up with a smile on his face and then go to bed with a smile on his face.  He had just gotten into this orphanage and this was his first camp, so everything was new to him.  I cried when he left because I became so close to him.  It was sad :( It was also cute though because anytime that he saw me he would light up and just run over and jump into my arms! Another highlight was the food.  It was amazing minus the breakfast because they served weird foods, but other than that it was really good!

Isaac:  The sweet spots were all of the new friends I made.  The whole team we worked with in Romania was very servant-hearted and selfless.  It was easy to befriend each one of them.  The American team was not just going through the motions either; they gave everything to the cause of the trip.  This helped me reach out more also because of their great example.  We have continued friendships with team members at home.  In fact, two of the guys have become role models and have become mentors in my life.
Evan:  This trip had many sweet spots, because it was a trip that I had never been on.  First, just seeing the orphans and fatherless was really cool, because I don’t have a father, so it was a neat experience to relate to them.  Next, we did a summer camp for the orphans and it was amazing to see them so happy; the orphans were being loved, which doesn’t ever happen much. Thirdly, worshipping God with the children was just awesome.  Coming together, all from different circumstances and backgrounds, worshipping the same and only true God was such a great experience! Finally, the sweetest and hardest part of the trip was going to see the Gypsy village.  The village was filled with many children who were so happy to see people that cared about them.  Some kids didn’t even have one piece of clothing on, but they were still smiling. God was truly working in and through us while we visited the people and children in poverty.

Amy:  There were MANY sweet spots that I enjoyed on this trip:  time with the orphans, the Atlanta team, and the Romanian team.  During the trip, I bonded with my whole team.  There were a couple of younger orphans who really grabbed a hold on my heart throughout the camp.  Because I adore small children, I thoroughly enjoyed being with the little ones (Cristi, Manes, David) and many more.  Many of my team members and I became close.  If I had the privilege, I would go back to Romania tomorrow!

Micah:  I had multiple sweet spots on this trip! One of them was bonding with the interns and the translators. You would think that you would just become pretty good friends with them for that week, but they made me want to come back.  Another thing would be about every day we would have a time of prayer.... It took about 15 minutes and I loved hearing it in Romanian and English.  That week I met a friend named Ben Bucur.  We hung out all week and grew very close. I knew my team before we left, but I didn’t know that by the end of the trip we would be very good friends.  I continue to enjoy spending time with some of the guys on the team now that we are back home.