Monday, June 7, 2010

Day One in Romania

Today was the first day that the entire group went to their respective places here in Romania. We decided to start a bit late because we wanted to give the group a little time to sleep in, but after that we hit the ground running. After breakfast and a quick meeting, we split up into our different groups, got in different vans, and drove to our different locations. I'll do a synopsis of each location, but we're all very excited to see how the group will come together as a whole. We have a meeting after dinner to talk about what each group did that day and some interesting stories that they have, which allows all of us to see a glimpse of what's happening with each group.

Construction: After driving to Susani to the House of Joy property, the team got started working today on the foundation. They assisted by a professional constructor (who has a group of three guys) and some volunteers by throwing rocks and shoveling mud all day in the sun. Danny was allowed to drive the Bobcat and after shaking off some rust he shoveled like a pro. They are really excited about the progress they will be making this week. The goal for the week is to do as much as possible, with probably a specific goal being to put up all the first floor walls.

VBS: A team also went to Susani to do VBS with some kids out there. Since we missed out on the morning, this group had more time to prepare for the mass amount of kids that showed up in the afternoon. Bus load after bus load came and when all was said and done, around 100 kids showed up. They played outside games with the kids and also did crafts with the kids, with emphasis on building relationships and connecting with the kids for the first time. They are expecting more kids tomorrow and in the future, so that should be interesting.

Orphanage: Today was a great first day. This is the group that I'll be leading all week, so I'm much more connected with this group than the other two (even though I've been heavily involved with all three during these previous five months). We split the group into two vans and drove to Lugoj, where we picked up four translators at Manu's private school just around the corner from my apartment. We then drove out to Gavojdia and walked in with Delia, Jon Hogg, and Stan. We then met the administrator and he gave us a tour for about an hour. On the tour, we saw a colossal pig who we've named "Wilbur." After this, we ate lunch in our van and then played games with the kids outside from about 2 until 6 PM. We played basketball, volleyball, soccer, and gave tons of piggy back rides. My group did great with these kids today and I'm very excited about this week.

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