amyjoy76

I leave for Romania once again in a little more than 2 days. This trip will be much like our last. We will be doing free medical clinics with the Gypsy (Roma) people of northwest Romania. Or team is much smaller this time; 6 people, but we are ready to do some hard work. I'm not sure how much time or internet access that I will have this time around, but I promise to update my blog when I am able. Happy trails to us! Amy :)... read more

Time has passed again without me even knowing. Two more days have come and gone before I had a chance to tell you everything that is going on here in Romania. Yesterday (Tuesday) we visited the village of Nushfalau and set up the clinic in their church there. They have a two-story church and we were able to set up the clinic upstairs and the VBS/waiting room down stairs. The clinic saw about 200 people and Tom was able to share the gospel with those that were waiting upstairs. We had VBS downstairs and were able to even share the Bible stories with the adults that were waiting. It was a long day but we were able to do a lot of good. Today (Wednesday) the medical clinic went to the village of Zauan. This time ... read more

I have to apologize for not keeping up with the journal this time. As you can imagine, we have been extremely busy and getting time to compose my thoughts is not easy. Yesterday (Sunday) was our first “work” day. We met the drama team and the colstruction team at the Gypsy church in Nushfalau. It was a wonderful time for us all to be together again for a little while. The teen drama team sang a few songs and we participated in the service. It was a very special day for this church. About 7 people have completed their first year of Bible College and received certificates for their accomplishment. Two men were also ordained. Pastor Mike brought a message through our translator Danny. It was a wonderful time for us to meet with our Romanian ... read more

Today started out with breakfast as usual (in Romania I mean). We were greeted with a brief thunderstorm this morning, but it soon cleared off for another beautiful day. Then the drama team (teens) met us at Tony’s house for the first time since we got here. We loaded two busses and Tony’s car and started our hour and a half ride to Camp Joy. We twisted and turned through the mountains and ended up on the side of a hill where several buildings stood. We were happy to see that the construction team was hard at work. We got to see the camp and meet other members of the Romania team as well as others who were joining them to work this summer. They were hard at work building 1 of the 3 new bunkhouses. ... read more

Well, day one is now officially over. But let me start with our trip over yesterday. We couldn’t have asked for better flights. We made all of for brief connections (some of us by a few minutes). Unfortunately, not all of our luggage made the connections. Of the 68 pieces of luggage that we checked, 40 didn’t make it to Budapest with us. Being the great planner that he is, Tony had a plan B and sent 14 of us ahead to Romania and waited with the rest until the luggage arrived on the next flight from Frankfort. They were able to leave Budapest by 5 p.m. and arrived at Tony’s house by midnight. Luckily, all we lost was a VBS flannel graph board and a bedroll, nothing completely essential. All of our medications and personal ... read more

So I have decided to take advantage of a second trip to Romania to once more work with the Gypsy (Roma) people there. This time we will be taking 34 people. We will be spending 10 days in Northwest Romania (Transylvania)! I will also be taking every opportunity available to update this journal with our adventures in Eastern Europe. Stay tuned for more wonderful stories. We leave in 12 days. Amy :) ... read more

Wednesday, January 5, 2005 Ten pairs of hopeful eyes waited quietly in the remarkably pleasant coolness (for mid-winter) of the Romanian city. Each one of them so full of joy, though we each knew that behind that joy lay a unique painful story. They were the children of the orphanage that we had heard so much about- the House of Hope. Today, the fifth of January (or Ianuarie, as the Romanians would have it) of 2005, the team traveled to Oradea for a life-changing experience, and Marios and Alina came with us. From a trip to the piata (marketplace) in that town, a brand new way of looking at a McDonald’s meal, and a heart-wrenching tale of tiny tots, we will never be quite the same. Besides doing a bit more souvenir shopping (or fake name-brand ... read more

Monday January 3, 2005 Hello All! Well if today is any indication of the week to come I can’t wait to see what the Lord is going to do in us and through us over the next few days. Our day began with a delicious breakfast of omelets, cereal, toast and juice prepared for us by the wonderful Alina. Since our fearless leaders were away for the morning we were on our own for our devotional discussion time, and may I say (not as a result of the absence of any of our members) that it was one of the best sharing times yet. There is nothing like discussing the strengths and struggles of one’s Christian walk and learning that we are not alone on this journey (but more about that later). We readied quickly and ... read more