Romania Monday

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Hello Everyone!

Easter Monday; more planning and meetings this morning to get ready for the projects, starting tomorrow. This afternoon we went with Peter on a tour of how his journey to Romania started back in 1990, one year after the fall of Ceauscecu. He described the horrible conditions in the staterun orphanages, with kids lying in their own excrement, two in a crib, eyes glazed over as they never received human touch. A few years later they adopted their little girl from that orphanage and then returned to run an orphanage, later on to be broken up into permanent foster homes. Peter could hardly talk he was so emotional as he shared about losing his own dad when he was young, and how he wanted to help those who did not have mothers and fathers. Something emotionally broke in me today as well. Something that I cannot describe. Something that was birthed seeing the orphans in Russia standing in the snow, staring at us as we drove up, their eyes huge. Something of the pain I still feel thinking about them, having to leave them behind there, and only being able to take one boy home. But also the feeling of having to leave another little boy behind in the orphanage who was supposed to be ours but could never come, although it was God's perfect plan for Mark to come. A strange mixture of emotions seeing those orphanages. Something I cannot explain to those who haven't experienced it, as well as an enormous blessing and joy that has entered our life through Mark.

Tomorrow we will have a ladies' outreach in a little town of Lunca. There is no running water there, no paved roads, poor families who live in the acid rain poured down on them from the horrible factories in the nearby town. We will also be installing playground equipment there this week. The teacher told Peter, "No one thinks of us, not even the Ministry of Education, but you have thought of us." Their playground is a dirt field without any gravel. In the rain, it is straight mud. The schools are so cold that the kids have to wear toques inside to stay warm. Anyway, we'll let you know how it goes. We miss you in Canada, but love our time here! God is good! We don't realize what we have in Canada!

Jane and I are doing our best to keep the crew of 25 fed three times per day! No small feat, but it helps having big families, New Year's celebrations with the Van Hierden's, and church potlucks!

Sorry to keep changing this! Just wanted to thank those of you who have left messages on the blog for us; it's cool hearing from you!

Love,

Els

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