Last Day

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Hello Everyone,

This is our last day here; we've not had internet connection since Monday to blog, thus you haven't heard from us. We've had a great couple last days. On Tuesday I went with the nurse to various homes to visit elderly people in the little outlying town of Lunca. It was amazing to get inside their homes and listen to their stories. (through a translator). The houses were very, very poor. One room in the house serves as kitchen, livingroom, bedroom. The room was probably about twelve by twelve. The house was made up out of two rooms, but two families live in it. The lady had a terrible toothache, but no access to a dentist, doctor, painkillers, or antibiotics. We were able to provide her with some medication. There are animals in every yard; dogs, cats, ducks, chickens, etc.

Yesterday we went to a Gypsy village were Ed was two years ago. The "old" grandma was home with five little kids. She explained that the family had left for France for some time and left her to take care of the kids. She'd had surgery and was running a fever. They had just had a wedding on Saturday, which some of the team witnessed when they were in the village for kids ministry. Cory said, "Hey, wasn't that boy with the kids ministry this week?" Turned out that the girl getting married was eleven and the boy fourteen. It's all arranged marriages from birth. The old lady said that the girls get two years of school and then come home because its no sense as they get married young. They keep the girls at home all the time because they are scared other gypsies will steal their girls and marry them off. So they are not even allowed to go into town or to the children's ministry. It was very sad. Hailey said that they get married as soon as they menstruate and have babies right away. Sometimes the girls get married to men who are forty or fifty years older than they are.

Last night we went out for dinner with the team and spent the last night with Peter and Hailey. It's Bethany's birthday today, so we'll celebrate with cake as soon as the guys get home for lunch.

I won't have a chance to blog for a long time now, because we are travelling through Croatia and Slovenia. When we get to Italy we'll try to find an internet cafe. We plan to get to Venice tomorrow night and then spend the Sunday there.

Love,

Els

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Photos

Nursing Visit
Nurse Nina taking the blood pressure of one of the town ladies.

Eighty One Year Old Lady
Old people are very active here. They all live with family and work in the fields. This lady caters food; she just catered for the Gypsy wedding and worked all night till four in the morning!

Going on another ride....
We tried to buy the driver juice, but he insisted on beer. He got a little mad when we refused...

The Well
We put a brand-new well head on the old well. Kids fall in wells all the time in Romania and die. Now it's well protected.

Camp Kitchen Window
Needs a little work yet....

Orphan Girls
These two little girls are cared for by a family supported through CAIRD. They were beaten and maltreated before they came.

Gypsy Family
Ed brought them pictures from two years ago. They were very happy!