November-December 2009 Update

There are so many things to be thankful for these days...and so many things that I take for granted. All it takes is a bad cold and lingering cough to make me appreciate being able to breathe without congestion or sing without having a coughing fit. Or a pain in my left heel lasting for several months to be able to appreciate being able to walk normal again without pain. All I need to do is see the need at the orphanage on a daily basis to remind me how blessed I am to have a loving family who raised me with unconditional love and affection. It only takes a visit to a family who barely has enough food in a pieced together home to appreciate my warm home where I have plenty to eat and my own room to sleep in. God has blessed me in so many ways and I am grateful to be able to share with you some of the happenings around here during the past two months.

Around the house
Most homes in the villages are heated with wood burning stoves called sobas. The folks living in the city have radiant heat and look down on people with sobas because it’s considered a heating system for poor folks. Well, our home is now heated with sobas because it was so expensive to heat our home with radiators. Our gas bill was over $1,000 per month during the cold months and we just couldn’t afford it…being poor folks – ha! So, last year we had a soba installed and got a great deal on it. Unfortunately, sometimes you get what you pay for and after an incredibly cold winter (it never got over 55 degrees in the house), we decided to have a professional come and help us out this year. In November they installed a new soba, then moved and rebuilt our old one upstairs on the third floor to help regulate the heat better. They did a great job and our home is a cozy 65-70 degrees now. It now costs only about $100 per month to heat the house (not counting the initial installation cost)…even though it means a little more work chopping the wood and keeping the fire going. It’s definitely worth it!! (Brian and Cynthia are posing next to the soba in our living room)



We live in a small city in Romania…it’s a nice and quiet little city with most things you need. However, we decided to take the foster girls to a nearby “big city” for an excursion. Neither of the girls had ever been to Cluj and since it is only a 2 hour drive, we loaded up the van and went for the day. Going to Cluj is exciting for the Americans because they actually have two large malls there complete with a Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, Starbucks, and KFC…none of which our little city has. They also have a large cinema in each mall that recently began showing 3-D movies. We treated the girls to their first ever 3-D movie…the latest Jim Carrey Christmas Carol movie. They loved it! We also got a little Christmas shopping started and ate good old American fast food. It was an exciting day for all of us!

Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving isn’t celebrated in Romania…obviously, but it was at our house this year. We had a nice big traditional American thanksgiving feast and took time to reflect on our many blessings and appreciate each other’s company. Romanians don’t traditionally eat a lot of turkey and never have dressing or sweet potato pie, and they typically don’t like pumpkin…so this was definitely not a typical meal for any of us. It was thoroughly enjoyed by the Americans, however, and our Romanian guests graciously tried everything. Some of them actually enjoyed much of our feast. Since it isn’t a holiday for Romanians, we had our feast on Friday afternoon so that more people could join us. The kids were pretty hungry by the time we were ready to eat…and poor little Sage (who is 3) sat down at the table the minute she got home from school. She sat there for well over an hour all by herself….waiting, and waiting, and waiting. It was definitely worth the wait!

After-School Program
We’ve had some really wonderful moments in the after-school program during the past two months along with some very trying and difficult times. We still battle with challenging behavior problems that manifest themselves in fighting and stealing along with bad language and attitudes. Clare is back from the States for a couple weeks this month (December) and we’re hoping that together we can put together a plan to turn things around in the coming year. We could really use your prayers for wisdom and patience and understanding for these kids and the challenges we face.
On a brighter note, we had several birthday parties during the past two months that were huge successes and lots of fun for everyone. I guess the one thing I have figured out how to do well is plan birthday parties – ha! Of course, it is hard to go wrong with homemade pizza, cake, games involving balloons, M&M’s, and whipped cream, and piñatas filled with candy!

We had a wonderful time decorating the tree and performing the annual Christmas play for the parents. We also had a Christmas party for the kids where we gave them their presents…a set of new clothes and a toy for each of the kids and boots/jackets for those that needed them. I was told that things were pretty bad around their houses at Christmas time this year. Apparently, one of fathers had a big drunken fight with his brothers on Christmas Eve and knives were involved. It just breaks my heart. Please pray for reconciliation and peace in these families. They desperately need a miracle!

Orphanage

The kids continue to make progress and I’m so proud of our kids in the baby room. They are growing up so fast! The older ones are quite the talkers these days and are full of energy. They love music and toys that play music…they dance and sing and are generally happier when we have children’s songs or soothing music playing. It’s so exciting when they break out singing a song that we’ve taught them or chatting about something that excites them. The 4 year olds (Marius, Nicoleta, and Mario) know their colors and animal sounds really well now and we’re still working on counting. They feed themselves, can put their shoes on themselves, and are in the potty training process. Assuming all goes well in that area they’ll go to kindergarten in the fall.

I’ve been working on some training for Georgel. When he gets mad he tends to become aggressive…he tries to pull my hair and even bite me out of frustration when he doesn’t get what he wants. The worst part is not being able to figure out what he wants that is making him so agitated! It amazes me that he is responding to training though. Whenever he tries to pull my hair I tell him no and explain that it hurts and is not allowed and then I tickle him under the arms to get him to pull his hands down. It works…mostly because he is so ticklish. However, I’ve noticed that I don’t even have to tickle him anymore…I tell him no, it hurts and it’s not allowed…and he stops. He surprises us with how much he understands. He also is a great communicator about the things he does like. His gives us a big smile and sometimes laughs out loud when we start putting on his shoes to go for a walk. I think my favorite part of the day with Georgel is when I first say hello to him…he moves in for his hugs. He’s gotten to the point now where he just likes to snuggle up in my lap and put his head on my shoulder and his arms around my neck and just lets me hold him for a while. It usually turns into a game where I give him a big ‘ol bear hug and then release and repeat a half dozen times. He also likes to make little cooing noises while I’m holding him. It’s just a special time each day with my little buddy Georgel.

Christmas in Romania



It's been a busy, but fun Christmas season here...between all the kids' programs and baking and visiting people, it's kept me pretty busy. The orphanage had a fund raiser gala in December and some of the children from the orphanage performed a Christmas program that we put together. It was simple, but we saw tears in many people's eyes, so I know they were touched. We had the ones who could dress up as Mary and Joseph and a shepherd, etc. Ildiko (my fellow volunteer) spoke and told the story while the kids acted it out. Then they sang a little Sunday School song that Ildiko and I had taught them months earlier that basically says, Jesus loves everyone...he loves the children and the parents and me and you...he loves us all. It was the perfect song because the kids already knew it and didn't have to try and learn something new and it spoke of the real reason Jesus came...because he loves us. The best part is that the children have begun to make the connection between the song and real life. Every day they will surprise us by saying...Jesus loves Natalie, Jesus loves Ildiko, Jesus loves me, etc. It blesses me so much!!



The team from Spain that came a few years ago sent gifts to the children in the baby room at the orphanage again this year! Every child received a set of new clothes, shoes, and a toy. Many of the children are old enough now to really enjoy unwrapping presents.

Some are still more interested in the wrapping paper and boxes than the gifts inside, but they all had a great time playing with the toys. They did a pretty good job of sharing between themselves…especially with the big turtle that had lots of blocks and played music. They figured how to raise the turtles back by pushing on his head before we did! It brought much joy to us to see how excited the children were with the new toys and the generosity made a big impression on the staff…from the director on down. We all turned into little children that day…everyone who came in the room took a turn playing with the toys and it was great fun to see the smiles and hear the laughter of grownups enjoying themselves right alongside the children!


We have a girls Bible Study that we've been doing every other Saturday, and there are about 10 girls from a nearby village who have been coming. Their families are very poor, so the weekend before Christmas we took gift baskets to their families and a few others (in total there were 13 families) to bless them for Christmas.
We sang carols (in Romanian...let's just say, I can sing Joy to the World in Romanian pretty well now - ha!) and gave a short message about Jesus as we gave them the gifts. It was such a blessing to see their faces glowing from gratitude and many women openly cried. It blessed me as much as it did them!







We had a church service on Christmas Eve where the kids from my Sunday School class did their program, then afterward we had a birthday party for Jesus…complete with games and cake and presents.




It was really fun and the kids did a really good job. I decided to video the play this year instead of doing it live. We did it like a news report style with a reporter in the studio talking to the on-the-scene reporter who interviewed Mary and Joseph and the wise men and they also interviewed a family. The point of the play was that Santa and presents don't bring true joy and peace...only Jesus can. It was really cute and our social worker (and my translator) wrote it for us. We went to a cabin out in the village to film the manger scenes. It snowed that day and it was so much fun. The family has horses who were very curious to see what we were doing in their barn. I had to keep moving them out of the way so we could film. It was entertaining to say the least.

After the program we went caroling with my class and a few other adults to the orphanage and some houses on our street. We also took some gifts to one of the families because they have 10 children and are very poor. I was able to pull together enough gifts from donations so that everyone (including the parents) had something to open on Christmas day. Lavinia (one of the foster girls who lives with us is best friends with one of their daughters and we learned that they would not have any presents this year). It was also really fun singing at the orphanage...the orphanage kids and the staff really enjoyed it. I loved it too, of course!

English Class

I have another great group of kids in my English class this year. I average between 20-25 students each week, which is nearly double what it’s been in years past. It’s still a lot of work trying to come up with lessons that build vocabulary and conversational skills, while still appealing to a group of teens…but I enjoy it very much! I’ve also recently had the opportunity to get to know some of the students outside the classroom as well. Two of my students invited me to watch their Taekwondo competition recently and it was a lot of fun. I took my camera and shared the photos I took with them. They were thrilled!

We also had a Christmas party for the class this year and it was a blast! There were a little over 20 students there and we played some great games, ate pizza, and listened to each other karaoke Christmas songs. My favorite part was watching the students act out the 12 Days of Christmas song. I’m attaching it here for you to enjoy as well. It took them a little while to get the hang of it, but once they did, it was hilarious!
























Thank you!
I want to thank you all for making it possible for me to spend another year ministering to the people of Bistrita, Romania. God is touching and changing lives and I am so blessed to be a part of it. Thank you for your continuing prayer and financial support that enables me to be here. I hope that you are enjoying God’s many blessings in your life!

Prayer Requests:
• Continuing to learn the Romanian language – my classes are going well, but it is still quite a challenge!
• Spiritual growth for Oana & Raluca
• Wisdom in working with the older children and new workers in the orphanage
• For God to continue to help me prepare good lessons for my English class
• For us to meet the ongoing needs of Lavinia and Cosmina as well as our other foster children in the New Beginnings Family Centers
• Wisdom to handle the behavioral challenges of the children in the afterschool program

With much love,
Natalie Bridges
natalie926@hotmail.com


I would like to help Natalie Bridges in the following way(s):
Becoming a prayer partner
Monthly Financial Support $________
One Time Financial Gift $________

Name _________________________

Address __________________________________________________

Phone _________________________

E-mail _________________________

* Please return this portion of the newsletter to: Calvary Chapel Boise
Attn: Jana Patton
123 Auto Drive
Boise, ID 83709

* Make all checks payable to Calvary Chapel Boise, all donations are tax deductible.
* To receive a tax receipt at the end of each year, please contact Calvary Chapel Boise.

Sept/Oct 2009 Update

The weather is changing on a daily basis these days...sunny and warm, rainy, sunny and cold, just plain cold...we even had a little snow already! It's been beautiful though with all the fall colors. There was an article in the local paper today about Autumn. To my surprise, the picture that accompanied the article was of ME and Ildiko taken today as we were walking to the orphanage! Life is full of surprises. Just as Autumn brings surprises and changes, so has the last couple of months. Here is an update of some of the highlights.

Ladies Tea

We had our annual Ladies Tea on October 10th and it was a huge success. The topic this year was Contentment and it was a great reminder to all of us to enjoy what we have and where God has placed us. Andreea Hogan from Calvary Chapel in Brasov was our speaker and she brought some friends with her from Brasov when she came. The church was decorated beautifully and we had a wonderful potluck feast. We also played some hilarious games that helped us get to know each other better in a fun way. Overall, it was a truly enjoyable event and everyone was blessed by the teaching and the fellowship.





Orphanage

In addition to working with the children in the “baby room” at the orphanage, Ildiko and I have been endeavoring to spend more time with the older children. There are about 25 severely challenged young adults who live at the orphanage. Half of them are able to attend a special school during the day and I only get to see them on Saturday. Of this group, several are able to converse with us and although it is difficult for me to understand them sometimes, it does provide more opportunities to make connections. One of the topics of conversation that is brought up almost on a daily basis is that of animals. The children are always talking about them and it has been my dream to someday take them to the zoo. Since the closest zoo is 1.5 hours by car, I knew it would be a miracle for that to happen. However, I know God is a miracle working God, so I began to pray about it. Imagine my excitement when we were told that an anonymous sponsor had provided the funds for a day trip to the zoo!! I literally jumped up and down in excitement! For the first time ever, we took a group of kids from our orphanage to the ZOO and it was a truly wonderful time! Everything was PERFECT...the weather was beautiful, we had plenty of snacks and drinks for the kids, the van ride was smooth and easy and no one got carsick, etc. We really had no problems at all.

The fun actually started in the van...the kids really enjoyed looking out the window and listening to the music. The boys who sat next to the windows were glued to them. Vasile was sitting in the row in front of me and he kept turning around to look at me with a huge smile on his face. I think he was enjoying it so much he kept looking at me as if to say, "hey, are you seeing what I'm seeing? This is so cool!!" He must have looked back at me 100 times during our time in the van. I just smiled back really big and acknowledged that it was indeed very cool! Hercule sat next to me and he discussed with me all of his favorite sites along the way. He had to keep wiping his window because of the moisture from his breathing. Ha!

We enjoyed some snacks when we arrived at the zoo before going inside. The kids love to eat, so it was quite enjoyable for them to have bananas and yogurt and juice....what a great treat!

With full tummies and empty bladders we were finally ready to enter the zoo! We all had a great time looking at the animals and spent almost 2 hours walking leisurely from one exhibit to the next. We had some laugh out loud moments...the first one was in the first exhibit...the monkey house. We saw a mouse running on the floor and in a flash Hercule was running after it. He was so fast and nimble I thought he might actually catch it! Fortunately, one of the other workers grabbed his hand and kept him in check or he might have disappeared after the mouse. At one point, Hercule was crouched down so low he was only inches off the ground looking for the elusive mouse. It was hilarious! Another humorous moment was near the big elk exhibit...one of the elk began bugling and one of the children said, "Do you hear that? It's Paul!" He was right, the noise the elk was making sounded an awful lot like Paul when he is upset. We all just had to laugh at that. Another moment was at the goat exhibit. Mario, who is normally afraid of everything was so excited about the goats. He loved them and was not afraid of them at all. He started talking to the goats saying, "Hai la Mario, iubito"...which means Come to Mario, darling. It was so cute!

There were many special moments...especially for Hercule who actually got to touch (and kiss) a pony that was one of several allowed to wander around the park loose. What a thrill that was for him! All the children had a fun time and we enjoyed watching them enjoy themselves.

On the way home we stopped at a restaurant to eat. It was a little farther out of town than we remembered and we weren't sure if Florin was going to make it...he was so HUNGRY! He kept asking every few minutes when we were going to eat...we had to keep telling him just a few minutes more. Poor guy! It was worth the wait though...the restaurant was very accommodating and we had a semi-private area in the outdoor seating area that was beautiful. We enjoyed inexpensive and delicious food (can't beat that combination) and had plenty of it. They even prepared a special meal for the little boys that was so good that Marius ate ALL of it and Mario nearly ate it all. Apparently, they ate so much that they weren't hungry for the rest of the day! After our wonderful meal, we headed for home with lots of happy memories to reflect upon.

My Birthday
I celebrated my birthday in September….three times! One with Romanian cultural influences, one was American style, and one was kid style. The custom in Romania is for the birthday person to take charge of his/her birthday celebration. They furnish the fun…the food, cake, etc. as a gift from them to celebrate their special day. So, in the traditional Romanian way, I planned my birthday party, decorated, bought the food, celebrated, and then cleaned it all up! Ha! The only thing I didn’t do this year was make my own cake…Cynthia and Ildiko took care of that for me and their results were delicious! It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it, but I was exhausted when it was over! Two days later, a couple of ladies from the church decided to show me how much they love me by giving me their version of an American birthday celebration…and I have to say, I like the way they think! Ha! They drove me to Cluj (a large city 2 hours from Bistrita) and took me to get my hair cut at a very nice salon. Then we went to the mall where we had Pizza Hut pizza and after lunch we went shopping and they bought me a beautiful blouse. I was overwhelmed by their generosity and we had a great time laughing and enjoying each other’s company.


The final celebration was at the afterschool program. We had a big celebration because Raul’s birthday was the day before mine and Nicusor’s was the day after mine. We made pizza and the kids wanted me to paint their faces like clowns and then we had my masterpiece….a chocolate chip cookie cake! It was the first time I had ever tried anything like it and I’m happy to say it turned out to be delicious! I had to laugh at the clown faces though…I ended up painting them like I do my own face and they all looked like mini-me’s in clown. They sure were cute! I did get a little creative and turned one into a clown pirate. Hilarious! A week later I received a wonderful package from my home group friends in Boise who sent me some beautiful and encouraging cards and other small gifts. It truly was a memorable and fun birthday!




100 year old washing machine



At the request of several Romanian friends, we took a trip to a village about 30 minutes outside of town a few weeks ago to take some rugs to a home where they have a 100 year old outdoor washing “machine”. It was an amazing set-up with water wheels and it was a fascinating experience to be looking at a process that has been in place for so many years. The owner has a booming business…there were more rugs than I could count…some in piles waiting to be washed, some being washed, and many more drying on the lines in the sun. The charge was nominal, bring your own laundry soap and the equivalent of $5 and they would wash your rug for you. Normally I see the locals hanging the rugs outdoors and beating them to get out the loose dirt or they’ll lay them in the street and hand wash them. Although this involved a little bit of travel, the ladies who received their rugs back in such a fine condition said it was well worth it! I am just glad I got to go along for the ride and see firsthand a bit of history and modern convenience in one setting.

After-school Program


After a fun summer filled with excursions and picnics and day-trips we settled back into the routine of school and homework and preparing for the big year-end exams. Unfortunately, the new school year has not started out so well. A few days before school started someone broke into the center and stole, among other things, the new school shoes that had been donated for the two oldest boys. Sadly, we suspect that one of the kids assisted in the break-in by unlocking one of the windows so the thief (or thieves) could get in. When we arrived the next day, we found the windows open and evidence that the perpetrator(s) had helped themselves to the microwave popcorn, smoked a cigarette in the office, and used the hair cutters, as well as taking numerous items. We filed a report at the police station, but the police didn’t take any action…none! It was very disappointing in every way.
Unfortunately, we’ve experienced an increase in behavioral problems in the last couple of months and suspect that it is a result of abuse in the lives of several of the younger children. It became clear to us that we needed to report our concerns to the department of child protection services who referred us to the police. It caused quite a bit of scandal, as you can imagine, and things got pretty bad for a while. We could really use your prayers for these children and the program as we are trying to decide now what changes need to be made. Just as Autumn brings a time of hibernation, it may be that this program needs to lie dormant for a while and let God make some necessary changes and breathe new life into the program.

Prayer Requests:
• Continuing to learn the Romanian language
• Spiritual growth for Oana & Raluca
• Wisdom in working with the older children and new workers in the orphanage
• For God to continue to help me prepare good lessons for my English class
• For us to meet the ongoing needs of Lavinia and Cosmina as well as our other foster children in the New Beginnings Family Centers
• Wisdom to handle the behavioral challenges of the children in the afterschool program

With much love,
Natalie Bridges
natalie926@hotmail.com


I would like to help Natalie Bridges in the following way(s):
Becoming a prayer partner
Monthly Financial Support $________
One Time Financial Gift $________

Name _________________________

Address __________________________________________________

Phone _________________________

E-mail _________________________

* Please return this portion of the newsletter to: Calvary Chapel Boise
Attn: Jana Patton
123 Auto Drive
Boise, ID 83709

* Make all checks payable to Calvary Chapel Boise, all donations are tax deductible.
* To receive a tax receipt at the end of each year, please contact Calvary Chapel Boise.

Summer 2009 Update

The summer has really flown by…it’s been full of travel and challenges as well as fun times. Here is an update of my summer in Romania.









Winky’s Adventures
In June we celebrated National Children’s Day with Winky making appearances at several parties for foster children. The largest had over 100 children not counting their foster parents and Winky had a great time playing with the kids. She was the only clown, so she was constantly surrounded by kids wanting her attention. They all had a great time dancing and “clowning around”. Winky also spent time visiting children in the hospital this summer. She brought balloons and magic tricks to entertain and also got to just hung out and play with the kids during visiting hours. The smiles on the kids’ faces were priceless and the infectious laughs of the kids kept Winky laughing as well.

The After-School Program for Gypsy Kids
Clare was back for a month during her summer break from school and we took the kids on their big summer excursion. They had worked hard all year earning points for the trip and most of them had earned enough to go on the trip. This year we divided our time between Brasov and Bucharest. In Brasov we took a tram ride up the side of the mountain where we were able to look out over the entire city, then had a picnic, and hiked down the mountain. We also spent the afternoon at an Adventure Park where the kids were able to climb and swing from the trees on amazing ropes courses. In Bucharest we stayed at the same Baptist Seminary that we stayed at last year. We had a great time at the Water Park again and enjoyed the sites of Romania’s capital city and the mall where we saw a movie and enjoyed good ‘ol American fast food (McDonald’s and KFC).
Although the big trip of the year was a huge success, the behavior of the children during the normal day-to-day schedule has become increasingly more difficult to manage. After having visited their homes on a regular basis, I have a better understanding of why they behave as they do. I see examples of verbal and some physical abuse on my short visits. Their homes are overcrowded with a dozen or more adults and children crowded into one-room “apartments” with no bathroom and only one sink with running water. Many of the children from our program are helping their parents and relatives sweep the streets at night to earn income for their families; it is no wonder we have grumpy, angry, aggressive children. We’ve introduced some new rules and put together a stricter schedule to help establish routine and discipline, but it remains a challenging endeavor. Please pray for our kids and our Romanian workers.
Our Romanian workers (Raluca and Oana) are wonderful ladies who have challenges of their own. Both have been living in abusive relationships and Ildiko and I have been praying for them and with them as well as inviting our pastor (Brian) to counsel with them. We also organized some special ‘Ladies Night Out’ events for them. Our first one was held at Ildiko’s home where we watched the movie “Fireproof” and had the girls’ favorite comfort foods…pizza and ice-cream. To my amazement, both girls said it was the first time they had done anything like that! The movie was a huge blessing to the girls as it showed an example of how a marriage was saved through the love of Jesus changing the hearts of people. It was the beginning of a journey for both girls as they have both been born-again and are allowing the Word of God to transform their lives. For example, Raluca’s husband told her he wanted a divorce, but Raluca began praying and making changes in her life. After reading about the Proverbs 31 lady, Raluca began getting up early to make breakfast for her husband, clean, and get herself and her baby ready before work. She used to roll out of bed at 9 to be at work by 10 and now she gets up at 6:30. She also started responding to her husband differently...instead of yelling at him or arguing with him, she speaks quietly and sweetly to him. He has completely been blown away by her changes and now there is no more talk of divorce and their marriage is better than ever. It is the beginning of a journey, but an exciting one and I am so happy to be on it with them.

Orphanage

Ildiko and I have noticed that the children are scared of practically everything…cars driving by, walking into an unfamiliar location, a non-barking dog behind a fence, etc. We are constantly working to expose them to new experiences to help them get over these fears. We spent the summer taking the kids on daily excursions into town. We enjoyed playing in the park, eating treats in the bakery, as well as shopping in the local stores and doing other “normal” activities that a child would do with his/her mother in town. I remember the first time we took Nicoleta (who is 4 now) on an escalator she started crying when she tried to climb the moving stairs. After a few minutes of reassuring her she was alright, she relaxed. The second time we rode the escalator it was pure joy for her. Success! The great part about these excursions was the opportunity for Ildiko and I to get out and enjoy the town with the children and get some errands done at the same time. Every day was different and it made for an enjoyable summer for all of us.

I have some really exciting news about Mia as well. She is becoming more and more affectionate with me as well as the other children. She likes to play with my hair and she will even lean in for a kiss and smiles so big after I plant one on her! It's so adorable. The most exciting event with Mia this summer was her speaking for the first time. I was holding her on my lap and Ildiko was trying to get her to clap her hands when we both heard her say "nu vreau"...which means I don't want to. She said it quietly, but it was loud enough and clear enough for us to both look at each other in amazement and ask...did you hear what I heard? Then we were so excited because everyone said Mia would never speak and it was impossible for her to do so. We both praised her and clapped our hands and made a big deal out of it and Mia just smiled so big and looked so pleased. It is possible that we both just heard what we wanted to hear, but it was completely unexpected and we weren't trying to get her to say something. It definitely sounded like she spoke. So, it has been very exciting for us. It could be a breakthrough for Mia...or just a one-time thing...but either way it is very exciting.
We have also noticed that improvements in the way the workers relate to the children continue to happen. Most of the ladies who work with the younger children are actually interacting with them now rather than keeping them in their cribs and ignoring them. They are more loving toward them and have actually started trying to teach them things. It is so exciting to see how the mood in the room is so much different now than when I first started volunteering. The atmosphere in the rooms with the older children still needs a lot of work, but I believe change will happen there as well. It just takes time.

Travel
This summer I got to do a lot of traveling. I went to Austria, Hungary, and London, as well as many places around Romania. It was such a thrill for me to get to see a little more of Europe. Each country really has its own beauty and personality.
My first excursion was to Austria and it was a free trip! A team from Boise was doing a European tour and invited everyone from Boise who is now ministering in Europe to meet at a castle in Austria for a few days of rest and relaxation. All I had to do was pack and jump in an open seat in the caravan and everything was taken care of for me. We got to stay in an old castle that had been turned into a retreat center. We got to hang out with friends who are now living in Germany, Hungary, England, and other parts of Romania. It was a wonderful and relaxing time of fellowship and refreshment and some powerful teaching.
We were reminded that the greatest human need is love and when we realize how much God loves us we can love others…even those that hate us. People usually sacrifice for God because of guilt or fear, not because they feel loved. But if we understand how much God loves us, it will transform our lives. Ephesians 3:17-20 tells us to…”Be rooted and grounded in God’s love. Experience how high, deep, wide, long his love is.
I was also fortunate enough to travel again to the annual Leadership Conference in Hungary. It also was another free trip for all of us and such a great blessing. We stayed in another castle (Europe is full of them!) and got to see other Pastors, Missionaries, and outreach workers from all over Eastern Europe. We had a wonderful time worshipping and studying the Bible as well as enjoying the facilities. They had a great coffee bar with lots of comfy, casual seating along with other amenities like a pool table. The grounds had a beautiful swimming pool, basketball and tennis courts as well as a fabulous, full-size sand volleyball court...not to mention all the wide-open spaces for soccer, hiking, or just relaxing. The setting provided lots of opportunities for hanging out together…meeting new friends and catching up with old ones.


My dream of seeing more of Europe is slowly coming to pass with the addition of a visit to England for the first time. As an early birthday present, my parents bought my plane ticket (amazing how little it costs when you fly from one European country to another) and I stayed with Clare’s parents who are on a 2-year work assignment in London. We were able to see many museums and other famous landmarks for free and her parents took us to some English gardens where we got to see some breathtaking landscapes and beautifully manicured estate gardens. I also took a day trip over to Wales and visited some friends and their families. They took me to the largest castle in Wales and I also got to see more of the beautiful landscape. It was a little unnerving to be a passenger in what is normally the driver’s seat of the car. I kept thinking we were going to run into something or someone, but we arrived safely to all destinations. Overall, it was a wonderful week of memorable experiences and a little taste of England.









Life in Romania
We had several teams come to Bistrita this summer. Most of them were volunteers from schools in Germany, France, and Boston wanting to help at the orphanage. Since all of the teams spoke English, I ended up being the one to spend most of the time with them while they were at the orphanage. It was great being able to meet people from different parts of Europe and the States. One of the highlights of the summer, however, was the team from Boise. Pastor Bob and Cathy brought a group of college students through Europe and we were able to spend a couple of days with them here in Bistrita. The best part was that they left Meaghan behind when they left and she spent the rest of the summer interning with us. We kept her extremely busy helping me at the orphanage and the afterschool program as well as helping with our large “family” at the ministry house. Most of all she was a huge blessing to all of us…it was as if she had been here forever the way she fit right in with us. We miss her very much and hope that she will come back again soon!


I started language lessons again this summer in an effort to continue to improve my grasp of the Romanian language. It’s a lot of work, but slowly my vocabulary is increasing and my daily conversations with Ildiko really help. Just when I think I’m making progress, I feel like I hardly know anything again. But I know that I just need to keep moving forward; pas cu pas (step by step). On the reverse side of things…the foster girls living with us have dramatically improved their English. So much so that Lavinia’s teacher thinks someone else is doing her English homework! On a scale from 1-10, she’s gone from getting 4’s to 8’s now and from not understanding any English three months ago to both understanding and speaking it daily. She isn’t fluent yet and there are still times where she has no idea what we’re saying, but she’s making great progress. I laugh every time she says, “say in English” when we’re trying to say something to her in Romanian. Apparently, it’s easier for her to understand English than for her to try and figure out what we’re trying to say in Romanian. That’s great progress for her…but it lets you know we still have a long way to go!

Prayer Requests:
• Continuing to learn the Romanian language
• Spiritual growth for Oana & Raluca
• Wisdom in working with the older children and new workers in the orphanage
• For God to continue to help me prepare good lessons for my English class
• For us to meet the ongoing needs of Lavinia and Cosmina as well as our other foster children in the New Beginnings Family Centers
• Wisdom to handle the behavioral challenges of the children in the afterschool program

With much love,
Natalie Bridges
natalie926@hotmail.com


I would like to help Natalie Bridges in the following way(s):

Becoming a prayer partner
Monthly Financial Support $________
One Time Financial Gift $________

Name _________________________

Address __________________________________________________

Phone _________________________

E-mail _________________________

* Please return this portion of the newsletter to: Calvary Chapel Boise
Attn: Jana Patton
123 Auto Drive
Boise, ID 83709

* Make all checks payable to Calvary Chapel Boise, all donations are tax deductible.
* To receive a tax receipt at the end of each year, please contact Calvary Chapel Boise.

Spring 2009 Update

At long last…finally an update! So much has happened in the past three months…we celebrated Martisor (a Romanian holiday welcoming Spring), Women’s Day (similar to our Mother’s Day…only here you don’t have to be a mom, just a woman!), Easter, and the Romanian Labor Day (on May 1). Spring is a great time of year in Romania for holidays! We had a great time celebrating these special days, but there is much more to share with you…so here are some highlights and updates for you:

Orphanage

It’s been a beautiful spring so we’ve been able to get the kids outside every day. Initially, we stayed on the grounds in the play area of the orphanage, but now we’ve been taking them to the big playground in the park. Ildiko and I have also been taking them on excursions…to the large supermarket, to a bakery, to Ildiko’s house, and for walks around town for example. The kids have really enjoyed it and it gives them a chance to be exposed to new situations. Mario, for example, is extremely scared every time we go into any new place and insists upon being held. I was so excited when I was able to get him to ride in the grocery cart…which was a huge accomplishment, considering he threw a fit and cried at the very thought of going inside the store. He actually enjoyed himself once he calmed down and had a terrific time. It’s been great fun getting them exposed to life outside the orphanage.
We’ve seen some progress in the children developmentally, for example, Georgel (the little blind boy who used to hit himself incessantly) is actually walking on his own! It is a diffident walk to be sure, but each day he is a little bolder in his attempts. I can’t begin to tell you how excited we were to see him walk by himself for the first time. He used to immediately drop to the ground if he lost contact with us and now he is getting up and cautiously stepping out without any help whatsoever! Other of the older children are also responding to our presence and interacting more with us. Where they used to sit alone and rock, they are now coming to us and interacting with us…smiles, touches, games, etc. are all common from them now. Ildiko and I have introduced many of them to Play-dough, coloring books, new toys, etc. for the first time and it is exciting to witness. We’ve also seen some positive changes in the workers. Although on any given day you will still see workers sitting off to the side by themselves while the children are alone to “entertain” themselves, you will occasionally see some of them playing with the children. One little boy in particular sits in his wheelchair, unable to move because of his disabilities, the entire time the children are outside. After noticing this the first day we were outside with the older children, I decided to try something new. I pushed his wheelchair around the yard for him and then lifted him out and put him on the swing. To my delight, he LOVED it…his smile was as big as his face. The next day we found one of the workers pushing him on the swing and it made our hearts burst with joy that she had taken the initiative to put him on the swing on her own. With these children, it only takes one small change to impact their world dramatically. For example, one of the older boys who is verbal, but very aggressive and must be restrained began asking me for a radio. He repeated his request for numerous days and then added that he also wanted sunglasses when he saw mine. The workers just humored him, but after several days I began to think this was an important request for him. Ildiko and I took a couple of the younger children on a walk the next day and found a store that is similar to our dollar stores. I was so excited to find sunglasses and a little radio for about $3, but not nearly excited as the young man. He was thrilled when I gave him the gifts and when he put his head on my shoulder with a contented smile on his face I cried. He then got up and danced the most hilarious dance for us and did he ever look cool in his shades! The entire staff was rolling in laughter and we all couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of the day. They are baby steps to be sure, but we do see positive changes and continue to pray for God to use us to be a blessing and to minister to the needs of the children and the staff.

One new development that I have heard about recently is that the Department of Child Protection is not able to hire any more foster parents (it sounds like some sort of hiring freeze) and those who decide to leave the program are not being replaced. This could mean that the orphanage will begin to see more children again. Please pray that whatever is motivating this change will be reversed. I have seen first hand what happens to children who are raised in an orphanage and it is devastating. Just this week I have seen evidence of this change when I visited the hospital and found 10 new abandoned babies, the oldest of which is 7 months old, living in cribs and receiving only basic care. The research on the affects of children who do not bond normally with a parent within the first few months of age says that the damage can be irreparable. Please pray for these children, they need a miracle!

Open Doors – the after-school program for underprivileged gypsy kids
We found ourselves in need of hiring again in March, and a daunting task lay ahead for us. Oana and I worked together to plan the activities, prepare the homework, and run the program…while interviewing and trying out candidates. I interviewed 30 candidates amongst our regular routine the first week alone! I didn’t realize how bad the economy was here in our town until we began the search for this candidate. The last time we hired, I interviewed about 10 people and only 2 of them spoke English well enough to be considered seriously for the position. This time we had nearly 50 interviews and all of them spoke excellent English. It made our selection process a little more difficult, but I’d much rather have that problem! In the end we selected a young woman named Raluca and she is amazing! She genuinely cares for the kids, is very bright, hard working, and full of energy and fun ideas. The children have responded extremely well to her and she is doing a great job. We are once again fully staffed and it is such a pleasure to work with these ladies.

In amongst the daily grind of homework and baths and breaking up fights and constant lecturing, we have had some true adventures and wonderfully surprising moments. It is like a roller coaster to be sure…for every exciting breakthrough there has been a near disaster. For example, we took the kids to the zoo in a nearby town last month. We had a marvelous, albeit exhausting, time and we’re still talking about the monkey that swiped Daniela’s telephone right out of her hand and tried to eat it! The zoo worker rescued it for us, but the phone still bears the marks of the monkey’s teeth! None of the children had ever been to the zoo before and it was such a joy to watch them thrill to the sights of the animals up close and personal…and an extra treat was that almost every animal there had babies! The fabulously fun and exciting day ended in near disaster when we got a call from the police station to come and get half of the kids who didn’t make it home in the taxi we put them in. Apparently, the driver decided he didn’t want to take a bunch of gypsy kids in his taxi and kicked them out after we had already left in different taxis. Half of the kids made it home and the other half wandered around the grounds of the train station looking for another taxi until the police came and took them to the police station. I know that gypsies are discriminated against, but to see it so up close and personal was overwhelming to me. Our 14 year old who was with this half of the kids was even finger-printed and treated like a criminal all because he was a gypsy. After we got to the police station they told us that children were not allowed to travel unaccompanied by an adult in a taxi and that’s why they were taken to the station. Now, I know that’s not true because I talked to a dozen adults afterward who told us they do it all the time with their own children. I also spoke to one of the police officers who spoke English and when I mentioned that I felt the children might have been discriminated against, he assured me they had not….but he said “these people are a lower level of people” and “they shouldn’t be trusted”. I’m sure my mouth was open in shock while he was saying these things. Understandably, the parents were upset when we brought their kids home and they took their anger out on poor Oana. Unable to understand a single thing they were screaming, I called Pastor Brian and asked him to pray…I told him we needed God to send us an angel because Oana was standing in the midst of 50 angry onlookers while one of the fathers (who was drunk) was yelling and waving his arms like a mad-man in Oana’s face and had seconds earlier attempted to strangle her boyfriend who had accompanied her. Just as I closed my phone…a car pulled up and the father of one of the other children stepped out. He is one of the most respected men in their group and he walked over to Oana and put his arm around her shoulder and two seconds later the crowd began to calm down and dissipate. It was over as quickly as it had begun and no one was hurt. God had sent us an angel!

We learned a lot that day about why the children react with such anger all the time…it is a way of life in their homes. Even the other day when we walked the kids home and talked to the parents, I noticed how one of the mothers interacted with her children as we were leaving. She screamed at them and hit them and had such anger on her face as she spoke that it just broke my heart to know that this behavior is “normal” to them. The children are desperate for attention and it seems the only way they know to get it is to misbehave. We’ve been working hard to praise them for the good behavior and take special efforts to watch for them doing good things so we can give them positive attention. It is amazing how a soft, kind word just melts the anger at times. Other times, it seems nothing we do is helping. Please pray for the kids and for us to have wisdom in our daily interactions with them. We do have those wonderful moments for which it makes it all worthwhile. The other day I joined two of the older girls on the cushion and we just started talking and telling stories (yes, I can actually carry-on a decent conversation in Romanian now) and we were having so much fun that before we knew it all the other children had joined us and we just had a wonderful, quiet, intimate time together. Sadly, one of the kids hit another kid and it ended in a big fight…but boy, it was wonderful for the 20 minutes that it lasted! Ha!

I’ve also learned that just as these children are suffering in their own homes, so are our two workers. Oana is in an abusive relationship with her boyfriend and Raluca and her husband have spoken of divorce due to the difficulties in their relationship. Both women are suffering immensely, but Ildiko and I have been praying with them and we’ve had a bit of a break through. Pastor Brian came one day and counseled with the girls, sharing Biblical truths with them about relationships…both with the men in their lives and with the Lord. It was a step in the right direction for them and since then, they have been reading the Bible and praying and Raluca’s relationship with her husband is getting better. Ildiko and I also planned an evening for the girls and they actually were able to come…which is a miracle. Every other time we’ve invited them to something they have wanted to come, but the men in their lives have prevented them from coming. So, last night we had a girl’s night out at Ildiko’s house and we watched the movie “Fireproof” with Kirk Cameron and they both had a wonderful time. They said they felt such peace and kept commenting on how they had never had such a wonderful time. We prayed with them before they left and I know that God is doing a work in their hearts.
It hasn’t been easy working with such hurting people and there have been days when I genuinely didn’t want to go to the center. The children have such anger issues due to their family situations, that sometimes it is almost overwhelming. The work is seriously arduous and I actually love that it is, because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I could not do this job without God’s help. This constant reliance on God for even the simplest of activities fills my heart with worship for his greatness. It is a continuing reminder of how hopeless my life is without him. Please keep the children and our workers in your prayers!


A snapshot of life in Romania




Wow…Romanians really know how to picnic! I was invited to a picnic recently and expected the usual sandwiches, chips, fruit, sodas, a blanket to sit on…you know, the typical simple picnic. What I was treated to instead was an outdoor banquet! First, we drove for almost an hour outside of town to a beautiful spot near a river with wonderful views. Then we crossed a log bridge to encounter wooden tables covered with linen tablecloths and mounds of food. The grill was an ingenious contraption allowing for grilling of meats and French fries all at the same time. In addition to the fresh fruits and tasty pastries, there was chicken and pork and steak and of course, the French fries. It was a marvelous feast!

We had a surprising visitor the other night…a hedgehog! It wandered down from the forest that is behind our house and I happened to see his shadow as I was talking to someone outside our kitchen window. We captured the poor little fellow just for one night so we could show the kids in the morning…he sure was cute, very prickly and kept trying to curl up in a little ball when he was being photographed, but boy did he smell bad! We let him go the next day and he ran for the hills faster than you can imagine! I imagine his adventure sleeping in a laundry basket will be something he shares with his family for weeks to come – ha!

One of my favorite things to do is read to kids…and oh how I wish I could read Romanian well enough to do it with our kids at the center. Sadly, it will be a while before I can do that…but I am practicing! In the meantime, I have had the pleasure of reading to the 5 kids in our home daily during the past few weeks. My mom sent me some used Pippi Longstocking books recently and the kids are hooked! They have been begging me daily to read to them…and I am only too happy to oblige!


Clowning Around










We had the 3rd Annual Special Olympics this month and Winky had a blast cheering on the kids and clowning around in general. The biggest highlight at this year’s event was the participation of the kids from our orphanage. Several of the older children from the orphanage who attend a local school for special needs kids were even invited on stage for a special performance (a song and poem) and they did a great job. One of the girls even became an assistant to the emcee and had the most marvelous time! When she realized that the clown was actually someone she knew, she just lit up and told her teacher that she knew me and that I came to visit her every week. In addition to seeing the older kids, I also saw many other workers from the orphanage there working as volunteers. Most of them had never seen me in costume before, so you can imagine their reactions when I spoke to them. Hilarious fun! I think my favorite moment came when I saw three of our small children from the orphanage at the event accompanied by staff members. The kids were enjoying themselves immensely and I wanted to greet them. Knowing how scared Mario is of everything, I was leery of speaking to him. I was sure that he would freak out and scream when he saw this clown approaching him. To my utter amazement, I spoke to him and he dropped the hand of the staff member, ran to me and jumped in my arms. He was as comfortable with me in make-up and costume as he was on any regular day. He wasn’t fazed in the least…and then I realized…it’s because he recognized my voice. It reminded me of John 10:27 when Jesus said his sheep recognize his voice and follow him. I looked completely different than normal, but Mario was not afraid…sometimes God doesn’t “look” the way we expect, but if we recognize his voice, we will know it is him and not be afraid. Marius had a little different reaction, he leaned back and looked quizzically at me, crinkling up his nose a bit…like he was thinking, “you sound like Natalie, but you sure look different”. It took him a little longer, but he came to the same conclusion as Mario…it’s Natalie! He too came for a hug and once he was comfortable that this strange looking face was really Natalie, he couldn’t take his eyes off me and his smile was priceless. It was such a joy to me that these kids knew me and were not afraid. May we all be like these children and recognize God’s voice and follow him.


New Beginnings













My two new little “sisters” (from the New Beginnings Family Center) are doing great. Lavinia and Cosmina are a lot of fun to have around. We spend a lot of time together in the evenings working on homework, putting puzzles together, playing games, etc. We also have some quiet time each night where we talk about our day and pray together. We’ve also been working on memorizing Bible verses (in Romanian, of course). This has been great for my language development and the girls really enjoy it. Sadly for them, it will often take us days to learn one verse because of all the new words I’m trying to master. By the time we’ve learned it, we know it pretty well though.

Although the new addition to our “family” has been enjoyable, we’ve also had an adjustment time. Cynthia bears the brunt of most of it with extra kids under foot vying for her attention. We pray that God continues to give her grace as all 6 youngsters in the house almost always need something. Bed time is such a welcome relief! We all help out, but she and Brian end up having to play the “heavy” when it comes to discipline. The other day Lavinia and Cosmina were teasing each other and it got out of hand…Lavinia made Cosmina so mad she cussed her out. Having been warned repeatedly about speaking improperly with each other (a problem they had from day one), Cynthia used a tried and true method that has worked with her other children…soap! They each had to hold soap on their tongue for 1-2 minutes before being allowed to rinse. It was not a pleasant experience for either of them…and then afterward, they spent the rest of the day in their room without toys or games. They had the option of reading or sleeping to pass the time. It was a harsh lesson, but there have been no more incidents since then.


Cosmina is in music school and is doing well with her guitar. We recently attended a recital where we enjoyed the performance of her latest work. She plays a classical style and I enjoy listening to her play…she recently played three songs that she wrote herself, each one completely different sounding than the previous one. In my opinion, it is quite impressive for one so young (she’s only 9).

Lavinia is the oldest child in the house (13 years old) and thoroughly enjoys mothering the others. Riley (our youngest at 2 ½ months) coos and “talks” non-stop to Lavinia when she is near. She truly has a nurturing gift and her dream is to one day become a kindergarten teacher. Unfortunately, her grades need improving…especially in math. We have hired a tutor for her, but she will have to work all summer in order to catch up to the rest of her class.
Although it’s a lot of work, it’s also extremely rewarding to be a part of these girls’ lives!


Prayer Requests:
• Visi and Marius (two of the boys from our programs) are having lots of problems at home and really need prayer.
• Raluca and Oana – wisdom in working with the children and help with their relationships
• One of the boxes I shipped to myself is still missing. Please pray that it will arrive soon!
• Continuing to learn the Romanian language
• Wisdom in working with the older children and new workers in the orphanage

With much love,
Natalie Bridges
natalie926@hotmail.com


I would like to help Natalie Bridges in the following way(s):
Becoming a prayer partner
Monthly Financial Support $________
One Time Financial Gift $________

Name _________________________

Address __________________________________________________

Phone _________________________

E-mail _________________________

* Please return this portion of the newsletter to: Calvary Chapel Boise
Attn: Jana Patton
123 Auto Drive
Boise, ID 83709

* Make all checks payable to Calvary Chapel Boise, all donations are tax deductible.
* To receive a tax receipt at the end of each year, please contact Calvary Chapel Boise.

February 2009 Update

I’m happy to report that we have no more evidence of mice in the house and sleeping with a flea collar has dramatically reduced the number of flea bites I’ve been receiving! Sometimes it’s the little things that can make such a big difference. I’ve also come to appreciate being healthy as I’ve been battling a nasty sinus infection and terrible cough for weeks. I finally broke down and started taking some antibiotics because the cough was so bad I couldn’t sleep. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate a good night’s rest now! We really have much to be thankful for and sometimes it takes losing little pleasures for a period of time to make us realize that.

Orphanage Update
Ildiko and I have continued to work with the older children each week and although it is extremely challenging, it is incredibly rewarding as well. Last Saturday I found myself sitting on the floor with 5 children huddled around me…all wanting attention and affection. One of the largest kids (he’s 16) decided he needed to sit on my lap, another wanted to have his head under my leg, another wanted to hold my hand, another snuggled next to me and the other scooted up close and kept talking about kittens. It was a bit overwhelming, but wonderful at the same time. I was talking to myself and praying quietly at one point asking the Lord for wisdom because I just wasn’t sure what to do with them. Hercules, one of the boys who speaks, blurted out “wisdom”. He had no idea what he was saying, I guess he just liked the way it sounded. He said it over and over and I could only smile and say, yes…that’s what I need! Next month Amanda Towle (an American social worker specializing in children with special needs who is living in Brasov) is coming to do some training with Ildiko and I. We are looking forward to her visit and pray that we will learn how to better help these children reach their full potential.

After-School Program Update








We had a team of High School students from England here for a week this month. The school brings a group of students each year and we were blessed to have 16 kids spending time with us. The teens were divided into groups of 5 and they rotated between our program and the orphanage, hospital, and special needs school in town. We had the teens pair up with our kids and work on math and reading as well as crafts and games. We had a wonderful time and our kids especially enjoyed all the extra attention. It was a long week, but very rewarding for all of us!







New Beginnings Update
The family center in the house attached to our house (like a duplex) is in need of house parents. The previous parents moved to be with extended family and we have been searching for new parents for a few months now. This month it was decided that we would split the kids up among us and integrate them into our families until new house parents can be found. So…we have two new young girls living with us in our house. Lavinia is 11 and Cosmina is 9 and I have to say it’s been a lot of fun having them here. They are full of energy and having them here has really been helping us with our Romanian. Lavinia had been struggling in school and the social worker said that her teachers have reported that she has made a marked improvement in her school work and overall general attitude in the past two weeks. It’s great to know that she is settling in and adjusting well to all the change. The girls have really enjoyed mothering the little kids and having big sisters (Cristina and I) to hang out with as well. It’s also great to be able to play a more active role in their lives and we really have enjoyed loving on them.

Wedding
We had another wedding in our church this month. Alexandra and Dorin had done the civil ceremony last year, but decided they wanted a church wedding as well. The timing was perfect because they were also able to have a dedication service for their newborn. It was a wonderful time of celebration for all of us and of course, we enjoyed a wonderful traditional Romanian wedding feast afterward


God continues to bless and move in the hearts and lives of the people here and I am so blessed to be a part of it!

Prayer Requests:
• One of the boxes I shipped to myself is missing. Please pray that it will arrive soon!
• Health…I’ve had a nasty sinus infection and cough
• Continuing to learn the Romanian language
• Wisdom in working with the older children and new workers in the orphanage
• For God to continue to help me prepare good lessons for my English class
• For new house parents for our family center
• For us to meet the needs of Lavinia and Cosmina and for them to continue to adjust well in their new home

With much love,
Natalie Bridges
natalie926@hotmail.com


I would like to help Natalie Bridges in the following way(s):
Becoming a prayer partner
Monthly Financial Support $________
One Time Financial Gift $________

Name _________________________

Address __________________________________________________

Phone _________________________

E-mail _________________________

* Please return this portion of the newsletter to: Calvary Chapel Boise
Attn: Jana Patton
123 Auto Drive
Boise, ID 83709

* Make all checks payable to Calvary Chapel Boise, all donations are tax deductible.
* To receive a tax receipt at the end of each year, please contact Calvary Chapel Boise.

January 2009 Update

What a joy it was to be home for the holidays! I was able to spend a month with my parents in Texas and had a wonderful time visiting with family and friends! I also got to spend a few weeks in Boise, but time was short and I didn’t get to see everyone I wanted to. Overall, it was a great visit and I was able to enjoy a much needed rest.

I had a long, but uneventful trip back to Bistrita and was welcomed by warm people, but a cold house! We had switched from our expensive gas radiator heating system to a wood burning stove just before I left for the States. So although it will save almost $1,000 per month in heating costs, it isn’t big enough to heat the entire house. We finally have the temperature inside up to 62 degrees now, but it took us a while to get there. Fortunately, the outside temperatures have been warming and that helps. It also helps that all of us are home again from our holiday travels and have someone tending to the fire on an ongoing basis. Along with all of us being home again, we discovered that we had some unexpected visitors staying with us…mice! We practically had mice condos in the pantry there were so many! To date, we have disposed of 17 mice. Hopefully we don’t have others yet to be discovered. One night we set 6 traps and in the morning, had 6 dead mice! I guess it’s a good thing the house is so cold or we might have had a larger rodent problem!
I have started back with the outreach programs again....basically picked up where I left off. It has been great fun loving on the kids again. They were really excited to see me and overall seem to be much calmer these days, which is wonderful. I think our new workers have settled into a better routine with the kids now and it is much less stressful for all of us. We’ve had a lot of sickness (colds and such) hitting the kids pretty hard this month, but overall the kids are doing well.

The New Year has brought some changes at the orphanage. In the past, I’ve focused my attention on the children in the "baby room"...where our smaller and younger children live. Our oldest is 7 years, but mentally still an infant. It has been and continues to be challenging, but the children are making great progress and some have even been placed into foster care. Consequently, the director has asked that Ildiko (the lady from our church who works with me there) and I begin working with the big kids too. They are much more difficult because they are larger, stronger, and can be violent. The number of older children living at the orphanage has increased over the past year because children from nearby villages have been transferred there for better care. There are 21 children aged 9-20 who could use more attention. During the week most of them are able to attend a local school specializing in children with special needs, however, there are 11 who are unable to attend due to the severity of their condition. These are the children we have been asked to focus on. The past two weeks we have spent several hours with these children and it was very difficult as neither of us have any special training or experience in this area. . The difference between the environment in the baby room and in the big kids’ rooms is huge. There is little interaction between the workers and the children and only a few toys even in the rooms (out of reach of the children). It seems they just watch the children to make sure they do not hurt themselves or each other, but do nothing to interact with them in a loving, nurturing, or educational way. I have also been told that there are still workers who do not like our presence in the orphanage because they do not like change and are upset that they have to tend to the children now instead of watching TV or reading magazines as they have done in the past. Please pray for continual change and openness in the hearts of the workers. Change can happen and I’ve already witnessed it to some degree. In just a few short days I have seen amazing changes in the children and the overall environment with the big kids. Yesterday we introduced music by bringing a CD filled with Romanian children songs and the reaction was priceless. The children expressed themselves in ways I had never witnessed before…smiling, laughing, clapping, even screaming with joy when the music started. One girl began rocking back and forth with a huge smile on her face and the more she liked the song, the faster she rocked. Even the workers were laughing and dancing around the room. We all laughed together with the children and had a marvelous time. It is my heart’s desire to see joy in these children’s lives and for them to experience genuine love and affection. Please pray that we will continue to introduce ways and methods of reaching both the children and the workers.


Another exciting thing that happened this month in the orphanage is Christmas!! Several years ago a team from Spain came for a couple of weeks and helped in the orphanage. The children made such a huge impact on them that they have sent
Christmas gifts for each of the children in the baby room for the past two years. I was able to bring those gifts to the children again this year and we so enjoyed sharing in their joy as they opened their gifts. Many of the workers as well as managers and staff joined in the celebration of joy. Each child received a new outfit and shoes as well as a toy specially picked out for them. The outfits were adorable and very fashionable and all of us ladies oohed and awed over them. The children who could, immediately put on their new shoes and proudly showed them off. Nicoleta even tried dressing herself…although we had to laugh when she put her new panties on her head! The toys are still being enjoyed and shared among all of them! It is my hope that long after they’ve outgrown the clothing and the toys are broken that we will all remember the love of our friends from Spain.

Prayer Requests:
• One of the boxes I shipped to myself is missing. Please pray that it will arrive soon!
• Health…I’ve had a nasty sinus infection and cough
• Continuing to learn the Romanian language
• Wisdom in working with the older children and new workers in the orphanage
With much love,
Natalie Bridges
natalie926@hotmail.com


I would like to help Natalie Bridges in the following way(s):
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* Please return this portion of the newsletter to: Calvary Chapel Boise
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123 Auto Drive
Boise, ID 83709

* Make all checks payable to Calvary Chapel Boise, all donations are tax deductible.
* To receive a tax receipt at the end of each year, please contact Calvary Chapel Boise.

Summer Update

You know those crazy times in your life when you really need to go to the bathroom and yet you’re so thirsty that you keep drinking anyway? Well, I feel like my updates are like that. I really need to stop and write, but I keep having one adventure after another making it difficult for me to do so. Consequently, here I am again starting another update with an apology for taking so long in writing. Please forgive me!! We had a fun-filled summer this year with teams visiting, trips, weddings, and lots of adventures that I will do my best to capture in words and pictures for you in this update.


Conference
July started with our annual 3-day “Equipping the Saints” conference sponsored by our church here in Bistrita. The conference is designed to provide an in-depth topical Bible study and this year the topic was Growing in Grace. We were blessed to have two of my favorite people as guest speakers this year…Andrew McCall, who pastors a church in Hungary, and Tom Velasco, a pastor on staff at Calvary Chapel Boise who was also one of my School of Ministry teachers. Andrew brought a group of guys from his church with him and it was really fun to have all the different languages mixing together. They all stayed with us at the ministry house…but it really started rocking after Tom arrived. Tom had no time to rest from his long flight and van ride to town because he arrived only minutes before it was time for him to speak! He was a trooper though and graced us with his company while sharing lots of stories and laughs with us after the teaching before going to bed. We had a good turnout for the conference and the teaching was a blessing to all of us.

During the conference our town had its annual Bistrita Days celebration, so we got to explore the fair-like atmosphere in town with our guests…which included Amanda Towle who came up from Brasov to attend the conference as well. There’s nothing like strolling through aisles of vendors trying to decide which tempting treat to enjoy and exploring local Romanian handcrafted items.

Sadly, everyone had to leave immediately following the conference, so we didn’t get to enjoy our guests for as long as we would have liked.

Teams
We didn’t have long to mourn the leaving of our friends though…for just as they were leaving, we welcomed members from two teams…one from England and one from Boise. We ended up with 22 of us in our home! It was wild! We weren’t all staying in the house at the same time for very long though because the primary purpose for the team’s visit was to do some work at the cabin we use for kids and youth camps and retreats for the foster kids and parents. The cabin is located about an hour outside of Bistita in the mountains. It’s the same cabin where we held our first kid’s camp two years ago. Sadly, it has begun to deteriorate over the past few years and really needed some repairs and general fixing up. It had also become infested with a rather large family of mice who had decided to nest in the mattresses and other choice locations throughout the cabin. The team did a lot of work, both inside and outside the cabin. They completed the bathroom, so we can actually use an indoor toilet now! They also built a large picnic table, repaired the fence surrounding the cabin, repaired some outlying buildings so they are usable for sleeping, and thoroughly cleaned and spruced up the place, among other things.

Fortunately for me, not all of the workers were needed at the cabin the entire two weeks they were here…so several of the ladies from both teams accompanied me to the orphanage and the gypsy kid program. It was perfect timing having the extra help because the day before the team arrived, the orphanage took in 3 brothers who had been
left alone to fend for themselves when their mother left to work in Spain. Their father apparently is not a part of their lives…so Marian, who is six years old, was in charge! He took care of himself and his twin 2 year old brothers. It was quite a scandal in town when it was discovered. So, these lice-ridden children found a temporary home in our orphanage just before the team arrived. Having the extra gals was a huge help as these children craved attention in a major way. It took all of us to take care of the now 11 children in the orphanage. We took them to the park and also got to try out the new toboggans that the team brought us. Amanda Towle (now living and working Brasov) is a former social worker and one of her physical therapist friends told her what a great tool plastic toboggans are to developmentally challenged children. It helps develop balance for those who are learning to walk and provides sensory stimulation for those who desperately need it. So, Amanda asked if it might be possible for the team to bring us over a few…a couple for me to use here in Bistrita and one for her at the hospital in Brasov. The Buckmaster’s so graciously accepted the challenge of finding toboggans in the summer in Boise. They were told they didn’t have any as it was not snow season. But after explaining why they needed them, the owner of the store disappeared into a back room and came out with three perfect toboggans…and she gave them to us for FREE! Thankfully, the Buckmasters are creative and talented people because they were able to figure out a way to bring them all the way to Romania for us! The physical therapist friend of Amanda’s was right…they are an awesome tool and the kids LOVED them! They were a huge hit and are still a favorite with the kids today.


The teams were such a blessing to us in so many ways. We were built up by their testimonies of God’s goodness, prayer, praise, encouragement, and Godly examples. And the guys from England are extremely musical. They led worship during our Sunday evening Prayer and Praise service and it was an anointed evening. We hated to see them leave!





Orphanage Update
A few weeks ago Marian went to live with his grandfather and although it was hard to see him go because he is such a wonderful, sweet boy…it is good for him to be back with family instead of the orphanage. His brothers were also placed in separate foster homes a few days before Marian left. Please pray for all three of these boys!


We have 9 children now to care for and one more worker. Ildiko has been working in the orphanage with me for the past two months and it has been such a help having her there. The NGO (non-government organization) that I volunteer for wanted to hire a Romanian worker to help me so we could give the children more attention and help the workers be more attentive to the children. Sadly, to many of the workers taking care of these children is just a job…they have no affection, much less love for these children and it is evident in their lack of interaction with the children. For example, when I arrived last Saturday, the worker on duty was just leaving the connecting room to the baby room where she had been watching television. All of the children were still in their cribs and none had any of the toys. Upon my arrival she hurriedly began attending to the children, putting on their shoes and taking them out of their cribs for the play time. She did end up playing with some of the children while I was there, but it is evident that it is not normal for her to do so.

When the NGO told me they wanted to hire another person they asked me if I knew of anyone who wanted the job. I immediately thought of Ildiko because I had been impressed with her eagerness to help with mentoring the foster kids and her sweet disposition. I interviewed her for the job and because I had been given the impression that I had the authority to do so, I hired her. I later learned that the NGO was planning to interview several candidates…including Ildiko. We both began praying because Ildiko had volunteered for a couple of days during this time and really felt like this was something she wanted to do. I was impressed with how she worked with the children and how quickly they fell in love with her. Well…the NGO interviewed all the candidates and one by one, they eliminated them for one reason or another. In the end, the favorite was Ildiko and she got the job! I was so happy they agreed she would be the best candidate! We’ve been working together for almost two months now and it’s been wonderful. She and I are working on creating specific goals for each of the children so we can implement the Recognition and Reward program that the Lord put on my heart to begin. Please continue to pray for this program as we hope it will help motivate our workers to spend more time with the children helping them to develop to their full potential.

Open Doors - Gypsy Kid Program

Although normally the gypsy kid program is an after-school program, we kept it open this summer so the kids would have a place to play and eat and shower on a regular basis…as well as keep learning. We continued to prepare homework for them to keep up their math, reading, and language skills. They worked hard, earning points toward the grand prize for the year…a trip to the Black Sea. Since many of the kids were coming up short on points, they were anxious to do more homework so they could earn the necessary points. Unfortunately, our two workers…the Romanians who prepare the homework and lead day-to-day activities with the kids …both decided to quit in July. That left me in charge and was the beginning of another adventure that continues today. Several things happened that were answers to prayer about this new responsibility…one is that Clare really came to my rescue. She prepared and emailed me the homework for the kids each day so all I had to do was print it out and it was ready to go. She also started scheduling calls through Messenger with the kids each day. I also experienced a miracle every day for 2 weeks…God brought me helpers. It started with the team asking if they could come and help me and after they left I had other Romanians who asked if they could help. Add in a few applicants (I also began interviewing candidates for these positions immediately) who after their interview came for a day to help out and experience the program for themselves. Through the combination of all these things, I ended up having help until Clare arrived at the end of the month. It was really a miracle! The last miracle was hiring a person for one of the two positions. Her name is Oana and she is awesome! She is a hard worker and really cares about the kids. She also speaks perfect English so we are able to work really well together. She has a physical challenge…a birth defect leaving her with only half of her left arm. It may make things a little more difficult for her, but she can just about do everything a person with two arms and hands can do. She can braid hair, swing kids around, tie shoelaces…you name it and chances are she can do it! It’s really been a great thing for the kids to see that physical challenges don’t necessarily limit your abilities. Oana came from a one-parent abusive home, so she can really relate to the challenges our kids face. It’s as if she’s always been part of the program. We are finding it more difficult to find the right person for the second position. So, for now we are trying to handle things with just the two of us. So far it’s going ok. We had a back-to-school party for the kids that was a blast for all of us, took them to our local cinema (similar to our dollar theaters) for an excursion to see Prince Caspian, and are working on trying to create some routine and discipline that have been lacking due to all the changes. Our next big adventure is a move…our apartment is being sold, so we have till the end of this week to move to our new (smaller) apartment. We’ll be moving everything…including our carpet, so pray for us!!

A Faith-Building Trip
Clare arrived for a visit at the end of July during a break from her school. It was time for the big year-end trip that the kids have been working for all year. Only 8 of them had earned enough points to go, so it was a really big deal. Normally, Clare takes them to the Black Sea and the kids really look forward to it each year. Unfortunately, the inexpensive lodging that she managed to acquire the past two years was not available this year. After numerous unsuccessful attempts to find similar accommodations, panic was beginning to set in with Clare. It was just about that time that during a weekly prayer meeting Pastor Brian read to us Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” He reminded us that if we are worried about something it means we’re not praying enough…and if we’re praying enough we won’t be worried. Clare was still in the States at this time, so I emailed her the verse and the comment from Brian. She told me that she immediately prayed after reading the email and when she finished, the Lord spoke to her and said “Bucharest”…He wanted her to take the kids to Bucharest this year. God had also put Bucharest on my heart during this same time…so we decided Bucharest was where we would be going this year. Fortunately for us, there is another Calvary Chapel church in Bucharest and we planned to stay there since they have a big room and mattresses where we could sleep, a small bathroom with a shower, a small kitchen, and was close to public transportation. It would be perfect for us…perfect except that it turned out to be unavailable! There was no room for us! We had a few days to find something, so we didn’t panic. We started calling hostels and everyone we knew who might know someplace we could stay in Bucharest…for cheap. Unfortunately, we were coming up dry.
Then, we got a break. A friend of ours from church had a pastor friend in Busteni that would let us stay in their church. Busteni is a mountain resort town about 2 hours from Bucharest. We were running out of time, so we decided to head first to Busteni while we kept praying and making calls to find a place to stay in Bucharest. The church we stayed in sat next to a wonderful creek lined with tall trees. It was so wonderful to hear the rushing water and smell the crisp, clean air! The mountains were majestic and it was so peaceful! We hiked up to a waterfall and had a picnic one day and took a short train ride to a nearby castle another day. It was fun and restful in Busteni, but there wasn’t much else to do…and we knew we were supposed to press on to Bucharest. So, we kept praying, making calls, and the next day we caught the morning train to Bucharest. We were literally on the train only 10 minutes from Bucharest and still had no place for us, the 8 kids, and all our luggage to stay…and yet we had perfect peace. We just knew that somehow God was going to provide for us and that this was one of those faith-building experiences that we would talk about for the rest of our lives. It really was the peace that blew me away. I kept thinking…I should be stressed out…worried…something! But instead, an unexplainable calm and an assurance that somehow it was going to work out perfectly. We had prayed specifically…Lord, we really need a place to stay and preferably one with beds for everyone, a bathroom, a kitchen, and something close to public transportation. Just about that time my phone rang…another friend from church. She had called a friend who went to school in Bucharest and thought he might know of someplace we could stay. He had attended a Baptist Seminary there and said…what about the school? The dorms will be empty because it’s the summer holiday. So, while sitting at a McDonald’s in the train station in Bucharest we called the seminary. We explained our situation and they said, come on over! We’re only a 15-minute walk from the train station and we’ll be ready for you when you get here. We all started cheering and gathering up our bags…we had a place to stay and they gave us an amazing deal that fit well within our meager budget. When we arrived, we were given a room with beds and dulaps for each of the boys, another room with beds and dulaps for each of the girls, and another room with beds and dulaps for Clare and I. The bathroom at the end of the hall had 4 sinks and mirrors, three toilets, and two showers! It was huge! They gave us full use of their kitchen and dining room facilities as well as cups, plates, silverware, etc. God had given us everything we needed and better than we had ever imagined! The person in charge of the dorms was so kind and helpful…we were just blown away. We spent the next four days enjoying the Water Park, mall, KFC, and exploring Bucharest’s famous landmarks. We had a blast! The Lord also gave us this reminder on our trip…from Psalms 121: “I lift up my eyes to the hills — where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip — he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you — the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm — he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” Praise the Lord!



These are links to see a slide show of some of our photos:
http://www.rockyou.com/show_my_gallery.php?source=ppsl&instanceid=121125704
http://www.rockyou.com/show_my_gallery.php?source=ppsl&instanceid=121156794
http://www.rockyou.com/show_my_gallery.php?source=ppsl&instanceid=121155224


Any’s Wedding
Remember how I told you I have been going from one adventure to another? Well…just as we were finishing up our trip to Bucharest, I had to break away from the group and head to Sibiu for a wedding…Any’s wedding! Any (pronounced like Annie) is one of the foster girls who lives with us. She is 21 years old now and has been with New Beginnings for the past 7 years. Any came from a broken home and had been living with her grandparents. After their death, she was placed with New Beginnings where she was given just that. Her life experiences had changed this normally social child into a reserved young lady wary of being rejected again. It took her 8 months before she was comfortable enough to give her first hug. Any was able to return to her normal gregarious self under the unconditional and consistent love of her new foster parents who shared with her the love of Jesus and helped her to understand that through a repentant heart she could become part of the family of God (John 1:11-12).

School was another issue altogether. Any had a talent for art and wanted to attend the High School for artists, but bribes are normal in Romania and if you want to get into a good school, you do what you have to do. Without bribe money, it would be nearly impossible for Any to get into the already overfilled school, but a kind teacher had compassion on her and helped her prepare the necessary items to be accepted. Any got into the school and because of her talent, won a competition which awarded her a scholarship to attend college. She has been attending college in Sibiu studying fashion design and has one more year left.

While at school, Any was invited to attend a college Bible group and there she met a young man named Dani. We got to meet Dani for the first time two years ago at Christmas (2006). He is a Godly, intelligent, soft-spoken, fun-loving young man and we loved him immediately! We were so happy when they announced their engagement last Christmas. Weddings in Romania are a bit different than in the States. Traditionally, the party starts at the groom’s house…then travels to the bride’s house…then to the court house for the official wedding (signing the marriage certificate, etc.)…then to the church…then to the reception…with lots of pictures along the way. Any and Dani’s wedding would be similar…just spread out over several days and two locations. Any and Dani decided to have the civil ceremony and a reception in Sibiu for their friends and family there and the church wedding and reception in Bistrita for friends and family here. I was fortunate to be part of both! What a joy it was to be a part of Any’s wedding celebration and another “new beginning” in her life!

Answered Prayer:
• Finding a place to stay in Bucharest that was perfect for our needs.
• Having help at Clare’s place every single day while looking for new workers.
• Hired a new worker for Clare’s place who is great.
• Hiring Ildiko to help at the orphanage.

Please continue to pray for:
• Learning the Romanian Language.
• Ongoing flea issues.
• Beginning the new Conversational English class. For students and ideas about what to teach.
• The children at the orphanage…that we will be able to help them develop to their full potential and for the workers to actually show them love.
• That I will continue to learn to work with children with special needs and the successful implementation of the reward/recognition program for the workers.
• Transitions for the Open Doors program with new workers and a new location.
• For the gypsy women who have such huge life-stresses.
• That I will have a greater servant’s heart to be a blessing to the Romanian people.


With much love,
Natalie Bridges
natalie926@hotmail.com


I would like to help Natalie Bridges in the following way(s):
Becoming a prayer partner
Monthly Financial Support $________
One Time Financial Gift $________

Name _________________________

Address __________________________________________________

Phone _________________________

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* Please return this portion of the newsletter to: Calvary Chapel Boise
Attn: Jana Patton
123 Auto Drive
Boise, ID 83709

* Make all checks payable to Calvary Chapel Boise, all donations are tax deductible.
* To receive a tax receipt at the end of each year, please contact Calvary Chapel Boise.

Spring Update

123 Auto Drive
Boise, ID 83709
208.321.7440

Str. Ion Vidu Nr. 25
Bistrita -JUD BN Code 4400
Romania, Europe
40.075.118.3962

I can’t believe it’s been so long since my last update! So much has happened that it’s hard to know where to start. I thought I would group the events into categories and update you on the things that have been happening the past few months. Overall, it’s been an exciting time here in Romania. Each day seems to bring a new adventure bigger than the day before. God is really blessing us here and we are growing in His Grace each day.

Orphanage
There are currently 8 children in the “baby room” at the orphanage…not all of them are babies, but they are all special needs children. I have seen some great progress in them over the past few months. We have been working specifically with three of the children who could not stand or walk and I’m happy to report that we’ve made successful steps forward (pun intended!). Marius is walking comfortably with help and some on his own, Nicoleta is standing and walking with assistance, and Lacrimoara can pull herself up and stand alone in her crib. It may not sound like much, but if you had seen them only a few months ago, you would recognize that a miracle has taken place. Our challenge with these three now is language development and social skills.

One of the boys, Mario, is 3 and is developmentally delayed due to living in institutions his entire life. He exhibits some autistic behaviors, but it is difficult to determine if they are a result of copying autistic children or if he is truly autistic. The Lord put it on my heart to begin taking him out of the orphanage for extended periods of time to expose him to more experiences…like playing with normal children in a home with educational toys, riding in a taxi and going to the grocery store, playing in the park, etc. After much prayer, I approached the director and asked if this would even be possible as I am only a volunteer. Without hesitation, she said yes and said she could have the necessary paperwork completed that day! I was amazed! I sincerely expected there to be a lot of red tape and bureaucracy involved…and at the very least, the need to ask someone higher up for permission. So, the next day I began my excursions with Mario outside the orphanage. I’m happy to say that Mario and I have spent many hours together over the past two months and although it has been challenging, we are both enjoying it immensely. In that time he has mastered 8 new words and is responding to discipline (timeouts) to correct his temper tantrums and other misbehavior. He is also less fearful of new experiences (e.g. taxi rides) and people and seems to be more comfortable going anywhere with me.

I am now working with the director to develop a recognition and reward program for the workers to encourage more diligent attention to the individual needs and developmental goals of the children. I put together an initial proposal and it was met with great excitement. We are now working out the details and hope to have it implemented in the next few weeks.

I am also increasing my hours to include more time on the weekends and we hope to find another volunteer to work on the days when I have other commitments. This decision came after the director pointed out to me recently that most of the deaths of children in our hospital occur on the weekends when extra care-givers and volunteers are gone. Most of us look forward to the weekend, but these children dread it. Although we don’t have many deaths of children at the orphanage, it is still a great need for the well-being of the children. Sadly, there are several children who seem to being doing worse now than when I first met them. Mia and Georgel have been at the orphanage the longest and they seem to be more frustrated and upset than they used to be. I’m hoping that with more attention, they will do better.

Open Doors



I continue to work 4 days a week at the after-school program for underprivileged gypsy kids (Open Doors). We have 3 new children who are, or should be, in kindergarten. They’re great kids, but they have no discipline and one of them (Adrian) couldn’t even hold a pencil or draw a simple picture when he first came. I’m happy to report that they are responding to the routine and structure of our program and actually require fewer timeouts. Also, Adrian seems to be passing up the other kindergarten aged kids with his abilities now. His drawings are much more detailed and his letters and numbers are consistently better than the others. He has just blossomed over the past few months and it is so exciting to see. He was extremely shy and reserved when he first came and he has come out of his shell and is maturing by leaps and bounds. We hope to have him ready for school in the fall.

The kids have been working hard on their school homework as well as their extra reading and math homework and other learning activities. They’ve been earning points for all this hard work and have had the opportunity to cash in their points for exciting outings. We took the kids to Cluj, a two-hour train ride from our town, to see the Botanical Gardens there.
Their favorite part was seeing the banana and palm trees in a special greenhouse section of the garden. They talked about the banana trees for weeks! We also hiked up to a scenic overlook to get a great view of the entire city as well as enjoyed a special treat…McDonald’s Happy Meals!






The kids also earned enough points for a 3-day trip to the cabin in the mountains where they got to pick raspberries, run and play, and visit the Dracula castle hotel located just down the road. The cabin is always a special treat for the kids. Every time we take them there they always say they wish they could live there. Sadly, it is because conditions at home are so bad. It makes for a challenging time at the center because their behavior reflects the neglect and abuse they receive at home. Many times we have angry and sullen children on our hands and it is difficult to teach a child in those conditions. We offer unconditional love and consistency and although it is difficult, we do see progress.

We have had some challenges recently with the program and would greatly appreciate your prayers. We have had to hire two new workers to replace the two who are leaving. The first few months are extremely challenging for new workers as you can imagine...remember how you used to test the limits with substitute teachers who weren’t sure of the rules? Yeah…it’s like that. In addition to that huge change, the owner of the apartment we’ve been renting has announced he is selling the apartment and we’ve had to find a new one. So, we’ll be moving to a new location in a couple of months. It’s not as big or nice as our current location, but we’re being optimistic that it will have other benefits, like being less expensive to heat in the winter.

Our next big event is a trip to the Black Sea. A team of High School students from England raise money throughout the year so that we can take the kids on an all-expense paid trip to the beach. We’ll be taking them in August and this will be my first time accompanying them. I’m sure it will be memorable!

Conference

I had the privilege of joining pastors, missionaries, workers, and other volunteers from all over Eastern Europe at an annual conference in Hungary two weeks ago. We had a great time meeting people and hearing about the work they’re doing all over Eastern Europe.

We also heard some excellent speakers and enjoyed some great facilities at the Calvary Chapel Bible College in Vajta, Hungary. They had a huge swimming pool, sand volleyball pit, outdoor basketball court, large grounds to explore, and a castle tour to name a few things. The college is located in a castle that was purchased very inexpensively because it had not been used in years. They’ve done some remodeling, but much of it was restored to its original condition (or as close as possible due to the expense). It is a huge, beautiful building with magnificent grounds, and it was a wonderful experience.

One of my favorite experiences at the conference was an evening “jam session” with all the Romanians in attendance at the conference. I saw old friends and made new ones as we sang song after song enjoying each other’s company and the presence of the Lord. It reminded me of evenings with my family and friends growing up…when everyone who played got out their guitars and the words to every song we knew and started singing through the list. It was so awesome to hear so many voices raised in song.


The last day of the conference we took advantage of the free time and drove into the closest big city to Vijta, which was an hour away. The city’s name is Szekesfehervar…don’t ask me how to pronounce it!! The city had a quaint old city center filled with little cafes and restaurants, as well as interesting stores. This city is famous for being the location where Hungary’s first king was crowned more than 1000 years ago.

The theme of the conference was Zechariah 4:6.... Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit saith the Lord of Hosts. We were reminded the importance of prayer, allowing God to do the impossible in and through us…not by our skills and abilities but by his Holy Spirit. When we remember who God is and what He is able to do we are released from fear or overwhelming situations and we get to see Him move in miraculous ways. It was exciting to be unified with so many great people and have the chance to get to know the people from our own church even better. It truly was a blessed time!


The Black Sea
One of our New Beginnings sponsors has been taking the child he sponsors and her entire foster family who live at our family center (the house-parents, their two children and the four New Beginnings kids) to the Black Sea for an all-expense paid vacation each summer.





It is the highlight of the summer for these children as it includes an overnight train ride to and from the Black Sea, staying at a nice (yet inexpensive) home during the week, playing at the beach twice a day, walks into town each evening where they get to spend the money they’ve earned from good behavior, great food, and lots of laughs.

This year the house-parents were unable to go on the trip and I was asked to accompany the children along with two other Romanian speakers for the week. What a treat it was to spend so much time with these great kids. Our favorite memories include riding the bumper cars at the carnival in town, eating watermelon, and roasting marshmallows over a fire. We had a wonderful time and after we got back they told me they cried because they missed us so much. Fortunately for me, these kids live next door so I get to see them every day!

Winky’s Big Adventures



Winky has been on three big adventures in addition to her ongoing hospital visits. On May 18th, she attended the 2nd Annual Special Olympics here in Bistrita and had a wonderful time making balloons and cheering on the participants for hours. We all had a marvelous time and the weather held out pretty well for us. It didn’t start to rain until the very end of the scheduled events and didn’t last long.

On May 30th the Department of Child Protective Services (DPC) and Non-profit partner organization of the DPC hosted the annual National Children’s Day party for all the foster kids in the Bistrita area. The party was at the park again this year and the kids were treated to games, snacks, prizes, and balloons. Winky had a fabulous time playing with the kids again this year. Many of the kids remembered Winky from last year, so it was a special treat for all of us to play together again. It’s definitely a highlight of the year for Winky.


On June 1st the New Beginnings foster kids were treated to another party in their honor at a local gymnasium due to inclement weather. We played some fabulous new games using balloons and followed the formula for success…food and presents for each kid! Our foster parents were also there which made it a special family event as well. Winky was exhausted by the end of the weekend, but it was a good kind of tired. Even after the make-up came off, a huge smile remained!

A Special Project
A few weeks ago I got to use my HR skills to assist Clare (the founder of the Open Doors program) with a huge grad school assignment. She is working on a project that requires a one-hour interview of 100 gypsy women who have children between the ages of 5-15 living at home. It is a daunting task, so I suggested an interview day similar to the kind we used to have at Albertsons. She loved the idea…so she created a flyer and solicited some help from her gypsy kids’ parents to get the word out and we prepared food packets for each volunteer who came to be interviewed. We only had 4 interviewers because the interviews had to be done by a female who spoke Romanian and with it being finals week at the high schools, all the gals I knew who would have loved to help, couldn’t. In the end, it turned out great though. We completed 30 interviews and I managed to keep all the ladies and their kids entertained with balloons for hours in the waiting room. At one point there were 50 people in the waiting room because the ladies had no one to watch their kids and they have so many of them!! We started our interviews at 10AM and by 8PM when we said goodbye to the last lady we were ready to drop dead. My fingers were going to fall off from tying so many balloons…but it was such a joy to see how much the kids loved their balloons. Many of these ladies are so poor they are living in cardboard boxes.

The interviews were about the life-stresses the women faced on a daily basis and included a section on discrimination. The interesting thing we discovered after a preliminary look at the results was that the greater the life-stress in a woman’s life (e.g. husband out of work, many children, no running water, no close family, living in a cardboard structure, etc.), the more likely she was to feel discriminated against. The women who had relatively low life-stress did not feel discriminated against. Another sad consequence of the interviews was the discovery that at least 3 of the women had recently been contemplating suicide. It really broke out hearts to see so many hurting women. Right now, I don’t know how to help them except to pray for them and I would ask you to do the same.

Well, as you can see…life has been exciting for me lately and the summer has only just begun. This summer we’re looking at kids’ and youth camps and teams visiting from the States and lots of special outings with the New Beginnings foster kids and the gypsy kids. It’s going to be busy, but I’m looking forward to it!! Thanks for taking the time to read this update…write me a note if can, I’d love to hear from you!!!


Answered Prayer:
• Because I’ve been traveling a bit, I have had a reprieve from the fleas lately. It’s such a relief!!!
• Having the chance to use my HR experience to bless Clare by helping with interviews and the school project and developing the reward and recognition program for the orphanage workers.
• Great progress in the physical development of the orphans who are learning to walk.

Please continue to pray for:
• Learning the Romanian Language.
• Ongoing flea issues.
• Ideas for building relationships with my English students who would like to continue meeting with me over the summer break.
• The children at the orphanage…that we will be able to help them develop to their full potential and for the workers to actually show them love.
• That I will continue to learn to work with children with special needs and the success implementation of the reward/recognition program for the workers.
• Transitions for the Open Doors program with new workers and a new location.
• For the gypsy women who have such huge life-stresses.
• That I will have a greater servant’s heart to be a blessing to the Romanian people.


With much love,
Natalie Bridges
natalie926@hotmail.com


I would like to help Natalie Bridges in the following way(s):
Becoming a prayer partner
Monthly Financial Support $________
One Time Financial Gift $________

Name _________________________

Address __________________________________________________

Phone _________________________

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* Please return this portion of the newsletter to: Calvary Chapel Boise
Attn: Jana Patton
123 Auto Drive
Boise, ID 83709

* Make all checks payable to Calvary Chapel Boise, all donations are tax deductible.
* To receive a tax receipt at the end of each year, please contact Calvary Chapel Boise.

My walk to the Orphanage Today

So many times the ordinary events in a person’s life don’t get told to anyone. They are just private memories that bring a smile to the owner’s face if they remember them and that’s it. Today, I walked to the orphanage but instead of just holding the memories of that walk inside, I’ve decided to share them.

One of the things I love about living in Romania is the pace of life...it is slower and more enjoyable. The fact that I can leisurly walk to work in the morning is a joy in itself. It has been raining quite a bit lately, so everything has that fresh rain smell and as I walked, I took deep breaths and enjoyed the cool clean air. As I walked I noticed a large group of people walking towards me all engaged in conversations with each other. As they passed I couldn’t help hearing a few words and usually I don’t pay much attention to them as they are little snipits of conversation in a different language...basically just noisy voices. Well, today as they walked by I realized something. I actually understood the few words I heard....a woman was talking about her sister needing some medicine. My vocabulary of Romanian words isn’t that large yet, but in that moment I heard a few words that I recognized and in that split second of our passing...I understood! What a thrill it was to actually hear and understand!! I spent the next few minutes reflecting on how good that felt and then it was time to cross the street. This, of course, requires a little more concentration because the cars here are supposed to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks, but you must make sure they see you and are able to stop before you just head out. Today, it was easy...the cars were far enough away that I could readily cross without fear. I had only walked about 20 feet when I heard a child’s voice calling my name in Romanian...Natalia, Natalia! I turned to look and saw a group of children...six of them...walking behind me waving hello and practicing their English. Hello!!! I smiled because this group of gypsy kids are what my grandmother would call “street urchins”. No matter where I go or when I go in town, it seems I always see one or more of them running around begging for money. Usually they call me Tanti (rhymns with Auntie...which is also what it means). Tanti is an affectionate name that children call women...even if the woman is not their aunt. Apparently, they know my name now and have graduated from Tanti to Natalia. They came running up to me and encircled me. I’m sure we made quite a sight...me wearing my long black rain coat standing in the middle of these children...and all of them wearing orange track suits. I can only guess that they must have found a good deal on them...or they all really like the color orange! They kind of looked like a team of gymnasts waiting to compete. They all started talking to me and I understood enough to have a short conversation with them before they started using words outside of my vocabulary. At that point they decided to switch to English and started singing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”. They didn’t quite have the pronounciation correct, so I joined in to help them. I had to laugh as one elderly woman passed us and smiled. I wasn’t sure if she knew we were singing a Christmas song, but since I did it made me laugh. I’m surround by orange clad gypsy kids singing a Christmas song in April. After this we had to get going because they were headed to school and I needed to get to the orphanage. They then took turns telling me they loved me both in Romanian and English and kissing my cheek. One little boy must have kissed me 5 times before leaving! By that time, I was at the driveway of the orphanage and as I walk toward the building I was excited to pass along a little love and kiss some cheeks myself!

Winter Update

123 Auto Drive
Boise, ID 83709
208.321.7440

Str. Ion Vidu Nr. 25
Bistrita -JUD BN Code 4400
Romania, Europe
40.075.118.3962

The weather is warming up and I’m finally writing my winter update! I bet you all thought I fell off the face of the earth! I'm so sorry I haven't updated my blog lately. My computer died and I have been without it for months now. A friend of a friend of a friend here (it's all who you know - ha!) is a computer guru and he has been trying to fix it for me. Sadly, everything he's tried has not worked and it is looking more and more like I'm going to have to get a new one. In the meantime, I've been trying to borrow other housemate's computers...but sadly, one by one, they are all dying too. Brian and Cynthia's laptop died shortly after mine. Then the big desktop computer that we all share has started having trouble. The CPU fan is going out and it just shuts down without notice and lately we've kept it turned off because of its complete unreliability. So, now we're down to Nicu's laptop and he's been really nice about sharing it with all of us...but, well....he likes to use it a lot. So, needless to say, with my computer time severely limited it has made it tough to spend much time communicating like I'd like to.

The winter was a little colder and snowier than last year, but not unbearable. We took the Open Doors kids (the gypsy kids who come to the after school program) to the mountains again in January for a Snow Camp...three days of sledding and playing in the snow...and roughing it without running water. It’s amazing how clean melted snow ISN’T! Ha! Once it’s boiled, it’s good enough to wash dishes though and the boys were happy enough to oblige me by bringing in buckets of it several times each day. It’s amazing how much snow it takes to make a pot of water...and since it takes so long to get the water it is amazing to learn how little you can get by with when washing dishes. It was so awesome to be back home and able to have running water. Sometimes it’s the littlest things you take for granted! I got to play the role of “cook” again on this adventure. It’s amazing how appreciative these kids are with hotdog and noodle soup! I have to admit, it wasn’t half bad...and I don’t really care for Romanian hotdogs much (the outer casing is a little on the tough side for me). I do make a mean hot chocolate though...of course, it helped having fresh milk from the neighbors. Now that was some creamy hot chocolate! We had a really fun time and the kids all wanted to move there and live with us permanently.



















I had some problems with renewing my visa in time, so I had to leave the country again in February. The timing turned out to be perfect since we had a visiting pastor from Hungary here to do a pastor's conference and I was able to travel to Hungary with him and stay with his family for a few days. Surprisingly, there is a newer airline called Wizz Air and they have specials frequently. I was able to fly round trip to Budapest very inexpensively. From there we drove about an hour to the village where Andrew and Dori McCall and their new baby Matei live. The first thing I noticed driving to the village were the roads...they’re just like the nice roads we have in the States. Since Budapest is only an hour flight from the Cluj airport in Romania you wouldn’t think the roads would be that different. I made a comment about the roads being so nice it was like being in a different country...then Andrew reminded me that we were in a different country! Duh! Wow...you don’t really think about how bad the roads are in Romania until you’re driving on nice ones. It’s such a huge difference! Andrew is from the States and Dori is Hungarian. He met her at the Bible college in Hungary and they married a few years later. God has gifted him tremendously...he is only 25 years old and pastors the Calvary Chapel church there and is also working full-time (without pay) as an apprentice learning woodworking. He's really good...in fact, he made all the furniture in their house! He also speaks and writes Hungarian fluently (the Hungarians don't believe him when he tells them he's not Hungarian!). Dori is a soft-spoken, tender-hearted beautiful woman of God. It was such a blessing to get to spend time with them.


I've been keeping busy with my volunteer work. I have seen such a huge change in the orphanage since I first started going there. Initially, the workers just left the children in their cribs and took them out only when they had to because they felt that if they held one baby, they would have to hold them all and they just didn't have time to do that and get all their cleaning chores done. Now, I've noticed they not only get the children out of their cribs more, but they actually play with them. It's so awesome to see them softening towards the children and loving on them. I am having a wonderful time loving on them myself. They are just so precious. The coolest thing is that I got permission for my gypsy kids to come and visit the orphanage and play with the children. They had an amazing time! It was so cool to see these little girls (9 - 10 yrs. old) carrying the babies around like little mommas. The babies weigh almost as much as these skinny little girls, but that doesn't slow them down as they flex every muscle they have picking them up. Sometimes I worried they would topple to the floor with the babies, but somehow they managed to get them into "hip position" like a body-builder straining to lift the barbells overhead. The little boys surprised me by holding even the toughest of the kids...Adriana who is rigid and Georgel who is so easily upset for example, but they were awesome with them. It made such an impact on those kids that they all told me they were going to pray for them every night and one of the girls begged me to let her come on her breaks while she's in school. I also have some of my Sunday School kids asking to come with me when they get out of school. It's been cool to see my volunteering endeavors kind of merging together and overlapping.

Georgel is the little blind, autistic boy that I’ve been so worried about. God has been answering our prayers and he has been doing so much better. Unfortunately, it looks like it’s going to be one of those situations where we will need to continually lift him up. He has begun to regress again and they have had to begin restraining his hands due to the severe damage he is inflicting upon himself. His left ear is especially wounded...swollen with the skin behind his ear completely ripped open. It looks so painful and yet he still twists his head around to try and hit and rub it against my shoulder when I am holding him. I have to keep his head completely away from my body so he doesn’t try to hurt himself. Amanda Towle is a social worker who has worked with special needs kids for many years and she just moved from Boise to Brasov in January. She is a wonderful friend of mine who recently spent a few days with me here in Bistrita. She came with me to the orphanage and was able to evaluate Georgel a bit and offer some helpful suggestions to minimize his self-destructive behavior. Apparently, it all has to do with his senses. She explained that if we apply pressure to his head or other parts of his body (feet, hands, etc.) with our hands, it helps his body regulate itself better and reduces the need for self-inflicting the pain. The other workers and I have been doing it and we’ve seen some improvement.

During Amanda’s visit to Bistrita we had our annual Easter parade and craft piaza. We got to see traditional Romanian dancers and tons of brightly colored painted and beaded eggs as well as other handmade crafts. We got a few souvenirs and enjoyed the festivities and the people watching.

















I also got to visit Amanda in Brasov for a weekend. It’s a 5-hour drive by “maxi-taxi” (a van that holds about 13 passengers) to Brasov and a great way to travel for only $15...as long as you don’t get car sick. Fortunately, it wasn’t a problem for me, except that the seat I chose didn’t have an armrest and I didn’t realize it until after we got onto the winding mountain roads. I kept sliding sideways out of my seat into the aisle and provided some good laughs for the other passengers I’m sure! Amanda and I did some site-seeing around Brasov’s “old-town” which was originally built in 1235 by the Saxons (Germans who settled in Romania). You can definitely see the German influence in the architecture of the buildings. You can also still see portions of the fortress wall that surrounded the original city. For a few dollars you can ride a tram up the side of the mountain and look down over the city. Like Hollywood, Brasov has a big sign on the mountains above the city. Now whenever I look up and see that sign I can say that I actually touched the backside of it! We also visited “The Black Church”...a huge church that was named the Saint Maria Church before a terrible fire in 1688 destroyed most of the town and killed 3,000 people. Because of the extensive smoke damage to the church, it thereafter became known as “The Black Church. The huge plaza in the center of the city attracts hundreds of people each day and it is a wonderful place to stroll and shop and eat. We ate at a restaurant called Clatite one day. Clatite are Romanian crepes, so you can just imagine what a great variety of dinner and dessert crepes they serve there. They ones we tried were delicious! Overall, it was a wonderful and relaxing weekend!!























Again, I’m sorry for the delay with the update. I am going to try and post smaller posts more frequently, so keep checking back!

Please continue to pray for:
• Learning the Romanian Language
• For some reason fleas and bugs really like me. Please pray for relief from the continuous bug bites I am afflicted with
• Teaching the conversational English classes at the Community Center for Youth
• The children at the orphanage…that we will be able to help them develop to their full potential and for the workers to actually show them love.
• That I will continue to learn to work with children with special needs.
• That I will have a greater servant’s heart to be a blessing to the Romanian people


With His loving grace & peace,
Natalie Bridges
natalie926@hotmail.com


I would like to help Natalie Bridges in the following way(s):
Becoming a prayer partner
Monthly Financial Support $________
One Time Financial Gift $________

Name _________________________

Address __________________________________________________

Phone _________________________

E-mail _________________________

* Please return this portion of the newsletter to: Calvary Chapel Boise
Attn: Jana Patton
123 Auto Drive
Boise, ID 83709

* Make all checks payable to Calvary Chapel Boise, all donations are tax deductible.
* To receive a tax receipt at the end of each year, please contact Calvary Chapel Boise.