Rebeca

I have to tell you about my friend Rebeca because she is not only a wonderful friend to me, but someone who God has used tremendously in my life since I’ve been in Romania.

I actually met Rebeca last summer when I was here for two weeks with the short-term mission team. It’s an interesting and amazing story of how we met. Several of my team members were at the grocery store trying to identify and select the necessary items on the list. They were having a tough time with the deli counter when Rebeca, who happens to speak perfect English, overheard their struggles and offered to help. The team members came back talking excitedly about this amazing girl that had helped them at the grocery store. She came by the house later to visit and meet the rest of the team and the next thing you know, we were all friends! In fact, from the moment I met her I felt like I had known her forever.

Rebeca and I kept in touch through email throughout the year and I’m sure you can understand my excitement at seeing her again earlier this summer. We hooked up numerous times over the summer and got to spend several days together at the cabana when we took a bunch of teenagers there for a retreat. We have spent many hours talking and laughing and learning about each other’s lives.

Rebeca is a beautiful, vivacious, and intelligent young Romanian woman. She is only 19 years old, but she has already accomplished some amazing things in her life. Rebeca is the kind of girl who is not satisfied with going to school, doing homework, and hanging out with her friends. While she was in high school she managed to squeeze in endless hours of volunteer time around her school schedule. She volunteered at the orphanage, the Community Center for Youth, and the hospital. She told me about a project she organized and led which involved meeting with school administrators from each of the dozen schools in the city and surrounding villages to identify bright, underprivileged children from each school. She interviewed and selected one student from each school and then arranged a special outing for them, and several volunteers who came along to help, that included a visit to the museum and several other places of interest in the city…including a spot that served the best ice-cream in town. I’m sure you can appreciate the kind of work and planning that goes into this kind of project. The amazing part is that it wasn’t for a grade or award or anything. It was simply because she wanted to do something kind and special for others less privileged than her.

Rebeca volunteered at the hospital this summer after only one year at med school. She practically lived there! I was shocked when she told me what they had her doing…actual surgeries! No kidding…this 19 year old student was actually operating on people! I’m sure she was under some supervision from a doctor when she did it, but it just blew me away that she was working in the ER and regular surgical areas with so little training and experience. She even showed me pictures of her stitching people up! She also became a volunteer dentist’s assistant in exchange for some dental work this summer. She had a dentist appointment and mentioned to the dentist that she was studying to be a surgeon and the next thing you know, she’s helping him with oral surgeries while his regular assistant was away on vacation. She got some additional, valuable experience AND got free dental care! What an amazing gal!!

Rebeca is not shy and is eager to make new friends. She loves to bring me along with her when she goes to interesting places and we have had some amazing adventures together as a result. For example, the mayor was dedicating some new sculptures that had been done by famous Romanian artists for the city and she invited me along to the ceremony. She translated some of the speeches for me and then insisted on introducing me to the art professor from her former school, several of the artists, and the MAYOR and his wife! Keep in mind that she had never personally met any of these people prior to my introductions. I even got my picture taken with the mayor and his wife due to her influence! She is amazing! She also introduced me to a friend of hers who is a reporter for the local TV station. The next thing I knew I was being asked to do an hour interview with her for a TV program she hosts each Sunday. I will write a whole story about that adventure later…since shortly after our introduction, it actually happened. I was on local Bistrita TV…not once, but parts of the interview were played for days afterward! Crazy!


Rebeca is now back at med school in a big city too far away to visit without special arrangements. But before she left, she gave me one more gift of introduction. She walked me to the Community Center for Youth as well as the orphanage and introduced me to the directors of each. Those meetings are proving to be provisions for a dream come true for me. I have been asked to teach conversational English on a volunteer basis to youth at the community center’s after school program. I will also get to teach the art of balloon twisting, take Winky to several of their parties, and who knows what else. I have already had the chance to help the director put together a grant proposal that needed to be done in English. I sat with her for 2 hours and helped her with the wording and grammar of the proposal. It was an amazing experience! I also spent several hours at the orphanage and will write more about that experience in a whole new blog.

I am so blessed to know Rebeca and am thankful for her enthusiasm for life and her friendship with me. God knew I needed her and arranged for us to meet a whole year before I moved here! Wow! Please pray that the opportunities that have emerged from Rebeca’s introductions will be realized soon.