February Newsletter

February 2007

Natalie Bridges
123 Auto Drive
Boise, ID 83709
208.321.7440

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


1 John 3:18 “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”

We have had an incredibly mild winter this year. I was told to expect frigid temperatures and lots of snow…normal winter weather for Bistriţa. To everyone’s surprise, we had hardly any snow and above freezing temperatures have been the norm. Although I was looking forward to the snow, I am not complaining! Fortunately, I did get a good dose of snow when we took a group of “Clare’s Kids” up to the cabana this month. As a reward for working hard all semester…doing their homework, behaving during the after-school-program activities, helping with chores, etc…the kids were rewarded with several days of snow activities at the cabana in the mountains.
Just getting to the cabin was an adventure in itself. The cabin sits back away from the road about a quarter of a mile, so we had to carry all of our bags, food, sleds, supplies, etc. while tromping this distance in 2-3 feet of snow! There were times when I took a step and sank all the way up to my hip in the snow. Consequently, the bags the kids were carrying arrived with enormous amounts of snow tucked inside! And I’m afraid that some of the food mysteriously disappeared on the way from the van to the cabana! Let’s just say the dogs in the area were excited we were there!
We kept the kids busy with lots of outdoor activities…the favorite being sledding down the hill outside the cabana. We also enjoyed a walk up to Dracula’s castle (a nearby hotel) for some hot chocolate and French fries! I was surprised at how much time it took just to do the basics at the cabana…making and eating meals, clean-up, etc. Mostly because we had to keep a fire going in the wood-burning stoves at all times and the fact that we had to melt snow on those stoves to have dish water. The biggest inconvenience was the frozen pipes which prevented us from being able to use the sink…or the toilet! We solved the toilet problem with a bucket…except that it needed to be emptied on a regular basis…which meant a trudge through deep snow to the out-house located about 200 feet behind the cabana. I had anticipated this job being mine, so I was so excited when one of the boys disobeyed Clare by using the bucket when it was almost full. I know that sounds bad, but the mess he made from his disobedience brought a punishment that spared me from the “bucket duty” for the rest of our time at the cabana! Ha!
I think the favorite indoor activity we did was making sock puppets and then letting the kids put on puppet shows for us. They also enjoyed the night the power went out for 6 hours….we sat around and told stories in the dark. Sometimes it’s the strangest things that create the best memories – ha! After hearing the kids talk about wanting to move to the cabana to live instead of their individual homes we knew we had succeeded in providing some needed love and attention for these special children!

Our trip home wasn’t the most pleasant experience. It was really sad to leave the cabana and the stray dog that had “adopted” us (watched over us and accompanied us on our excursions), not to mention the uphill climb in the snow to get back to the road…or the flat tire we got on the way home…or the fact that many of the children’s stomachs couldn’t handle the winding roads back down the mountain (boy was that messy!). But it all helped make this trip a truly memorable adventure…for all of us!


Please continue to pray for:

• Leaning the Romanian Language
• The conversational English classes at the Community Center for Youth
• Continued learning 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



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