September 2007 Newsletter

September 2007

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 arrived back in Bistrita on September 11th… it was a long and exhausting trip, but it was the smoothest international flight I’ve ever had! I had no problems with any of my luggage or connecting flights and even though I was greeted with cold and rainy weather, the 8 hour trek from Bucharest to Bistrita was smooth as well. We arrived at the ministry house around 1AM and I was so happy to see that everyone had waited up for us! What a wonderful blessing it was to see everyone again!

After a few days of adjusting to the 9 hour time difference and getting back into the routine of the house, I was ready to begin work at the orphanage and other children’s programs again. At the orphanage most things were the same, but there were a few changes. For example, there are two new babies needing love and attention, Mia is now in a special school from 8AM – 7PM each day, and I found that my little buddy Georgel had deteriorated significantly while I was gone. It seems he cannot be comforted and his self-abuse has intensified to the point where they have to physically restrain his arms so that he won’t hit himself or pull out his hair. It broke my heart to see him in such torment. I spent most of my time my first few days back focusing on him. After much prayer and patient persistence, I have been able to make some progress with him…getting him to calm down and even laugh at times. He is still far worse now than when I left in June, so he needs lots of prayer.

I arrived back in Bistrita just in time to help with the annual Ladies Tea and I’m so glad I didn’t miss it since it is a lot of fun and a great time to get to know people a little better. Fortunately, my packages had arrived a few days earlier, so we were able to use the items I had purchased specifically for the event. Cynthia had asked Heather Hoe from Brasov to be out guest speaker. She came with four other ladies and it was a great blessing to see them all again. We spent hours decorating and preparing for the event, but it was worth it. The church was beautiful and everyone had a wonderful time. We invited several moms of the gypsy kids from the after school program…none of them were able to come, but one of the kid’s older sister came. Although she didn’t know anyone, she participated in the games and conversations and even teared up at the end when it was time to leave. I hope we get to see her again soon!


One of the highlights of my first month back in Romania was a daytrip to the zoo. We loaded up two vans with 13 kids and 7 adults and headed to Târgu-Mures, a city about 90 minutes from Bistrita. The zoo was amazing! It is a forest setting with winding sidewalks leading around to the animal exhibits. We saw a nice variety of animals including; monkeys, lions, tigers, panthers, bobcats, foxes, bears, horses, cows, elk, birds, reptiles, and fish. The kids had a wonderful time checking out all the animals and climbing on all the statues posing for pictures. The fun didn’t stop there though…after viewing everything we could at the zoo; we headed to the McDonalds in town where the kids enjoyed Happy Meals and lots of laughs. It was a treat for all of us since Bistrita isn’t a large enough city to have a McDonalds yet. Overall, it was a memorable and fun-filled adventure!


















Please continue to pray for:

• Leaning the Romanian Language
• Starting the conversational English classes at the Community Center for Youth again
• God to touch Georgel and for me to continue 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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