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


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