day #5 visit to the orphanage

On the night we arrived in Campulung we had an amazing dinner Vio and Estera cooked us. We were sitting around the table and Estera said "Ok, it is time to go" I felt like I was in a fire drill, the way everyone jumped up, grabbed coats, left food on the table and headed out the door. We drove about 30 minutes over a mountain to the next village to an orphanage. Going to Romania, we all knew Americans were not allowed into orphanages. Many years back 60 minutes did a piece on Romanian orphanages and it did not go over well in Romania. Human trafficking is also very REAL in Romania and people were going into the orphanages videotaping girls offering them to bidders and then purchasing them for the sex trade. So, we were not allowed to bring cameras of any kind.

When we arrived we could hear the children singing in the main room. I had brought all of the candy left from Landry's birthday party and they let me distribute it to the 40 or so children. The headmistress gave us a tour of the rooms to show off the recent renovations. We later discovered only the rooms she showed us were in that nice of condition. They had 4 bunk beds to a room and an armoire. One of the young men in the orphanage Scott has been visiting for years was there. He is a student who just recently graduated with his bachelor's and is now working on his masters.

One of the other interesting things about Romania was the bribe system. The better jobs require a bribe for a job. He is hoping to take over the orphanage when he is finished with school, with the right amount of bribe.

Happy Birthday Uncle Ryan and Uncle Bryan!

Do you know which is which?

(not for the wives and girlfriends to answer)

Happy 3rd Birthday Sweet Bella!

My team

Scott Barkley, with student he has known for many years - a gypsy ORPHAN, now working on his master's degree

Karen Barkley. co-led workshop for female staff &

workshop for teens

Larry Young, led a workshop on business ethics

Matt Garner, our videographer (Ben's really good friend)

Pastor Mel Stauber




Diane Stauber, co-led workshop for Campus Crusade female staff
Merissa Shenkin, my roomate

Christina Young, teaching a craft in the public school - We took Jesus into the PUBLIC schools!

Chris Smith, sharing Big Red Gum

Happy Birthday Uncle Tim!

answer to prayer in Romania

There were several very specific ways God answered prayers while in Romania. I had one that really meant only the world to me.

Saturday night before we left Texas I rechecked the weather to make sure I was properly prepared for the trip. It said rainy, highs in the upper 50's, no change from when I had packed. I packed a couple of scarves, jeans, flannel pajamas, lots of socks, sweaters and a denim jacket.

When we stepped out of the airport I knew I was not prepared. All of the girls immediately started making plans to stop for gloves and hats, but the kicker was clothes are EXPENSIVE in Romania. We stopped at a mall; a pair of knit gloves were $30 and a hat the same. I knew I was just going to have tough it out b/c I knew the coldest part had yet to come and there was no way I was going to be able to find a coat I could afford.

I called Ben the last night before we left Bucharest and told him to check the budget and shift some things around b/c I was cold and I had to do something before we left the city & its shops. When I told him the prices, he told me I was just going to have to borrow, we simply could not afford it if at all possible. I am thinking "Yeah right, Honey, seriously who am I going to borrow clothes from? One everyone on my team was in the same boat and who in Romania am I going to borrow from?" About that time Cristina walks in the room. I asked her is there anyway she had a coat I could borrow (she did not go with us into the mountains). She said YES, and hats, sweaters, anything I could possible need. So, I went shopping in Cristina's closet and was set for the mountains and the much cooler weather we were about to face. He does supply ALL of our needs.

day #5 travel day up into the mountains

Friday was a cold, wet day in Bucharest. We met that morning and made an unscheduled stop at McDonald's for coffee. As we were getting out of the van someone noticed we had a flat tire, so while it was being repaired we had hung out in the location that brought us the closest home.

The drive into Campulung, took several hours. We saw snow and even had some flurries, but mostly it was sleet and ice. The drive was very windy and driving in the mountains is much like driving in Bucharest, so I got car sick. Which meant I got front row seats the remainder of the trip.

We arrived at Vio and Estera's apartment and met their soon-to-be-son Danni. (They are in the process of adopting him.) Danni turned three on Saturday and he made me a little homesick for the girls.

After a quick stop at the local market we went onto the camp. The camp was gorgeous! Vio built all of the buildings and it was nestled on a small creek with a mountain behind it. It was one of the most picturesque places I have ever stayed. God is such an amazing creator, it was as if he hand-placed every tree and stone; well I guess he did.

Danni was a ball of energy. I had brought several warm pajamas, jeans and sweaters that the girls had grown out of for Estera to give to orphans, but Danny laid hold of the girl's puppy dog pajamas. They did not quite fit, but he did not care, he wore them for a couple of days. Our friend Stormi's daughter wore them, both of my girls wore them and now a little one in Romania wears them and of course now barks for his supper.

day #4 - one on one ministry

On Thursday, we hosted devotionals for the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ. Then, Pastor Mel did a workshop on how to be a leader and turn the negative into a positive. It was good info for even our team. That afternoon, some of the business guys were invited to even more one-on-ones with students who had more questions for them.

I got to go visit students in the dorm and see what campus life was like. I met two young IT students who opened their rooms and allowed me to get to know them. I was trying to get an open-door to share about the Lord, but was not really happening. I took the opportunity to encourage them about the endless possibilities they have before them. Ben told me Romania is one of the up and coming countries when it comes to software development. It turned out I was encouraging my host, Cristina the most during the visit. That evening, Scott did a workshop on Revelations at Campus Crusade headquarters and nearly a hundred people attended.

day 3 - more of Bucharest

Halloween Outreach