Day 7 - Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Posted by Daphne Nicely on Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Today we left Lugoj and headed into Timisoara for a very big day! We were to experience ministry to adult orphans who were being integrated into mainstream society as viable contributing members of the community. Through the ministry of Academia Vietii (Life Academy) adults that have grown up in the orphanages/placement centers are taught life skills such as money managment (budgeting and saving), cooking, goal setting, prioritizing, parenting...
On the way to Timisoara we stopped and purchased a large shopping bag full of (Romanian) cherries from a gentleman on the side of the road. FYI: Romania is famous for sour cherries, but others are imported so purchasing them through private vendors is about the only way you know that you are getting real Romanian cherries (straight from their tree).
We first visited the apartment of a young couple. The husband was at work but the wife was home with their 18 month old child and they lived in a one room apartment. Their rent is 150 Euro per month, with a monthly household income of 400 Euro. The wife shared about how she came to live in the orphanage and it was absolutely heartbreaking. Through the program they were able to locate their current apartment and are saving to build a house. We left them a large bowl of cherries.
Next we went to a business owned by a brother in the faith who has employed two young women that are participating in the Life Academy program. They were allowed to leave work and spend time with us so that we could see their home and hear their respective stories. Both women shared and told about how much the program had improved their quality of life (employment, place of residence...). Both young women hoped that some day they would meet men who would accept them for who they are and love them anyway. I am so thankful that we all have the opportunity to find that in Jesus Christ.
One of the young women was obviously of Roma descent with thick, black hair and a dark complexion. After we had gotten to know her she said that she had been thinking about how they (the adult orphans) are always paraded in front of donors, sponsors and other ministry partners of Life Academy. She said that she had thought to herself and prayed, "He always brings a bunch of white Americans around to see us. Lord, just one time can he bring a Black person". Then she saw me and Didi. She said that she was so happy that God had heard and answered her prayer. She had so many questions for us as a multi-racial family, for Didi and for me. She wanted to take pictures with me, with Didi, the three of us, with me and Dean and finally all four of us. They also received a large bowl of cherries for themselves and another roomate.
Next we went to a village to meet another young couple that had two small children. Shortly before we arrived, the wife had apparently been bitten by a spider and she was transported to the hospital via ambulance. They were allowed to live rent free in the garage of another brother in the faith. This has allowed them to save money toward buidling their own home. They had a billy goat, 3 nanny goats and 2 kids in addition to a good size garden (corn, onions, tomatoes, beans, cabbage, potatoes, apple, plum and cherry trees as well as alfalfa for the goats). They took us to see the lot of land that the government had given to them and we said a prayer over it. They were so thankful that the Life Academy would help build their home that they wanted to donate a kid to another family of orphans. So we put the goat and 2 bales of hay in a trailer and drove to another village. This family also received a large bowl of cherries
At the next village we visited with the first recipients of a Life Academy home. It was a young couple (both of whom are adult orphans) and their 3 small children. When we arrived the familly was so excited to receive their new goat. They already had egg laying chickens and chickens being raised for meat. They were so excited that in addition to having eggs and chicken they would soon have milk for their 3 children. We then went shopping to place food in their empty refrigerator and pantry. This last family received the rest of the cherries
Our host needed to get back to the first village so that he could take the husband to be with his wife at the hospital, so it was good that we had already decided that we were going to ride the train back to Lugoj to Timisoara. After a late afternoon snack at McDonald's in Timisoara Square (where the 1989 revolution began to overthrow the Communist dictator) we went to the train station. The cost was 13.50 Lei (about $4.50) and well worth it. We were in Lugoj in less than 50 minutes and we didn't have to play chicken with 18-wheelers on the 2 lane highway.
Light dinner at the Olariu home and then walked back to Grace Baptist Church.
I was so excited to see that there was already in existence a ministry to the adult orphans. More are needed and this is something we would definitely be interested in. Definitely need to keep Life Academy as a resource and referral for young people we know.
We didn't get to spend time with the young people at PC 3/4 today, but we will have a special time together on Wednesday evening.
On the way to Timisoara we stopped and purchased a large shopping bag full of (Romanian) cherries from a gentleman on the side of the road. FYI: Romania is famous for sour cherries, but others are imported so purchasing them through private vendors is about the only way you know that you are getting real Romanian cherries (straight from their tree).
We first visited the apartment of a young couple. The husband was at work but the wife was home with their 18 month old child and they lived in a one room apartment. Their rent is 150 Euro per month, with a monthly household income of 400 Euro. The wife shared about how she came to live in the orphanage and it was absolutely heartbreaking. Through the program they were able to locate their current apartment and are saving to build a house. We left them a large bowl of cherries.
Next we went to a business owned by a brother in the faith who has employed two young women that are participating in the Life Academy program. They were allowed to leave work and spend time with us so that we could see their home and hear their respective stories. Both women shared and told about how much the program had improved their quality of life (employment, place of residence...). Both young women hoped that some day they would meet men who would accept them for who they are and love them anyway. I am so thankful that we all have the opportunity to find that in Jesus Christ.
One of the young women was obviously of Roma descent with thick, black hair and a dark complexion. After we had gotten to know her she said that she had been thinking about how they (the adult orphans) are always paraded in front of donors, sponsors and other ministry partners of Life Academy. She said that she had thought to herself and prayed, "He always brings a bunch of white Americans around to see us. Lord, just one time can he bring a Black person". Then she saw me and Didi. She said that she was so happy that God had heard and answered her prayer. She had so many questions for us as a multi-racial family, for Didi and for me. She wanted to take pictures with me, with Didi, the three of us, with me and Dean and finally all four of us. They also received a large bowl of cherries for themselves and another roomate.
Next we went to a village to meet another young couple that had two small children. Shortly before we arrived, the wife had apparently been bitten by a spider and she was transported to the hospital via ambulance. They were allowed to live rent free in the garage of another brother in the faith. This has allowed them to save money toward buidling their own home. They had a billy goat, 3 nanny goats and 2 kids in addition to a good size garden (corn, onions, tomatoes, beans, cabbage, potatoes, apple, plum and cherry trees as well as alfalfa for the goats). They took us to see the lot of land that the government had given to them and we said a prayer over it. They were so thankful that the Life Academy would help build their home that they wanted to donate a kid to another family of orphans. So we put the goat and 2 bales of hay in a trailer and drove to another village. This family also received a large bowl of cherries
At the next village we visited with the first recipients of a Life Academy home. It was a young couple (both of whom are adult orphans) and their 3 small children. When we arrived the familly was so excited to receive their new goat. They already had egg laying chickens and chickens being raised for meat. They were so excited that in addition to having eggs and chicken they would soon have milk for their 3 children. We then went shopping to place food in their empty refrigerator and pantry. This last family received the rest of the cherries
Our host needed to get back to the first village so that he could take the husband to be with his wife at the hospital, so it was good that we had already decided that we were going to ride the train back to Lugoj to Timisoara. After a late afternoon snack at McDonald's in Timisoara Square (where the 1989 revolution began to overthrow the Communist dictator) we went to the train station. The cost was 13.50 Lei (about $4.50) and well worth it. We were in Lugoj in less than 50 minutes and we didn't have to play chicken with 18-wheelers on the 2 lane highway.
Light dinner at the Olariu home and then walked back to Grace Baptist Church.
I was so excited to see that there was already in existence a ministry to the adult orphans. More are needed and this is something we would definitely be interested in. Definitely need to keep Life Academy as a resource and referral for young people we know.
We didn't get to spend time with the young people at PC 3/4 today, but we will have a special time together on Wednesday evening.