Michelle is MIA

So I took it upon myself to create a picture :)





.....I loved getting to know the women that I spent 10 days with. Thank you ladies! Love you all!

Safe Arrival

Pray for us

The bus will be here in a few minutes to take us to Bucharest. Please pray for safe travels. See you all soon!!!!

From Donna

Hi Beth, Jamie and all the ladies

I know you have had a very busy week and are tired Well tomorrow is the day of..................rest? I wish I could be there to see all our friends over there
You are all so great but I have not been able to get on blog so I depend on Sun services to keep me updated
I hope Nellies legs are better and the rest of you are fairly rested Of course it is a different tired
Sa hi to all and have a safe trip home Can't wait to see you all.
Love Donna
With God all things are possible

One of our many ice creams today

Last Day....SOB

Today was both happy and sad. We started with a little downtown shopping. Some parted from us and went to Maria's for a delicious lunch. Some stayed downtown and ate schwarmas and their weight in ice cream. Then we went home to Ady and Luma's with bursting stomachs only to be served another 3 course Luma meal! (and of course some of you can relate to this). After that we were only able to waddle around and make quiet conversation. Around 6 we met up again with old and new friends at church. We sang, ate a little pizza and said our good-byes.

Our hearts are full of rememberances from the past 9 days. The Romanian people have gone above and beyond and we thank them for their generous hospitality, cozy beds and friendships. We look forward to keeping in contact with them and prayfully returning one day......
Pray for our safe travels home. We love you.

Off to Balchik

Our morning started out looking ominous with thunder and a forecast for a rainy day. But it was an absoulutely gorgeous day and we could not have asked for better weather. We loaded up the bus and headed for the Bulgarian border with hope. Unfortunately, we ran into a little glitch and three of our passengers (including Ady) had to return to Constanta because of the child safety laws in Europe (a good thing, will explain in details later). Balchik is beautiful and the closest thing that we,including Jamie, will ever get to Greece. We had a delicious lunch celebrating Sica's birthday and enjoyed walking through Queen Mary's seaside villa and botanical gardens. The gardens were well manicured and the landscape along with the seaside cliffs were breathtaking. It was a fabulous day and enjoyed by all!!!! Please note David's adorable new haircut and the delicious Salame prepared by Grandma and of course served by Luma. The General took care of the kitchen cleanup. Tune in to more adventures tomorrow.. Ta Ta

Day 7- Buna Ziua (Good Day)

Helen, Misty, and I started the day with the breakfast of champions. It consisted of omelets (salami, onions, peppers, tomatoes, and parsley), sliced tomatoes, sliced salami, sliced yellow peppers, olives, bread, tea, coffee, cheese pastries, and of course.....ice-cream. We learned today that ice-cream can be served at anytime.

Today was our last day for VBS and we ended up with 9 children. We talked about Peter walking on water and how to be brave. The children made "purple cows" (grape fanta aoda and ice-cream) and they enjoyed "walking on water". The children absolutely loved singing songs. Their favorites consisted of "Neglect Your Bible", "Sea of Gallilee", "Whever You Go", and "Power In The Blood".

In the afternoon some of the ladies came by and we did individual studies with them. Some of the discussions were about communism, relationships, and a variety of parables. We have really enjoyed our discussions and I know we all wish that we could have spent more time with them.

We were also very lucky to go and "explore" the house next door that was under construction. It was simply Amazing!

Regina, Nelly, and Linda led the devotion tonight. It was about the Story of Esther and how we have to look for opportunities to be bold for Christ.

Tonight we all had separate dinner plans. Some went out with Nicole (Helen and Beth enjoyed the coastal view while sampling some of Romania's best seafood) and some went back to the homes (Jamie and her household had chicken pot pie). Misty and I (Michelle) really ventured out and made grilled cheese and ate chili flavored tortilla chips.

One thing is for certain, Ice-cream is never far from our thoughts and not in short supply.

From June

You women are awesome! It sounds like you all are doing a great job ministering--to God be the glory. Wish I was there with you. Please give my love to all our friends at the church in Constanta. I think your team is taking our mission work there to a new depth and it is so exciting and inspiring. I am praying for each of you tonight and for the work you are doing in God's name.

Love, June

From Ann

What an awesome God we have. Here I am in Nicaragua reading about how God is enriching my sisters who are in Romania ministering to our sisters there while I am worshipping with our sisters here. I love the pictures and comments. The only thing missing is ME! I would have loved to be with you. My prayer for all of you is that God will bless your loving, serving spirits beyond your wildest imaginations as only He can.

Ann

Day 6

Greetings to Stafford, Day 6 was very exciting for our kids at VBS. They got to do the diet coke volcano and make slime. They had a very exciting lesson from Karita and Linda regarding the blind man, and how Jesus healed him with mud. The kids come with smiles on their faces and left with smiles on their faces so we feel our work has been rewarding. Later in the evening we met and did our bible lessons with the ladies from the Church. Beth, Jamie, and Karita lead a very powerful lesson on being Mary or Martha. We sang many familar songs and it felt like home. The people here are amazing and again I am overwhelmed by their hospitality. Tonight we joined everyone at Ady and Luma's for Kabobs on the grill along with wonderful homeade bread hot out of the oven. After that Luma came out with not one but two cakes, she said for my birthday. My cup runith over! Michelle, Helen, and I are enjoying our stay at Cornelia's she is so wonderful. The other night she said, "You are the girls, I am the Mom." So we dont hesitate to listen to what she says. Everyday is a wonderful experience, we miss you guys at home and want to be with you but I know as soon as we leave we will miss this place and the people here. I know I will leave a little of my hearts in Romania.

From Libby

Wow! The time is going by so quickly!! and you are all accomplishing so much. It is awesome.

You keep making me cry! The pictures are so touching. Thank you so much for taking time to post them. I have goose bumps just thinking of the emotions at the fashion show. Was Maoira not there? She enjoyed it so much last year.

Please tell all the ladies that Libby says they look gorgeous and how happy I was to see their pictures. Especially Maria. I have so wanted to 'chat' with Maria, but don't think she has email. Would you share that with her? She looks wonderful!!! I have been concerned because I hadn't heard from anyone how she has been doing. Now I won't worry any more. Prayers again for all of you and God's blessings. We miss all of you and Love all of you, Libby

Day 5

Phew!!!!Very busy day...Started out with a very successful VBS, children had a blast as well as the ladies. We had important guests arrive such as Lazarus and Jesus. A leper was healed and bubbles were blown. Great small group studies in the afternoon also. Our devo was led by our younger women and they did such a good job on how to be a servant. Sorry so short ....it is late and we are exhausted.

from Libby

I am crying now as your comments reminded me of last year. I think we had 40 women and were astounded at their stories and what they went through to get there. It is so amazing how much the turnout has grown in just one short year. Luma has done a wonderful job. God is good!

I just wanted to say hello and let you know I am thinking of you. Isn't it amazing to be there?

Your posts on wof site are great. Thanks so much. I treasure each picture, looking for famililar and beloved faces in each one. I haven't checked the church site yet to see if there are more pictures--if not, please, post more. Thanks and much love, libby

PS:
Joel Misty loves you,
Smith, Jamie loves you,
Rodney, Karita woman loves you,
Jim, Linda loves you,
Hans, Nellie loves you,
David, Michelle loves you
Ricardo, Buffy loves you
Duncan and Fuzzel, Helen loves you
Fredman, lovey loves you

That's all folks!

Day 4
Today was a blessed day. Had a wonderful bible class on Galations 6 with colorful discussion. Ady then spoke about the parable of the 9, I mean, 10 virgins. Let's remember to always be prepared.....
The potluck prepared by the Romanian ladies was delicious and there was hardly anything left and it was enjoyed by all!!!
Nellie's fashion show was a hit. Everyone found something perfect to wear. Maria was the biggest winner today. She looked awesome. (We are temporarily having picture issues so as soon as we can find them we will post.)
VBS is up and ready to go after firming up our plans. We ended our day at the Rottweiller restaurant on the corner of Ady's street with Tony and Sica joining us. Tony was brave to be with all these crazy women! Very delicious!
Please pray for us tomorrow as we begin our VBS and our afternoon studies. Also pray for Ady and Luma as they are very tired.

Linda greeting the women

Day 3

Day 3
Wow....... what a day so far! Actually it is only 4:00 PM and some of us are resting, some of us are shopping, while others are walking around town. This morning's tea was such a success. Luma and Linda did such an amazing job. It was standing room only and it was HOT. We even opened up the windows while the air conditioning stayed on. (But don't tell Ady) After L and L were done, some of the women gave their cancer stories. Even though we could not understand what they we saying we could tell the struggles and pain they have or are going through. Jamie, Michelle, Helen, Misty, Nelly, and Karita served food and drink endlessly while Luma, Regina, and I fitted many, many, many women with prosthetics, bras, wigs, etc. It was the most humbling thing I have ever been through and it was hard to hold back the tears. When I couldn't hold them back, the women would ask "Why you cry?" and I would just say I was happy to help them. My head is still swimming with thoughts of this morning. Helen and Misty came in later to help too.
Our concert tonight with Julio was cancelled so we are all going back to the building @ 6:00 to organize VBS and later on to Mamia for Tango lessons with the Argentines! Oh what a night it will be!

Day 2
Another GREAT day in Constanta!!! Met at the building, received our orders from the GENERAL and we are marching forward. Luma prepared a wonderful delicious lunch for all the ladies (see pics) Next stop was Carrefore to get goodies for the tea. Helen and Jamie met American soldiers that, of course, knew of the GREAT Ady. Evening ended with a devotional led by the GREAT one. We reconnected with old students and church members and was able to set up study arrangements for MOn.-thru Wed. Very excited. Please continue to pray for us.

and more....

more pics

We are here THANK GOD! Great trip- no problems, lots of fun talk, and very little sleep! Everybody is comfortably settled for the night. We are meeting today at noon for lunch and organizational stuff! Tonight we are set for our first devotional with everyone. Please pray for us! Enjoy some of our first pics. That is Nick and Corrina picking us up at the airport.