Thursday we had all three classes. For lunch Pastor George and his wife, the pastor of the church we were in during the afternoon, invited us to eat with them. They prepared a wonderful meal for us and we enjoyed relaxing for a few minuets before it was time to start class. That night we were once again invited to Alina's, this time for dinner as well as fellowship. We had greatly enjoyed the fellowship with the youth group previously and Thursday night was no exception. We learned a game called "Bucket Ball" which was a game the youth group had made up. After playing the first game we soon caught on and the games were close. Before we knew it, it was time to head back and get some sleep for our final full day in Drăgăneşti.
Friday was our graduation day in each of the classes. We spent the first half of the class reviewing typing skills and learning either about Excel or the Internet and then we would have chapel and before we would know it it was time for the graduation. We gave each child a certificate of participation along with a CD which has games, typing programs, and the Romania Bible on it. We also gave them a couple pieces of candy. The morning class our graduation was a little more formal because we were in the school. We invited parents and some of the teachers from the school came also. We even had a special certificate for the director of the school. It is very special to be able to use the school for our classes and we wanted to thank the director for all of his help. He was very thankful for what we had taught the children and hopeful we helped open some more doors between the director and the ministry in Olt. Saying goodbye to the children after each class was a little bit of a challenge.
Friday evening we were able to take out the families who hosted us all week along with Roxana and Ada who had driven us around all week and helped in each class. It was a great time of fellowship with each other over dinner and then a walk to get ice cream and enjoy a nearby park. It is a night that I will not soon forget. We were able to try to express our thankfulness to them for all they had done for us and we also got to see how God had used our team to bless them and their ministry as well.
Saturday morning we packed up Pastor Raul's van with all of luggage and the laptops and said our final goodbyes. It was sad to leave the many friends we had made but it was time to head to Câmpina. Pastor Raul drove us to Bucharest which is about a 3 hour drive so we did not have to take a train there and then get off and catch another train to Câmpina. Once there we grabbed some lunch and ran to catch our train. Between all of our normal luggage, 11 laptops, 2 projectors, a printer, a box with paper and extension cords and a bag full of soccer balls and frisbees it was quiet the challenge to get make sure everything got onto the train. It was even a bigger challenge to make sure we got everything off once we arrived in Câmpina but we managed to get it all off in the 2 minutes we were stopped and were greeted by Cristina and Ioana who are the pastor's daughters. We arrived at their house within a few minutes to a birthday party for the oldest son of the pastor. We had a good time eating, singing, and playing volleyball with the Romanians, though once again we were not very good at volleyball. Soon it was time for a team meeting and off to bed. It had been a long day full of goodbyes, traveling, and meeting new people.
Sunday morning our team was once again split up between two different churches. Dr. G, Sarah and Matthew went with Pastor Ion to Minor Village were we will be holding classes next week, while Drew and I went to the church here in Câmpina. Church was very good as we were able to once again worship God together. The afternoon was filled with lunch, and working on the computers so that they would be ready to go on Monday as well as a quick nap. In the evening we all returned to the church in Câmpina. It was very interesting because we were not the only non Romanians there. There was a couple from South Carolina who were in Romania on business as well as another team who will be ministering in the area for the next few months. They were from all over the world. It was very special to be praising God together!
This morning we headed to Brādāshanca where we had 2 classes, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The children there tend to be a little more active then in some of the other villages where we have been so we were prepared for the worst. We were very surprised to find that some of the boys who had given us the most trouble in the past were well behaved for the most part. The morning class went pretty smoothly and soon it was time for lunch. We are having lunch at Pastor Silvu's house this week. He is the pastor there. We have about 2.5 hours from the ending of the morning class to the start of the afternoon class so after a wonderful lunch we were able to rest for 45 minutes before heading back to the school for the afternoon class. Because the morning class was so well behaved we were a little worried that the afternoon class would be crazy, however, there was only 1 new student and 3 students from the morning class. We told them that as long as they behaved they could come to both classes and the afternoon class went even smoother then the morning.
This morning we headed to Brādāshanca where we had 2 classes, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The children there tend to be a little more active then in some of the other villages where we have been so we were prepared for the worst. We were very surprised to find that some of the boys who had given us the most trouble in the past were well behaved for the most part. The morning class went pretty smoothly and soon it was time for lunch. We are having lunch at Pastor Silvu's house this week. He is the pastor there. We have about 2.5 hours from the ending of the morning class to the start of the afternoon class so after a wonderful lunch we were able to rest for 45 minutes before heading back to the school for the afternoon class. Because the morning class was so well behaved we were a little worried that the afternoon class would be crazy, however, there was only 1 new student and 3 students from the morning class. We told them that as long as they behaved they could come to both classes and the afternoon class went even smoother then the morning.
Since coming to Câmpina it has been pretty hot during the day and this afternoon was no exception, however about halfway through the afternoon class a small storm went thought and it cooled off which made for a nice evening.
Please continue to pray for our team as we are working this week. Here are some specific things you can be praying about:
- Team unit as this is the first week that we will be with one another all of the time
- That more children will come to our class, especially in the afternoon
- That we will continue relay on God even thought we now have a better idea of how things need to be done
- For the children we will be working with this week.
I'm glad to see that Brādāshanca is going so much better. Say hi to Sarah when you get a chance! you should definitely see if she will get Ruth to have her do her goal impersonation since she wouldn't do it again for us last year. Praying for you guys as the weeks come and go and that you'll be able to reach out to the kids there.
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