Recap of Wednesday, July 8:Day One of VBS & Construction Projects:
We left the hotel at 9am on Wednesday morning to begin our first day of VBS at Children of Promise. We started the morning with devotions with Pastor Charles, and a short team meeting before work began.
Yesterday we referred to the "tuck and roll" incident with Pastor Charles, but we didn't give you many details of what occurred. Our first night in Oradea, Charles tripped on some uneven ground on the way to dinner and had some swelling in his hand that lingered until the next morning. After some concern regarding the swelling, Bob & Caroline (our missionaries in Oradea) took Pastor Charles to the local hospital to get his hand looked at. In Romania, they have socialistic health care, which means everyone receives health care, but in order to receive quality health care you must bribe every doctor, nurse, technician, surgeon, etc. who will be
dealing with your case. Included in the post-visit hospital questionnaire, it asks "how much did you pay in bribes?" Thankfully, Caroline was able to arrange for a Christian Doctor to look at Pastor Charles' hand, who did not accept any bribes or charges for his visit. We found out that he has a severely sprained hand, wrist, and fingers. Here in Oradea, we found out that a prescription for medication is called a "recipe", and that no hospitals or pharmacies keep any medical records. You must keep all medical records for yourself, including copies of your "recipes". Charles is scheduled for another appointment on Monday with the orthopedic surgeon. In the midst of everything, he has kept a positive attitude about everything, and has seen God's hand at work in all of this.
Back at Children of Promise, the construction crew laid footers, poured concrete, and painted the fence and gate outside the facility which took most of the day. The VBS crew divided into four areas: Bible (taught b
y Mishel & Roberta), Games (Matt & Katelynnn), Crafts (Mary, Sarah, Elise), and Music (Alice, Shelby, and Louis). During the first day of VBS, we taught the Roma (gypsie) children that even the stars sing and praise God, and if we don't praise Him that the rocks would cry out (Luke 19:40). They used an illustration of Pop Rocks in water representing how the rocks will cry out. The music crew taught "Jesus loves the little children", "Every move I make", and "Father Abraham" to the children in English, and the children had a great time. In crafts, the children made their own tambourines so that they could praise the Lord in song, and they brought them to music class to use as instruments.
After the conclusion of VBS, a group of Roma girls dressed up some of our girls in their skirts and taught them how to swirl and dance. We had an amazing lunch provided by the volunteers of the Children of Promise facility. After lunch, the VBS team split into two teams. Half of the team pulled weeds in preparation for a soccer field behind the facility, and the other half joined up with the construction crew to continue work on the wall. Charles, Alice, and Elise went shopping with Bob and Caroline to pick up fans for our hotel rooms (since the air conditioning doesn't get cool enough), and on a mission to find an authentic sling for Charles' arm.
After cleaning up from a hard days work, the team walked along the river to Old Town Oradea for dinner, shopping, and some delicious gelato. Some of the youth enjoyed running through the fountains to cool down in the evening heat. After a full evening of fun, we all made our way back to the hotel around 9:30pm just in time to begin fan assembly in each of the rooms.
Baptism Service
The service from the balcony.
Skit: "Where Are We?" explaining that just because you are in a hospital you are not a Dr., or just because you are in a school does not make you a teacher. Most importantly, just because you are in a church does not make you a Christian. You must have a personal relationship with Jesus.
The kids learning to take pictures with our cameras.
Jim and Tyler filling the forms for the support beam.
One finished wall.
Skit: "If I Were Not Upon the Stage..." The kids loved this skit, especially when Sarah forgot to duck at the end of the skit and got hit in the head.
Half our team taking the tour of the Fortress.
Alice squatting over the toilet at the Fortress.
Before VBS on Saturday, the team quickly visited the market to collect souvenirs.
While we waited... Half headed to the Fortress and the other half took the Roma children to take pictures to for the exhibition.
One of the groups of Roma children taking the pictures for the exhibition.
Another one of the groups for the exhibition.
Our young ladies wearing scarves for church service.
Building relationships with the Roma children, which includes lots of laughter.
Dismantling old, useless furniture for firewood.
One of the finished walls.
Concrete was poured through a window down a chute, then hauled where it was needed.
The field of weeds (a work in progress)... soon to be a field for soccer.
Allison painting the trim on the gate.
Bible Lesson: Matthew 13 (Parable of the Sower & the Seed)
The guys taking their first break and enjoying placinta (essentially a flour tortilla filled with whatever)...
Games: Red Rover with Katelynn and Sarah.
Music: Recorders/Flutes with Alice and Matt
Katelynn getting a big hug from one of the Roma children.
Matt and Louis posing with some of the young Roma boys.
The Finger's Finger... okay, so this is just for Josh...
Music: "Greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world" Conga Line
devotions, the team split up for another day of hard work and VBS. The construction crew was ready and enthused to complete more work on the walls, and anxious to see how much work the local crew had completed during the night. The walls they are building will serve as structural support in the basement of the facility. As the men continued work on the walls, the other half of the construction crew set to work painting the gate and another mesh wall in their pottery room.
tight with a rubber band and placed rocks on it. She taught the children that with the strength of the Lord in our lives, we can endure circumstances and events that would normally tear us apart, but instead we hold steady and strong. The children wanted to confirm that Roberta didn't do anything to the tissue to keep it from breaking when the rocks were placed on it. In the gypsy/"Roma" culture, magic plays a large role in their clans. In each clan, there is generally one woman who uses magic, tarot cards, palm reading, and crystal balls to manipulate people and wield power. This is why it was so important that these children understood that there were no magic tricks used in the illustration. In addi
tion to the Bible lesson, Roberta and Mishel also shared with the children regarding basic hygiene, and explained that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and that they must keep it clean in order to stay strong and healthy. In music class, we continued to teach new songs. During an outing with some Roma children in the afternoon, Shelby and Sarah were thrilled to see some of the Roma girls singing "This little light of mine" and "Amazing Love" in English, as they were walking down the streets of Oradea. Overall, the VBS is running extremely smooth and our youth are really beginning to engage with the Roma children.
ith some of our team to take historical pictures around Oradea. These pictures will be used in a citywide exposition in September. After work was completed at Children of Promise and those who were taking pictures returned, our team traveled to the Rapha Center. The Rapha Center will be a ministry center that will funnel aid and help to ministries all over Romania, including: compassion international, clothing and food ministry, battered women, and a medical and dental clinic. The Rapha Center is still being built, but will be completed later this year.
dealing with your case. Included in the post-visit hospital questionnaire, it asks "how much did you pay in bribes?" Thankfully, Caroline was able to arrange for a Christian Doctor to look at Pastor Charles' hand, who did not accept any bribes or charges for his visit. We found out that he has a severely sprained hand, wrist, and fingers. Here in Oradea, we found out that a prescription for medication is called a "recipe", and that no hospitals or pharmacies keep any medical records. You must keep all medical records for yourself, including copies of your "recipes". Charles is scheduled for another appointment on Monday with the orthopedic surgeon. In the midst of everything, he has kept a positive attitude about everything, and has seen God's hand at work in all of this.
y Mishel & Roberta), Games (Matt & Katelynnn), Crafts (Mary, Sarah, Elise), and Music (Alice, Shelby, and Louis). During the first day of VBS, we taught the Roma (gypsie) children that even the stars sing and praise God, and if we don't praise Him that the rocks would cry out (Luke 19:40). They used an illustration of Pop Rocks in water representing how the rocks will cry out. The music crew taught "Jesus loves the little children", "Every move I make", and "Father Abraham" to the children in English, and the children had a great time. In crafts, the children made their own tambourines so that they could praise the Lord in song, and they brought them to music class to use as instruments.
