Salut!

I am now writing you from the beautiful country of Romania! After only 22 hours of travel, we arrived last night (Thursday) around 8:00. (Apparently, in previous years, it has taken them 30+ hours to get here, so I am very thankful.) There is a 6 or 7 hour time difference between here and Georgia. I can’t really figure out which it is. Our first flight left at 2:30 from Greenville. This was a short flight to DC. We arrived there and I had the perfect amount of time to make quick phone calls, grab a sandwich (which was awesome) to go and board the plane. From DC, we flew to Munich, Germany, which was about seven and a half hours. Those small seats get very uncomfortable very quick! The movie Vantage Point was on, so I watched that and then flipped around some other movies. Vantage Point was so intense! I had wanted to see it when it came out, but never found the time to do so. Pretty good movie, even though you see the same thing blow up about seven times. Anyway, after only sleeping on the plane to Munich for about an hour or so, we had a short layover in Munich. From Munich to Bucharesti was a small trip, but I slept the entire time. Really, I’ve never felt more dead. After that flight, we got our luggage, got our passports stamped, and loaded the bus. Our bus ride was another 7 hours! I was surprised that the bus was air-conditioned and much roomier than a plane seat, however still not a bed. We all were excited to see the countryside, which is so beautiful. We were also excited to see a McDonalds in Brasov, where we ate a lunch/dinner. Ordering was an adventure, and you have to pay for ketchup! But the food was just as good and just as greasy. ☺ Four hours later, we arrived in Targu Mures, the city of flowers. The architecture here is beautiful and I have already taken tons of pictures, especially for Dad.

A few of my first observations of Romania:
1) the rolling hills and fields sort of remind me of California (Hollister area, of course);
2) the cities are kind of dirty, but not too bad, it’s just that things are old;
3) people love to just sit around and watch the cars and people;
4) in Targu Mures, lots of people are carrying around flowers they have bought from the market.
5) gas was 4.44, but I guess that might be in lei. Which means our gas is much more expensive right now.
6) some exchange places charge a commission. How is it that people say they want to buy and sell money? Some of the interns were charged a 16% commission today, and lost about 16 dollars.

The intern house is so much nicer than I expected it to be. Of course, after living in conditions like the Panama Palms for ten weeks, my expectations were somewhat low. It’s very roomy, with a nice kitchen and living room area. It ends up that I am sharing a room with just one girl! Some people might move around, but for now, it’s nice to have some personal space. I think I’ve acclimated already, which is nice.

Something that I’m already loving about my team is how often we pray for things. We spent a good amount of time praying during orientation in SC and then again this morning during a team meeting. Also, we’ve prayed quickly for things such as a wreck that we saw that had many injuries. The prayers of the interns and the Brileys are so real and I am encouraged by their hearts already. The team is getting along very well. There is lots of laughter when the group is together. So, I’m enjoying just getting to know everyone.
Today we spent some time going over details of how to call for a taxi and then we took a walking tour from our house to the downtown area (centro). I’m so excited to get to the know the city even more. I feel very safe here and look forward to going out for coffee with some of the girls and the volunteers that serve as translators.
Tonight, we are having dinner at Kelly’s house, who is a staff member for Livada. Tomorrow, we are going to visit a baby hospital and maybe one of the group homes. Sunday, we will be visiting one of the state-run orphanages, so we can grasp what the children are coming from. It is going to be an emotional weekend, I can already tell.

Things to pray for:
--unity for the team
--that the rain would hold off next week so that we can get the tents set up
--good health as we get accustomed to the food in the next few days
--that the Lord would continue the work he is already doing in my heart
--that the Lord would prepare the hearts of the orphans, that they would be open to love


Thank you so much for reading. I don’t expect all posts to be this long, but I had some free time this afternoon. Much love to all of you.


Currently listening to: Five for Fighting (Thanks, Amanda sue) ☺