I have been back home in Bucharest for a month now and figured it was time that I admit to recap all the wonderful things that God has been doing at Project Ruth. 

The 2013-2014 school year is well underway at the Ruth School. With over 200 students, our classrooms are nearly completely filled.  This is our second year of having Class 0 aka kindergarten at the Ruth School and those little ones seem to get cuter every year. They are just so little, sweet and innocent! 

The Naomi Center for women is continuing to make huge differences in the lives of the women. Each time  I visit them, I am astonished at the fantastic items they are producing to sell to support their families. If you didn't have a chance to purchase so these items and would like to do some Christmas shopping let me know. We are toying with idea of getting an Etsy (online) shop to sell these items.

 Now my most exciting report! 

Boy on the right circa 2007

I'm not sure if many of you remember Susan Shifflett and I recounting a tales of a hooligan who could just not behave to save his life during VBS over the summer of 2007 but we had many tales of this young boy. He eventually decided school was not for him. He would rather play soccer in the streets than sit in his class. His parents would rather let their child do as he pleases rather than combating his behavioral issues. So this guy after a year and a half of school dropped out. When I arrived back from the US in September, this now young man came to me asking if he could re-enroll at the Ruth School. He stated that he now knew that in life he wasn't going to be able to do much of anything unless he could at least read, write and do basic math. He humbly confessed that he, as a 14 year old, needed to be in the 2nd grade. Through the efforts of our transitional care social worker who specializes in working with our older students, this young man is now attending a government program to help him catch up with his education by completing two grade years in one academic year. He is receiving tutoring and supply support from the Ruth School. 

Present day

This young man's story reminds me so much of the parable of the lost sheep an d how much Christ's rejoices for us when we turn back to Him. I thankful for the 200+ students that we enrolled and the Ruth School and receiving their education as they should but I am beyond overjoyed for this one young mind that I truly believed may never be filled with knowledge and the hope of a better future education can provide is walking into class each day truly ready to learn. 

The Unknown Multiplier

For as long as I can remember I have loved math not just in the fact that it was my favorite subject all the way through high school but in the way that I genuinely rejoice in figuring out solutions with numbers. To me there is great beauty in the fact that no matter where you are this plus this will always be that. It is clean. It is simple. It is reliable.

Over the past few weeks, God has been teaching me that He is that unknown portion of the equation that I always dreaded in advanced mathematics. Since April, Project Ruth has been blessed by multiple volunteer teams doing many different ministries with and around Project Ruth. Project Ruth staff has to work a little bit more whenever we have volunteer teams: logistics have to be figured out, meals prepared, sheets washed, questions answered. Yet, it has become overwhelmingly obvious that whatever extra we do is multiple to extraordinary proportions for the Kingdom as volunteers meet the needs in ways that we are unable. God is the unknown multiplier that takes the efforts of volunteer teams & Project Ruth staff and produces a much larger outcome for His good than any of us expected each time and every time. 

My Dad being a Project Ruth "uncle" during his trip in April.

When trying to put into words the vital role that volunteers play in the ministry of Project Ruth, I often equate it to a family. The teachers, admin staff and other workers of Project Ruth are the mommies and daddies of the family. We work to keep the "family" running on a day to day basis: teaching, balancing budgets, making lunch each day, providing medical care. Our volunteer teams are the extended family that get to do all the things that mom & dad never get to do: field trips, Easter egg hunts, day camp, sports club, craft activities, painting fingernails, sleep-away camp, painting classrooms, school improvements and countless other activities. So thank you to all those that have become Project Ruth aunts, uncles, grandmas, and grandpas over the past few months by loving our kids and the Ferentari community for Christ in ways that we often can't without you. 

An Abandoned Soccer Game

Teenagers at Youth

There are rare moments in life that we are able to witness an event and it hits you that it is an illustration of Biblical truth. On Saturday evening, I was walking with several of the team members who have been helping to plan the partnership between the Romanian Baptist Union and the Virginia Baptist Association when we ran into some teenagers who I have befriended over the years playing soccer in the street. Danny, Courtney & I were headed to youth group at Providence Baptist Church so when the teenage boys asked what we were doing. We told them & invited them to join us. And then an amazing thing happened: they did! They left their other friends that weren't interested. They left their soccer ball. They left their perfect spring afternoon in the sun to go... to worship our living God & to study His Word with their brothers & sisters in Christ. 

The VA team, Mishi, Oti & I visiting Castle Peles

This past week, the team from Virginia and leadership from Romanian Baptists had been meeting, discussing and planning ways for Romanians and Virginians could work together for others. After a week of these discussions, I was feeling overwhelmed with all the things that were potentially going to happen with the partnership. I was feeling like I don't know enough about youth ministry or anything at all about church planting for God to have me a part of what He is doing for His kingdom through this partnership. Then, I saw those teenage boys literally leave their soccer game and close friends behind and go to youth group. It reminded me of when Jesus called Simon-Peter and Andrew in Matthew 4, He didn't ask about their knowledge, He didn't ask about their skills, He didn't ask anything other than to join Him where He was going and working. What is He asking you to join Him in? What "soccer game" is He asking you to leave to follow Him? He is doing great things in Romania and all over the world... I encourage you to just follow and trust the Master to position you perfectly into where you fit in His jigsaw puzzle of the Kingdom. 

Clean fingernails!

And the fingernails of the body were very clean from washing the dishes--- I think this is a verse that Paul left out when he was writing 1 Corinthians. Let me explain… This week at Project Ruth is the Gypsy Smith School which is a fantastic week of leaders from Roma churches coming together for a week long session comprised of two courses. What does this have to do with dishes? Well for me – GSS week means dishes, dishes and more dishes. In order to help out the kitchen staff who are having to not only prepare lunch for our 200+ students but are now preparing 3 meals a day for 25+ full grown men (boy, can they eat!), we wash the dishes. Today, my mind was running a hundred miles an hour regarding what I needed to get done: reports, e-mails pretty much anything but washing bowls caked in mashed potatoes. So as we washed what seem like the 1000^th bowl today, I thought “just how many more bowls do we have to scrub today?” Then it dawned on me that each of the bowls and each spoon represented a little belly in Ferentari that was now full. After meditating on this for a moment, I didn’t want to the dirty bowls to stop coming because when little bellies are full, little minds can learn better and when little minds learn then little children can transform their worlds.

Back to Paul – More often than not, I find myself wanting to see the bigger picture. I forget that I am just a small part of the body of Christ. I selfishly want to be a cool part like an arm that hugs a child or the feet that bring Christmas boxes to children in villages. Yet, God calls us all to be part of the body and that means that sometimes we have to be the uncool parts that don’t get to see the bigger picture but have to trust in a God that brings all things together for His glory and to accomplish His purpose. So I will rejoice in the moments that I get to be the fingers that scrub bowls caked with mashed potatoes. What are the mashed potato bowls in your life? I encourage you to think about the little mundane tasks that you are doing for the Kingdom that seem small but are essential to the bigger picture of ministry in your community. 

“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

1 Corinthians 10:31

New Socks!

Today was a busy day at the Ruth School. Yesterday, we received a donation via World Vision of 250 pairs of small children's winter boots for distribution. Ralph, Tammy and I had already planned on giving out sweatshirts. The bi-annual sweatshirt distribution was already planned for today so we added boots to the mix. As always, it was a little chaotic getting everyone settled and with the correct sized items. It was a whirlwind of jackets, boots, sweatshirts and even a few pair of long pants for our 7 & 8 grade boys.

One little 1st grader sat down to try on his new super warm black boots... He pulled off his soaking wet tennis shoes (did I mention that it has been pouring rain for the past 24 hrs?) and his little feet had no socks. Fortunately, we had a few pairs left over from donations at Christmas that we were able to give him. Never in my life have I seen a child take so long to put on a pair of socks. They had to be just right. They were new. They were warm. They were now his.

Project Ruth receives clothing donations from various churches and organizations in the UK. Most of these donations do not include socks or new underwear. Many of our students are in the same situation as this 1st grader and need new socks to go with their shoes. Please consider contributing to our sock & underwear fund so that we can collaborate with our social worker and teachers to ensure that no child goes through the winter without socks and everyone has proper undergarments. Our little toes thank you!

Winter Happenings....

First of all, I have a confession…. I have tried to write this blog multiple times over the past two months but for one reason or another it kept not happening… Here is a brief rundown of how things have been: 

Goodbye hugs during Celia's last chapel

Celia headed back to the States after 3 months of ministry at Project Ruth. She was actively involved in the chapel programs. And by “actively involved” I mean taught the lesson each week and managed to captive the attention of the older and younger students alike each week. Celia, also, did what she does best: paint. Our class zero now has a mural of the four seasons on what was just a huge boring wall, each classroom has room signs and Providence Baptist Church has huge painted candles to use during the advent season. In addition to being awesome with the kids and painting, Celia did whatever else needed to be done which was a lot random stuff. I miss her greatly…. 

 

My kitchen helper for New Year's Day lunch at our grandmother's

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This little guy's box is almost as big as he is!

As an early Christmas present to me and a birthday gift to my dad- my mother booked me a plane ticket using her air miles to be in Virginia for my dad’s birthday and Christmas. This was a huge blessing! It is fantastic to celebrate Christmas here in Bucharest with my brothers and sisters in Christ and see the children with their Christmas parcels but nothing is the same as Christmas breakfast with my parents and grandmother and then a huge lunch at my grandparents’. The Ruth School children had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed celebrating with a large Christmas program during which each class sang a Christmas carol and several students shared memorized Christmas scripture.

 

Since arriving back in Bucharest, things have been settling back into normal. The students are busy with a new semester. Our eighth graders have a practice exam tomorrow which will simulate the exam they will take in June which will determine their high school paths for them. Please remember these students in your prayers as they continue to prepare for the exam which could greatly affect their future academic careers.  We, in the office, are busy preparing for ministry teams that are coming this spring and summer to serve in various ways at Project Ruth.

Blessings of Busyness!

Literally, a thousand things have happened since I last blogged. These things have kept me from blogging because we have been overwhelmed with busyness. Celia and I were talking the other night about how busyness is such a blessing because when we are busy it means two main things. Firstly, things are being done for the glory of God and we are not sitting here idle. Secondly, we don't have time to think too much, worry or be homesick.

Here are the main things that we have been busy with: 

Child Sponsorship

The Ruth School enrollment is up to 217 students which is a drastic spike from last year enrollment of 175. This increase is due to starting Class 0 which is now has 25 students. The Ruth School has also had many students transfer in from public schools. Several of the transfer students realized that the Ruth School was a place where they are loved, safe and valued this summer during the summer clubs run by volunteers.

Each of these 217 students were photographed & interviewed by Celia and I. We then wrote short biographies for each student to share with their sponsor. These bios and photos were sent by e-mail and snail mail to sponsors across the USA and the UK. This task took the majority of October to complete because while my Romanian is improving, speaking with each student took quite a while :).

We still have about 45 students that are not sponsored. Please e-mail studentsponsorship@projectruth.ro if you feel able to support a Ruth School student for $30 a month.

The GSS brothers during the session in October

Olympics, oh my!

Parade of the Flags for the Olympics :)

In late October, we were blessed with a team from NC. This team was incredible. They held a teachers appreciation week in which each teacher got a special treat such as brownies, hand lotions etc each day. They also hosted the Ruth School Olympics. Our students loved running, jumping and laughing as they competed during the week long session.   Tammy, Celia and I prepared lunch for the team each week. They loved my grandmother's poppy seed dressing!

Clothing Distribution

Doesn't Mari look precious in his new fuzzy hat?

Each student received a pair of socks!

Project Ruth is often blessed with clothing from various organizations and individuals all over the world. As the cold weather set in, we ventured into the storage room in search of winter articles to get our students warm as winter approached. Each student received a sweatshirt, socks and other various items depending on their age, size and need such as: blazers, long sleeved shirts, hats, gloves.

Positive Discipline

Playing Just Dance on the Wii :)

The Ruth School like every other school in the world struggles with behavior. Our teachers and staff implemented a new program this year to help our students be the best they can be. The students have standard punishments when they break one of the ten Ruth School rules and are held accountable for their actions. In order to not only discourage bad behavior but encourage good behavior, students can earn Ruth School points. These points are given to them by their teachers when they are 'caught being good.' Every Friday, Celia and I take each class up to the library on the 3rd floor where students can spend their points at the Ruth School store. At the Ruth School store, you can purchase various school supplies, candy, snacks, small toys and tickets. The tickets for some sort of Friday event. Some Fridays we have movie day after-school where our ticket holders can come, eat fresh popcorn, drink Kool-aid and watch a newly released movie projected on a wall--- the Ruth School Cinema :). This last Friday students were able to purchases tickets to the Wii Party. 11 students attended. They played tennis, Mario Kart and jammed to Just Dance. It was probably my favorite afternoon ever!

Please pray for our teachers as they continue to implement this program. It is working and student behavior is improving but it is often easy to get discouraged.

Coffee & Tea Bar at Youth Group

 This past week, I became obsessed with having a coffee bar at youth group. I felt and urgency to have it at youth group on Saturday. At the time, I didn't know why. It seemed rather silly because we had just had a youth group meal a few weeks ago for fellowship but God just kept telling me that we needed to have something to fellowship over on Saturday evening at youth and who doesn't want to have a coffee with various flavor syrups? So, Celia and I made flavored syrups, cookies and two very large pots of coffee. As we were arranging cookies on the trays and putting out herbal tea for those who aren't caffeine addicts, we noticed some of our Ruth School teenagers venturing in. Sami, the youth pastor at Providence, leads the worship time each week during our chapel service and had invited students from 7 & 8 grade to attend and they did! 11 Ruth School students attended the youth group for the first time ever last night. After a time of worship (all songs from chapel so our students knew them), prayer time in small groups and the Bible lesson, we all gathered around with our coffee and fellowship. It was a wonderful sight to see. - Sorry I didn't have my camera--- Youth that have been attending the church since they could walk were sitting and talking with youth from Ruth. Thank God for fellowship and coffee :)