Burlington Baptist Youth visits Project Ruth

The British Team

This past week we had a wonderful team of youth visiting from Burlington Baptist Church in Ipswich, England. There were seventeen total volunteers that were full of energy, activities and love to share with the students of the Ruth School. The 1st-4th graders were actually on vacation last week but over forty of them came each morning at ten for a Bible lesson, craft, games and fun songs. Through-out the school day, the team was involved in teaching music, PE, and art classes for the 5-8 graders.

In the afternoons, Anna and I were able to take them to hang out at the mall and in the park. It was great to hang out with youth and I love seeing all of them bond together. Them interacting made me miss GBC youth quite a bit.

Alex was the first one to club every morning!
And is still in need of a sponsor

My day to day activities are varied depending on what needs to be done. I have been helping get the child sponsorship information updated. We have over thirty students that are still in need of sponsors so if anyone is interested in sponsoring a student for $30 per month please let me know.




Random information about life here now...

Chips & Salsa :)

--- it gets dark around 5pm every night.
--- the grocery store has recently gotten baked Lay's potato chips which has made my week.
--- the students are getting use to the rountine of chapel and sing their little hearts out every week.
--- Anna and I discovered a Mexican restaurant in downtown Bucharest that is WONDERFUL :) :) :)
--- the leaves are beautiful in the parks here. I don't see many trees in my neighborhood so visits to parks are a treat. 

The leaves are changing

Finding the Small Town in the Big City

 Well folks, I have been in Romania for over four months now and I think it is safe to say that I have settled into life here in the city of 3 million people. Sometimes when I am roaming around the city, I find it hard to believe that I have gone from the small town of Gordonsville and relatively small town of Bluefield to Bucharest. Yet, God is revealing to me that cities have a small town feel to them when you know your neighbors or maybe this is just unique to Ferentari. Each and every time I feel slightly alone walking down the street or waiting for the bus and start to feel a little twinge of homesickness for good ole’ Gordonsville where I can always find someone I know in Food Lion, I see a familiar face. This afternoon I had an experience that felt like I was in a small town in the South. Last Thursday, Anna and I were craving raw veggies and ranch dip, so we went to the vegetable stand at the end of my street. While I was in the process of collecting my change from the veggie man, a man began to speak to Anna in Romanian and didn’t seem to back off when she said she didn’t speak Romanian. I figured he was begging for money but turns out he was trying to convert us to Christianity. We then proceeded to walk away because my Romanian isn’t strong enough to discuss theology in the middle of the street. Upon arriving home, we realized that in the confusion I had forgotten the red peppers. This afternoon, I decided to make some soup because it has gotten chilly here fast. Again, I made the pilgrimage to the veggie stand for some onions, turnips and whatever else is  in season. The veggie man quickly recognized me and insisted that I take a pound of peppers for free because he remembered that I had forgotten mine last week. I am so thankful for simple blessing like knowing the veggie man in the midst of this big city, I am a small town girl at heart.  

Please be in prayer for this church leader as
he goes back to minister to his community.

In other news, this past week was a Gypsy Smith School which is a leadership training program for Roma church leaders from churches all over Romania. There were 21 men in attendance. One of the men graduated from the program during this session because he had completed eight sessions. These men stayed in the Ruth Centre and ate all three meals at the Ruth School which meant that Anna and I were on major dish duty to help the kitchen staff with the increase in demand for their delicious food.

One busy week...

The nurse sharing about

 Women's Health at Mother's Club.

Mothers Club crafts

This week we were joined by a team from Anderson, South Carolina. On Monday, we hosted a Mothers Club for Ruth School moms. Twenty mothers were in attendance. The school nurse joined the festivities and gave some information regarding women's health in conjunction with breast cancer awareness month in October. The mothers then decorated frames and enjoyed snacks. We are really excited about this mother's outreach because it is a way for us to minister to the young mothers and encourage them to be involved in their children's academic careers.

First grade was the best class
 of recorder players

On Tuesday, the majority of the team took the Obed Day Centre students the Zoo and McDonald's for lunch which is pretty much the perfect day for them. From what I hear, the students loved the tigers and the Smurf Happy Meal toys :) I stayed at the Ruth School with two of the team members to lead makeshift music classes. One of the team members is a music minister and former music teacher. He brought 198 recorders for the Ruth School in his suitcase. The students have enjoyed learning to play them and only spend part of the practice time actually playing.

Sewing Club!

Sami, the youth minister at
 Providence Baptist, lead worship
 for chapel.

Chapel on Wednesday was a new experience for the Ruth School students. It was the first one in the history of Ruth School and will continue henceforth weekly. The team told the story of Ruth and then explained why the Ruth School is called Ruth. For those of you who don't know, Project Ruth is named Project Ruth because of the fact that like Ruth was welcomed in a land that was not her own, everyone is welcomed here. In the afternoon, we kicked off the sewing and craft club with scarves. We started the club with 9 machines working and by the end of the club we had two working. This was not the fault of the students but the fact that the machines are about 50+ years old. Needless to say, we are exploring ways to get new or newer machines.

Playing in the park
during the field trip

Thursday, the South Carolina team sponsored a trip to Targoviste, which is the former capital of Romania. The first, second and third grade classes piled onto the double decker bus this morning along with the team at 7. We visited the ruins of the Royal Palace which is where Vlad Tepes ruled from in the late 1400s. After visiting the ruins, we played in the park for an hour then feasted on our picnic. It was a fun filled day. The students enjoyed getting out of the city and were fascinated by open fields in the countryside. It truly is the little things in life!

Yesterday was our first open house and recorder concert for the parents of the Ruth School. It went fairly well. The students enjoyed playing their recorders for their parents but I'm not sure if their parents enjoyed the squeaking very much :) The turn out of parents was not as large as we had hoped but maybe next time. Many of the mothers who came to mother's club on Monday were happy to finally hear the concert they had hear about earlier in the week.

Open House

Thank you Boulevard Baptist in Anderson, SC for sending a team full of energy and ideas to help get all these new programs at Project Ruth up off the ground!

If you would like to see more pictures of what is happening at Project Ruth please follow this link and "like" us on Facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150392352047780.415437.578177779&l=59a1787f73&type=1

Back to School!

The first day of school is always exciting and full of possibilities. For the first time in sixteen years, it was not my first day of school. Watching new first graders parade to class hanging nervously to their parents' hands and older students reuniting with classmates is so much better than actually having to attend classes as a student :)

The Ruth School kicked off the school year with an opening celebration. The outgoing principal, Victoria, introduced the new principal who is also teaching first grade: Virginia. After a few words from these ladies, a Ruth School graduate addressed the student body. He graduated from the Ruth School four years ago and will be attending the university in the fall to study Systems Engineering. His message was meant to motivate the Ruth School pupils that they can attend high school and even university after finishing their time here at the Ruth School.

Robert has enrolled in the first grade. I was worried that he wasn't going to attend because he could have started last year but decided against it and his mother has been in and out of the hospital over the last month. Yet on Monday morning, he was there cling to his father's hand. Once he was in his classroom, he seemed very pleased with his new book bag and pencils. During his teacher's talk to the parents, he was already elbowing  his neighbor for a chat and to compare pencil colors. Luckily, he is always on the front row which is a blessing because he might be a bit talkative. I am so proud of him!

Nicu did not come to the first day of school nor the second. I fear that he has decided that he will not attend school anymore. He does not receive much encouragement at home to attend. Especially since he just had surgery his mother and grandmother are probably not inclined to push him. I will be visiting him and his family tomorrow evening to check up on his recovery and see if I can figure out this school situation.

The fourth graders made a flower arch for their peers to enter the school under.

Thank you all for your prayers about my residency paperwork. Mishi and I went to immigration on Monday and after paying tons of fees and running all over downtown my paperwork was accepted. On October 12, I will go back to immigration for my official id card complete with my unsmiling mug shot. Also, on October 12 I will find out how many years my residency is approved for.

Cook-out, wedding and cast free!

 This past weekend, I attended Sami & Irina Crisan's wedding in Sebis, Romania. On Thursday, I travelled with the Bunacius and Stocks to Almas. Almas is Oti Bunaciu's mother's home village so we went two days early in order to spend sometime with his family. Oti spent many summers in this villages with his cousins and maternal grandparents and was a wonderful tour guide of this rustic village. On Friday, Oti's family exposed us to a Romanian cook-out at its finest. There were micis (Romanian sausages), pork fillets, chicken, kebabs, home-fried potatoes along with some vegetables. Smoked pig fat is a popular cook-out food in this region of Romania so I proceeded to eat some melted over bread and it was delicious but probably not very healthy :).

On Saturday, we attended the beautiful wedding and reception of the Crisans. The wedding itself was gorgeous with loads bright flowers and precious flower girls. The wedding reception consisted of a 5 course meal complete with wedding cake served at midnight. During the reception, some of the guests played a game that was sort of like a scavenger hunt race meets musical chairs. For instance, if there were 10 guests playing and the first nine back to the chairs with a wallet that was not their own progressed to the next round. The loser had to do something for the couple during their first year of marriage and were assigned what to do (example: take them to a movie in April).

Since returning to Bucharest after the wedding festivities, I have been working on the documents to obtain a residency permit. Aside from doing paperwork and running all over the city with Mishi to get signatures and stamps for this, my Romanian language studies have taken high priority because of my increasing frustration with not being able to communicate very well with those I come in contact with. Today, for instance, I have spent about five hours memorizing the definitions and correct Romanian spellings for the hundred vocabulary words in my Romanian textbook for this week. Now it is time to get started on the grammar sections... joy!

This evening, I went to visit Nicu and his family because he had his casts off while I was gone to the wedding. He seems really happy to be able to move his legs again. His mother is confident that he will be walking well enough to return to school on September 12. Currently, he is walking with the aid of a walker but should be able to, according to the doctor, stop using that in a few days. I will be checking up on him as school approaches to see if he will in fact be able to come to school without physical aid.



The cook-out crew



Prayer Concerns:

- Nicu as he learns to walk flat footed for the first time & praise that he is doing well and has no infection!
- Faculty, staff and students of Ruth School (school starts September 12th)

- my residency permit :)

Chicken Salad+ Soccer Ball = Perfect Summer Afternoon :)

Well folks, I think it is safe to say that I am settled into life here in Romania. Things have been going really well and I have been keeping busy. Nicu continues to heal very well and is looking forward to getting his casts off towards the end of the month.

The Ruth School is getting ready for another fantastic school year. Our teachers come back to school next Monday and the students on September 12.

Also, I am loving my new neighborhood. Living in the school definitely has its perks. The students associate me with Project Ruth and everything that goes on here so I have quite a few friends to wave to and say hello as we pass on the street. Yesterday, I had a young man that had frequented our activities this summer and enjoyed a few games of football & snacks with Zach wait with me at the bus stop for ten minutes talking to me about school. We were actually conversing in Romanian which limited the conversation topics but it certainly nice to chat with him  :).

Zach's crew of boys ask where he is every time I see them. When I tell them, he is at home. They automatically think he is back in his room in Bucharest then I have to explain that he is at home with his family in Virginia. This typically brings great sadness yet yesterday I combated the sadness with their favorite lunch: chicken salad sandwiches and cookies. After lunch, I pulled out a soccer ball from my bag which made me almost as cool as Zach. It was a great afternoon. While I was watching the boys play soccer tennis, a young girl emerged from their house. Turns out the boys have several sisters which I am now starting to form relationships as I sit watching the boys play soccer.

This weekend I will be traveling to the northern part of Romania for Sami's, the youth pastor at Providenta, wedding. It will be my first Romanian wedding so I am looking forward to the new cultural experience and seeing Sami tie the knot :)

Please continue to pray for the students and teachers of the Ruth School as they gear up for the new school year.

Connect Four and Goodbyes

 

This past week has been a busy one full all kinds of activities. The high points of my week continue to involve visiting Nicu and his family. As I mentioned in my last post, board games and other activities have enhanced these visits quite a bit. Instead of sitting around with me speaking very badly broken Romanian, we spend the afternoon laughing and playing. The boys personal favorite family game is Rummicube but Zach and I still do not understand their 'interpretation' of the rules so Connect Four has been a huge hit. The boys quickly organized a tournament amongst the five of us and even allowed Alexis (their four year-old sister) to join in on the festivities. Nicu seems to be recovering fairly well and has little pain in his legs. His arm is still giving him a bit of trouble.

Several evenings this past week, Zach and I had the crew over for some soccer and hanging out. Apparently, they had never had chocolate chip cookies and grabbed them off the plate after consuming their first so fast that Zach didn't get any. Andrei was the first to notice Zach's empty hands and sad eyes which prompted him to quickly hand over one of his spare cookies. Following in suit, all the boys promptly shared an extra cookie with him. It was an amazing thing to see.

On Saturday, Zach and I went to visit Nicu in the morning so that Zach could say farewell to his friend. After visiting, we joined Ali to go pick her mom who is Romania for the week before Ali goes back to the States. We then visited an antique shopping for nifty souvenirs for Ali and her mom. After an afternoon of pursuing shops and Zach patiently walking along, we headed out to dinner with Oti and his wife, Cami. It was great to be around the table with friends and laugh over delicious food that I didn't have to cook :).

Sunday was church and Zach's last full day in Romania.  In between services we went to the big grocery store to get treats for Zach to haul home to his family and mine. Hopefully, both of my grandmothers will be able to sample the instant cake creme mix that I am currently using as icing, my dad will be able to have some delicious Romanian chocolate and my mom can munch on some paprika potato chips. After shopping, we had nachos for lunch using taco seasoning and Cheez-Wiz which he hauled over the Atlantic and it was so worth it! In the evening, Zach said la revedere (see you soon) to the boys who have grown so accustomed to seeing him on the street with soccer ball in hand ready to run and play all afternoon.

Early Monday morning, Zach headed to the airport after we said goodbye for a while. And I went back to bed because it was way too early to start the day. Zach has since arrived safely back in the States and is anxious to get back to Newbern to see his family. I have been busy working on school reports for all the students of the Ruth School and other various office tasks. Tomorrow, I hope to finish them all and possible visit some of the soccer boys. I can't play soccer like Zach can but I can certainly take a soccer ball along with some baked goods and spend the afternoon with some pretty awesome boys.

Thanks for all the prayers and words of encouragement as I face each new day full of possibilities. My phone number on my contact card is wrong so if you would like my correct USA number please email me at Garton.Brittany@gmail.com.