I'm a city girl. I know it, I accept it. However, I decided when I went to Romania, I would not say "no" to anything. As a result, I ate things I normally wouldn't like, did things I normally wouldn't do, and had a blast doing them! So when Estera said, "Hey, I'm going to Gigi's to have him kill a chicken for lunch tomorrow, you want to come and watch?" How could I say no to that?
We walked to Gigi's and it was evening chore time. We watched them milk the cow, scoop out the barn, feed the pigs, etc. Meanwhile, they were getting a pot of water boiling for the chicken. Shawn got to go pick out the lucky fella and Kevin and I decided that he would video and I would photograph. When in my lifetime will we see this again, right? (For us city folk anyway). Whack, it was all over before I knew it! The chopping part anyway, then literally, the chicken ran around with it's head cut off. No figure of speech there. Blood was squirting out and it was getting all muddy and bloody and it was really disgusting in a cool kind of way.
Then Gigi's wife, Lumenitsa, dunked the chicken in the boiling water and stuck her hands right in there and started ripping feathers off. That took a while and then she and Gigi started a fire to singe the last bits of feathers off. Then she gutted it, and that's when the cute cats came out for their snack. They grabbed the intestines and the gizzards and took off running. Then she handed the chicken over to Estera. It was all over before we knew it.
Talk about fresh! Estera made a chicken soup for the day camp we were having the next day, so that one chicken fed lunch to 50 hungry kids and parents, and there were leftovers for the neighbors. It was really good soup too. I don't think I will ever have chicken that fresh again! Not sure I want to either.
On Sunday we went to Vio and Estera's church in Rucar. It was about an hour away, and very traditional. The women sit on one side, the men on the other, we were told to wear dark colors and keep our head covered. It was definitely a different experience for me, who has grown up in very loud, non-traditional churches! The singing was beautiful (I'm including a video of it) and there was an English missionary there so we actually got to understand part of the service. Afterward we saw some of our new friends from the orphanage, Ionutz, Mehi and Magdalena, and then we were invited to lunch at the pastors house, Peter and Dafi. They lived only a mile or so away, so while Vio and our driver Eidi were giving rides to other people in the church, we walked. It was a beautiful day and we took picture of every house, gate, person and cow along the way!
The houses there are so beautiful, full of history and the details of the architecture are amazing! The wooden banisters that were hand carved, the additions to the house that may be in a complete different style, but somehow worked, the rooms in the back for the animals, it was all very interesting and unique and picturesque. I took a TON of pictures, and tried to just select the best ones, but it was so hard, everything there is just so incredibly beautiful.
We finally made it to Peter and Dafi's, and they laid out a feast fit for kings! I don't know what all we had, but it was all incredible. The first course was several things, one was an apple and carrot salad that was so good, the apples there taste nothing like the apples here, they were just so sweet and juicy. There were meatballs, eggplant salad, some type of pimento cheese salad thing, and of course fresh bread. Then the second course was homemade sarmale and mamaliga, the creamiest, gooiest mamaliga! It was like cornbread stuffed with butter and feta cheese. And then she made, hand-made, home-made chocolate eclairs. And these other things that I don't even know what they were but they were like chocolate layered bars that were just yummy.
They were so nice and took such great care of us. Their home was beautiful and built by Peter himself. They had 3 teenage boys that were delightful and they watched us log on to Facebook (yes, they had internet access!) and really got a kick out of seeing all of our pictures from home on FB.
Then we drove back home and had a leisurely Sunday afternoon. Until it came time to kill the chicken (dunh dunh DUNH!!!)...
After the market, we went to the mall in Pitesti (pronounced Pitesht) and had lunch at KFC. It was a real live mall, looked just like Lakeline Mall! After lunch we went to another village along a long, bumpy road. This lady opens her home up to Estera every week who goes there and teaches the kids about Jesus. We had 43 kids crammed into her living room, plus us, it was a tight squeeze! Vio went over a song that they've been learning, and then Shawn shared some of his testimony with them, I taught the kids a song, and then we did a craft that we brought with us. Estera told us a lot of the kids can't go to school because they don't even have supplies, and this craft was a pencil, and the kids all loved it. Normally it would have been something younger kids would appreciate more, but all the kids, of all ages, really enjoyed the craft. The people who lived in the home were so nice and we met the neighbors and checked out their yard, very interesting. Very different. I had to use the facilities that were WAY in the back of the yard, and as far as outhouses go, there's was quite nice, even had a "padded" seat!
Then we drove to another place and had a youth Bible club at a church. It was another small room, with kids just jammed in where they could fit, standing room only. It was amazing! The guys shared their testimonies, and then Chad thought he would beat them all in some arm wrestling but I think he under estimated how much these kids work out in the fields with their parents, and he wasn't winning like he thought he would!
Then we had a long drive back to the camp, we didn't get home until after 10 or so, but we were all pumped about what a great day it was.
On Saturday morning, we got up and headed out to the market in Campulung. We stopped by Estera's family store and got some homemade Zakouska for the trip. Once we got to the market, I think we sounded, and looked, like American Idiots. Everything was so bright, and colorful, and flavorful! I found an oblong shaped red onion, I was so amazed by it, the lady gave it to me! So of course, I bought a bunch of vine ripened tomatoes from her. They were the best tomatoes I've ever eaten in my life, and I love tomatoes! I went to the cheese market and it was like a light from heaven was shining on the cheese. There were so many different kinds of cheese to choose from, but I sampled several (a lot) and finally bought half a wheel of sheep cheese. I love sheep cheese. And it was like a little slice of heaven. There's another cheese there that they wrap tree bark around and put in a cave with a fire and smoke it for months, and it's pretty good too. Kevin bought that one, and we were all taking turns sampling our purchases, and oohing and aahing over everything, we looked like we haven't ever eaten a fruit in our lives! Amanda bought these peppers that we were eating raw like the Iron Chef guy, just taking bites out of them, and the fresh bread and honey, and Scott bought some Mici (like sausage) from a stand, and we had one of the best lunches of my life just standing there sampling everything! It was like a Romanian version of Costco right there. I've never seen such beautiful produce.
On Friday evening, we went to the orphanage. We bought the kids pizza, Pepsi and candy, and spent the evening with them. When we got there, we met the boys, they took us to their rooms to show us around. One of the boys has grown up in the orphanage, and he's a Christian, and really wants to start his own orphanage, but doesn't have the money to pay the bribe to start one. I think Scott said it's $500 for the bribe. He was so nice. They all were. The younger kids ate about a slice of pizza, I found out later it's because they will hide it to eat later, afraid they won't get more food the next day. But they were still so happy to see us, and after dinner they sang us a song, we taught them, "One Way, Jesus" and played some games with them. I did NOT want to leave. There was a little girl there that was Regan's age, but so small, she looked about 4 or 5. And one boy that was 11, just like Riley and he kept making silly faces into the camera, just like Riley! And Mehi, he's around 17, but so small from being neglected, but he was the sweetest kid. He just followed us around and hugged us a million times. The orphanage was very nice, a lot nicer than what I was expecting, but I will still sad for the kids. They were just so sweet, and had so much love to give.
Amanda and I woke up sick, and that was not good! I took some of Scott's medicine that he had, and they gave me a shot of Tuica (pronounced sweeka, and is basically like vodka made with plums) and that made me feel much better. It didn't help Amanda much, and she spent most of the day throwing up.
When I woke up, I looked out the window and there was frost on the ground! It was SO cold there in the mornings. We got up and walked around checking everything out. The camp was cool! The land went up the mountain, like everything there. The first level was the big house that we stayed in, there was the kitchen, a big windowed porch, two bedrooms with bunk beds, two bathrooms, and upstairs was a giant open room for games with the kids, and couches lining the room. Then there were other buildings on the property, one was a game room with ping pong table, more bathrooms, what will be a commercial kitchen, and rooms for helpers. On the next level up the hill was a huge gazebo, nice porch swing, and then farther up the hill was a big soccer field.
Then it was time to head into a village for a kindergarten Bible story. Estera drove us and it was wild! There were cows and gypsy wagons all over the place that we had to dodge, and the roads were so bad, with potholes, or the pavement would end, I don't know how people get around as fast as they do there. We went to this village that has no running water, way back off the main road, and there was the cutest school. It was like a Martha Stewart school. The teachers were so nice and the kids were so cute. We couldn't get them to smile for the life of us, and we tried HARD!!
But when we first arrived, the teachers had prepared a massive feast for us, only the 2nd group of American's to be in their village. They had the best cheese, tomatoes, bread with butter, baked apples (with homemade whittled sticks stuck in them!), apples with "teeth", boiled eggs that looked like spider eggs, coffee, lemonade, and more Tuica! And the cutest Halloween decorations. It was seriously like a Martha Stewart village Halloween! The kids had dressed in costumes and they asked us to judge their costume contest. They were so cute, they would just melt your heart. And the teachers were so sweet. We ate our snacks and then watched Estera do her Bible lesson on Zachias, which I recorded a part of here:
As part of her lesson, Estera handed out Silly Bands. Now, if you haven't heard about Silly Bands, you must not have kids! Our kids at church have been have a Silly Band offering in each service before we left. Kids don't always have money to give, but they had Silly Bands halfway up their arms! So a lot of the kids donated their Silly Bands to give to the kids in Romania, and it was so cute to see those kids with them. They had no idea what they were, and they would just hold them, like, okay, thanks. We had to show them that they are shapes, but they are also bracelets, and you can trade them and wear a bunch of them. Then they kind of caught on. They were so cute with them.
Then the kids sang some songs for us, and even did the bunny hop!
And they sang us a Good Bye song!
When it was time to go, I gave each of the teachers a gift from America, and they gave us a handful of wild flowers that the kids had gone and picked just for us. Talk about melt your heart, I was in tears. They were so sweet, and obviously very dedicated to their job, they make so little and they had that school looking so nice and they very obviously cared a lot for those kids.
Then we walked around the village some, Scott showed us the village well where most of the people get their water from. There was no running water there, so every day they would come to the well with their buckets and collect the water for the day.
Then we got back to the camp and decided to go meet the neighbors, Gigi and Lumanitsa. They were the cutest, sweetest couple! Gigi tells his testimony here:
They used to host Estera's Bible camp in their backyard before she had her own camp. Now Gigi goes every night to the gypsy village to preach the Gospel to the gypsies. He also makes his own honey that was to die for. It's bright orange and gritty, and sweet and delicious! He gave us some honey to take back, and offered a chicken to Estera to feed some kids that were coming on Monday (more on that little adventure later!)
And this is Gigi's animals. The pigs were awesome, and the chickens were great too! I loved their dogs and cats. Every animal there has a JOB, so I think they thought I was weird for loving and petting the animals, and talking to them. The cat loved me holding him, and he let me carry him around a while. He was so sweet.
And then we walked around some, here is a short video that just shows the scenery of the place. It's really one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. The hills look like there is carpet on them, the grass is so lush and green. And it's so funny to see cows just standing up there on the side of a mountain, it looks like any second he could come tumbling down.
That night we took pizza to the orphanage, but I don't have the pictures for that yet, my camera broke and so I switched to the church camera, and when I get those pictures, I will post all about that!
We started off the morning with a "quick" breakfast at Anne's house, the best breakfast ever, she had made scrambled eggs with a chunk of feta cheese, fresh bread, sausages, and fresh sliced tomatoes. Man the food there was just so good, and fresh! Then we rode the fun bus again back to Campus Crusade to do a Beth Moore Bible study with the staff ladies. Amanda and I were asked to share our testimonies, so that was interesting, and then we talked about faith. Then we had a staff chapel service that was amazing. It was so nice to get to know each other better, and pray for each other. We had pizza delivered for lunch, which was good, but different. They have the sauce on the side and you just pour it on top, and it's more like ketchup. But it was really tasty! The pepperoni was more like spicy sausage.
Then Amalia, Anne and I headed to the dorms at the University to meet some people and pass out flyers for the night's Bible Trek class that Scott was teaching. CCFC puts out a magazine called "Fitzuica" and there's a spot in the back for people who want more information about becoming a Christian, so we were going to those people to see what kind of questions they had. It was an interesting afternoon. On our way to the dorms, we passed these girls that were barefoot (and it was cold that day) and dirty and digging in the trash. My heart just broke for them, but they were so happy. All I had to give them was gum, and they were smacking away and smiling and laughing at the crazy American. As I turned to leave, I told them "Bye Bye!" and they laughed and kept repeating, "Bye Bye" all the way down the street! They were so cute.
We met some neat girls at the dorms, talked to them (I listened really, since they were NOT speaking American) and invited them to the Bible Trek seminar. Then we headed back to the office. I spent some time chatting with David and the kids online, and then went to the seminar which was very interesting and very intellectual!
After the seminar, we loaded up our bags into a van, said a temporary good-bye to our new best friends, and headed 3 hours away to the town of Campulung. We got in after midnight, the roads were crazy, and we went straight to the camp where we would be staying for the next week.
We met Estera who is one of the most amazing women I have ever met. I could take days just writing about how awesome she is, and I probably will, but not yet. She and her husband Vio run a camp on the outskirts of Campulung. They have summer camp there for kids, but she also goes to the neighboring villages and does Bible Clubs and she goes to Orphanages, Kindergartens, area churches, and people's backyards and hosts Bible Clubs.
We brought Vio and Estera several suitcases full of supplies. They are so far from Bucharest that they don't get there very often to buy supplies, and even when they are, they don't have the stuff that we have (imagine a life without Ziplock bags!) and the stuff they can get is super expensive. She does so much with what little she has. It was so amazing to unpack suitcase after suitcase and present her with all the stuff we brought for her. We brought puppets and crafts and glue sticks (that one kindergarten TEACHER had never seen before) and pencils, and peanut butter, and just all kinds of goodness. We even had a digital camera and a laptop that were donated to her. We were all so happy we didn't go to bed until around 3am!
Well, Im here and freezing! And there are no apostrophes on this Romanian keyboard. We left the church Sunday morning at 930, drove to Houston, got on a plane to London, 10 hour flight, had breakfast at Gordon Ramseys Plane Food (it was the best eggs I had ever had!) Very expensive but tasty breakfast, caught our plane to Romania, slept the whole way, got in here about 430, took a very scary ride to the Campus Crusades for Christ office, met the people there, they served us dinner and we talked about our schedule for the time we are in Bucharest. We sang, prayed, talked, had a great time! Then we went to our host home, Ana Maria, and we fell in love!! Shawn and Amanda Bouldin and I are staying with Ana, and she is so much fun. We stayed up late talking and laughing and having a great time.
I slept great, no jet lag (or not TOO much!) and other than the wild dogs that fight ALL NIGHT LONG I have been very comfortable! We got up Tuesday and went to the Campus office again, had a family meeting with staff, like how to balance ministry and family. Then we walked to the subway and headed to the University of Economics and had a seminar there on business and entrepreneurship. The way to do things here, is to teach the seminar, without being overtly religious, but let a few things slip about God, then hang around after and answer questions. We have talked to some amazing young people these past few days!!
Then after that seminar, we headed to the mall and parted ways with our other companions, then headed back to Anas house, she made us a typical Romanian feast of (and I know this isnt spelled right, but Im trying to spell it out phonetically) Sau Mauli (cabbage rolls made with fermented cabbage, sauce, and polenta on top with sour cream) then Mama Liga (fried egg, feta cheese, butter, and polenta on top) and a pastry with creamy cheese, and then Romanian pancakes with her moms homemade strawberry jelly.
Then today we went back to University for a sales seminar taught by Shawn, and then we went to lunch at KFC, which was much better than USA KFC. Then we went to some stores, and went sight seeing. We saw some amazing stuff, the Peoples Building, which is the 2nd largest building in the world, next to the Pentagon, we went to the top of the Omni Hotel so we could see the whole city. We saw some markets, a lot of really old, nice buildings, some not so nice, and then ended up at La Mama, a famous Romanian restaurant where we had Zakouska which I will have to figure out how to make, its and eggplant and pepper spread. And I had Schnitzil, Meach, Mousaka, sheep cheese, (that is made inside tree bark and smoked for months) and many other types of food!!
Here is a video of a violin tuner we saw while we were touring:
Tomorrow we have a womens Bible study and then dorm ministry, and then a Bible Trek class (no idea yet!) and then after that, at 830 at night, we head to Cumpulung, which is supposed to be super cold! It was warm yesterday so today I didnț bring my coat, and today it was FREEZING!! So, Im not sure how I will survive much colder weather!! Anyway, having a great time, taking a ton of pictures, and have seen some amazing things. There is one guy here, a Pastor of a church, his name is Romeo, and something about him just touches my heart. Hes tried 10 times to get a church started here, he found out about ARC (an organization our church belongs to) and found Celebration Church online and had a million questions for us about the childrens church and all the logistics of every little detail of church, he was like a sponge. I just could have talked to him all day. Its really amazing, to see the difference here between Christians and non Christians. Most everyone here is so sad and gray. We laugh, and people look at us like were crazy.
Anyway, I hope to type more later, but this is it for now. Keep praying, were headed to the mountains to do the Bible camps and work with the kids and thats what Im super excited about!!
It was Celebration Home School Small Group day today so we went to Springwoods Park, one of our favorites! They have a ton of trees, which were dangerous today, any time there was a strong wind, one of us got knocked in the head by a falling acorn. But the kids love that park because there is so much to do there. And my Aunt Judy came with her baby grandson Joshua so we let Regan practice some babysitting skills! She got to swing Joshua and push him around in the stroller, and she even got to walk Alice May (the dog).
We have a great little group going, and one of the mom's went to Romania last year, so I asked a bunch of questions, she brought a care package for me to bring to some people there, and I got a lot more info and a lot more excited about leaving in less than TWO days!!
I'm trying not to panic, trying to make sure David has everything covered. Set up bills to be paid while I'm gone, renew library books online (I don't think David knows where the library is!) make sure he has a daily schedule, list of phone numbers and all that. At the very worst, they will just have a 2 week vacation from school, and we end up catching up over Christmas break, so I'm not too worried about it I guess. Trying not to any way!
And I still need $250 for the trip!! Again, I'm trying hard not to panic, God hasn't brought me this far to leave me hanging on a measly $250!! I know it's His plan for me to go, so I'm trusting He will work it all out.
And to top it all off, I checked the weather where we're going and it said 13 degrees, but "feels like" -8. Yes, negative eight. Yikes. I've never, ever experienced that kind of cold in my life! Should be a new and exciting experience!!
I'm hoping to blog some when I'm there, but not sure. I added international to my phone, but I'm worried about data charges, so I might just take Riley's phone so I can text. Incoming texts are free, so feel free to text me! But it's 35 cents for me to send a text, so don't expect a reply!!
Riley's Geocaching class had a field trip to Mt. Bonnell. The only thing I remember about this place was we visited once right after I moved to Austin, so I was probably around Riley's age and I just remember about 2 million steps to the top! I dropped Riley and his friend Erik off, then Regan and I met David for lunch, while they did their Geocaching. Then we came back and Regan wanted to go up and see what everyone was doing, so we went up to the top. There weren't nearly as many steps as I remembered, and the view wasn't as great as I remembered either. You had to climb up a rock and lean WAY over to see water. You could barely even see the famous Pennybacker bridge. Anyway, Regan tripped and scraped her knee, then hurt her ankle going down the steps, so all in all it wasn't the best morning.
But on the way back, we passed this park that I have heard a lot about so we decided to stop and check it out. It's famous for it's peacocks and a great place for photographs. The kids tried to pet a peacock, but although they came close, they would jump away if you tried to touch them, usually with a very loud peacock, "OOOWWWW!"
We had a Romania team meeting, and I'm getting more and more excited! We met at our team leaders house, he has been to Romania many, many times, so we got a lot of information from him on how to act, what to say, what NOT to say, etc. For instance, if you admire something of someone's, they will most likely give it to you, so be very careful when you tell someone you like their shirt, or they will take it off and give it to you! Also, don't eat everything on your plate unless you are very, very hungry because they will keep giving you more and more food. Also, hot water costs them around $4.00 per shower, so we might be taking some cold showers while we are there! Which could be interesting, since it's pretty cold there right now.
And then he told us to watch this video to prepare. I know we might not get a chance to visit an orphanage, they try to keep visitors out these days, but if we do get into one, it's good to be prepared. Although after watching this, not sure I could handle a visit to one like this.
So, it's just a few days away, I'm not packed, don't have all the stuff I need to pack yet either. But, I have plenty of time!! Not really, but if I put it off longer, I won't be so anxious to go maybe?
One of Regan's Girl Scout friends had a birthday party and it was Princess/Pirate themed. Regan of course wanted to be a pirate, and we found the most adorable princess dog costume for Princess! And she was the hit of the party. She looked so cute in her pink outfit with little pink faerie wings and pink puffy skirt! And the party was so much fun, they had a treasure chest FULL of popcorn that the girls could dig around in to find buried treasure, and Princess got to eat all the popcorn that fell overboard! She loved it.
I know I have been pretty bad about keeping up with my blog lately, but we've been so busy now I don't know where to go back and try to catch up! But, I'll start with the big thing...Romania!!
It was funny, David and I have been spending some time lately talking about our goals in life and together and what we really want to do with ourselves. You know, grown up stuff. I have always had a heart for missions, specifically for working with kids in other countries, but after having kids of my own and settling down into our home school routine, I figured that was a dream that I had to give up for now. But, it's always been there, and in talking about our goals and dreams, I said it, I want to go to the mission field!
A pastor in our church recently moved his whole family to Xai Xai, Mozambique and I told David if they ever need assistant pastors, I would go tomorrow! Sadly, David does not share my love of the mission field (I think it's just because he hasn't gone on a missions trip yet). But anyway, I prayed for my opportunity to come, in God's time.
Well, it wasn't long, about a week or two later, that the children's pastor at our church asked me as I was picking up the kids from class, "Hey, you wouldn't happen to want to go on a missions trip to Romania to work with kids would you?" Uh, where do I sign?! So, that was the beginning. I applied and got my passport in less than a week. I was worried about the money because at this point, David and I didn't have the $1550 to go, but put it in God's hands. If he wanted me to go, he will provide. As Christine Caine recently said at church, "God doesn't call the equipped, he equips the called!"
So here it is, I leave in 2 weeks, and most of my trip is now paid for! David has taken the time off from work and is excited to get to spend some quality time at home teaching the kids, and the kids are excited that I get to go follow my dream, and buy them presents from another country!
Here is the official letter that details exactly what all we will be doing there, and a list of websites for more information also. I just ask that you pray for me while I'm gone, and pray for my family, as much as I like to think I'm indispensable around here, I'm not, and I know they will be okay, but I'm mom, and I am a little worried!
Can you envision a land where 97% of the population is either atheist or agnostic?
We will be traveling Oct. 24 - Nov. 4th with a team from Celebration Church, Georgetown, Texas, to Romania where there truly is less than 3% of the population who profess to be Christian and less than 1% who would consider being a part of a life giving church. Our 10 day trip will focus on bringing a life giving message to students in local campuses and to children in small villages. We will literally be in front of thousands of students during our time in Romania. Our trip will include the following:
* Partnering with 'Campus Crusade for Christ' where we will provide leadership and business seminars to students attending local universities, hosting student Q&A nights, and 1-on-1 ministry in the dorms.
* Sharing Christ with young people at a local youth camp during a lock in with 'Child Evangelism Fellowship' http://cefonline.com/, and 'God is Center Stage Ministries'.
* Hosting marriage seminars in three villages, preaching in local churches to Christians who are hungry for a fresh Word, ministering in the Gypsy villages and visiting children in their local schools.
Please take a look at the following web sites for additional information.
If you would like to financially support our work in Romania, please make checks payable to Celebration Church and return to me. Note that donations made to Celebration Church are tax-deductible. Any funds raised above the base trip amount will go towards covering other costs associated with the trip (i.e. bonus gifts for the children).
While financial support is important, it comes in a distant second to my need for your prayer support. Since prayer support is so important to the success of this mission, I would like to know if I can count on you in that area as well. Please pray daily for the areas listed above.
I'm sure you will hear more about it from me before, during and after my trip!! I can't wait!
Watch this and I dare you not to cry! It makes me tear up every time I watch it!
So to celebrate the 10th birthday, we had a humongous Country Fair on top of the hill! It was off the hook!! I volunteered to work the first shift, strategically so I could get good parking, and having a husband on the parking staff, I thought for sure would insure me a free golf cart ride to the top! Of course, Regan brought friends, and I don't know how many people showed up, but that place was packed! I worked the "Super Slide" and the kids got to ride most things before it got too crowded (another advantage of working the early shift) and we got cotton candy, snow cones, and the best funnel cake ever (even if I did have to wait in line for almost an hour for it!)
I am just so honored to be a part of this church, and I know that it is making a difference in our lives, and the lives of our children, and hopefully in the lives of others that we serve.
We have joined a lot (LOT) of small groups this fall! I am loving every minute of all of them, even though I think we probably joined too many! But, how can you not love them when you get to do things this awesome?!
This sweet single mom in our church has recently had a lot of medical issues, so our Serve Team met at her house bright and early and got to work. I made the kids come too, I really want them to learn the importance of serving. She had some boards around the house that had rotted, and a lot of very overgrown plants and weeds. Some concrete pavers that were uneven and dangerous due to weeds, and some plastic pavers that were coming up in places, and the yard needed mowed and trimmed, trees needed pruning, etc.
So David and Riley mowed, there were guys on the roof taking down Christmas lights, one guy was working on the a/c and hot water heater, one guy replaced a lot of trim, and I even got to caulk! Regan helped me and the other ladies as we cut back plants, pulled weeds, took out the plastic trim and replaced it with real concrete trim, we took out some of the overgrown plants, moved stuff around, gave her a little area up front with a table and chairs to sit and have coffee in the mornings! But the real reason we served, the thing that makes me cry when I think about it, is her thank you e-mail to our team afterward. I am just so thankful that I could be a very small part in making someone feel the love of God in such a tangible way!
> I PRAISE GOD FOR "The bus being moved". I have thought so many times > "Oh GOD I need to hear "MOVE THAT BUS" and see a wonderful > blessing. Well Neal said "move that truck" for me to today. God's > blessings are here and the bus has moved. > > I don't know how to PRAISE GOD ANY MORE. I will be at the Womens oil > change again this year and won't have to run home and do a dialysis > treatment at noon!! > > God through Celebration has blessed our family. I've been a > member of the church for YEARS and never know just how much > Celebration does for people. I praise God, for being a small part of > such a wonderful family. > > I love u all!
