Tuesday, October 28, 2008

They call this stuff FUN-d-raising...interesting...

Well, I do have about eight months till I get going, but there is a lot to pack into eight months, or so it feels at least.

The trip cost (my room and board) is 1000 dollars, and then there's those good ol' airline tickets. (help, Randi!! I need you!) And I'm pretty sure that once you add all those digits together you get something that looks an awful lot like a telephone number.

So, let the fundraising begin! That's when I think to myself "wait, where do I begin again?"

Last time it was car wash/yard sale (didn't work out the best...) and then the spaghetti dinner, and then those friendly little letters. The spaghetti dinner was great (maybe this spring?) and you gotta love the letters. But I need something else!! And ideas?? I was thinkin' a bake sale might be fun...

If you might so happen to conjure up any please please please comment me with 'em. I was thinking I might ask ZiPani if I could set aside a couple hours one Sunday after church, throughout which I might get a small percentage of the bills of customers who mention me. I know, I know, a lot to ask. Pizza Hut does it. I'm a pretty faithful ZiPani customer so maybe they'll pity me :)

Ok, so now it's your turn- let the comments begin!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Some thoughts...

For a good portion of my life I've seen cousin after cousin embark on trips to places across the globe. And then I turned 13, and it hit me.

I too could pack up and try this "missions" thing out. So, I hit my knees, waiting for some sort of conformation from God that I ought to go. Once I made it that far, the question was where on earth, literally speaking, to go. Perhaps it was the pictures of deprived kids, the awful statistics, or the country's quaint European setting. Or maybe, just maybe, it was God that told me it was Romania.

Ok, never mind, I know it was. I had just turned 13, and had never been out of house by myself for more than 1 week prior to this, and I had absolutely no worries about it. That was proof enough.

So, when I got there, jet lag wasn't the only thing that hit me. Culture shock, boy is it a hard thing (and worse than loosing a couple hours of sleep I might add) From the paltry things like toilet paper that feels like recycled newspaper, and not being able to flush it, to the bigger, harder things. Hurting people. To those who witnessed the cruelty of communism, there seems to be no end to the nightmares. Kids are left to run around all day long. Parents sending out their little ones to follow big adults and beg for money. Kids left in hospitals with shattered windows with massive heaps of garbage just outside them. Or, the kids who were left by there parents and put into institutions where they are put into cages and strapped into beds. Part of me said, "Why, God, why? Innocent children- what did they do to deserve this? Don't you think you might ought to do something?" And another part said, "this is my mission field- how awe-inspiring is that?"

Last summer, I didn't make it out again, but this summer I feel like there's nothing stopping me if God says to go back.I think He has. And this time, I get to serve the ones I grieve for most- the little ones. Kids who God has rescued or is rescuing from darkness, and I actually get to help bring them into His marvelous light.

Lord willing, one day I will have the privilege of helping to rescue them.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Hello World!


I'm super excited about this blogging business! And, I'm super excited that with it, you can stay in touch with the happenings of this "Romanian Escapade" I've embarked on, and I can more easily stay in touch with you. So here I shall blog away, and I would encourage you to comment away!


Stay informed about my traveling plans...fundraisers...and, once I get there, my trip!


Thanks for hangin' out. And thanks for bearing with me as I try to figure out this whole blogging thing.