Friday, July 31, 2009
Back on American soil
Landed 60 minutes ago. Should be on schedule for 5pm ETA at Blackhaw. All went well with customs and passport control. We even got all bags on the short connection! See you soon!
Paris, about to take off
up at 4am, only a few hours of sleep, if any. 50 min delay in flight meant landing in Paris at same time connecting takes off. Mad dash, they waited for us and guided us thru. Now on runway waiting to take off, 45 min late. Almost lost Luke (he went ahead to find the way, and did just that), but we're all here now. See you soon!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Shoutout To Sam Carlson
Shhh this is not legal, I have hijacked Lief's laptop and ran into a secluded room to give you the shoutout you have always wanted. I am upset that you didn't do your part and comment on the blog about how dateable I am. I saw a guy with a Wu Tang shirt two days ago and I gave him the hand sign and yelled WU TANG but he didn't appreciate it. I took a lot of pictures for you thought they are not artsy fartsy like you do them. I hear Lief coming and he wants his laptop back, I told him I was posting about Prague.
Brianna From Prague
Hey folks,
Brianna Here. I’m writing to you from maybe the most beautiful place in the world or at least the most beautiful place I have ever been. I can’t believe it is our last day here; it has been an awesome few days of reminiscing and figuring out what happened the past couple weeks. We have spent a lot of time in parks sharing the stories of the ways we saw God work through and in our team and the leadership team in Craiova. Last night we had dinner in an authentic Czech restaurant called U Flecku, apparently it is the second oldest brewery in the world. It was really cool, Lief even got the accordion player to accompany us in singing Happy Birthday to Nate. This morning we woke up to a wonderful breakfast of fresh croissants and nutella :) Then spent a few hours in a park again just talking about the things we have experienced and sharing with each other how God has changed each and every one of us in only two weeks. Right now we are sitting in a really cute café type place called Bohemia Bagel! As the music was playing quietly in the background Nate and Zack decided to sing along, and the waiter went into the back room and turned the volume up to drown out the sound of their singing. It was excellent. Well that’s all I got for now. I think every single one of us is looking back and missing our friends that we made in Craiova and at camp, but are looking forward to heading home and sleeping in our own beds. See you in a few days!
Brianna Here. I’m writing to you from maybe the most beautiful place in the world or at least the most beautiful place I have ever been. I can’t believe it is our last day here; it has been an awesome few days of reminiscing and figuring out what happened the past couple weeks. We have spent a lot of time in parks sharing the stories of the ways we saw God work through and in our team and the leadership team in Craiova. Last night we had dinner in an authentic Czech restaurant called U Flecku, apparently it is the second oldest brewery in the world. It was really cool, Lief even got the accordion player to accompany us in singing Happy Birthday to Nate. This morning we woke up to a wonderful breakfast of fresh croissants and nutella :) Then spent a few hours in a park again just talking about the things we have experienced and sharing with each other how God has changed each and every one of us in only two weeks. Right now we are sitting in a really cute café type place called Bohemia Bagel! As the music was playing quietly in the background Nate and Zack decided to sing along, and the waiter went into the back room and turned the volume up to drown out the sound of their singing. It was excellent. Well that’s all I got for now. I think every single one of us is looking back and missing our friends that we made in Craiova and at camp, but are looking forward to heading home and sleeping in our own beds. See you in a few days!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
In Prague -
Hey friends and fam -
We are now in Prague. Train was very nice, but a little early wake-up for deboarding. We found a place for luggage, a very nice and cheap place for breakfast (some czech omellettes), crossed Charles Bridge (with its many talented musicians) and climbed up Petrin tower for an overlook of Prague. We spent 2-3 hours in this park overlooking the river and city debriefing, a little alone time, and sharing with one another (this is such valuable time for us at this point). We are now "czeched" in to our apartments (3 overlooking the river right next to the famous "Dancing House") and have showered and are heading out to the Old City Square for some shopping and dinner and some more debrief together. Since we finally have internet acesss for the computer (not the phone), I'll now post a couple blogs already written a couple days ago while we were still nestled in the Transylvanian Alps with some of our favorite Craiovan people (we miss you guys so much - we have received your posts and are grateful to hear from you - and hear that camp follow-up in now underway - wish we were there for it!!!). Now for the blogs. I think we'll post a few more yet to be written posts from students too - within the next 6-7 hours. peace and love, Lief and the team (from the boys apartment on the 5th floor)
Hey everybody! It’s Charlie coming to you from Romania. Well, after six days of nonstop action at camp, we are finally enjoying the rest and reflection on our debrief time. Right now, we’re at a hotel that’s walking distance from the camp and spending the last hours we have with Daniel’s leadership team from Craiova. Camp was an amazing experience in so many ways. In the mornings we held our English classes, all of which sound like they went really well. Many of the campers made really positive comments about the classes, which is really exiting because most of us were unsure about how they would go. In the afternoons, we had free time and large group games, and on Friday we actually spent the afternoon walking several miles to a lake where we swam a little bit. In the evenings we read and heard the ‘Story of God’ and later discussed the stories in our small groups. The evening programs became deeper and deeper and the final night (Saturday) was simply amazing. Lief and Daniel shared the Gospel as the topic for the night, and Nate shared a personal experience and talked about how the topic of the night changed his life. Then, to end the night, I was part of a drama with six others that spoke no words yet sent a message (the story of God's love for humans and victory over evil) that seemed to be understood by the majority of those watching. Small groups followed, and then a big bonfire finished the night (which ended almost at dawn for some). Yesterday after saying goodbye to all the campers, we (our team and Daniel’s team) shared with each other the responses from the campers in our small group. Many of the non-Christian campers said they accepted Christ, and many others said they felt very close to making the step but hadn’t yet. So all in all, this camp was an unbelievable experience, and our team is looking forward to debriefing the next few days in Budapest and Prague. However, today is a sad day as we must say goodbye to Daniel’s leadership team whom we have come to know so well. I hope all is well back home, we miss you guys -Charlie
Hello friends and fam, it’s Maren!
These past few days have been bittersweet. It was rough saying goodbye to all our new friends yesterday when they got on the bus; there were so many tears. On the other hand, it was awesome to get to know so many Romanians. I felt like they inspired us and we inspired them in ways that we probably didn’t even realize. Some of the people that had a tough exterior were showing a softer side and I know that God had a hand in softening their hearts; it was truly touching. I also took place in the drama that Charlie mentioned and I know that it not only affected me and changed my life, but it also touched the hearts of a lot of the campers. Many of them said that they could see themselves in the situations that were portrayed throughout the drama and that they wanted to get to God. In a nutshell, camp was awesome. This is why it was so hard to leave that atmosphere. Last night, we had a little debrief with the Romanian leadership team. It was truly incredible to hear the different ways that God has made his presence known throughout the camp experience. We read through a couple camp evaluations and learned that some campers came to Christ- how amazing! Also, it was obvious that seeds were planted in most of the non Christian campers hearts which is also amazing. After many tears and stories were shared we ended the night with a couple intense games of catchphrase. This ended in a complaint from the owner of this resort telling us he was going to get “the boss” (Daniel and Lief) if we didn’t quiet down. Little did he know, Lief was probably the source of a lot of the noise! Oh well. Today is going to be difficult because we’re saying goodbye to the Romanians that we became closest with including Daniel. I can already feel the tears coming! Anyways, this trip is rapidly coming to an end and it’s sad. Luckily, we’ll be seeing all our family and friends soon!! Love you all and miss you. Your prayers have been greatly appreciated. Love, Maren
We are now in Prague. Train was very nice, but a little early wake-up for deboarding. We found a place for luggage, a very nice and cheap place for breakfast (some czech omellettes), crossed Charles Bridge (with its many talented musicians) and climbed up Petrin tower for an overlook of Prague. We spent 2-3 hours in this park overlooking the river and city debriefing, a little alone time, and sharing with one another (this is such valuable time for us at this point). We are now "czeched" in to our apartments (3 overlooking the river right next to the famous "Dancing House") and have showered and are heading out to the Old City Square for some shopping and dinner and some more debrief together. Since we finally have internet acesss for the computer (not the phone), I'll now post a couple blogs already written a couple days ago while we were still nestled in the Transylvanian Alps with some of our favorite Craiovan people (we miss you guys so much - we have received your posts and are grateful to hear from you - and hear that camp follow-up in now underway - wish we were there for it!!!). Now for the blogs. I think we'll post a few more yet to be written posts from students too - within the next 6-7 hours. peace and love, Lief and the team (from the boys apartment on the 5th floor)
Hey everybody! It’s Charlie coming to you from Romania. Well, after six days of nonstop action at camp, we are finally enjoying the rest and reflection on our debrief time. Right now, we’re at a hotel that’s walking distance from the camp and spending the last hours we have with Daniel’s leadership team from Craiova. Camp was an amazing experience in so many ways. In the mornings we held our English classes, all of which sound like they went really well. Many of the campers made really positive comments about the classes, which is really exiting because most of us were unsure about how they would go. In the afternoons, we had free time and large group games, and on Friday we actually spent the afternoon walking several miles to a lake where we swam a little bit. In the evenings we read and heard the ‘Story of God’ and later discussed the stories in our small groups. The evening programs became deeper and deeper and the final night (Saturday) was simply amazing. Lief and Daniel shared the Gospel as the topic for the night, and Nate shared a personal experience and talked about how the topic of the night changed his life. Then, to end the night, I was part of a drama with six others that spoke no words yet sent a message (the story of God's love for humans and victory over evil) that seemed to be understood by the majority of those watching. Small groups followed, and then a big bonfire finished the night (which ended almost at dawn for some). Yesterday after saying goodbye to all the campers, we (our team and Daniel’s team) shared with each other the responses from the campers in our small group. Many of the non-Christian campers said they accepted Christ, and many others said they felt very close to making the step but hadn’t yet. So all in all, this camp was an unbelievable experience, and our team is looking forward to debriefing the next few days in Budapest and Prague. However, today is a sad day as we must say goodbye to Daniel’s leadership team whom we have come to know so well. I hope all is well back home, we miss you guys -Charlie
Hello friends and fam, it’s Maren!
These past few days have been bittersweet. It was rough saying goodbye to all our new friends yesterday when they got on the bus; there were so many tears. On the other hand, it was awesome to get to know so many Romanians. I felt like they inspired us and we inspired them in ways that we probably didn’t even realize. Some of the people that had a tough exterior were showing a softer side and I know that God had a hand in softening their hearts; it was truly touching. I also took place in the drama that Charlie mentioned and I know that it not only affected me and changed my life, but it also touched the hearts of a lot of the campers. Many of them said that they could see themselves in the situations that were portrayed throughout the drama and that they wanted to get to God. In a nutshell, camp was awesome. This is why it was so hard to leave that atmosphere. Last night, we had a little debrief with the Romanian leadership team. It was truly incredible to hear the different ways that God has made his presence known throughout the camp experience. We read through a couple camp evaluations and learned that some campers came to Christ- how amazing! Also, it was obvious that seeds were planted in most of the non Christian campers hearts which is also amazing. After many tears and stories were shared we ended the night with a couple intense games of catchphrase. This ended in a complaint from the owner of this resort telling us he was going to get “the boss” (Daniel and Lief) if we didn’t quiet down. Little did he know, Lief was probably the source of a lot of the noise! Oh well. Today is going to be difficult because we’re saying goodbye to the Romanians that we became closest with including Daniel. I can already feel the tears coming! Anyways, this trip is rapidly coming to an end and it’s sad. Luckily, we’ll be seeing all our family and friends soon!! Love you all and miss you. Your prayers have been greatly appreciated. Love, Maren
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Out of mtns, been to Budapest, on overnight train to Prague!
Well, how unlikely is it that the first chance we had to post after camp is via a short note from my cell phone on the overnight train from Budapest to Prague?!! Well it is so! With a dead computer and no internet during our 20 hour jaunt in beautiful Budapest, we've struggled to keep you updated.
You can expect to hear in the days ahead some amazing stories from our last night and day of camp. So much happened in our final 24
hours! We look forward to sharing details. Our one day with Daniel's leaders was fruitful and needed and was so good for each of our teams (now one). Saying goodbye (to campers Sunday and leaders Monday) was incredibly hard for all. So many good connections, relationships built, and lives changed....
Our one day in Budapest was great, but fast. We debriefed at the Citadel overlooking the cityscape and river. Tried a different (than last year) and sweet hot spring - Budapest known for these.... and had a traditional Hungarian dinner on a docked boat on the Danube (it was so good!). Then we booked it to the train station. Within a couple hours, everyones asleep (but me),and we'll be to Praha by 7:30am (12:30am in Madison).
All is good, everyone safe and present, and looking forward to more debrief and reentry in the days ahead.
We miss our Romanian friends so much, and are feeling a bit imcomplete without them- but we like each other enough, we're managing alright. We also miss home and look forward to being with fam and friends within a few days. We love you!
Off to catch a few zzzz's before we get to the border of Czech and they wake us up for passports!
Noapte Buna! (more to come!)
Lief (for the team)
You can expect to hear in the days ahead some amazing stories from our last night and day of camp. So much happened in our final 24
hours! We look forward to sharing details. Our one day with Daniel's leaders was fruitful and needed and was so good for each of our teams (now one). Saying goodbye (to campers Sunday and leaders Monday) was incredibly hard for all. So many good connections, relationships built, and lives changed....
Our one day in Budapest was great, but fast. We debriefed at the Citadel overlooking the cityscape and river. Tried a different (than last year) and sweet hot spring - Budapest known for these.... and had a traditional Hungarian dinner on a docked boat on the Danube (it was so good!). Then we booked it to the train station. Within a couple hours, everyones asleep (but me),and we'll be to Praha by 7:30am (12:30am in Madison).
All is good, everyone safe and present, and looking forward to more debrief and reentry in the days ahead.
We miss our Romanian friends so much, and are feeling a bit imcomplete without them- but we like each other enough, we're managing alright. We also miss home and look forward to being with fam and friends within a few days. We love you!
Off to catch a few zzzz's before we get to the border of Czech and they wake us up for passports!
Noapte Buna! (more to come!)
Lief (for the team)
Saturday, July 25, 2009
WE GOT INTERNET (last day of camp!)
NOTE FROM LIEF: Well - we finally found a way to post some notes up here. We hope it's not too late and we've lost you all from following us! Not only was it almost impossible to find a way to get online, and still is the slowest internet I've ever used (we are REALLY in the middle of nowhere - perfect for camp, tough for communication and transportation), we also have seriously been so BUSY, it's been hard to keep up on our promise to write on our microsoft word blog every day too). In a few words - camp has been amazing. The students have been willing, patient, and available servants. They have taken challenges (which have actually been many) in stride and made many sacrifices for the sake of the camp and our mission here. I am proud of and to be part of this group - and I look forward to the opportunity to digest and work through our experience here this next week before returning home on Friday. As for today - we are in the midst of our last full day at camp. This morning we finished our last English classes (they have been 2 hours each morning - our 18 students have been the primary teachers and have done INCREDIBLY WELL. For many, English classes are a highlight of the day). Now after lunch, we have free time and all kinds of tie-dying - I am now looking at 70-80 Romanians getting crazy and excited with dyes and loving their creations. Tonight, we will have our final program. We start out really fun crowbreakers and games, camp songs with motions (they ALL love doing motions to music), worship (in Romaneste & Englaza and led by Daniel, Zack, Brooke!, Malachi, and Luke), the Story of God (our final part tonight - the death and resurrection of Christ), Nate will then share his testimony and how John 14 has changed his life (pray for him - I know he will be bold and persuasive), and 8 American and Romanians will come together for a drama pantomime showing God's victory over sin (Brenda, Lauren, Malachi, Maren, Brianna, Charlie, Stefi, and Tony - we're working on this now, 6 feet away from me - please pray that our short prep time still produces a very moving and impactful experience for tonight. We have our last small groups - very important, then the bonfire and a night with no curfew - I know we are pretty crazy. The sleep deprived take a night without sleep. Eh, it's so worth it. I wish I could write more - but I'm going to help with the drama. We miss you all, but please know that God is doing some pretty incredible things in and through this group (both the Americans and Romanians we have learned so much from). This time has been such an awesome blessing - God's goodness and glory is so evident to our team. My prayer is that our team clings to Him as we attempt to finish camp strong. We've got some days of rest, recovery, contemplation, and sharing ahead. For today and tomorrow - we'll take JR's advice - Carpe Diem.
Now - a couple blogs that were actually written. With love and gratitude - Lief
Written by Lauren on Wednesday - the second day of camp-
Hey all! It’s Lauren here. Just for the quick update, we’ve all arrived safely at camp and are really excited to see what will happen this week. I can’t remember if someone already blogged about this, but two days ago we went to the gypsy market. It was really sweet but we had to be careful not to speak English or act interested in anything we wanted to buy because the sellers would’ve raised the prices by a lot and tricked us. By the way, we’re at breakfast right now and everyone would like to give a shoutout to Lizzy-we’re eating hot dogs for breakfast..where’s the honey? Hahaha Also- Abby, as usual, we have delicious bread. Speaking of eating, that night we went to a Romanian restaurant and without even realizing it Dani ate pig brain! It was a nice little surprise when she found out the next day. Tuesday night we took an overnight bus ride to Craiova in a big bus and three small ones. Some people got lots of sleep (Lief- with the help of a big fat sleeping pill), but some of us weren’t as lucky. Cassidy and I ended up being the only Americans on our bus and since we had the big bus, once we reached the beginning of the rough mountain road, our bus driver refused to drive us up. We waited at a little general store type thing for about 5 hours because one of the buses was going to come back and pick us up, but after the one of the three broke down and the other two had a very bumpy ride to say the least, the busdrivers weren’t in the mood to take the trip again. You’ll never guess what all of us did- and it was about 50 of us by the way. Daniel called someone to pick us up, and a big green dump truck pulled up! After lifting all of our luggage into the truck we all climbed in and took a narrow and bumpy path up the mountain for about 2 hours. Every time there were branches that could hit us in the face, Danutz (one of the campers) blew a whistle and we ducked. When we pulled up to camp (2 hours later!) in the dump truck everyone ran to see us, cheering and clapping, and they helped us unpack our bags. Sorry mom, the suitcase got a little sandy. Anyways, everyone played games and hung out until dinner. One game some of the Romanians played was a game basically like volleyball except there are two teams of three on either side of a volleyball net and you can pretty much only hit the ball with your head. It was fun to watch . Last night our session went great and we broke up into small groups and had some deep and meaningful talks. I think most of us wanted to go to bed afterwards and I’m not sure about anyone else but I PASSED OUT in like 5 minutes.
Anyways, right now it’s a beautiful morning and I should stop writing but thanks for reading and we miss you all at home.
As for shoutouts…
Morgan- I bought you and Abby a little something at the gypsy market and I’m excited to give it to you! Love and miss you! Tell Scott I say hi, and don’t let Mason play too much Nazi Zombies.
Amy, Aubrey, Megan, and Mollie from Cassidy – I miss and love you all. I can’t wait to see you all when we get back. Te iubesc!
Larry and Pat to Audra and April- Be sure to clean up after your parties.
Bye for now!
Written by Matt on Friday the fourth day of camp-
Hello from Romania!!
Its Matt here just wanted to get my blog post in. I am writing from the camp. Its free time and dinner is very soon. The food has been pretty interesting. I don’t think I have eaten this much bread in 1 week in my life (though some people really like it!). Camp has been really great. Teaching English has been really enjoyable. Yesterday we played water games during game time. Everyone had a great time getting wet and muddy playing “Steal the Bacon”. It’s Friday so we only have 1 more day at camp. The campers leave Sunday morning and we are going to have a day retreat with Daniel and his team on Sunday. We will leave from here on Monday at around 1 pm (5 am Madison Time) and are hoping to get to Budapest early Monday evening. I am really looking forward to the rest of the trip. I have had an amazing time so far but it will nice to finally be home and get some non-bread related food . I hope everything is well on the home front and the Cubs are losing, and the brew crew hopefully are in first place.
Shoutouts-
Pankratz Family - I miss you. I’ve loved getting all your packages and notes. Not everyone is as lucky as me…:). Have fun at the reunion!
Brooke’s Family - Don’t worry I’m still alive!! Haha. I love you all and miss you. I can’t wait to give you all big hugs! =) You won’t believe it, but I sang in front of EVERYONE last night. It was scary but amazing afterwards. See you all soon, Love, Brooke
Stevens Clan - Hey! I feel like its been forever since I have seen any of you! I’m having such a great time, and I am excited for the rest of it. See you the 31st! Worship is going good, aand we are building some pretty great relationships… Love, Zack oh, and P.S. I hope the Sweeney Family reunion is going/ or was good. I’m starting to lose track of the days :] Sorry! Oh and one more thing. Mom or Dad. Can you call into work and tell them the dates we are going to be in the dells right after I get back? I don’t want to have to switch if Derek schedules me for the day after I get back. Thanks :]
Tolly Family – Hope everything is well. I am safe so don’t worry. I’ll take plenty of pictures on debrief.
Maus and Morgan/Abby - Time is going so fast here and I’m gonna be really sad when this is over. I’ll be happy to see all of you though! Morgan and Abby you would probably enjoy the meals here.. lots of bread and strange cheese…
Niemeyers - Hey everybody just wanted to let you know that I’m having a great time on this trip. The food is definitely a low according to me, but other than that I’m feeling good and I’m doing fine. I hope you weren’t serious when you said my drivers test was postponed, cause that would just be depressing. Anyways, I’ll see you guys in a week or so. Hope you guys are doing good.
Liefy to Emi – 20 of 26 – almost there! Miss you beautiful.
Now - a couple blogs that were actually written. With love and gratitude - Lief
Written by Lauren on Wednesday - the second day of camp-
Hey all! It’s Lauren here. Just for the quick update, we’ve all arrived safely at camp and are really excited to see what will happen this week. I can’t remember if someone already blogged about this, but two days ago we went to the gypsy market. It was really sweet but we had to be careful not to speak English or act interested in anything we wanted to buy because the sellers would’ve raised the prices by a lot and tricked us. By the way, we’re at breakfast right now and everyone would like to give a shoutout to Lizzy-we’re eating hot dogs for breakfast..where’s the honey? Hahaha Also- Abby, as usual, we have delicious bread. Speaking of eating, that night we went to a Romanian restaurant and without even realizing it Dani ate pig brain! It was a nice little surprise when she found out the next day. Tuesday night we took an overnight bus ride to Craiova in a big bus and three small ones. Some people got lots of sleep (Lief- with the help of a big fat sleeping pill), but some of us weren’t as lucky. Cassidy and I ended up being the only Americans on our bus and since we had the big bus, once we reached the beginning of the rough mountain road, our bus driver refused to drive us up. We waited at a little general store type thing for about 5 hours because one of the buses was going to come back and pick us up, but after the one of the three broke down and the other two had a very bumpy ride to say the least, the busdrivers weren’t in the mood to take the trip again. You’ll never guess what all of us did- and it was about 50 of us by the way. Daniel called someone to pick us up, and a big green dump truck pulled up! After lifting all of our luggage into the truck we all climbed in and took a narrow and bumpy path up the mountain for about 2 hours. Every time there were branches that could hit us in the face, Danutz (one of the campers) blew a whistle and we ducked. When we pulled up to camp (2 hours later!) in the dump truck everyone ran to see us, cheering and clapping, and they helped us unpack our bags. Sorry mom, the suitcase got a little sandy. Anyways, everyone played games and hung out until dinner. One game some of the Romanians played was a game basically like volleyball except there are two teams of three on either side of a volleyball net and you can pretty much only hit the ball with your head. It was fun to watch . Last night our session went great and we broke up into small groups and had some deep and meaningful talks. I think most of us wanted to go to bed afterwards and I’m not sure about anyone else but I PASSED OUT in like 5 minutes.
Anyways, right now it’s a beautiful morning and I should stop writing but thanks for reading and we miss you all at home.
As for shoutouts…
Morgan- I bought you and Abby a little something at the gypsy market and I’m excited to give it to you! Love and miss you! Tell Scott I say hi, and don’t let Mason play too much Nazi Zombies.
Amy, Aubrey, Megan, and Mollie from Cassidy – I miss and love you all. I can’t wait to see you all when we get back. Te iubesc!
Larry and Pat to Audra and April- Be sure to clean up after your parties.
Bye for now!
Written by Matt on Friday the fourth day of camp-
Hello from Romania!!
Its Matt here just wanted to get my blog post in. I am writing from the camp. Its free time and dinner is very soon. The food has been pretty interesting. I don’t think I have eaten this much bread in 1 week in my life (though some people really like it!). Camp has been really great. Teaching English has been really enjoyable. Yesterday we played water games during game time. Everyone had a great time getting wet and muddy playing “Steal the Bacon”. It’s Friday so we only have 1 more day at camp. The campers leave Sunday morning and we are going to have a day retreat with Daniel and his team on Sunday. We will leave from here on Monday at around 1 pm (5 am Madison Time) and are hoping to get to Budapest early Monday evening. I am really looking forward to the rest of the trip. I have had an amazing time so far but it will nice to finally be home and get some non-bread related food . I hope everything is well on the home front and the Cubs are losing, and the brew crew hopefully are in first place.
Shoutouts-
Pankratz Family - I miss you. I’ve loved getting all your packages and notes. Not everyone is as lucky as me…:). Have fun at the reunion!
Brooke’s Family - Don’t worry I’m still alive!! Haha. I love you all and miss you. I can’t wait to give you all big hugs! =) You won’t believe it, but I sang in front of EVERYONE last night. It was scary but amazing afterwards. See you all soon, Love, Brooke
Stevens Clan - Hey! I feel like its been forever since I have seen any of you! I’m having such a great time, and I am excited for the rest of it. See you the 31st! Worship is going good, aand we are building some pretty great relationships… Love, Zack oh, and P.S. I hope the Sweeney Family reunion is going/ or was good. I’m starting to lose track of the days :] Sorry! Oh and one more thing. Mom or Dad. Can you call into work and tell them the dates we are going to be in the dells right after I get back? I don’t want to have to switch if Derek schedules me for the day after I get back. Thanks :]
Tolly Family – Hope everything is well. I am safe so don’t worry. I’ll take plenty of pictures on debrief.
Maus and Morgan/Abby - Time is going so fast here and I’m gonna be really sad when this is over. I’ll be happy to see all of you though! Morgan and Abby you would probably enjoy the meals here.. lots of bread and strange cheese…
Niemeyers - Hey everybody just wanted to let you know that I’m having a great time on this trip. The food is definitely a low according to me, but other than that I’m feeling good and I’m doing fine. I hope you weren’t serious when you said my drivers test was postponed, cause that would just be depressing. Anyways, I’ll see you guys in a week or so. Hope you guys are doing good.
Liefy to Emi – 20 of 26 – almost there! Miss you beautiful.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Camp!
Just wanted to pass along that the team made it to camp safely. Sounds like they had an adventure getting there, but I'll let the team blog about that:
blessings,
Emily Erickson
blessings,
Emily Erickson
Monday, July 20, 2009
almost halfway to camp, climbing translavanian alps
Quick note- left on 4 buses to camp (3 mini 18 seaters & one 50 seater). My bus is strewn about sleeping well. Long stop for gas and rest. While many are completely delerious (thanks to sleeping pills & 3am!), it sounds like a huge party going on outside. Obviously some buses are not sleeping as well. I'm not one to miss this kind of party, but I'm too tired to get up! Dan just annnounced all in the bus! I'll send this before I lose reception on my phone. I can tell we're up high by the cold air... Ah, yes, cool air. Love to all, Lief and the team.
One last post from Pat
Hi, this is Pat. Today we visited the Gypsy Market and had a great time! One story... Brooke, Lauren, Cassidy, and Tess found numerous turtle necklaces. They bartered the price and got enough for each of the girls on our team. The woman selling the necklaces was somewhat cold to the girls at first but by the end of the transaction she was "loving our girls"! We asked if she would be willing to pose with the girls for a picture (which they often time refuse). She was delighted to be a part of the picture. What a wonderful memory was made today. What great girls to share their bargains with each of us.
Farewell Craiova!
Hi!
Lief here. A quick note before we head out the door. It is now 8:30pm. We will leave in 30 minutes to go to church for dinner and to pack the busses. At 11pm we will meet all of the campers & leaders (97!) in the city center to load 1 large bus and 3 mini busses and head through the night to our camp - near Oradea, Romania (in the Northwest). Apparently it is up very high in the Transylvanian Alps and the temperature with be much cooler. Please pray, however, that we will have sunshine and no rain as our meeting area is outdoors and the dining hall is covered, but still outside. :)
Today we spent most of the day preparing to leave, making some final English class lesson plans, and in prayer and worship with the Romanian leadership team. We also had a chance to go to the "Gypsy Market" (quite an experience) and some of us visited Ethos Open Hands Floorball ministry. This is a ministry to street kids to get them playing indoor hockey and afterwards talking about God together. This, like HPD, is another ministry students from our HS ministry chose to designate Advent Conspiracy money to. It was really cool to see this ministry in action - it seems to have a huge impact on those who are part of it. I'll write more about when I get a chance - or tell more when I get home.
Our team is energized and excited for camp - the news about how many people are now coming and how many are not currently part of the youth ministry community (nearly 30 of 58 campers!) has really driven home the importance of what we came here to do. For so many campers, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and they will have opportunity to experience a God that pursues them, accepts them, and loves them just as they are. This indeed is good news, anywhere - but especially good news in a country where abandonment is rampant (whether orphan or not).
To echo Brenda - I am so proud of our students. They certainly have been living examples of Christ's love. I could write specific examples for the next few hours and this post would go on forever - but I can hear Daniel coming down the stairs and now we will load up the car and head to church (a little late) with our luggage - in order to have dinner (Craiovan Craze Pizza! Back by popular demand) and in time to load the bus to camp!
Again - no idea how much, if at all we will be able to post blogs at camp. Either way, we will still write them - even if we have to post them all on Tuesday, July 28 - our first day in Budapest (and my bday!).
We love you all - your support of our team has been incredible. Your messages and words, your prayers and backing have made this so much easier for us - God has used you in advance (even through this blog) to bring our team joy and encouragement. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Multsemesc Foarte Mult!
Until next time -
grace and peace,
Lief for the Romania Team
(as we leave beautiful Craiova en route to Transylvania)
Lief here. A quick note before we head out the door. It is now 8:30pm. We will leave in 30 minutes to go to church for dinner and to pack the busses. At 11pm we will meet all of the campers & leaders (97!) in the city center to load 1 large bus and 3 mini busses and head through the night to our camp - near Oradea, Romania (in the Northwest). Apparently it is up very high in the Transylvanian Alps and the temperature with be much cooler. Please pray, however, that we will have sunshine and no rain as our meeting area is outdoors and the dining hall is covered, but still outside. :)
Today we spent most of the day preparing to leave, making some final English class lesson plans, and in prayer and worship with the Romanian leadership team. We also had a chance to go to the "Gypsy Market" (quite an experience) and some of us visited Ethos Open Hands Floorball ministry. This is a ministry to street kids to get them playing indoor hockey and afterwards talking about God together. This, like HPD, is another ministry students from our HS ministry chose to designate Advent Conspiracy money to. It was really cool to see this ministry in action - it seems to have a huge impact on those who are part of it. I'll write more about when I get a chance - or tell more when I get home.
Our team is energized and excited for camp - the news about how many people are now coming and how many are not currently part of the youth ministry community (nearly 30 of 58 campers!) has really driven home the importance of what we came here to do. For so many campers, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and they will have opportunity to experience a God that pursues them, accepts them, and loves them just as they are. This indeed is good news, anywhere - but especially good news in a country where abandonment is rampant (whether orphan or not).
To echo Brenda - I am so proud of our students. They certainly have been living examples of Christ's love. I could write specific examples for the next few hours and this post would go on forever - but I can hear Daniel coming down the stairs and now we will load up the car and head to church (a little late) with our luggage - in order to have dinner (Craiovan Craze Pizza! Back by popular demand) and in time to load the bus to camp!
Again - no idea how much, if at all we will be able to post blogs at camp. Either way, we will still write them - even if we have to post them all on Tuesday, July 28 - our first day in Budapest (and my bday!).
We love you all - your support of our team has been incredible. Your messages and words, your prayers and backing have made this so much easier for us - God has used you in advance (even through this blog) to bring our team joy and encouragement. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Multsemesc Foarte Mult!
Until next time -
grace and peace,
Lief for the Romania Team
(as we leave beautiful Craiova en route to Transylvania)
From Brenda (around lunchtime)
Hi to everyone from Craiova! It is our last day here. Tonight we will be heading into the mountains by bus. We are all very excited to get the camp going! As an adult leader who has been involved in Blackhawk youth ministry for over 6 years, I want to tell you all how proud I am of our students. I am humbled by their willingness to serve, grow, and connect and to be used by God in mighty ways. Each and every one in their own special and unique way has been a valuable part of this team. It is a privilege and an honor to witness the way these students are becoming more and more the women and men that God desires for them to be. My hope and prayer for the students is that they would realize that God wants to devastate them with the reality of His love for them. I pray that this reality would continue to change all of us and that we would be people who truly live from the heart. Thanks for all the prayers from home!
Ephesians 1:11 It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.
Brenda
Ephesians 1:11 It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.
Brenda
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Craiova - Day 3 of 4 - by Brooke!
Hello Families and Friends,
Brooke here. Hmmm... where do I even begin. I am absolutely in love with Romania, the culture, and the people. Everyone is so nice and loving to all of us. They definitely make us feel welcome. I am so happy to be here!!!!!!! Sometimes I do catch myself being selfish and complaining about the heat and being tired. But I realize that this is a part of the journey here. Being uncomfortable pushes you mentally and physically. I think God is using this trip already to change me. I am already seeing in myself a change in the way I am reacting to cultural differences. Today I didn’t get a shower because Natalie and I woke up extremely late. Let’s just say we woke up at the time we were supposed to be ready. Haha…oops. But I don’t mind it really. I am greasy-faced, sweaty, smelly, which is pretty much what the whole team is like. Hahaha (sorry guys but its true). The food here at first was a scary thing for me…since I am a picky eater. But let me tell all of you, the food is absolutely delicious!!!!!
Today we came to the church at 9am to have breakfast. Church followed at 10am. I loved the service. It was neat to hear everything in Romanian and then English. Their language is beautiful…It sounds like a mix of Spanish, Latin, etc. BEAUTIFUL. The people who came to church were friendly and very welcoming. I love meeting more and more Romanians everyday. :) OH! And when they sang worship songs in Romanians I got chills, and found myself very overcome with emotion. I felt God in this little church in Craiova. It may be little, but it has a community of Romanians with BIG hearts, and a GREAT love for the Lord. They are inspirational to me.
Our Blackhawk team is getting closer and closer each day. We spend our free times talking with each other and the Romanians and bonding. We are fulfilling one of the goals we set for ourselves, we are bonding and becoming one big team who will work together to lead camp. AH!!! We leave tomorrow night :) I am so excited! I know that God has some amazing things planned for us at camp. I just know it!!
I have some prayer requests for everyone who reads this:
Please pray for Daniel (The Romania Team Leader), that God will give him peace and rest as he prepares for camp. (when we were in the park yesterday, he was pickpocketed and lost a good amount of money).
Prayer that we are successful in teaching English at the camp, and that our final spots at camp get filled - we are very, very close.
Thanks Everyone for listening to me ramble! Haha.
Brooke
P.S. Mom, Dad, Christine, Laura (and family), Lindsay and Steve, Andy (and family), Marmie, Grandpa, and everyone else. I love you all very much. I sincerely appreciate all of your support!! Momma- I miss your stinky head!!!! :) Dad- “Shoo Shoo Shoo”
A note from Lief: Brooke wrote this around lunchtime today. We spent the rest of the day resting - as a day off. After lunch, we went back to the park with Daniel's team - what an awesome park they have here - it's HUGE! We went to the lake and rented some row boats. Some got more wet than they wanted - splashing! After that we found an open space to lie down, nap, talk, listen to music, and about 20 people played Ultimate Frisbee right there. After the park, we went to "Cramaolteniei" with our host families, the intern team, and Daniel's leadership team (like 50 of us!). We had a traditional Romanian meal at a HUGE table that fit all of us! We had a great time. After that we walked a few blocks to the City Center Square. The huge and complex "dancing" water fountain which is set to the tone of traditional Romanian music. We danced and enjoyed ourselves in the centre for almost 2 hours! Finally, most people walked or drove home to their host families and a few of us stopped by the HPD apartment - a ministry of Daniel's here that reaches out and provides living arrangements and life skills training to young adult orphans no longer allowed to live in the state run placement centers (orphanages) Read post from last year on HPD for more info. We met with Valentin and Lavinia and three of the boys who have just successfully finished the first 2-year generation of the program. We were touched by their life stories and how God has used HPD and other circumstances to redeem their lives to be lived for his glory. We got all of it on video for the rest of the team and the entire Blackhawk community. After all that - it's time for bed! We go to camp tomorrow!!! (pray that the 2-3 open spots to until our 100 limit are filled by 10pm, when we plan to leave!) - much love and peace, Lief
Brooke here. Hmmm... where do I even begin. I am absolutely in love with Romania, the culture, and the people. Everyone is so nice and loving to all of us. They definitely make us feel welcome. I am so happy to be here!!!!!!! Sometimes I do catch myself being selfish and complaining about the heat and being tired. But I realize that this is a part of the journey here. Being uncomfortable pushes you mentally and physically. I think God is using this trip already to change me. I am already seeing in myself a change in the way I am reacting to cultural differences. Today I didn’t get a shower because Natalie and I woke up extremely late. Let’s just say we woke up at the time we were supposed to be ready. Haha…oops. But I don’t mind it really. I am greasy-faced, sweaty, smelly, which is pretty much what the whole team is like. Hahaha (sorry guys but its true). The food here at first was a scary thing for me…since I am a picky eater. But let me tell all of you, the food is absolutely delicious!!!!!
Today we came to the church at 9am to have breakfast. Church followed at 10am. I loved the service. It was neat to hear everything in Romanian and then English. Their language is beautiful…It sounds like a mix of Spanish, Latin, etc. BEAUTIFUL. The people who came to church were friendly and very welcoming. I love meeting more and more Romanians everyday. :) OH! And when they sang worship songs in Romanians I got chills, and found myself very overcome with emotion. I felt God in this little church in Craiova. It may be little, but it has a community of Romanians with BIG hearts, and a GREAT love for the Lord. They are inspirational to me.
Our Blackhawk team is getting closer and closer each day. We spend our free times talking with each other and the Romanians and bonding. We are fulfilling one of the goals we set for ourselves, we are bonding and becoming one big team who will work together to lead camp. AH!!! We leave tomorrow night :) I am so excited! I know that God has some amazing things planned for us at camp. I just know it!!
I have some prayer requests for everyone who reads this:
Please pray for Daniel (The Romania Team Leader), that God will give him peace and rest as he prepares for camp. (when we were in the park yesterday, he was pickpocketed and lost a good amount of money).
Prayer that we are successful in teaching English at the camp, and that our final spots at camp get filled - we are very, very close.
Thanks Everyone for listening to me ramble! Haha.
Brooke
P.S. Mom, Dad, Christine, Laura (and family), Lindsay and Steve, Andy (and family), Marmie, Grandpa, and everyone else. I love you all very much. I sincerely appreciate all of your support!! Momma- I miss your stinky head!!!! :) Dad- “Shoo Shoo Shoo”
A note from Lief: Brooke wrote this around lunchtime today. We spent the rest of the day resting - as a day off. After lunch, we went back to the park with Daniel's team - what an awesome park they have here - it's HUGE! We went to the lake and rented some row boats. Some got more wet than they wanted - splashing! After that we found an open space to lie down, nap, talk, listen to music, and about 20 people played Ultimate Frisbee right there. After the park, we went to "Cramaolteniei" with our host families, the intern team, and Daniel's leadership team (like 50 of us!). We had a traditional Romanian meal at a HUGE table that fit all of us! We had a great time. After that we walked a few blocks to the City Center Square. The huge and complex "dancing" water fountain which is set to the tone of traditional Romanian music. We danced and enjoyed ourselves in the centre for almost 2 hours! Finally, most people walked or drove home to their host families and a few of us stopped by the HPD apartment - a ministry of Daniel's here that reaches out and provides living arrangements and life skills training to young adult orphans no longer allowed to live in the state run placement centers (orphanages) Read post from last year on HPD for more info. We met with Valentin and Lavinia and three of the boys who have just successfully finished the first 2-year generation of the program. We were touched by their life stories and how God has used HPD and other circumstances to redeem their lives to be lived for his glory. We got all of it on video for the rest of the team and the entire Blackhawk community. After all that - it's time for bed! We go to camp tomorrow!!! (pray that the 2-3 open spots to until our 100 limit are filled by 10pm, when we plan to leave!) - much love and peace, Lief
Saturday, July 18, 2009
More Pictures! (cause we know you love 'em)
Everyone - just a quick note, and a boat load of pics before I turn in. The girls did a great job with the update (BTW, Zack did GREAT at the coffeehouse tonight - and Tess, Makenzie, Malachi, and Pat shared with everyone about last years camp experiences - also awesome!).
More to come tomorrow and Monday. Unfortunately , we cannot guarantee that we can post at all while at camp (Monday 7/20 PM - Monday 7/27 PM)... I know, a whole week!?! I've heard conflicting reports about internet availability but we will do everything we can to at least get a couple updates to you throughout the week, even if it means driving a bit to find a place. As for the weather - beautiful today - mid to upper 90's... 50's sure sounds nice though! Tomorrow morning - church at 10am. Jess and Josh will be sharing from their story and about their Romanian experience past and present, Zack will be joining Daniel and his team in leading worship. Pat and I will also share about our joys and dreams for the present and future partnership with the Craiovan church. After that, a free afternoon with some fun options and a very special evening is planned as well - you'll hear more tomorrow night. Until then - some pictures.
One last thing - I can't say enough about how proud I am of this team. God has chosen a very capable, flexible, patient, and willing group of leaders (all 24 of them) to use as his vessels in Romania this summer. Each one has uniquely stepped outside their comfort zone, tried new things and trusted the Lord to work through them. Each one has brought joy to my heart as their leader - I am constantly amazed and inspired at their willingness and ability to step out in faith, lead with confidence, and with hearts that burst for joy - bringing smiles to so many people around them, including me. Parents - these kids you let us take over to this side of the ocean - they are really awesome - good work and thank you for all you have done to make this trip a reality for them/us (this year and over the course of the last 15-20 years). Thank you as well to each of you for your support and your prayers - they mean so much to us.
Noapte Buna - Lief
More to come tomorrow and Monday. Unfortunately , we cannot guarantee that we can post at all while at camp (Monday 7/20 PM - Monday 7/27 PM)... I know, a whole week!?! I've heard conflicting reports about internet availability but we will do everything we can to at least get a couple updates to you throughout the week, even if it means driving a bit to find a place. As for the weather - beautiful today - mid to upper 90's... 50's sure sounds nice though! Tomorrow morning - church at 10am. Jess and Josh will be sharing from their story and about their Romanian experience past and present, Zack will be joining Daniel and his team in leading worship. Pat and I will also share about our joys and dreams for the present and future partnership with the Craiovan church. After that, a free afternoon with some fun options and a very special evening is planned as well - you'll hear more tomorrow night. Until then - some pictures.
One last thing - I can't say enough about how proud I am of this team. God has chosen a very capable, flexible, patient, and willing group of leaders (all 24 of them) to use as his vessels in Romania this summer. Each one has uniquely stepped outside their comfort zone, tried new things and trusted the Lord to work through them. Each one has brought joy to my heart as their leader - I am constantly amazed and inspired at their willingness and ability to step out in faith, lead with confidence, and with hearts that burst for joy - bringing smiles to so many people around them, including me. Parents - these kids you let us take over to this side of the ocean - they are really awesome - good work and thank you for all you have done to make this trip a reality for them/us (this year and over the course of the last 15-20 years). Thank you as well to each of you for your support and your prayers - they mean so much to us.
Noapte Buna - Lief
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