Blogging from my phone...

No (unreliable) internet service & spotty cell service mean posting blogs will be a challenge while at camp. I'm trying to send this one via email (using cellular data plan). We'll continue to try to connect & send updates throughout the week, please continue to post comments so we can read them as we do connect for brief periods.

We arrived at camp around 2pm (5-6 hrs late), took 2hr nap, then got up & started preparing for 1st BIG night!

Though it was raining & cold upon arrival, & we've had challenges with both our clean water & electricity supply due to the irregularity of the camps generator schedule (don't worry, though more complicated, we have access to both), our team has stepped up & all campers were full of energy for our first session tonight! It was so exciting to see our students set the pace as leaders & be used to make what could have been a crummy/wet/cold first day into a meaningful & significant exhilarating start.

Between dancing & singing, worship, funny games led by our emcees Kayta & Jessica, the introduction of camp theme (magnum opus - greatest work; we are God's masterpiece), & digging deeper in small groups (candlelit discussion on topic complete with biscuits/cookies, & berry tea), camp has begun with a bang!

We continue to pray for the sun to come out - so we can move out mtg place from the covered dining room to the sweet outdoor stage, the relationships between leaders & campers to significantly deepen, & especially for Emily & Aubs to wakeup full strength tomorrow as they were both feeling under the weather earlier today.

We appreciate your continued prayers & support. God is moving here - He redeems despite, & even through all of the challenges & hurdles in our way, He continues to show us He's going to get His work done, and allow us to be a part of it. We are so excited as we prayerfully and actively wait to see what He's going to do next.

Until next time we get a touch of cell coverage- signing off from Ic Ponor in the Apusen range of the Carpathian Mtns (aka to some as the Trasylvanian Alps). Hard to believe we're here.

Much love,
Lief for the team

Traffic Deadlock on Way to Camp

It's 3:30am & we're STILL in middle of Romania. Left Craiova @10pm, but been at dead stop for bridge construction or something (???!?!?), moving short distance every 20-30 min with no end in sight. We've been here over 2 hrs now... starting to worry we wont make it to camp until Saturday afternoon. Hoping picks up soon. Even so, team still happy, patient, & many still up getting to know campers. Energy for camp is high, & God continues to work despite the dissapointing stall on the road. Appreciate your prayers....

ERIK DIED.. (...of embarrassment after being called schnookums so many times).

Haha! Got you back Mom!

Love, Erik

Almost Time for Camp!!

Buna ziua (good day) it's Aubrey and Matt here,

Today is the day we leave for camp and we are all soooooooo pumped! As mentioned in an earlier blog, 12 more campers were added last night at the coffee house so our grand total for the camp is around 84 people (including us) which is fantastic!

We leave tonight around 10 pm... about our usual dinner time hah. Instead of taking a train, we will be taking two buses on the nine hour trip up the mountain so we will arrive around 8 am on Saturday to camp.

A couple culture shocks so far here in Romania:
- no flushing toilet paper
- CRAZY taxi drivers
- late night water melon meals
- kisses on the cheek are very common called poops!
- stray dogs all around the city
- very few public bathrooms & they cost money
- ping pong tables at the park
- kiss fm plays Rhianna and Ludacris (aka josh)
- no zip lock baggies
- peanuts for breakfast
- they start school at age 7 or 8

Also just a heads up, we may not have internet at the camp these next six days so although we will continue to blog, they won't get posted until next Friday!! Continue to leave us comments and please continue your prayers :)

Nowwww, a few shout-outs... or a lot of them:

Kristen to Jon and John- I now realize that it's truly impossible to get every receipt!
Michaela to Donna Johnke- I hope you weren't too lonely this week, I miss you a ton! I can't wait to tell you about my super sweet host mom. I love you!
Lief to Emi and the beautiful, growing, little child- I love both of you more than you could ever imagine! I hope you're eating out and staying healthy. I can't wait to hug you (Emi) and feel your little feet kick (Baby). Also, can we make chocolate chip cookies on August 12?!?!?!?!
Megan R. to Mom- Thanks for all the comments, miss and love you!
Megan R. to Chris- I miss you! I watched the zombie videos, hilarious! Nice work :)
Erik to My Homies- Shout out to my homes living on the streets
Kayta to Mommy and Papa- I love you!
Jenna to Grandma and Grandpa- Happy Anniversary!!!
Joshua to Family- I hope Sammy is behaving!
Megan W. to Momma, Daddy, Sissy and Wuppa- Miss and Love YOU!!!!
Catie to Mom, Dad and Megan- I love you!! and Hi to my second family, the Pliners!!
Jessica to Nate- I miss you!!! I'm journaling like crazy and have so many stories for you! I love you :)
Jessica to Mom, Dad and Harley- (okay, I guess Lexi too) I miss you- have fun on the Gulf... Let's go to Costa Rica when I get back!

Jessica to Mr. C and KAV- Have fun doing the kick-a-thon and the police night out demo! You guys are all awesome! Can't wait to see you when I get back!
Jessica to Caitlyn- No idea if you're actually reading this like you said you would, but if you are, I miss you! Hope you're having fun with all the munchkins!

Mom to April, Audra, Anne and Daniel- LIFE IS GOOD!
Dad to AAA and D and B- It is raining here... there?
Cassidy to Mom and Dad- Miss you! How is cowboys training going? I'm staying at Claudia's house. Do you remember her from when she visited Wisconsin?
Cassidy to Tess- Love all your comments, thanks. I miss you (and big pink). I can't wait to tell you all about it. All the Romanians love your letters!
Cassidy to Malachi- Wish you were here. It's not the same without you. The Romanians Love your notes and bracelets.
Hunter to Tess- JBBD says hi. I'll make sure I grab an autograph for you.
Hunter to Makenzie- Miss you dude. Wish you were here. Everyone says hi and that they miss you. Hug the kids for me.
Jimmy SO to John and Vicki- I love you and miss you.
Jimmy SO to Isaac Portz- Hope you are keeping Angie under control. (This is also an SO to Angie. Miss you!)
Taylor to Mom and Dad- Love and Miss you guys!
Taylor to Collie Man- I miss you soooo much. I'm sending you a hug and a kiss over the internet...
Taylor to Payton- You're awkward but I love you!
Taylor to Kelsey- Hey
Taylor to Katy- I miss energy drinks... That's what's up.
Taylor to Kati and Tess- Mystery spice is everywhere!
Hannah to Jansen- Happy birthday little brother!
Hannah to Sawyer- Have fun in Hawaii!! ... mom and dad you don't get a shout out because you are going to Hawaii without me ;)
The Big MT to my peeps - aka my mom and sis, how is everything at home? Is bailey doing ok? I hope so, love u guys

The Big MT to Grandma H- Heads up

The Big MT to Dad - Thanks for the update on the cubs and bears keep me posted on anything else

The Big MT to Grandma and Grandma Tolly - Thanks for your prayers tell Kyle I say hi and to read this

Aubs to ma and dad- I missss you lots and lots and i loveeeee you.

Aubs to Dev and Chris- I CANNOT wait for the wedding, I promise I will get your something borrowed and blue :) miss you both lots, have fun at ballroom without me!

Aubs to Ben- I'm in Romania if you were wondering... love you.

Aubs to Luhsel- I meeeeees you, dance pretty and tell my pommies good luck!

More pics from our pre-camp time in Craiova

Happy to be in Romania!

Nighttime in Romania!

Hanging out before the Coffeeshop Concert!

Catie making people "Smiley" like usual!

Pat and Larry know everyone!

Michaela getting off the bus!

Games in the Park!

Ultimate Frisbee in the Park!

Ladies playing "World Cup" - a version of soccer.

Paul showing off his soccer skills to the Romanians!

More Games in the Park!

Pat and Elena stop for a quick picture at the coffeehouse!

Goofing off during free time!

Taylor showing off one of her many faces!

Josh and Irina are all smiles!

Just thought we would update you on all the fun we're having here! We will post another blog shortly explaining what's up for us in the upcoming days. Love and Miss you all!

coffeehouse!! third night in the city :]

hey y'all its KAYTA and MEGARAD aka Megan Radke here and we are currently spending a lovely evening at our host families home. Were on the computer while their family is watching two and a half men in English with Romanian subtitles, pretty sweet huh?? But today was another AMAZING day here on the other side of the globe. We started at ten and met for breakfast at the church and then continued to have a team time devotional and planning for our night of music at a local coffeehouse in the city.

The coffeehouse was tucked away in beautiful gardens that we haven't seen a lot of in the city. There were lots of faces from the night before and many new ones that we got to spend time with. The famous band "Paul and Friends" did an amazing job that got the crowd on their feet and both Romanians and Americans singing and dancing along, but lets be honest who doesn't love a little Justin Bieber?? They also played Sweet Caroline, Can't Buy Me Love, Amazing Grace, Firework, and Lean on Me. Also a guest appearance from the 90s boy band pop sensation N*SYNC that included dancing and a few rap lines from Taylor, Jessica, Michaela, Myself (Kayta), Hailey, our two Romanian friends Irina and Saiza, and a guest dance appearance by no other then LARRY BRADY!! Also during our two our show we had some rapping of nursery rhymes both in English and Romanian, Karaoke to Taylor Swift and Michael Jackson, and we also played the crazy game OOGA BOOGA...hopefully we can put up more videos to give you guys the full experience.
After, we walked to the City Center which is like the state street of Craiova and enjoyed a live dance performance, beautiful fountains, and some yummy icecream!
Tomorrow we leave our host families for a few days while we head off to camp! We leave the church tomorrow at 10PM and bus ride up the mountains over night with all the camp members. Talk to you more about camp later:] we ask to pray for our safe travels, many adventures, and our health for the next few days at camp. Also, we hope that we can get as many campers as we can by tomorrow (we got 12 new ones today! yahooo)


Love to everyone :]

PS. Luda (aka Josh) did an awesome job tonight rapping. I heard that Usher wants to sign him when he gets back to the states, and Luda Jr. has the potential to be bigger then JBiebs!

Food. Good Food. The Food is Good.

Hey folks, Jimmy here. Have you ever been worried about traveling because you think you may not like the food? I have. About 3 days ago I was worried that perhaps the food in Romania wouldn't be as delicious as say... Chipotle. Which is exactly what I ate before embarking on this incredible journey across the world. So, with a good taste in my mouth, I boarded a bus and my palate and I took off to unknown world of flavor. Now, I am no food critic, but I do enjoy eating. And because it is one of my greatest hobbies, my friend Hunter and I are going to take you into the stomach of Romanian eating. We have compiled for you a list of foods that have most pleasured our tongues. Each food is linked to Wikipedia (the most reliable of sources) for more information on each.

1. şniţel
Hunter and I agree that şniţel is a rush of flavor unlike what you may first think when you find out that it is called şniţel, which usually has the word wiener before it. Basically, it is chicken wrapped in God's Grace. So good.

2. Sarmale
At first glance, a sarmale may be mistaken as an eggroll. But you couldn't be further from the truth! The sarmale surpasses the eggroll with its much more delicious outer shell. But the outside is only where it begins. When your teeth sink in, an eruption of deliciousness seeps onto every taste bud. So sit down, and have one... or twelve.

3. Bread
A little known food to most Americans, bread is quite common in Romania. Served with every meal, it is a key part of every Romanian's diet. Just for your FYI, it is loaded with the energy a person will need for the day and is quite versatile. One may layer peanut butter and jam, or perhaps cheese and meat. Some, like the adventurous and classy Brendonovitch (@fanman42 on twitter if you want to follow him) have been known to combine cheese and honey, for a sophisticated, yet subtle flavor of nothing anyone has ever tasted before (for obvious reasons). Feel free to comment if you would like the recipe. This stuff is good.

Well, that is where the list ends for now. Keep checking back for more insights into Romanian cuisine with your good friends Jimmy and Hunter. We eat delicious things so you don't have to!

We're on the plane!! (a lost blog from our flight)

There’s really not much of an update, I guess, we’re just bored… The movies don’t start for a while. We just took off, and I’m guessing we’re still in Michigan. I love flying British Airlines because the whole crew has British accents and everyone says “lovely” and “rubbish,” and “what would you fahncy?” Also, you get free socks (but only upon request) and the world’s smallest tube of toothpaste. The socks have small airplanes on them.

Not really; only Emily thinks that is true and she’s crazy.

Taylor obviously didn’t use the socks last year. There are definitely planes on there. We’ll wait and ask for some.

Yes Taylor did use the socks last year and I clearly remember them being navy blue with nothing else on them.

Maybe Emily is thinking of two years ago when she flew on British Airlines… Seriously, we’re asking for socks when they come offer us drinks.

Enough about the socks for now, we are all SO excited about Romania. We were the loudest people on the plane, of course (no one else was actually talking). Our team is sitting together in 4 rows of 6 people (split by one of the two aisles) – so we’re all snug able to hear each other talk, laugh, and snore (now that we’ve been flying for a while, most of us have fallen asleep). Emily and Taylor, though, are busying themselves by bloggin’ it up. We’ll check back in with you guys when we’re in Craiova! Can’t stop, won’t stop!

By the way, Emily and Taylor were both wrong. The socks are grey with no planes.

**This blog was brought to you by the brilliant minds of Emily Quandt and Taylor McGrath**

Birthday Wish Granted for the Watts'!

Megan Watts (Megawatt - to distinguish from Megarad, Megan Radke), got lotsa love from the team and one final "American" Happy Birthday song at the end of our day in Craiova... just as her parents had asked for on the blog!

"Megan we wish we could see you for just a moment to give you a great big birthday hug. Will someone else give Megan a hug for us?"

We responded immediately in traditional Romania Trip fashion (right Z & Dani?)!!! See a throwback to 2 summers ago when we had the same request from some other parents back in the USA during their kids' 1st Romanian birthday.

We love group hugs! :)

Pictures from the trip (Days 1-3)

Friends who came to see us off!

Paul and Kristen

Kayta, Aubrey, and Jenna!

Cassidy - ready to fly!

The Big MT showin off his identifier before passing thru security!

The ladies after an overnight transatlantic flight - still EXCITED!

MT and Hunter ready for flight #2!

Introducing our camp mascot: Magnum Octopus!

Brendo the Merman & Aubs chillin at the airport

All our bags but one guitar case (waiting for the delivery)! Team is in Romania and ready to GO!

Night #1: Dinner at Craiova Church - meeting the Romaniacs!

Night at Youth Park

Meeting new friends!

YES!

Romania has so many sweet fountains!

Yeah Catie! Practicing her Romanian!

Dancin in the Youth Park to the tunes of "Paul & Friends"

The Band - they ROCKED!

Andreea, Michaela, and Brendon

Jimmy teachin us how to "Burn his Birdie" - a new dance move & integral part of our camp theme song we learned today! :)

Mario & Steffi pullin off some killer moves up front!

Paul comparing his bicips with 7 year olds again...

New friends!

Wickity Wickity Wickity Wack...

Shakey face for Jesus

The fellas

A good end to a GREAT night!

(more pictures from the sports & field games coming tomorrow - they are on a different camera)!

Games in the Park

Hey there--it's Jenna and Hailey writing from our host home. It's almost Thursday already here in Romania, and we're still awake... big surprise. :)

Today has been a long day, but it's been fun the whole way. After our last post, we finished getting ready for a night in the park. These preparations involved lots of pumping up dodgeballs, singing songs (lots of worship faves, and a little Justin Biebs), and may or may not have included Brendon wearing a creepy Halloween mask.

After we finished getting ready, it was time to head out to the park, which turned out to be a new park that we'd never seen. It was huge! The park (which everyone in Craiova calls the youth park) had built-in ping-pong tables, chess tables, many tennis and soccer courts and fields, and even a fountain area like the splash park in Middleton! We rented out 3 turf soccer fields, and after a round of get-to-know-you activities, the games began. We had one field of soccer, one of ultimate frisbee, and one that started out as lightening and world cup but ended with a giant game of dodgeball. Somehow (it must have been a God thing) we had enough energy to participate fully in all of the games. It was a great time of meeting potential campers and bonding with everyone involved. Who knew that Larry was so good at ultimate frisbee or that Kayta was such a soccer star???

This year, for the first time, we had the opportunity to use an amphitheatre to promote camp. Paul, Emily, Josh, and I (Jenna) played some fun songs, Kayta introduced camp, we played a fun pull-up game and Megan R, Aubrey, and Matt showed everyone that actions for the camp song, 'Made to Love' by Toby Mac. We gathered a lot of curiosity amongst the crowd that gathered to see what all of the music was about, and we hopefully gained lots of new campers. At the end, Lief and Jimmy wowed the crowd by doing some freestyle rapping onstage!

The evening ended with dinner at 10pm back at church, which we all enjoyed because of our hunger pains that came from not eating for 9 hours while doing lots of physical activity. After dinner, Megan Watts got a spectacular birthday group hug and birthday songs in both Romanian and English! We then headed back to our host homes to get some sleep to prepare for tomorrow, which promises to be another very full day.

Jenna and Hailey

P.S. Pictures {hopefully} soon to follow! Stay tuned for tomorrow!

Shout out to Dan Hershberger from Jenna: Thanks for the travelling buddies you snuck into my suitcase... I especially loved the notes you put with them--who knew that your stormtrooper was born in China? Everyone had a laugh about that. :)

Craiova!!

Hey there, its Kayta, Aubrey, Jessica and Megan W. We are currently at the church in Craiova and just finished up some devotional time. Since we arrived here last night, we have been blessed to meet our host families as well as many amazing student leaders from the church.
We Americans have been paired off (or in a group of four) and went to stay at different families homes around the city. Each house is a little bit different; some hosts live in apartments, others in homes and some don't speak English! It has been an adventure for all of us so far, and the language barrier has been more of an excitement than a struggle. Today we played a lot of get-to-know you games with the Romanian student leaders that brought us a lot closer as a team. Today we are also celebrating Megan W's 17th birthday; we even sang to her in Romanian :) She is currently sitting next to us opening her present! (thanks mom and dad!- Megan)
Yummmmmmmmy! We have been trying lots of new food including our favorite samali (sp?). It is a meat and rice mixture rolled in cabbage and kind of looks like an egg roll. Also, we have had our filling of carbs and meat, bread and sliced meat is served at every meal including breakfast.
Throughout our travels so far a couple team members have gotten new nicknames...
Erik AKA shnookums and Erika
Josh AKA Luda (short for Ludacris)
Brendon AKA mermaid (or merman)
and Matt Tolly AKA the big MTTTTTT

Well Lief is starting to talk again..shockerrr, but I guess we should go. more lataaaaaa
MISS AND LOVE YOU ALL HOMIES!
continue sharing your prayers its so nice to hear them:]

Easy flight to London, boarding for Bucharest!

Quick note to let you know we made the connection in London! Should be in Bucharest in 3.5 hours & Craiova in 7! Thanks for your prayers!

Some pics of the beginning of our journey!