Update from the Brady's

Greetings from Romania

We just got on the train in Brasov, Romania and are heading to Vienna, Austria. It is a 12 hour train ride and we will arrive at 8:00 in the morning. Everyone is fine, with a few being pretty tired and resting already.

The trip has been unbelievable. Craiova goodbyes are always rough but seemed to be extremely heavy for all of us this time. We left early in the morning with a huge send off party. It was nearly impossible not to shed a tear.

Everyone is in good health. Thank you for holding us up in your prayers.

I have been here a few times and my range of emotions this year has been more immense and close to what I think I can take.

Now, just after we left Craiova we received a text from Valentin Mitrache saying that his wife, Lavinia, who is expecting their first child, is at the hospital. He said “We are at the hospital. She's is ready.” (You may remember Valentin was featured in a Blackhawk “my story” that was show at Blackhawk two years ago.) It is such a blessing to see orphans who desire so much to have a family, to actually see how excited they are now that they are just about to become “a family.”

-Larry Brady

This is my sixth trip to Craiova, Romania. I rarely contribute to the blog because the thought of putting my thoughts down in a few sentences for all to read is really more than I can handle. But, here I go… (please keep in mind these are my thoughts and the rest of the team may not share my conclusions).

This Vision Trip has been amazing. I have seen God weave the dreams of our beloved Romanian partners together in a beautiful way. It seems that the ‘vision’ of these partners can be summed up in one word… “family”. The experiences we had every step of the way leads us to conclude that the best way to minister to those that have been orphaned is to create a sense of family.

The Retreat that we helped lead was for those that have been orphaned. We created an atmosphere of family by sharing family like situations which included cooking meals, cleaning, doing work and craft projects, hiking, touring, singing/worshiping, studying God’s word, discussing, and praying… together. We even had the opportunity to do a bit of conflict resolution! All of this in less than three days! It was truly amazing.

Of a total of 20 students who were with us (most of whom grew up in the orphanage) there were three guys, and a brother (19) and sister (17) (that just lost both parents) join us for the first time. One of the guys, Elvis, told us that he was afraid to come on the retreat. He feared that we would laugh at him, which had been his experience in the past. He was a great guy and we loved getting to know him. You could see and feel him absorb the love that was being poured into him. When we had to split ways with the students for a few days (as they returned to Craiova and we went to visit Livada in Targu Mures), Elvis' eyes welled up and burst streams of tears and his grip was so tight! If the retreat was just for this young man, all the resources & sacrifices were just to impact his life alone, it was well worth everything. We had two opportunities to reconnect when we got back to Craiova. These young people were there each time, ready to reconnect. When we left this morning, Elvis, had been waiting at the train station for over an hour and a half to say goodbye. I feel that God was confirming the thoughts we are having about the future direction of this ministry.

Our visit with Livada Orphan Care, in Targu Mures, further confirmed our thoughts about orphan care. The directors of that ministry welcomed us with open arms. They showed us every part of their ministry. They were honest about what worked well and what hasn’t been as affective. We learned so much. Daniel and Valentin made a great connection with the directors. These days were very valuable and insightful.

Saiza, an orphan that I have a close relationship with, was married to a wonderful young man, last Saturday. It was a joyous occasion. They told me this was something they wouldn’t even allow themselves to dream about. As we walked in the park to take wedding pictures I told them, ‘dreams really do come true’. God is so good.

As Larry mentioned, the text message from Valentin was the ‘icing on the cake’. “FAMILY” is the key word the Lord gave us… and now Valentin and Lavinia, both orphaned at a young age, are living their dream to become a family. Praise the Lord.

-Pat

***UPDATE***:

Text correspondence with Daniel & Vali regarding Lavinia throughout the day:

11:54am Vali to us: We are at the hospital. She's is ready

Lief to Vali: Vali!!!!! Wow! We are so excited for you two! Praying for Lavinia and for you, but especially for Lavi & David Valentin. God is good! Keep us posted!

Lief to Vali: We just circled up on the train and prayed for you all - we love you guys so much. Excited WITH you! Be present in the moment today- everything will be ok- God is present in the chaos. God's grace is you and Lavi bringing David into this world. You love him already & God has loved him since the beginning of time. We love you guys!

Vali to us: Thank you guys very much for this encouraging words. Keep praying for Lavi. She is scared. None of us are allowed to stay with her.

4:45pm Lief to Dan: We board our eastbound train in Brasov in 10 min. We miss you all already. How much I want to be waiting at the hospital with you all. Thankful for God's perfect timing anyway. We love you guys. Keep us posted.

Dan: I will. There is a problem: her water broke, but there is not contractions yet and this might not br good for the baby

Lief: Ok. We will pray. But please let Vali know that is very common- in fact it is exactly what happened with Emily & Eleanor. We were at the hospital 24 hours before contractions picked up & active labor (pushing) began. Is there a way to relay this information to Lavinia?

Dan: Yes. Dana is with her and will call her.

9:07pm Vali to us: She is going to do cesarean. Pray for her and for her recovery. She had some problems, and the doctor decided this.

Lief to Vali: - we are praying for all of you. Trusting God that Lavi will be taken care of & your baby boy will be born into the arms of loving parents! So proud of you two- continue to trust God - for to you a son will be born!!

10:10pm Dan to us: David is here! Praise God! Both Lavi and David are great!

Lief to all: Thank God!!!!!! We are so excited for you!!!! What a day! Welcome to the world Mitrache David Valentin! God is good. God is good. Amin.

Vali just texted this: Thank you guys so much. God is good. I saw him. I kissed him. He is so beautiful. What a great feeling. Keep praying for Lavi.