Finishing up July 17 - Day 1 in Craiova

Hi Everyone,

It is a great privilege to be here. Thank you for your support and prayers that made this possible. Tonight we went to the park, it was raining slightly when we got there, but it didn’t dampen our spirits. We started to play games with a smaller group, but it stopped raining, the sun came out and then they started to come, by the end of the night we had a good group of people. Most of the spots that were available for camp have now been filled. It was exciting meeting new kids and getting to know them. They are incredible with tender hearts. I was especially pleased that I played games with a bunch of young kids and didn’t break or pull anything.

Signing off now,
Larry Brady

Daily Installment of Shoutouts!

-Brooke shouts out to Mom (now Honeybutt!) "I love you... and the rest of you too!"
-Brianna wants John to know that she "has yet to eat any Romanian sausage."
-Malachi: "Thanks Aunt Liz for the card & love you Mom and Dad."
-Nate to Brett: looking forward to Dollywood - unless of course it won't work for you - in which case, I'm going to Colorado instead. Let me know!
-Cassidy to everyone competing @ Skate St. Paul - Good luck & Skate Well!
-Megan tells Catie to "plan something cool for your birthday."
-Lief to Sarah Stevens (and also Zack's Tante) - I can make sure "Z" gets a big huge bear hug for you - from me, and probably Daniel too - ahh... let's just make it a huge group hug on Z.... I'm on it first thing tomorrow morning - he won't know what hit him!
-Pat/MOM to Audra... thank you so much for the pumpkin bread. It was so delicious! April, don't forget to water the Ivy. : ) THANKS! Love to you both.

First day in Craiova - by Zack

Hello All!

Zack here, how is it going? Today is our first real, full day in Craiova, Romania! Last night, we arrived by bus, and almost right away went to our host families. Matt, Malachi, Charlie and I are staying in Craiova with George at his families house. He is one of the Romanians who came to pick us up when we arrived at the airport. George is a nice, energetic guy who makes staying in Craiova very enjoyable. Falling asleep last night was difficult. Whether it was the heat, the stress about being in a new place, or the excitement, I had a hard time. But once I fell asleep, it was completely fine.

Today, George came into the room and woke me and Malachi up around 8:30 am, and we just talked. We talked about sports, his life, and how life works in the US. Breakfast was really nice and informal. As people trickled in, it really started to feel like we were here to do something really amazing.

We had group games in a fun, “get to know you” style such as musical chairs and a competition about who knew someone else’s name faster. Then, lunch came. Wow, I had the best pizza I have ever tasted, and that’s coming from someone who works at Papa Murphy’s! haha! There was just so many random toppings that were so good together (like fried eggs, olives with pits in them, corn, and real sausage). Now, we are off to the inner city to see all of the sights of old Craiova, and later, we will be playing games at the park with tons of Romanian teens in order to promote our camp and fill the remaining 10-20 spots left in the camp. Well, thanks for reading, and I hope to post again!

Love you all, especially the fam,
Zack

{even though this was posted around 11:30pm Romanian time, it was written around 3pm when we did not have internet connection}

We're in Craiova!!! (and hitting the hay hard)

Wow! It is hard to believe that only 30 hours have now passed since we met in the Blackhawk parking lot. At the same time - it feels like the end of a VERY long day.

Since I (Lief) only got about an hour and a half of sleep (there were some dang good movies on that flight), I am going to post a quick update and fall right asleep - allowing some other team members to write more details tomorrow when we gather at the church.

For now, what you need to know: after a late, but smooth flight from Paris to Bucharest, our bag count dropped unintentionally from 48 to 46 (with one personal bag (Brenda's) and one team bag of clothes donations (and possibly, but hopefully not, Paul LeFeber cds) left behind in Paris. We are assured they'll be sent to us tomorrow. We just walked easily right out into Bucharest to the welcoming embraces of our 11 Romanian greeters (many whom some of us know so well!). It was a really great welcome to find them all there waiting patiently for us and then loving on us so well! Then we began, about 2 hours later than schedule (5:30pm), the trip west to Craiova. With a stop in Pitesti for dinner (we had to forgo our traditional Romanian feast due to tight schedule and instead went all out at the classy European MacDonalds! I got a "Big Tasty" - one of the best one's ever had, if you don't mind me sayin. Once everyone seemed satisfied, we loaded back on the big bus for the final stretch. Some slept (though all wearied), some heard stories of Romanian history and culture from Daniel, Stephi, Bianca, and the others, and some were catching up on the latest Romanian (and American English) phrases - the Romanians were learning a bit more advanced vocab though. Within a few hours (around 10:30 or so), we had arrived to Craiova - finally!!!

We unloaded our personal bags and were split all throughout this large city with host families - most of them with members of Daniel's leadership team. And just like that people head out to find a bed to crash in. That's what I'm about to do right now.

Tomorrow we meet for breakfast at the church at 10am, join together with the rest of the leadership team to plan camp, have a team time with worship and prayer, and spend the afternoon and evening with games in the park as a marketing event inviting more people to come to camp. We still have about 10-15 spots to available to fill! Because some are not yet done with exams and the camp is bigger this year (100+ people!) - there are a few open spots at this point. Please pray that our events in the park and coffee house this weekend give us opportunities to meet more people who we can take with us on Monday night - that we would fill EVERY SPOT available. And also, please pray that Brenda's bag (and the team bag) would arrive as soon as possible tomorrow morning!

Thank you so much for your prayers and support. This would not be the same without you. God has been so good to us - we trust and look forward to the many ways He will use this week to stretch, challenge, and mold each one of us these upcoming days and weeks.

With love - noapte buna (good night!),
Lief for the 2009 Romania Team

p.s. pictures and daily shoutouts on the way tomorrow... :)

In Paris, waiting to take off for Bucharest

Quick note: we're sitting on the plane in Paris (exaughsted & excited). We'll be 30-40 minutes late, but otherwise, all is running smoothly. We actually boarded 3 different busses, stood in 4 different security lines, and had our passports checked about 17 times - and that was taking the apparent "shortcut.". Ahhhh, Paris is lovely this time of year!

We're off! Craiova here we come (after much needed nap)!

a few pictures... and logistics

Malachi was thorough and correct - everything so far has been on schedule and on time. So far - so good. Pastor Chris, Paul LeFeber (from the famous Romanian band "Paul LeFeber and The Demon of Cool"), Angie, Kristen, Brett (Intern #4) and a huge envoy of parents and siblings were there to see us off. Chris prayed over our team and we were off! We left Madison on time with 25 people and 48 bags (all but two are also lugging around a "team bag" until we get to Craiova - filled with supplies for English, sports, and crafts and donations from the drive at church.

We watched Ice Age on the bus after a quick audible stop at Target in Janesville - we realized that the Romanians would love a little "Catch Phrase" - especially at English camp, so stopped to get a few of those. We're all sitting next to each other on the plane - check-in and security went faster than it does when it's just Emily and me. Pat has collected passports, connection boarding passes, and bag claim tickets - so we're set there.

Well, as Malachi said, there is not a whole lot to say at this point - which is exactly what we want at this stage in the game - just how we want it. I'm sure within 24 hours (esp. 48) we'll have a lot more to offer. The flight ahead of us will be about 8 hours and 20 minutes to Paris. We'll have 1.5 hours to catch our connecting to Bucharest, and a 3 hour flight from there! Daniel has a large bus and will be picking us up with about a dozen students! 2.5 hours later, we'll be in Craiova, sometime on Thursday night (or Thursday late morning in Madison). That will likely be the next time we post anything. Until then - keep praying! Thanks for everything - We love you guys.

Now for our first installment of daily "Shoutouts":

-Josh is wondering if anyone knows the current conversion rate for gummy bears to gummy worms.
-Larry says we're still within budget - phew...
-Brooke says "Hey Honeybutt - I miss you!"
-Pat would like Mrs. Smiley to know that we still have Megan.
-Jessweeka to Bonquiffy: hey doo hey.
-Makenzie: miss you mom - if Hunter doesn't write on the blog, the minute he get's home from camp - I'm sending Josh after you (and you know what that means!).
-Lief reminds Brett that any painting or furniture switches in the office must be undone by July 30... (and for now, I think Nikki gets dibbs on my desk chair when you're both there).

-Lief for the 2009 Romania Team

First Team Post - en route to Romania (via Paris)

Hey - Oh Family's and Friends! We're sitting in the O'hare Airport waiting for the airplane. Some are playin cards some are just talkin and some r taking pictures of each other. not much is goin on. lunch on the bus was delicious and filling. security was smooth and the lady that checked me in was very nice we had a fun conversation. people are complainin about the pictures being takin by everyone with a camera. some of the leaders are sayin just get over it but u know girls (roll the eyes).
well since there's not much else to say so i'm gunna go get a drink of sumthin and you all have a good day we'll talked to u again in another country!

MALACHI D BRAUGHLER

Hello faithful romania team blog followers. We have come up with a list of prayer requests that we would love for you to keep in your daily prayers while we are gone in Romania. Although you cannot be in Romania with us, this is a great way to stay connected with us and our team. We will continue to keep you updated on our happenings and answers to your prayers. Please feel free to comment. We love comments!

Please Pray
Wednesday, July 15th
. On time arrivals to church with passports in hand
. Safe travels to Chicago
. No troubles with security
. Uneventful and on time flight to Paris so we will be able to connect to our flight to Romania without trouble
. Long and relaxing sleep on the plane
. All luggage will arrive in tact
. Preparation of our hearts and minds for the weeks ahead
. Fears and worries of friends and families left behind
. Unity among the team

Thursday, July 16th
. Safe flight from Paris to Bucharest
. Easy contact with Daniel
. Friendships and relationships we will form in our host families, the church community, our partnering teams, and in Craiova

Friday, July 17th
. That our bodies will be accepting of the food we are served
. The people of Craiova will be curious as to what we are doing and why
. We will be able to help Daniel out as much as possible with whatever is needed of us
. Smooth transition into the new culture of Romania

Saturday, July 18th
. Wisdom as we plan and prepare for camp
. That we will be culturally sensitive to those we are serving
. The coffeehouse outreach will be successful and eventful — that the hearts of those who attend will be softened and open to hearing what we have to say
. That the spirit will move in us to act and do will of GOD

Sunday, July 19th
. The church service we are in charge of will go smoothly and effectively
. Open ears and hearts of the congregation
. Deep and restful sleep on the bus


Monday, July 20th
. That we won’t forget anything as we finish planning for camp
. Safe travels to the camp throughout the night
. For helpful hearts and selfless spirits as we head into a week of camp

Tuesday, July 21st
. For alert and energetic bodies and minds as camp begins
. For excitement
. For safety
. For the start of friendships and relationships on this day
. For the building of unity within our small groups

Wednesday, July 22nd
. For alert and energetic bodies and minds at camp
. For excitement
. For safety
. For the cultivating of friendships

Thursday, July 23rd
. For alert and energetic bodies and minds at camp
. For excitement
. For safety
. For the cultivating of friendships

Friday, July 24th
. For alert and energetic bodies and minds at camp
. For excitement
. For safety
. For the cultivating of friendships

Saturday, July 25th
. For alert and energetic bodies and minds at camp
. For excitement
. For safety
. For the cultivating of friendships

Sunday, July 26th
. Energy to debrief with Romania team leaders and to have a fruitful time
. For our goodbyes to the departing campers
. For safety
. For the cultivating of friendships
. Changed souls of the campers


Monday, July 27th
. Safe travels to Budapest
. For the digesting of what we just experiences
. For the moods and attitudes of the team as we are nearing the end of the trip
. Enjoyment as we experience new cities
. Debriefing

Tuesday, July 28th
. Safe travels to Prague
. Enjoyment as we experience new cities
. Restful sleep on train
. Successful and healthy debriefing
. For the moods and attitudes of the team as we are nearing the end of the trip

Wednesday, July 29th
. Enjoyment as we experience new cities
. For the moods and attitudes of the team as we are nearing the end of the trip
. Successful and healthy debriefing
. For processing of the past couple of weeks

Thursday, July 30th
. For the moods and attitudes of the team as we are nearing the end of the trip
. Successful and healthy debriefing
. Uneventful flight back to America

Friday, July 31st
. Understanding from family and friends of what we experienced
. Smooth transition back into the American culture
. Changed hearts and minds