Thanks for your prayers for travel. Our people arrived safe and sound Saturday night around 11:30pm. All connections were made with ease and all luggage arrived! Got to see Rachel, Iza, Dave and Samuel at the farm. Lots of hugs and laughter before turning in for the night! On our way to church this morning, then a trip to the Sellgross to get our groceries and organize our weekly plans. The team is so excited to get started.

So glad to hear you all made it safely and with luggage. Have a great time and I will be watching your posts. Give Rach & Iza a hug for us.

How awesome to know so many people are praying for your trip and for God to work through each one of you! I just can't wait to read each day's posts to see what happens! Hugs to you all!

So glad to hear you are all safe and getting settled. I know God is blessing all of you and the work you are doing. I only wish I were there with you, but I am in heart and spirit. Enjoy the time with the kids and Rachel, and give them my love. You will be in our prayers while you are gone.

Judy Bernhardy

Ceau from Romania

It is Stephanie 2, aka, Stephanie Varble.

Today is Monday and what a beautiful and blessed day we had with the kids from the Isaiah Center. The team and I started our day with picking up the kids from the Tinca village and we were so exctied to see the kids. As we entered the last row of mud houses and my heart pounding with antisipation I was overwhelmed with joy to look down into their chocolate eyes and scoop them up into a hug. We packed our little darlings into the van and headed to the center for baths. Once baths were completed and the children dressed in beautiful clothes we went outside to play while the tile and grout was delivered for our projects at the center. We will begin tiling two rooms tomorrow and cleaning out the attic for a new roof and windows - amen!

We then headed to the van with our kids in tow for a field trip to the zoo. The giggles and us trying to direct the kids onto the van was quite interesting. Here I am trying to speak Romanian but no luck what so ever but I do have to say I tried my best, Rachel got the kids loaded and we were off for lunch at McDonalds for Happy Meals and then to the zoo. Oh the zoo in Romania what can I say...well it was very interesing but oh so fun. The kids grabbed our hands and off we went down the yellow brick for lions, tigers and bears oh my. Oh let me correct that it was dogs, chickens and peacocks oh my. Seeing the kids chuckle as they visited the animals was so much fun. Little Simona was loving all over the donkeys and the sound of her laughter was one I will always remember. The team and I just loved her little cackle and seeing her run in circles in her little pick dress was priceless. We continued our tour of the zoo and then headed to the park. Rachel shared with the team and I that this was the first time the kids visited the park. I was overwhelemed to learn that this was their first time and how different it is from the states where we are so privelidge. I was very humbled to be apart of their first trip to the park. I wish you all could have been with me as they took their first trip down the slid with eyes wide open and bottoms hitting the sand as they landed.

Thank you Lord for an awesome day as we continued to the farm for dinner. Stephanie 1, Tracy and I prepared a spaghetti dinner for the team. Tim, Rodecca and Cory who are Roma from the village and work with Rachel stayed with us for dinner. What a joy to have them with us for dinner for the first time and a way for us to gain thier trust in a world where they are dispised and rejected. Those are the ones God calls us to love and show His love.

Thanks for all your prayers as it fuels us each day to do God's work. The team and I are so blessed to have your support and prayers. We just adore you all and so thankful.

Please continue to rain down your prayers on us and for Rachel and Dave for their love of the gypsies.

In God's Glory

Ceau from Romania

It is Stephanie 2, aka, Stephanie Varble.

Today is Monday and what a beautiful and blessed day we had with the kids from the Isaiah Center. The team and I started our day with picking up the kids from the Tinca village and we were so exctied to see the kids. As we entered the last row of mud houses and my heart pounding with antisipation I was overwhelmed with joy to look down into their chocolate eyes and scoop them up into a hug. We packed our little darlings into the van and headed to the center for baths. Once baths were completed and the children dressed in beautiful clothes we went outside to play while the tile and grout was delivered for our projects at the center. We will begin tiling two rooms tomorrow and cleaning out the attic for a new roof and windows - amen!

We then headed to the van with our kids in tow for a field trip to the zoo. The giggles and us trying to direct the kids onto the van was quite interesting. Here I am trying to speak Romanian but no luck what so ever but I do have to say I tried my best, Rachel got the kids loaded and we were off for lunch at McDonalds for Happy Meals and then to the zoo. Oh the zoo in Romania what can I say...well it was very interesing but oh so fun. The kids grabbed our hands and off we went down the yellow brick for lions, tigers and bears oh my. Oh let me correct that it was dogs, chickens and peacocks oh my. Seeing the kids chuckle as they visited the animals was so much fun. Little Simona was loving all over the donkeys and the sound of her laughter was one I will always remember. The team and I just loved her little cackle and seeing her run in circles in her little pick dress was priceless. We continued our tour of the zoo and then headed to the park. Rachel shared with the team and I that this was the first time the kids visited the park. I was overwhelemed to learn that this was their first time and how different it is from the states where we are so privelidge. I was very humbled to be apart of their first trip to the park. I wish you all could have been with me as they took their first trip down the slid with eyes wide open and bottoms hitting the sand as they landed.

Thank you Lord for an awesome day as we continued to the farm for dinner. Stephanie 1, Tracy and I prepared a spaghetti dinner for the team. Tim, Rodecca and Cory who are Roma from the village and work with Rachel stayed with us for dinner. What a joy to have them with us for dinner for the first time and a way for us to gain thier trust in a world where they are dispised and rejected. Those are the ones God calls us to love and show His love.

Thanks for all your prayers as it fuels us each day to do God's work. The team and I are so blessed to have your support and prayers. We just adore you all and so thankful.

Please continue to rain down your prayers on us and for Rachel and Dave for their love of the gypsies.

In God's Glory

--- Stephanie2(guest) 

Stephanie! Thank you so much for the notes on today! What a fun packed day for all the way it sounds! PTL! We are watching the weather and it looks like it is to be great all week...another blessing....we will continue to pray and watch for updates...hugs to you ALL!

It is Stephanie 1, A.K.A . Stephanie Padgett

Wow! What an Amazing Day! We started out by going to the Isaiah Center, we would only be there for a short time, just long enough to get our VBS supplies together then it was off to the Gypsy Village in Tinca. We was so excited about getting there and interacting with the children, this was not the first time into the village for 9 of the 13 team members, so we knew what to expect. But knowing that each year is different , we all was a little anxious , would the children be there, how would the new team members do, and wondering and hoping that you might get the chance to see that child from the previous year, the one who captured your heart.

Once we reached the Village we started announcing we was there , and to come see what’s going on in their village, we do this the sophisticated way, by honking the horn , waving to the people who are on the street, and yelling out the window letting them know we are going to have VBS at Tim and Rodica’s house. By the time we get to our destination the bus is surrounded by children waiting for us to get off t, with smiling faces and arms opened to hug anyone who will would hug them. It will never cease to Amaze me how these precious children who live in such heartbreaking conditions can be so loving, so while part of our team is saying ceau (chow) and getting the children gathered to play duck, duck, goose, or soccer, the rest of the team is setting up the puppet stage and the sound system so we can worship the Lord.

Once the music starts the children all gather around and we sing , dance and act a little undignified for our Lord, Christi does an Amazing job at leading our VBS, then Curt ,Janet ,Julie and Tracy do a puppet play that is always based around the lesson for that day….Curt is so gifted as he writes all the skits….and we have 2 translators that reads them as they are doing their puppeteering, then we do a Live skit, that will usually require weird outfits, and our adopted team member Dave from London ( who is now Dave from RomaniaI have to say we are an amusing bunch that will do whatever is asked for the sake of the children receiving the message we are trying to give them that day, from this point we do crafts, games and then get together for worship time and closing prayer.

I think for me today what was so Amazing is last year this gypsy girl captured my heart, I have been praying for her all year, not knowing if I would ever see her again and if I did ,would she remember me, well we did meet again and when she realized who I was , she was so excited the look on her face is one I will never forget……and as for our new team members, Urbin ,Michelle, Kassie and Julie they was Amazing, they did not miss a beat they jumped right in and embraced everything they were feeling and seeing. We do have a awesome team, you can see the Love of Jesus in each one of them.

Once we said our goodbyes we headed back to the Isaiah Center, once there many was very eager to get started on the tiling projects and Organizing donations, some just enjoyed hanging out with Rachel and helping her and Loving on her…..She is an Amazing woman and we are just Amazed what God has done through her in a years’ time.

Please Pray for Barb, she has not been feeling well and is in bed today.