Two plane flights, a six-hour bus ride, and over forty-four bags later, my team and I made it safely (and very sleepily) to Casa Rene, our home for the next two months in Targu Mures, Romania. The interns get to live together in a little apartment, and I'm so incredibly excited to do life with these 12 new friends who are quickly starting to become my family. I've only been here for two days and have gotten a small glimpse of Romania so far, but I think I've already fallen in love with this beautiful country and our quaint little city.

The past ten-ish days have been a mixture of both an overload of information and work as well as lots of time to relax and hang out with my team. I've been especially thankful for the little pockets of time we get to just chill. Even though it can, admittedly, be a bit boring at times and I feel a little bit restless and anxious about just wanting to do something, I'm really trying to savor these moments and allow myself to be filled up with the Father's love and peace and strength so I can be poured out the rest of this summer. And after hearing some more about what I'll be doing for the next few weeks, I know I won't be able to do any of it without abiding in the Lord and relying solely on Him.

So what exactly will I be doing this summer? Well, after a week of orientation, I think I can finally answer that question with confidence. My wonderful little family in Romania consists of thirteen interns (including myself), and we're all divided among three different areas of focus that Fundatia LOC (the Romanian side of Livada Orphan Care) has for the summer. Two interns will be serving at the Ogra Gypsy Village and doing education and other prevention of abandonment programs in the community there while another two interns will be working at the baby hospital in Ludus and loving on and playing with the abandoned babies and toddlers. However, the majority of us (eight interns plus yours truly) will be camp counselors for the kiddos of state-run group homes. Each week we'll have around fifty kids ranging from ages 5-20 from a couple different group homes in the area participate in camp every week. As interns/camp counselors, our duties will range from leading a group of kids with Americans here for week-long mission trips and Romanian volunteers, performing ridiculous skits (one featuring me dressed up as a minion hanging from the ceiling trying to fix a light bulb), and just loving on the kids, playing with them, and ministering to their little hearts. All of these children carry heavy wounds from emotional and physical abuse, abandonment and neglect, and as a result, we'll all have to be especially attentive to the specific needs of these precious kiddos. Please pray that we'll be able to see them the way our Father sees them, and that we'll be filled to the overflowing with an extra measure of His love and grace so we can pour that out onto our kiddos and our Romanian volunteers who might not know Christ. It's going to be an incredibly difficult and exhausting summer, but I know it's also going to be one of the sweetest ever. God is going to move so radically these next couple of months, friends. It still feels so surreal being here, but my heart is so, so ready to hold these kiddos in my arms in less than a week.

Salut, Romania. I'm so stoked I get to call you home for the next two months.




P.S. a couple of you have asked, but yes, you can send me letters while I'm in Romania! Here's my address: