Whew! What I day.. What a week! I've just completed the last day on the "mission" field during my stay in Romania. I've spent the majority of my week in the Maternity House basically mothering babies and cooing and crawling and dancing and tickling and cleaning and play play playing. For all you mothers out there.. you know what kind of energy this entails.. Although our experience has not been quite what we expected out of tasks and has been exhausting in every way possible, it still has been a rewarding experience. It was definitely planned by a greater hand that we would be coming during this time..The mother's and staff members have been participating in a conference to learn parenting skills as well as skills on self improvement which means that all hads we needed to keep the fort down. Basically we've had plenty of time to get to know these babies. But spending so much time at this house we've also developed compassion for these mothers and their future. We've heard so many stories about how they ended up in this home and what kinds of lives they lived before; whether it be from a domestic violence home or simply becasue of their gypsy family. In Romania, if you are a gypsy, you're basically another species. Saying goodbye to the mothers and babies today was a bitter sweet moment. Although it hasn't been that long, it feels as if we've known these babies for months and have basically lived in this house as long. The mothers teared up said that we were angels sent to them from heaven to stay and love on them and their babies. I am however excited for the moms and their future,
Today was a different day than the rest i've spent during my stay. Instead of going to the Maternity home, this morning I went to a hosptial and spent time with the chldren who are cancer patients. We were greeted at the door with surprising smiles and hugs. They were so excited to see us! Most of these children have been in the hospital for weeks, were sick from medication, or were loosing their hair yet they were so cheerful and fun to be around. We came prepared with games and crafts but the mostly just wanted to talk or make pipe cleaner glasses. I left the hospital covered in stickers and marker and a big heart.
After lunch the time FINALLY came to go to the abandoned babies home. Most of what you see of Romanian cities is left from communisim times and so everything looks uniform, (all building, appartments, streets) dull and unactractive, and was thrown up fast. It's amazing being here and actually being able to see histrory laid our in front of you. I say all this to discribe to you the designs of the hospitals are exactly what you would see in old movies or imagine in a communism time period.. long white halls, no colors or signs of life.. kinda creepy looking. This abandoned babies ward was basically just this. We climbed up several flights of stairs over sleeping street dogs to a floor where we found the helpless victems. We spent the rest of the afternoon holding, feeding, playing, and praying over these poor poor babies. They were exactly what I imagined them being. Helpless. The magority of the babies that are abandoned are gypsy. This unfortunately means that although they may have some compassion for a baby, most nurses even refuse to show much interest in the babies. They literally yank them around, carry them like a dog basically, prop a bottle up to them at feeding time with undesolved baby formula, and lthen look at you like you're crazy for even being there. I changed some of the most terrible diapers today in which I found some of the most sickening things. The parents decide that they just don't want them and drop them off or they don't see how they can afford to raise a baby right now so they dump them at the orphanage untill they are old enouph to somewhat fend for themselves and take them back to live on the streets and lose all chances for a good life. Their are no abjections to this in Romania. Most of the children who go to the orphanage will never be adopted and will wind up going to the streets regaurdless. The best thing to do is to pray and love on them as much as possible while we can as well as support those who are actually working hands on with the issue.
They inhumanity that I have seen and only heard of has been more than anyone can bare. Only by God's grace can anyone hav ethe ability to confront these issues in the face and not be discouraged by the negative world this country is stuck. It's people like Sara the Saint who has become a new hero of mine. Sara is a 23 year old who graduated with her masters in North Carolina while she was still in the states. She now perminately stays in Romania by herself where she works with the abandoned baby ward as well as Touched Romania (the organization I've been working with). She has fallen inlove with these babies (whom she claims them all as her own) and only visits home once a year. All the money that would normally be spent by her parents for plane tickets she asks to be sent to her to go towards the babies or baby food, which the hospital doesn't pay for, or for other necessities, such as new baby cribs that are not lines in chicken wire and so low for them to fall our.When she's not spending all of her time with babies at work she's at home raising twins toddlers which she took on herself to spare from going to a handicap orphanage when clearly they are not handicap. They are two beautiful, healthy, playful, and fully functional gypsy babies. Sara is living a missionaries life because she loves the lord and she loves these babies.
For my first mission trip to Europe, I have definitely had my eyes opened and awakened to a whole new world
Today was a different day than the rest i've spent during my stay. Instead of going to the Maternity home, this morning I went to a hosptial and spent time with the chldren who are cancer patients. We were greeted at the door with surprising smiles and hugs. They were so excited to see us! Most of these children have been in the hospital for weeks, were sick from medication, or were loosing their hair yet they were so cheerful and fun to be around. We came prepared with games and crafts but the mostly just wanted to talk or make pipe cleaner glasses. I left the hospital covered in stickers and marker and a big heart.
After lunch the time FINALLY came to go to the abandoned babies home. Most of what you see of Romanian cities is left from communisim times and so everything looks uniform, (all building, appartments, streets) dull and unactractive, and was thrown up fast. It's amazing being here and actually being able to see histrory laid our in front of you. I say all this to discribe to you the designs of the hospitals are exactly what you would see in old movies or imagine in a communism time period.. long white halls, no colors or signs of life.. kinda creepy looking. This abandoned babies ward was basically just this. We climbed up several flights of stairs over sleeping street dogs to a floor where we found the helpless victems. We spent the rest of the afternoon holding, feeding, playing, and praying over these poor poor babies. They were exactly what I imagined them being. Helpless. The magority of the babies that are abandoned are gypsy. This unfortunately means that although they may have some compassion for a baby, most nurses even refuse to show much interest in the babies. They literally yank them around, carry them like a dog basically, prop a bottle up to them at feeding time with undesolved baby formula, and lthen look at you like you're crazy for even being there. I changed some of the most terrible diapers today in which I found some of the most sickening things. The parents decide that they just don't want them and drop them off or they don't see how they can afford to raise a baby right now so they dump them at the orphanage untill they are old enouph to somewhat fend for themselves and take them back to live on the streets and lose all chances for a good life. Their are no abjections to this in Romania. Most of the children who go to the orphanage will never be adopted and will wind up going to the streets regaurdless. The best thing to do is to pray and love on them as much as possible while we can as well as support those who are actually working hands on with the issue.
They inhumanity that I have seen and only heard of has been more than anyone can bare. Only by God's grace can anyone hav ethe ability to confront these issues in the face and not be discouraged by the negative world this country is stuck. It's people like Sara the Saint who has become a new hero of mine. Sara is a 23 year old who graduated with her masters in North Carolina while she was still in the states. She now perminately stays in Romania by herself where she works with the abandoned baby ward as well as Touched Romania (the organization I've been working with). She has fallen inlove with these babies (whom she claims them all as her own) and only visits home once a year. All the money that would normally be spent by her parents for plane tickets she asks to be sent to her to go towards the babies or baby food, which the hospital doesn't pay for, or for other necessities, such as new baby cribs that are not lines in chicken wire and so low for them to fall our.When she's not spending all of her time with babies at work she's at home raising twins toddlers which she took on herself to spare from going to a handicap orphanage when clearly they are not handicap. They are two beautiful, healthy, playful, and fully functional gypsy babies. Sara is living a missionaries life because she loves the lord and she loves these babies.
For my first mission trip to Europe, I have definitely had my eyes opened and awakened to a whole new world
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