Granite Hot Springs

Having been a Wyoming girl since I was six, and having a desperate need for cold winters and piles of snow, I made my way to Jackson after spending Christmas with Mom, Ryan, Amy, Forrest, Ephraim, and Wallis at our home in Oregon. It has been a wonderful trip so far. All of the Wachob clan were here, so we have been having glorious adventures in the snow. Sunday afternoon we went for a sleigh ride on the Elk Refuge, courtesy of Doug and Becky - it was fun to see the elk up close and shiver together in the wind. Monday we took off for Granite Hot Springs and spent the day skiing, snowmobiling, and swimming. We got a late start so we had to ferry people in on the one snowmobile we had to make sure we made it the ten miles and back before dark. Although it cleared up later on, when we started out it was blowing and snowing quite a lot. We all made it by about 2:00 though, and then realized we had no pots or pans to heat the soup for lunch. But lo and behold, we found that we had a can of cougar gold cheese - it worked like a charm! The cheese came out and the chili went in, and Dad would be proud that his favorite gift was put to such creative use.



Elisa loved the hot pool, as did the rest of us - even Sadie had a big smile on her face the whole time. Since we arrived so late, by the time we got in the pool we had it all to ourselves! Elisa spent much of her time climbing out of the pool, grabbing a snowball, and walking back into the pool to throw it at one of us. Often it would melt before she could get close enough, and then she'd start back up again - quite undeterred. Adam challenged us to jump in the snow on both sides of our bodies before we could get back in - and then proceeded to lock his wife, sister-in-law, and myself out of the pool area which led to many screeches of protest and pain. :)




We didn't get around to leaving until about 4:30, which meant we had about an hour of daylight to ski back 10 miles. To make things more interesting, Doug thought the snowmobile had run out of gas (luckily it hadn't). We set out in the beautiful half-light of the evening and tried to soak in all the stillness and serenity before the night covered this enchanted world.



Night came, and with it a few sparkling stars poking their heads through the cloudy sky. Doug came too, roaring in on the snowmobile to pick us up. Nine people on a snowmobile, you say?? Yes, it can be done! Colleen and the girls rode with Doug, and Adam, Kristin, Becky, Erik and I each grabbed onto a rope and towed behind them for about five miles. It was heaven!! More and more stars came out to join the parade as we admired the splendor and the adventure of it all. Of course, we were traveling slowly and of course, I was the only one who fell down (twice); and yes, Doug did accidentally try to run over Adam on a downhill slope; and yes, the girls didn't get to bed that night until 10:00 - but heaven it was none the less!!

Hawaii in August

The whole crew at the Banyan tree
Sweet Elisa and I
Mommies and Daddies and babies, Oh my!
Ephraim and Sadie hanging out the first morning in Maui
The first sunset we saw
Grandpa Jack and a wide-eyed great-grandson
Don't hit him Sadie!! :)


Heading out to dive
After a trip with the kayak and an encounter with a turtle

Sleeping in the shade
Grandpa and Trish
Dancing

A very tired and cold little girl
Wearing the lei I made

Jaci and Elisa being goofy

Part IV: An Incredible Journey

I'm way past due to be done writing about Europe, so here are just a few pictures to cap off the trip.

So grateful to have made it to Normandy
Carentan was full of beautiful old buildings and bright flowers

Riding across Utah Beach



One of the 4 causeway exits from the beach that the Airborne units were charged with securing
The "Chapel de Notre Dame" in Carentan - sorry I couldn't turn it right side up!
The castle in Caen, taken 15 minutes before I realized I was lost and wouldn't make it to the ferry
Sunrise over the English Channel (from inside the ferry)
Milford Haven, Wales

And that's the end!! I am so thankful I was able to take this trip - it was an amazing experience I will cherish always. Thanks to everyone for praying - I know it kept me safe and well. Thanks to Mom for her skymiles and the pedicure; to Amy, Colleen, Cathy, Laura, Emily, and everyone who wrote me notes; to Trish for flying all the way out to Norway on a whim and making that week such a wonderful time together - I'd go with you anywhere! - and thanks too for the birthday cake and trip around Stockholm; thanks to all the Juniors Abroad crew for letting me join in the fun, and to Cindy, Kelly, and Emily for making room for me to crash with you; thanks to Lucy and Leisel, my trusty blue traveling companions; thanks to Mary & the Feeneys, Jim, Hank, Maresh and family, Hans, the Switzerland crew, Jackson & Lou, everyone at REMM, the Canadians, Arden, Michele, Marisa & Eva, Ben, and every new friend I met along the way for your kindness, hospitality, and warmth; and thanks to our Father, for making the mountains and the seas and then opening our eyes so we can see the beauty of His majesty. I love you all!!

Part III: London with a Local

With Marisa and Eva, waiting to get on the underground to Heathrow

A kids play of "Cinderella"

I spent the final night of my trip in London before flying back to the states on July 22. And by night, I do really mean NIGHT. Of all the crazy experiences on my trip, this one was probably the most like that of other 20-something Americans in Europe, and less like any situation I would find myself in either here or over there.
Ever heard of couchsurfing.com? I read about it in Time magazine before I left, and tried to find hosts in a couple of places on the trip but none worked out. Basically its a system where you sign up to be a host wherever you live, and then can ask other hosts if they will take you on for a night or two - anywhere in the world. You can see before you ask if the person has good references, a verified address, or has been vouched for by other members. Anyway, all that to say there are reasons I didn't tell Mom about this idea before I left. But my last night in London I found a couchsurfer, Marisa, who was willing to take me on. She hosted me and another girl from Poland, Eva, that night.
Marisa is a pre-med college student who is originally from Afghanistan. She has lived in England for about 12 years and can speak fluent English, Farsi, and Hindi, and is learning French and something else. She is exuberant, crazy, friendly, and extremely generous. While spending one day with her, I did all of the following:
-went to a kids school play to watch her friend's sister (also Afghan) perform in a modern-day version of Cinderella where the prince turns out to be a player and the girls kick butt
-hid from some guys she knew so they wouldn't see she was buying alcohol and tell any of her mom's friends
-ate top ramen with peas and spent three hours listening to her stories, songs, and history of her homeland, coupled with pictures from her trip there to meet her dad's family (her father, grandfather, and several uncles were killed in the war against the Soviet Union, some brutally - and until last year hadn't seen them since she was a baby)
-went clubbing on Tottenham Court Rd. in London, and actually danced if you can believe that
-drank more than I ever have in my life and didn't pay for any of it (Tori would be proud) but DID NOT get drunk so don't worry
-saw a random guy slap, hit, and push a random girl on a busy street at 3:30am, and no one stopped him or went to help the girls attacked but Marisa, Eva and I
-ate french fries with a special sauce while riding a bus back to the apartment, at 4am
-almost missed the plane waiting for the girls to get ready the next day, but then they spent the next hour riding the underground just to see me off

Marisa is a treasure, a beautiful, welcoming gem who is completely confident, unceasingly searching for meaning, and open to every new adventure that comes her way. She has had a lot of tragedy in her life, but her heart is still open and she is anxious to do something with her time that will impact others. I admire her very much, but am scared for her all the same because as smart and loving as she is, she lacks the greatest thing - a heart fixed on God and full of the love and hope only He can give. Marisa is the byproduct of two very different worlds - the atheist secular world of Britain and the Muslim dominated world of her birth. Her love for both is evident, and seems to pull and stretch her until she almost has two separate halves.
Pray for her with me, will you? I find myself remembering that whirlwind day in London often lately, and I want to pray that someone will come into her life on a permanent basis and show her how Jesus radically changes lives.

Interim

I just want to throw out there a huge thank you to everyone who has prayed for, hugged, sent flowers or notes, called, dropped by, or otherwise loved on our family in the past week. I feel so blessed to be loved so deeply and so well by so many wonderful people. This week was all that it needed to be: a time to remember and honor Daddy. Wednesday was hard but special. We were together as a family, only without those brother-in-laws of mine. We spent time at the gravesite, time playing scum, time writing letters to Daddy, time listening to the sweet things said about Dad at the service last year. It is hard to believe a year has gone by - in so many ways the pain is still fresh. But it has, and we are healing - a healing that will take forever but comforts us still. I miss him with all that is in me and know that will not change, yet in the sorrow there is a contentment - a joy lacking in zeal but not in hope - for I know that all God has in store for Daddy, and someday us with him, is greater than the present heartache I feel. Someday, Lord! Someday will come soon. Till then I miss you and think of you always, Dad, and I love you forever.

Part 2: The Craziness of Nighttime Travel

So, I have two stories to tell and both of them bring to mind feeling a little helpless and a little scared. Well, one of them a lot scared and the other just out of place. Both of them taught me something and both of them made me tired the next day. :)
#1 - Paris
To summarize - no place to stay, all hostels full, late at night stuck at a train station. So I decided to get on a train - any train that I thought was going to be traveling at least a couple of hours so I could catch a train back to Paris in the early morning - most start running by 5:00 or 6:00. So I went to a town on the northern coast, and slept on the train for a couple of hours. When I got there I had a couple of hours till the train left back to Paris so I decided to sleep in the waiting area, which I did. However, I didn't realize that this station, unlike some of the others I had been at, close down between the last trains and the first trains, so I almost got kicked out. But the station manager, who spoke just enough English for us to communicate, kindly let me stay and locked the doors of the waiting room so I could sleep safely. When she opened the station not long after, she moved me to her office so I could stay away from a vagabond who had just walked it off the street and whom she recognized as "not a good man." So, all in all, not a scenario I would want to repeat and yes, I should have taken Laura up on her offer of staying with her friend - but that's another story. However, I did get kissed on the cheek by a very handsome black man who spoke no English but thought I was a friend of the station manager's and greeted me with the customary French "kiss."

#2 - Caen
After my awesome day in Normandy, I was taking an overnight ferry to Portsmouth, England. My ticket said it left from Caen, so I took the train there, found out where the port was (not far from where I was), and treated myself to dinner at a creperie. I left with a total of 5 pounds and 0 euros to my name, because the restaurant had not accepted my card and I had to use all of my cash to pay for the food. So, penniless and a couple hours out from departure, I headed towards the port. Then I started seeing these signs towards Ouistriem (Car Ferry). My thought was, o cool, it must leave from the far side of the port and I'll just follow these signs. But pretty soon I was climbing a big hill beside a castle, and leaving the inhabited area of Caen, and feeling pretty unsure - the port was not this far away. I rounded a corner and my worst dream came true - a sign that read Ouistriem - 15 km. Now, had I had a whole day or a few more hours in the sunlight, that would not have bothered me so much. But I had an hour and a half to make it these 15 km, and I was really supposed to check in in 45 minutes. 15 km is like 9 miles. It was NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!! My first thought was to find a bus going that way and bribe the driver to let me on without any money - but when I got to the next stop I found the buses were not running anymore this evening. At the end of my rope (I thought) I entertained the idea of hitchhiking, and even walked with my thumb out for a quarter mile - but no cars stopped, and I was getting really scared and upset and crying because I had no way of righting this situation. Eventually I found myself lost in a part of Caen that was not meant for lost souls with big backpacks in the middle of the night, and was just crying and praying that God would keep me safe - no longer with any expectation of getting to Ouistriem.
Then along came a white van. Now, I know the reputation, fed by horror films and news reels, of white vans in dark scary streets. But when this van stopped, three French women lowered their windows and asked if I needed help, which of course was obviously the case. Through the driver's broken English I was able to communicate where I was trying to get, and they told me to get in. I have never, never, felt so relieved and thankful as I did at that moment. Those women, those pot-smoking, hippie women with the cans of Coke in the backseat, where God-sent angels to me that night. They ended up driving me the whole way, giving me a Coke to take with me and would not take the 2 euro coin I offered (all I had left). They were so kind, and generous, and took care of me in a way I seldom take care of others.
That night, safe and sound on the ferry, I think I felt like I had been delivered from a lot of things - from insecurity, from fear, but most of all from a doubt that God can do all things. ALL things - including saving me from a hopeless situation, including protecting me when I was Much Afraid (see Hinds Feet on High Places for that reference). I told a friend later that I don't think I can ever doubt God's faithfulness in the same way after that night. And though I have found myself needing a reminder lately, my life was uprooted and flipped around that night. And I wouldn't want to go back!

Part 1: Normandy & Wales

Normandy was an amazing place to visit for a day. There is so much more to see there than I had the chance to, but the two places I went were both amazing. Most of you know of my love of history, and some of you know that I have a thing for World War II history especially. I wrote my senior project paper on the American airborne forces in WWII - and so studied the D-Day landings quite a bit. The 101st and 82nd Airborne divisions landed behind Utah Beach on D-Day, and their job was to secure the 4 causeway exits from the beach since the Germans had flooded the inland area. They were separated from each other by the drop, and most of them landed far from where they were supposed to, yet they still accomplished their goals through effective leadership, great skill, and sheer determination. Reading the accounts of different paratroopers from that day gives one the feeling that they were happy to have survived the crashes and filled with a great passion to avenge those who didn't make it. They had a death grip on what mattered most in the war effort and would not let it go. I wanted to see Utah, to see Carentan and St. Marie du Mont, some of first towns they liberated, and the hedgerows that made their tasks more difficult.

There are just not words to describe the hallowed feel of that ground - all of Normandy, for me, is a sacred battlefield. Yet, life goes on - it is uncrowded and beautiful, serene and yet full of life. I was amazed to see people playing on Utah beach - making sand castles and digging for clams, riding horseback through the white water and sunbathing beneath the same rise that still held bunkers and howitzers and now held several small memorials and a museum. It was a beach like any other beach, and yet so different. In my mind I could still see the shadows of ships anchored in the harbor, as far as the eye could see; I could see through the tears in my eyes men crawling up the long shore with guns outstretched - many of them never to make it; I could see the combat ensuing all around the hill I stood on. The echoes of D-Day are still powerfully there. At first I was saddened to see the beach had become a normal beach - to play on and laze about - but then something in me shifted and I realized that the men on D-Day knew exactly what they were fighting for: freedom from tyranny and oppression, freedom from fear. And nothing stands as a greater memorial to that effort than the very image of children laughing, grandfathers teaching their grandsons how to dig for clams, new lovers out for a romantic horseride across a great wide beach, and locals taking a Saturday break to stroll along the sand. These are living testaments to the sacrifices made that day, whether they realize it or not. I know that at Omaha, which I would love to visit someday, there are larger memorials and a cemetary along the sea - but maybe both memorials are needed - both the living and the steadfast stone.

Wales was an interesting trip. Out of money and finding out late that I couldn't get to where I was supposed to by train, I ended up taking the safe way out (after two less than safe nights I felt that was best) and staying in a town on the coast that I could easily get to by train. However, it was too far south of the place I was hoping to go, so the scenery was less than exciting (though, to be fair, still pretty.) So someday I want to go back and actually see the Pembrokeshire Coast. The good news is that I did get to see Bath from the train window, and have now been in every region of England. :)

Home sweet home

So I'm back in Newberg, starting to work out again and enjoying being with Mom and Ryan. The boat is out of commission at the moment so I haven't been out yet, but just being at the house or on the dock is pretty sweet. Sorry I haven't updated in so long, you can ask the silly dial up people why - but just so you know I have a four -part series coming for you:

Part 1: Normandy
Part 2: The craziness of night time travel
Part 3: London with a local
Part 4: Conclusion and final thank-yous

Coming soon to a computer near you!

Almost Home

I'm going home today!! I can't wait. It has been a wonderful, amazing trip filled with so many blessings: I have learned so much, been in so many situations I never thought I would find myself in, seen the most awe-inspiring sights, and met so many God-lovers and cool people. But I'm ready to be at home where I don't have to pack every day and don't have to carry a huge backpack around large cities and up steep hills. :)

I'm in London right now, getting ready to run some final errands before I take the underground to Heathrow and head out. Yesterday was crazy, because I woke up in Wales, went for a run, touched the water of the Irish Sea and then got on a train - five hours later I was in London. I will have to write more about yesterday later (plus I have a lot to say about Normandy), but I should let you know that I saw a kids play of Cinderella at an elementary school and hung out with a whole bunch of women from Afghanistan - learning a lot about their history and culture in the process.

I will see some of you in less than 24 hours!! The rest I hope to see soon, because I miss you all. Love you!

Hungary's not so bad after all

Hello from Szeged! I made it to Arden's apartment tonight - actually she picked me up at the train station and has been pampering me ever since. It was a long day but a good day - I had an hour to talk to "Tati Pedro" in the car on the way to Oradea, and he got me thinking about a lot of things I had already thought about but now have a reason to actually do; I spent five hours sitting on the floor of the railway station in Oradea, but wasn't afraid this time and got a lot of journaling and reading accomplished; all the trains connected as they were supposed to, and I didn't get in trouble for not having a reservation on one of them where I should have had one; Arden treated me to dinner and ice cream, we talked easily for hours about the grace of God in our lives, and she played me a song she wrote about loss that I wish I could share with all of you.
I am off to Paris by way of Frankfurt tomorrow night, and then to Normandy where I hope to be humbled by the echoes of the men I studied for so long in college, and will always be my heroes.

One last day

Today was my last in Romania and it was sad to see it go. However, it was perhaps my best here, and I have a strange but nice feeling of finality that is more joyful than sad. I did the dishes after breakfast (Lou made some awesome pancakes with raspberry/blueberry sauce), went to the orphanage and saw the girls, cleaned up the yard a little, ate lunch (chile made by Anca), took a nap, went back to the orphanage and played some more (getting some quality time with both Nati and Gabi (the one I'd take home with me and the one who is an imp but likes me alot)), helped the guys spread out a HUGE pile of sand over the existing sandbox, ate a candlelit spaghetti with vodka sauce dinner made by Andrea, laughed a ton with the whole crew, including Peter and Ana, went to gelato again with the younger crowd, and overall had a great day. I will miss these people and this place, but I know this is not the end of my time being connected with this mission - it really has just begun. One of the best times I've had in this country was working hard to move a boatload of sand while listening to Jackson and Lou tell their stories - how God met them and brought them to himself, and led them here. It was neat to share my story and know that the same God is working in all of us at once - wherever we are.
Tomorrow I am headed to Hungary, to stay with a missionary I met while in Switzerland - her name is Arden and we met on a 5 minute bus ride but she offered to put me up if I needed it coming from Romania - so that's how this came to be! I am looking forward to seeing her again - I could tell that I would like her a lot even after so short a time to meet her.

Things I'm looking forward to when I get back:
- a new change of clothes
- brushing my hair with a hairbrush and not a comb (and honestly, I haven't brushed my hair anyway in a couple of days)
- having a good long talk, face to face, with Mom since I haven't been able to call her in over a week
- putting things in a dresser
- not having to remember 8 different currency conversions in my head (and not having to keep track of all the little lost coins I have collected in each country)
- showering with a loofa and not a small sliver of soap
- having my cell phone back (I know, its pathetic - I really haven't missed it except when I see other people talking on theirs)
- going wakeboarding
- working out and especially sprinting and lifting

Things I am thankful for:
- Italian gelato - limone most of all
- super light Bible Mom got me before I left
- Timex Ironman watches in 24Hr, because everything is listed in military time in Europe
- Smith sunglasses that haven't broken even though I've hit my head (with them on my head) on a bunch of things here - Romanians are typically short
- new card games - ever heard of "euchar?"
- mini bottles of hand sanitizer
- Facebook! I never realized how incredibly handy it was in keeping people together. All of the guys I met in Switzerland I have already kept in contact with and got messages from via facebook.

Things I never expected to do:
- share a bottle of wine over a candlelit dinner with a mission staff in Romania
- watch a movie still out in theatres with the same group (minus the parents)
- dance with a little girl in a courtyard in an orphanage in Romania, while she sang the tune we danced to, all the while not speaking a word but understanding each other anyway

Hanging out in Beius

Like many things I have experienced this trip, my time in Romania has been completely different than I could have expected and yet exceeded my expectations greatly. This is a kind of down time at the mission, recovery from the last two weeks of a team being in town and doing lots of painting and going out to gypsy villages. So I haven't really been doing much other than hanging out. And I'm discovering that that's OK - that my position here is just to be here - to see how everything works, how the group interacts, how they love on and put up with each other, and what everyday life is like for this group of giving individuals. Yesterday I spent the morning and afternoon playing with the "munchkins" as Ana calls them, and in the evening watched a movie with the younger members of the staff (Ana and Peter's adult/teen children and the college guys), then postponed the movie to watch God's own incredible handiwork instead. It started to pour outside as lightning completely took over the sky - I have never seen anything like it. You could only see the bolt every once in a while, but every couple of seconds the flash would span across and illuminate the night sky - it blew our socks off, and we watched for almost an hour. The thunder didn't start until an hour later - but it was like the rumble of a giant when it did. Then we went into the clinic (the four story portion of the complex, where I and the guys sleep) and played sardines - which of course scared me since I do so well searching for people in the dark. :)

Today we pretty much just relaxed. Peter wanted to take us to a thermal water pool in Oradea, but since it was still raining we decided not to go. Instead we have developed (by drawing straws) a plan for everyone to take turns making the meals (which is fun for us and gives the cooks a break). This creates a lot of teasing and creative work, as it is impossible to find the ingredients for many normal homemade dishes we cook in the states at the stores and market stalls in Beius. Ana went first and made an amazing frittata for breakfast - who on earth thought we should let the MOM go first?! She set quite the high standard. Then Jackson made a sort of philly cheesesteak, but with chicken and slices of a huge loaf of bread, for lunch - also amazing. I attempted to make a stir-fry with plum sauce, or at least a sweet and sour sauce, for dinner. It turned out OK - I'm definitely in last place so far - but I'm satisfied because I had no idea how to make such a sauce without soy sauce or ginger or brown sugar - I used plum jam, mustard, vinegar, flour, and pineapple juice, and it worked pretty well, just without much of a kick. The good news is I came in 49 (about $27) under budget. :0)

Anyway, it continues to be an awesome trip and I am so blessed and happy to finally be in Romania. I am finding out that I don't think I could actually work in an orphanage long term - at least not with kids under the age of 11. But as the guys (Lou and Jackson) said today, maybe that's not my calling. I feel like I'm being selfish when I get tired of playing with the girls, because I want to give of myself but find that my well is just not deep enough to draw from sometimes. But there are so many other ways to help out here - cooking, weeding, building, raising money, adopting, caring for one child as a foster parent, encouraging, and the list goes on. I still want to be a part of this - I just know that whatever I had chosen for myself is probably not completely in tune with what God has chosen for me.
So that may or may not make sense, but it's OK because I'm still learning it myself. I know I can trust God and that I want to be open to whatever He does have in store - I want to be found ready and waiting for Him when the knock comes at my door.


P.S. my knee has barely hurt since entering Romania - praise God! 'cause it really really hurt before. :)

Little Girls

The last two days have been a totally different experience than anything I have gone through so far. For one thing, I have an entire floor of the mission house to myself, and my own bathroom too. That's kind of fun, although I don't have a problem sharing space anymore - hostels kind of wipe that out of you, especially crowded ones like the Mountain Hostel in Gimmelwald (plus there we were sharing one 3 stall, 3 shower bathroom with guys and girls). Also, here I have a full five days before I have to go anywhere - and that is cool. Packing and moving is getting a little old - I'm glad I stood still for a while in Switzerland - plus it was the perfect place to be. Plus, I am being served here; someone makes us every meal, does the dishes, even cleans the rooms (though not mine because I'm on the fourth floor). :)

Ana and Peter (the couple who run the mission) are awesome, and hilarious - I just watched them get into a water fight that Peter started and Ana and their daughter Andrea got him back for - it seriously made me laugh for minutes because they were both wearing nice outfits and fighting over a hose. :) The Canadians left this morning, but they were really awesome people as well. The group included two sets of parents, with three daughters each ranging in age from 9 to 17. They were completely welcoming - from playing cards the first night I got here to leaving me with one of their memory sticks for my pictures. The two guys, Jackson and Lou, are really cool too - I spend most of my time following them and Michael, the 16 year old translator and all around gentleman, around. Yesterday after spending the morning at a gypsy church in a field outside their village, we had a waterfight with the girls and then went and got authentic Italian gelato from a store down the street. May I just say, gelato is amazing! They give you really small scoops, but you have to savor it anyway. Its been over 90 every day, but there is a cloud cover today which is nice. Yesterday evening we went over to the orphanage, and the Canadians led a VBS thing for the girls. It was about Jesus as the shepherd, and they made a picture frame to hold a picture of themselves that Fabio (one of the dads) printed out.

I should explain about the orphanage: It is a big building (complex really) and could hold over twenty kids, but at the moment there are only 8 - six-seven year old girls, two who are twins and two who are sisters. The mission oversees a few others who are in foster care, but they don't have enough funding to take care of any others at the moment. The women who care for the children and the rest who are involved in the mission are all amazing, giving, loving, wonderful people - and if they had the funding they would be able and so willing to care for more kids. In April they had to send 13 kids back into state care because of lack of funding - and you can just see that it broke their hearts. The state wants to give them more to take care of because they do such a good job, but won't give them money to do it - so they are just praying and praying that God would open the door for more Romanians to fund them, for the international adoptions to open again (because most of the girls at the orphanage have American families to go home to when it does), and for the state to support them.

This morning I spent 3 hours just playing with the girls - they have so much energy and are so crazy! When I first got there, after playing a little soccer (and they are better than most guys a couple years older than them - they can KICK!), they dragged me off to this area beyond the court and playground that looked a little like a run-down shack but opened into an overgrown courtyard of sorts (still with prickly bushes and broken cement) to a cement wall underneath a tree with some kind of yellow plum. The twins, who are crazier than the rest, and a girl named Delia who is by far the most athletic of them all, just climbed right up to a height higher than my head to get to the plums. I spent the next half hour worrying about someone falling and lifting the less crazy ones to a height where they too could get some plums (which were not ripe, by the way, and very sour). Then I became a horse and goalie, "IT" and sandbox playmate; and they decided to open my bag and take out all my chapstick, camera, money (which I did get back - it was only 7 lei (3 bucks) but still - I had to chase them!) and visor, which I'm pretty sure one of them thought was now hers. They are adorable, happy, jealous, whiny, funny, carefree, wonderful, normal girls - although there are quite a few fights to put out since they are all the same age and fighting over the same resources of people, time, and toys. But it is obvious that they are doing really well - a testament to the awesome people who take care of them and love them. I found myself (obviously) loving them too - even though those three hours tired me out completely.

I don't know if we are doing anything this afternoon or not - its pretty easygoing around here, which fits me perfectly. Things happen when and if they happen. But I am loving the card games, the prayers, the welcome, and the time spent trying to communicate to little girls who only speak Romanian and call me both "Michela" and "Americano."

More to come!

With REMM in Beius

I made it to the mission!! After a day of being lost, scared, and pretty worried about never actually getting to Beius, I am here at last. In Budapest I was able to switch from the train station I was at to the one I left from with relative ease, and caught a train to Oradea at 1:15. It was about 95 degrees in Budapest today, so the train ride was incredibly stuffy and hot, and I ran out of water with about an hour let to go. The train stopped twice for passport check, once leaving Hungary and about a half hour later entering Romania. Both times they took my passport off the train to call in the info - but everyone else got to keep theirs. I get the feeling that they are wary of Americans entering this area.
Once in Oradea (about 7:00 - with the time change about 5 hours later), I went to the information booth to ask about a bus to Beius - and she said, "Beius - no, no bus. No train, private train, no, no." You can imagine how that made me feel!! I found out later that the bus just leaves from a different area of town than the train station. But I was feeling pretty lost and confused. I tried to use the phone booth to call Ana at the mission, but it wouldn't accept my card. And no one in that area of town spoke English. Eventually a girl pointed me in the direction of a police officer, who let me borrow his cell phone to call Ana, eavesdropped, and then asked a taxi driver if he could take me to Beius. The taxi guy charged me 50 euros (Beius is 60 kilometers from Oradea), which was most of the cash I had and way over my budget, but it was worth it because it got me here and kept me safe. So thanks for praying! Ana immediately fed me, took me to a room, and just seemed so relieved that I made it safely after our rushed phone call. She and her husband are incredibly giving people.
I have met one of three college guys who are helping here all summer and two Canadian families with 3 girls each who are in their last two days of two weeks of helping out here. It has been a relaxing evening after a stressful day. And it is so nice to be with people who speak English! What a small but wonderful blessing.
Mom, I tried to call but the phone card isn't working here - I don't know why. But I am safe and with a great group of people and my knee has felt a lot better since this morning - even the long train ride didn't hurt it too much. I love you and thank you for praying! I miss you all too, and even with as awesome as this trip has been I know that when these 10 days are up I'll be glad to be home.

Prayer Request

So, I haven't really mentioned a little problem I've been having with my knee ever since I came down the Schilthorn. I wouldn't trade that day for the world, because it honestly was probably the best (or one of the best) I've had in a year, but I did develop something on the way down - I can't pinpoint exactly when. I thought it was just sore, but two days later I could barely walk downhill (uphill hurts too but not as bad). Last night it was just continually painful, and the ibuprofen I took didn't help. So, I don't know what I did, but I'm beginning to think its a bigger problem than I want it to be - so please pray that it doesn't hamper the rest of the trip! I only have 10 days left, and half of those will be at the orphanage - and I don't want to be held back while I'm there. I also would really not like to have it be something that requires a doctor's visit when I get home. :)

Also, I am having some train problems - yesterday three trains were delayed and one canceled, although I did make it to Budapest, where I am now. However, I missed the train to Oradea because of the delays, and now I am waiting to see if I can get on another one this afternoon. Luckilly, I have the number of a Christian missionary in a town I know I can get to, so I have a fallback plan. But I would really like to get to Beius tonight - so pray that this all works out. I promise I will call Mom tonight to let her know I'm Ok, wherever I am.

Love and miss you all!

Oh such great gifts!

I haven't much time, but I just wanted to share:
- I found an awesome place to camp last night and woke up in my own meadow with the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau ahead of me as the sun came up
- I had two hours alone in the meadow to sing Sound of Music and worship songs
- Josh left his camera accidentally and I found it at the hostel, so we met up this morning in Interlaken (facebook is an amazing thing) and those three guys and I spent the day hanging out on the shores of Lake Brienz, swimming, talking, eating, and sunbathing; which was the most incredible blessing because I had been so sad to say goodbye
- cool sunset in Grindelwald tonight
-headed on a night train to Budapest and then Romania, and should be at the orphanage by evening on the 12th

Love you all!

Pictures from Scandinavia

This is easier than going back and adding them - but look at the Switzerland ones too!