This isn't a long video, but I experimented with making a video on my iphone today, and wah-lah!

A few things you'll see on the video ... Austin jumped up and offered to lead singing for our team worship time. I thought that was awesome. Bri made a new friend, and our time with the kids started with a series of parachute games. Now that I have a clue, I'll try and make a longer one tomorrow.



Our team did awesome today as we spent our first day in Nichidorf. The time with the mayor in the morning was awesome. He was very kind to our team. We gave him a gift of Taste of Heaven, a team t-shirt, and some Romanian coffee and chocolate. We also sang Hosanna in English, which he seemed to appreciate. Our service project for the day was splitting wood for the Nichidorf church plant (they heat in the winter with a wood burning stove). For lunch, we had something with sausage and rice wrapped up in cabbage like an egg roll, but I have no idea what it was called. Yummy. Oh ... and crepes with chocolate. Also yummy. Alexa attacked me at lunch like a crazy woman. I would not want to be Jenna when those two go at each other. Ahhhhhh! The VBS went well. Everyone did a great job with their parts, and Eric brought it. He was super confident working with a translator for the first time, and his lesson to the kids about God creating them and wanting a relationship with them was solid.

Allergies hit me like a brick wall this afternoon, so I'm about ready to call it a day. Thanks for all your comments. Keep em up.

Pray for Reina. She's got some kind of a cold. We buried her out back. Sorry, Faith.

JK she says hi. Not jk about the cold thing.

Peace. Out.

Michael

Hey it's John again. First student to blog today. So today was probly one of the most interesting days for me. We went to the town Nitchidorf to meet the mayor and chop some wood for their local church (... seems like we do a lot of that on our mission trips.), and i sorta kinda maybe broke 2 hatchets... But they were fixed. So no worries. We also had our first day of VBS where we met some of the most awesome kids ever. The first was Sebastian who was this little spontaneous little rugrat who kept attacking us all constantly with a foam sword. Needless to say when he quickly warmed right into my heart. I also met another kid named Sebby who was probly one of the few kids there that could speak a little english. He reminds me of the kid brother that I never had. ( Love you Scooott). The bonding time i've had with my friends and the translators has been awesome! God has truly blessed me in an amazing way through this.

I have a prayer request for you. I teach today and frankly I'm a little nervous, but I'm confidant that God is challenging me to do this and stretch me in this way for a purpose. And I thank Him for that. Just pray that it all goes well.

Ceau!

John



Hi, it's Rachel. Today was our first day in the VBS at Nitchidorf. We have been in Timisoara for a couple days now and because of the culture, we shouldn't be as smiley or as direct as we are in the US. That was probably the hardest thing for me as far as getting used to the culture. I don't like not smiling at people on the street or asking a stranger, 'how are you'. And i also don't like getting used to people not saying hi to me on the street. So anyways, with being at Nitchidorf we were working with kids. This was sooo great because we can smile and laugh as much as we want. The kids are so affectionate and it's crazy how quickly they make connections with us, especially considering we don't speak the same language. One particular little girl and i walked together for a while. She knows maybe 20 English words and i know maybe 5 Romanian words or phrases. But we walked for so long together, pointing at things and learning how to say them in Romania. I don't know how many times she's bury her head in her hands and laugh or moan at me for my pronunciation :) The translators are so cool! theres a girl my age who i am friends with now and also a lady who is so fun to talk to.
I think it's cool that God is changing my heart in ways that i never even thought about, and that is one of the best parts about being in Romania.
Rachel



Why hello! Its Alexa, and I would first like to start out with I did not "attack michael like a crazy woman" at lunch. He punched me or something and I defended myself, maybe he needs to toughen up a little. Anyways, like everyone knows today was our first day in the village and working with the kids. It was awesome and God is working in incredible ways in Nitchidorf. While the "men" were chopping wood I was playing with some of the kids that came over and hung out with us. We played duck duck goose for a while and then I became bffs with a little girl named Roxanna. She was on my back the whole time until lunch and helped me carry wood. Even though we couldn't have a conversation she had the most beautiful smile and it was so cool to me how we could communicate by just smiling, laughing and being joyful. God has some pretty great ways of getting us over the "language barrier". It is such a blessing to be here and hanging out with our whole team including the translators is so encouraging. God is good :)
lex
oh and thanks for all the novels mom. haha love you tons!




Hi it's bri again and reina has strep throat sooo if i come home with strep throat which i probably will then it's her fault for putting her sucker stick in my water and not telling me before i drank her nasty infectious germs.
also, today was sweeeeet.