3 weeks down!

So I know I’ve already been slacking on the blogging.  It’s been a week and a half, which means this will probably be longer than my usually ridiculously long posts...

I’ll start at last Wednesday the 19^th, the day I got to add another stamp to my passport!  Jess and I are working on getting our visas, so we set the day aside to run around the city and try to get some of the steps done.  Tom, Andrew, Jess and I went back down to the police station at around 8:30 in the morning.  It was actually open this time and there were no lines which was a miracle.  Andrew talked to the very helpful lady at the desk who gave us the paperwork we needed, told us what we needed to turn in, and also informed us that Jess’ tourist visa expired in 2 days.  She advised us that we take her out of the country before Friday so she could get another stamp and an extra 90 days to work get the visa.  When we asked if they would actually let her back in, she said it depended on the mood that the guard was in… so encouraging.  So we called up Soterius, the pastor at Alfa Omega, Jess packed a bag just in case they deported her and she had to go to Hungary to start school, and we started driving to Bulgaria.  It was only like an hour and a half drive to the southern border, and it was very foggy so I couldn’t see much along the way.  When we crossed the bridge over the Danube River into Bulgaria, we had to drive on mud roads because of a lot of construction.  After a few minutes we got into more of a city, and in the midst of a city of run-down buildings was a brand new huge mall.  We went inside to check it out and to stock up on cherry Coke at the Carrefour grocery story.  We were only in Bulgaria for about an hour, and then we headed back over the bridge, praying that we got a good guard and that he wasn’t having a bad day.  The reason we brought Soterius was to have a Romanian speaker with us if we needed to explain the situation, but we ended up not having to explain anything!  We waited a little bit while he took our passports into his guard shack to type them in the computer, but they have to do that with all American passports.  But he stamped them and we were on our way back praising God for answering our prayers and allowing Jess to stay!  I don’t know what I would’ve done if they deported my roomie, translator, and navigator!

Check out the Bulgarian on the sign

Stocked up on Cherry Coke and Lime Coke

            On Thursday, Leah showed me the ropes with art class and I got to meet all my students.  She gave me a couple helpful books and showed me how to make a mini lesson plan and gave me a tour of the awesome art closet.  She taught the first 2 classes, and then let me take over for the last 2.  It really isn’t as difficult as I was expecting and I think it’s going to be really fun!  We learned about Jan Van Eyck and painted Bible stories on triptychs with watercolors.

            Friday is Bible study day, and Jess and I just hung out at the apartment until we went to the Graef’s for dinner beforehand.  Tom does a great job with the Bible study and really helps us to dig deeper into the life of Christ as we go through Luke.  Everyone always just hangs out at their house for a while afterwards, and I love that I’m not just the strange new girl anymore, and that I’m to the point where we can all joke around together.  Aileen and David have an interesting nickname for me… and David only hates 2 things: racists and Hungarians.  Stefi is still trying to get me to change my mind and lower my height requirement again so I will date him (and he’s totally just joking guys so don’t get those thoughts!) 

`           Kristie and I finally had a free day on Saturday to hang out and get to know each other.  We braved the blizzard and went to one of the huge amazing malls, where I got Starbucks, she got a shoarma, and we sat and chatted for a long time.  It’s great having another American friend here!  Later that night, me and Tom joined a group from Deo Gloria for their 1^st gym night.  We played pretty competitive volleyball for about 3 hours and were worn out and sore afterwards.  On Sunday, I went to Cer Deschis Church for the 1^st time.  It meets in the same building as Alfa Omega, so we just ran to McDonalds in the blizzard and came back for the next church service.  Then I came home and took a long and much needed nap before I headed to gym night with Alfa Omega, where I played volleyball and soccer.

The snow sticks to the trees here & they are gorgeous!

Got about a foot of snow this weekend!

My "backyard"

            Monday afternoon I had my 1^st Romanian language tutoring session with Delia at the Graef’s house.  We just went over the very basics, and she’s letting me borrow her book for my homework and studying.  She’s such a sweet lady and a great teacher and I’m excited to work with her!  I had nothing planned and nothing to do on Tuesday, and the sun was shining so I decided to go exploring.  I am at Obor usually a couple times a day, but besides my street and the metro station, I hadn’t really ever seen what else was right there.  I walked down the 3 other main roads that come out of the Obor intersection and checked out the interesting shops along the way.  I went in about 6 second hand stores and it made my day to know that I can still get my Goodwill fix here and that they’re so close!  I bought 2 cheap but nice lamps and 2 down pillows for my body pillow at Bucur Obor, which is like a huge indoor flea market/mall right on the corner of my street.  Then I met up with Jess and went to Kaufland for groceries.  As we were walking back, I spotted Viva on the shelf in the little Mic.ro convenience store that’s literally a 2 minute walk from my bedroom!  We freaked out and that made our day, because they don’t sell it at Kaufland and we usually have to go to a store farther away to get it.  We made pizzas, ate viva and brownies, and had a movie night with our sweet projector.

     Yesterday, I had a meeting at school with the director of BCA, Jen Cox, just to talk and make sure I was ready to start teaching today.  I then had to go to the Bucharest Mall to meet Delia for my 2^nd lesson.  I may have gotten Jess’s directions of the bus stops confused, but thankfully she’s only a phone call away and she got me there on the tram instead.  I met Delia in the food court and we had a 2 hour lesson.  She says I’m learning pretty quickly and that my background in Latin and Spanish are helping me a lot.  The thing I’m going to struggle with a lot for now is training my brain how to pronounce words that I read, and know when to not pronounce things like the “I” at the end of a word after a consonant. I then went to dinner at the Graef’s, which is always excellent and Gela always goes above and beyond because she has to make everything homemade.  She made pirogues, which you can pick up in the handy freezer section in America, but she made the dough, rolled it out, put mashed potatoes inside them, sealed them up, and then fried them.  After dinner, me and Jess headed back to the mall and took advantage of Wednesday half-price movies and saw Life as we Know It, which is such a good chick flick.

     Today was my 1^st official day as an elementary school art teacher.  I know, who would have ever thought I would be saying that?  I draw stick figures and my art skills are at about a 4^th grade level.  But thankfully I don’t really have to draw for the kids; I just give them the materials, tell them the general idea, and let their creative minds take off.  We’re going to be going through a book that each lesson gives you a couple paragraphs about an artist, and then gives you step by step directions for projects.  I have all the materials set out for them when they get to class, and then write about 3 interesting facts on the board about the artist before I let them start their artwork.  Today, we finished our triptych’s from last week and I had them paint their names on a piece of paper.  I stuck them up on the wall by class period and grades so I can know when I have each student and what time the class is, and it just adds color to the room.  I’m going to keep all of their artwork from this semester and probably at the end of April we’re going to have an art show where their parents can come and see what they’ve been creating.  I know they’ll be as impressed as I am because some of those kids have real talent and really go above and beyond the rest of the kids!  So yeah, I’m definitely not an artist myself, but I’m enjoying this role and I hope that the kids will have fun and learn some new things!

Welcome to Art Class!

The art supply closet with anything you can think of!

Some of my adorable little artists

My 21 students.  Yeah I'm a little organized...

The elementary school building of BCA

          So my schedule is starting to become more regular and full beginning this week!  I also am hopefully going to be filling the time during the week between language tutoring and teaching at BCA with volunteering at some of the orphanages.  I have a couple people that want me to help out, including a lady from church who works with Heart to Heart Ministries and would want me helping in a baby hospital, and also Delia’s husband whose team visits an orphanage daily.  I am going to set up times that I can go and check both of these out early next week!  Jess and I are also working on planning a time that we can invite the older girls from BCA over for a girls’ night and talk to them about starting a girls’ prayer group. 

            So that’s what I’ve been up to lately!  There have been a lot of new and exciting things this past week or so!  Please continue praying that God would continue to show me just how He wants to use me here!  And thank you for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers!  :]

Use Me

      I've been here for 2 weeks now!  It's flown by, but at the same time I feel like I've been here a long time.  I'm mostly settled in and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm not only adjusted to city life, but loving it!  I've met so many people and can't wait to see where those relationships go!


      Many of you have been asking how you can more specifically pray for me, so here's what I've been praying lately.  I know without a doubt that God brought me here.  It wasn't my doing, I just told Him I was willing to go wherever he led me.  I know He has me here for a purpose, and that right now this is where I can bring Him the most glory.  But I don't yet know specifically how He wants to use me here. It's something that I've been anxious about, because I don't want to waste any of my time here.  But I've also learned (once again) that I need to trust God and continue to let Him have the reigns.  Of course God is going to use me, but be patient to see that is hard.  


      There are so many ways I can and am getting involved here.  I'm loving getting involved with Alfa Omega church! Tom leads a Bible study with a small group of them on Friday nights.  Sunday is church, hanging out for a while after, and sports night.  Through those I've gotten to know so many amazing people who are becoming my friends!  But right now I don't see a way that I can personally be involved in ministry there, besides through my individual friendships with people.


      This past weeks I've visited Bucharest Christian Academy 3 times.  Its very small and there's only about 50 students total, but it seems like a great group of people.  I'm pretty sure I will be taking over the art class there next week!  When they first asked if I would be interested, I told them they probably wanted someone else since I know nothing about art and the best thing I can draw is a stick figure.  But I went to visit one of the classes, and it was more like craft time and was really fun.  I have no clue what I'm actually getting into but I'm meeting with Leah Postema who teaches it now for her to show me the ropes.  Tom explained that these art classes once a week let the teachers and students get a little break from each other, which is usually needed since it's such a small school.  As I get my foot in the door, I'm sure there are many more ways I can help out at BCA and I'm excited about that opportunity, even though I have no teaching experience.  


      One goal that I have is to start a girls small group, kind of similar to a prayer group at LU.  I really don't know who it will consist of or when we'll get started.  I was thinking it would be great to get a group of girls from Alfa Omega together.  But I learned that anything like that has to be officially through the church, and they already have so much on the agenda.   Bible study with those people is great, but there isn't really an opportunity to share what we've been learning personally or what we've been struggling with.  Gela leads a Bible study with some of the girls, but it's for the married ones and I don't fit that category.  But maybe us single ones could find a time to get together.  I've also been thinking that as I get more involved with BCA, that maybe we could start a group with the teen girls from there.  I know that as a high schooler I always looked up to the college girls who wanted to invest in my life, and I want to be able to use that influence while I'm still "cool."  I don't know exactly how this is all going to work out, but I know that I benefited so much from being involved in leadership at LU and I want to continue to have a group of girls who I can encourage and challenge and who can also do the same for me. 


      There's also some people I met that are involved at an orphanage here that I went to once.  It is definitely out of my comfort zone, and that is kind of why I want to see how I could possibly get involved there.  One big barrier with that is not knowing Romanian yet, and the kids don't know English.  But I am hopefully going to start my language tutoring soon! And it's not an excuse because kids don't have to understand what you're saying to understand love.  


     So these are some of the ministry opportunities I can see right now.  I'm praying that God will direct me and show me how He can best use me.  Tom warned me I might get bored in the 1st couple weeks, and I think I've hit that point now that I'm used to city life.  Besides Sunday, I haven't really done much the past few days, and I feel like I'm wasting my time.  But right now I really don't know what else I can be doing.  I'm sure it will be plenty busy soon enough so I should also enjoy the rest while I can get it.  But like I said, it's also making me impatient, and I need to wait on God.  So if you could be praying for me to rely on God and for Him to show me how He wants to use me!   


      Another prayer request is for the visa process.  I have 90 days after I've entered the country to get my visa, but we're getting started on it now, because as I've learned in Romania, nothing is a quick and easy process.  We went to some office the other day, but the specific office we needed was closed with no hours posted.  I'm getting my birth certificate officially translated, and hoping that they will accept it without the Apostille seal.  If not, my parents will have to get it at the courthouse in Lynchburg and mail it to me, which will take more time.  To get a visa for religious volunteer work, I have to go through some board of cults or something because evangelical churches are considered cults here.  So long story short, there will be many random trips to many random offices and we have no clue what we're doing.  Also, Jess's visa expired when she turned 18 in October, so we're praying she doesn't get deported when we try to renew her visa also!  
So here's what's been going on lately & what I've been thinking and praying.  It's A LOT to read, but get used to it because that's me haha.  THANK YOU for praying! :]

My apartment!

Now that I've cleaned it all, here's my apartment!  

My window is the 2nd from the top on the left!

The view from my window

I got to bring my amazing giraffe blanket :]

My room is also a storage room for the Graef's

Tiny bathroom. Love the tile & the ancient tub!

Hall leading to my room & the bathroom

Little washer. No dryer so we hang clothes on a drying rack.

Living room with our futon

They don't have closets so we hang clothes in a big cabinet

The balcony that Jess turned into her room

Entry way with padded everything

Our NEW fuse box! 

Kitchen. Once again, love the tile.

Little stove. The oven is broken :[

 Well that's the tour!  I am so blessed to live in a place like this with an awesome roommate!  I am very thankful for heat, hot showers, lights (that weren't working for the past 2 weeks in the kitchen or living room!), wireless internet (Bob), my own room and big bed, and a projector to watch movies!  Haven't met the neighbors yet, except for the crazy lady below us that we call the Phantoma who gets worked up about every sound we make.  In my room I can constantly hear the sounds of the busy street, but it really doesn't bother me like I thought it might.  We live at a great location with a bus stop and tram stop right across the street and it's only 2 stops or a 10 min walk to a main intersection called Obor and a metro station.  It takes about 30 min to get to the Graef's by public, but it's only 2 tram stops, 2 metro stops, and 1 bus stop away.  I'm actually loving the city life and adjusted quicker than I thought!  I still freak out whenever I see a tractor or 4wheeler on the street though! :]

Soaking it all in

      Picking up where I left off... Saturday morning Joanna, Jess, & I joined David Pratt and some kids from Bucharest Christian Academy for their Christian service at an orphanage.  It took close to an hour to get there by the public transportation.  It was game day so me and Jess got to play 18 rounds of chutes and ladders with some of the kids.  It helped me learn my numbers though!  The kids loved my blonde hair and kept coming up behind me and messing it up.  Also, they loved to have their picture taken and when they saw my camera instantly posed and then rushed to see it on the screen.  

chutes & ladders!

For some reason they loved my blonde hair :]

      Then we went to the Bucharest Mall which looks a lot like an American mall, but of course can't compare to our amazingly huge mall in Lynchburg...not.  We ate at McDonalds and they were right, it's better here than in America.  Doesn't seem as greasy or something.  Then we walked around the 3 story mall until Narnia started.  It was my 1st 3D movie, but sadly jet lag won the fight of keeping my eyelids open so I pretty much napped the whole movie.  After the movie, we had dinner at the Graef's and heard endless stories of Tom's wrestling days.  Then Joanna took me to Kaufland, which is the big grocery store within walking distance of our apartment. That evening it was just me & Joanna in the apartment and we had a nice little chat about Bucharest life and what brought us there. She's leaving us tomorrow after her 7 week trip! :[

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The 3 level Bucuresti Mall

Watching Narnia in 3D

Kaufland grocery store on my street

      Sunday morning we went to a "village church," which wasn't really the kind of village church that you are thinking.  It was right on the edge of the city and held in the top floor of a Winnie the Pooh kindergarten.  There were probably about 30 people including our gang.  The pastor spoke for a little while in Romanian, while Gela tried to translate for me, Tom and Joanna.  We took communion and we had to drink the real wine which tasted like nail polish remover.  Then we sang a couple songs including Mighty to Save and Hosanna which were translated into Romanian.  The pastor played the keyboard and had a bass drum at one foot and a tambourine at the other! Then they turned it over to us and Joanna played and sang the song she wrote "By My Name."  Then Tom, Joanna, & Jess sang a song called "Still" and before they were halfway through the 1st verse, the pastor recognized the song, pulled it up in Romanian on the powerpoint, and all of the Romanians joined in singing along.  It was so powerful and just a reminder that we don't have to speak or sing the same language to worship God together!  It's a little picture of what heaven will be like!  Tom preached about Pricilla and Aquilla while the pastor translated it into Romanian.

Winne the Pooh Kindergarden where we had church

Check out the keyboard, drum, & tambourine combo

Practicing Joanna's song "By My Name"

      We then headed back into the city, stopped and McDonalds, and made it to AlfaOmega church before it started at 1.  Their church is mostly people in their 20's and there were about 80 people there.  I recognized half of the people from the Friday night Bible study at the Graef's.  Their style of music reminds me a lot of campus church and I felt right at home.  We also sang Mighty to Save, and also We are Free by Hillsong, Awakening by Switchfoot, and another song by the Newsboys, of course all translated into Romanian.  I picked up on a lot of words as we were singing because I already knew the English words and it helped to see them spelled out and pronounced correctly.   The pastor was great and  passionate about the vision of the church.  A new friend Amy sat behind me and Joanna and translated for us for the whole service.  I am really looking forward to going to this church regularly and I already love all of the people there!

      After my Sunday afternoon nap, me and Jess headed to sports night with the AlfaOmega gang at a gym they rent every Sunday night.  I got to play some basketball, volleyball, & soccer and had a blast!  But also realized how out of shape I am!  There was a short devotional in the middle and I ended up sitting next to Iulia who started translating for me. After the devotional we got talking for a long time and I found out she was the pastor's wife and had 3 kids.  I would've guessed her to be in her upper 20's and I didn't believe her when she told me she was 40 and her oldest son was 17!  I learned a lot from her about how the church started in their home with 13 people 8 years ago and how they've grown since then.  She explained to me how evangelical Christians were less than 1% of the Romanian population and seen as a cult by the 99% orthodox Christians.  She told me stories  of how some of the people there were pretty much disowned from their families for converting.  She explained the school systems and a little of how life was under communism before the revolution in 89.  She really helped me to understand more about the people and the way they were taught and their worldview.  And all while sitting in the gym watching the guys play soccer.  

      I am just soaking it all in and trying to learn as much as I can right now.  After 5 days I've picked up a few basic phrases and words, but I do want to possibly take language lessons and put forth effort into learning the language since I will be here so long.  Most younger people know some English, but it will still be very helpful even in building relationships with people.  I'm excited to get to know the people from AlfaOmega on a deeper level and make so many new friends!  

Settling In

      Well I made it!  I just keep saying over and over that I can't believe I'm actually finally here!  My flights went as smoothly as possible and I didn't get lost! The 1st flight was 8 hours and I had the very back window seat & sat next to a girl my age who was going on a trip to Greece.  I watch the Social Network, which was lame and boring, and some other guy action movie, which I finally fell asleep in.  I probably got about 2 hours of sleep on the trip so the next evening was a little rough.  At the Munich airport I found my gate really easily which was awesome because I though I was going to be completely lost.  Thank goodness there are signs everywhere in English.  I had a 2 hour layover and then got on my Lufthansa plane. The 2nd flight was only an hour & a half so I just stared out the window and took a little nap.  

Sunset at the Dulles Airport

Probably the Carpathian Mountains in Romania

      I got to the Bucharest airport at about 1pm & the Graef's, Joanna, and Kristie were waiting for me!  I felt like I already knew them because of Skype and emailing.  We waited at the airport for a while for Kristie's brother Caleb because he came to visit for a week.  We loaded up Hillary the van and headed to a large mall where I had my 1st meal in Romania--Pizza Hut! I guess that mall is kind of farther away from us but we will definitely have to go back there because they have a giant Ikea store.  Then we dropped off my bags at my apartment and went to the Graef's townhouse.  We hung out at the Graef's and we played card games trying to keep me awake.  Then we decided to go to Mr. Bricolage, which is kind of like a fancy Lowe's, to get lightbulbs to pass the time until dinner.  I rode on the tram for the 1st time!  That evening we had Florine and Martha over for dinner. They are 25 and an adorable engaged couple.  They were so nice  & I can't wait to get to know them better!  Then we finally caught a taxi and went back to my apartment around 11 when I could barely function anymore.  I crashed about midnight but then woke up at about 4am and couldn't fall back asleep, so I got on Skype and got to see my parents and Hadley!  I went back to sleep around 6am and slept until about 10am.  

Waiting for my 1st Tram with the Graef's minus Gela

1st Taxi Ride with my Roomies

      The next day we got ready and met at the Graef's house and then went to get my public transportation pass.  It's about $25 for a months unlimited use of the buses, trams, & metro!  We then went to eat lunch at Dristor Kebap, which is kind of like a fast food restaurant.  My first Romanian food was a chicken shoarma, which is like a chicken wrap with some sauces, and it was amazing! Then we walked to the People's Palace where we got a tour.  It's so huge and ornate inside!  Me, Joanna & Jess were picturing our weddings and balls like in Pride and Prejudice in the ginormous rooms with wide staircases.  In every room the flooring, carpets, curtains, chandeliers, and carvings on the walls and ceiling match.  They wouldn't let me take pictures inside without paying a tax, but you should google it! It was built in the 80's for the communist leader Ceausescu and it's was talked about being torn down after the revolution in 1989 because it serves as a reminder of the oppression.  Also, Donald Trump offered to buy it to make it into the world's largest casino!

shoarma and fries from Dristor Kebap

After the tour at the People's Palace

      Then we went to Real, which is a store kind of like Walmart, but of course not as legit.  We got my phone set up & I got a prepaid plan from Orange cellphone company for about $7 a month! Us girls went home afterwards and I got to Skype with my parents and a couple friends, but then I took some benadryl and slept until 2pm today. But hopefully the jet lag will be over after another good night's sleep tonight!


      Today I just hung out at the Graef's house.  We ate dinner and watched Pride and Prejudice and Tom loved it...not haha. Around 6:30 people began arriving for Bible study.  There were about 10 Romanian people all in their 20's, and of course the Graef's and Joanna.  It was great studying the calling of Levi and meeting more Romanians who I know will soon be my friends!  Afterwards we watched the movie Red and then me & Joanna caught a taxi home.  


      Well I'm going to get some sleep because we're getting up early to go to the orphanage tomorrow!  Then we're going to see the new Narnia movie at the theater.  Pictures are posted on Facebook!  It's really not that many compared to how many I usually might take, but I figure I have the next 8 months to take thousands more! :]

How I got to Romania

I’m writing my first ever blog entry as I sit in the Dulles airport waiting to board the plane.  I don’t think it’s really hit me completely yet, so surprisingly I’m not bawling my eyes out right now.  So since I’m bored and apparently not ready to release all my built-up emotional overloadedness,  I’m going to tell ya’ll how I got here.

        I graduated from Liberty University this past May with a degree in Health Promotions which I finished in 3 years.  I didn’t (and still don’t) know what the future holds for me, but I knew I didn’t want to go to school anymore, and don’t really want a career, so I started looking into other options.  I’ve had the idea in my head to do something crazy for a while, but when I graduated with no debt, no fiancée, and no plans, I decided to go for it.  I wanted to do something out of the ordinary and something that worthwhile for the Lord during this time in my life with nothing holding me back. 


      The hard part was knowing where to start.  I tried looking up organizations and trips online, but I needed to talk to a real life person.  So I set up a meeting with the missions pastor of my home church, Heritage Baptist Church.  I had to wait about a month and a half for my appointment with Pastor Allen Waldrep because he was on missions trip and vacation most of the summer.  I finally got my appointment in the first week of August.  When he asked me why I’d come he was kind of blown away at my willingness and availability.  I told him I was up for anything, and he started describing possible missionaries Heritage supports that I could join.  I didn’t want to just pick, I wanted God to do that for me, so he told me to write a 1 page letter explaining my story.  He sent it out to all of the missionaries that our church supports and just waited.  I got a couple responses from schools in Korea and Japan, but they were just short general emails, and I honestly wasn’t too interested in teaching English to 30 year olds.  Then I got an email from Tom Graef.  Actually 2 long emails before I ever wrote him back!  He explained how I could be used in Romania and how they would have a place for me to live, and it just sounded perfect.  I waited about a week to respond, and then I set up a Skype date with the Graef’s.  We had about an hour and a half conversation when I was at the beach, and afterwards I felt like we had already been friends for a while.  After that conversation, they pretty much offered for me to come to Romania and join them, I just needed to get the thumbs up from Pastor Waldrep. 

            So I set up the 2^nd appointment with Pastor Waldrep, got the official thumbs up, and started all the planning!  The first thing I needed to do was raise support, because without money I couldn’t plan anything else.  I wrote my support letter, made a prayer card, and got them sent out within the week.  Then I had to wait, the fun part.  I had to raise $10,000 total for my trip and I had about $4,000 of my own that I had saved to put towards it.  That’s a really big intimidating number, but I really wasn’t worried about it.  And God showed me that I had no reason to worry.  He’s got all the money in the world and happened to use some friends and family to get it to me.  My support came in slowly at first, but then in about 2 months total, I was over the $6,000 mark!  I am so thankful for the many friends and family who have so generously supported me!  And even a couple people I would have never dreamed of giving me money, let alone giving me so much! 

            I had originally planned on leaving in the middle of November, or as soon as possible, but I found out God had the perfect timing.  I then moved back my trip to the beginning of December, but when I didn’t really have enough time to get everything done and with the holidays around the corner, I decided to wait until after the New Year.  I then set up another appointment with Pastor Waldrep to get the go ahead to buy my plane ticket since I had enough money.  I had been researching for the best prices, but he pointed to me to a travel agency that helps missionaries and humanitarian groups.  I ended up buying my ticket through them, which was about $200 more than the cheapest ticket I could find, but it will hopefully be worth it in the end.  With the missionary ticket, its only $75 to change my return flight, and since I really don’t know what’s going to happen when I’m there and if I’ll want to stay longer if I have the money, the flexibility is great.  I just picked a return date after camp, September 6^th, which is about an 8 month trip. 

            Then I had to get traveler insurance through the church, and take care of all the money stuff.  Me and dad spent hours on the internet and phone with credit card companies and banks trying to figure out the best deals.  I got a Capital One Visa credit card and a Charles Schwab bank account, and I should be able to avoid all of the international fees, exchange rates, and atm fees! 

            Then once all the logistics were taken care of, I had to pack.  If you know how I pack for a weekend trip, you can imagine the fun I had trying to figure out how to pack for 8 months and 4 seasons!  I gave 4 bags of clothes to my cousins, stacked up what I was going to try to take, and fit the rest into 4 tupperware bins to put in the storage room since Todd is taking my room again.  I made many Walmart trips and got a new coat and lots of warm things for Christmas. I spent a couple frustrating hours last night shoving everything in space bags and sitting on my suitcases to make them zip,  but somehow I got it all packed.  I have 2 normal suitcases, the old school leather one weighing in at 42 lbs. and the huge duffel weighing in at 51.5 lbs, and small carry-on suitcase, and my bookbag packed to the brim. 

            Since I found out I was going to Romania for real, I have been skyping with my future roomie, Jess Graef.  We’ve already become friends and I know we’ll have a great time living together!  She’s going to be such a help to me and will be showing me around the city, how to use the public transportation, and being my personal translator!  I also can’t wait to get to know the rest of the Graef family, Joanna who will be my roommate also for about a week, and Kristie who has been there for over a year already! 

            I know I will be making so many new friends in Romania, but it has been really hard for the past month saying goodbye to people almost everyday.  I’ve been on like emotional overload and have let a few tears come as I’m saying goodbye, but have been holding in a lot over the past weeks.  I’m just waiting for the dam to break.  I know I will be fine and I really don’t get too homesick, but I know it will come.  Thank goodness for Skype and wireless internet in my apartment! 

            Well I can begin boarding my flight in 6 minutes!  I know this is ridiculously long, which I typical of me, but I hope you enjoy my 1^st ever blog posting and I will hopefully keep you posted often!