The Golden Sands, Bulgaria

      Well I just got home from a weekend retreat with the ABWE team, but 1st I'll recap the last week.  I used the extra bit of motivation I have for my language studies and went back into my learning full steam.  I had a lesson on Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday mornings, and spent a good couple hours working on a bunch of homework on Wednesday.  I really think that break came at a good time & I since my brain hasn't felt like it's been on overload of Romanian grammar, I feel like I can understand more.  I haven't had anyone translate for me in church in over a month, and although I don't catch every word or every sentence, I know exactly what the pastor is preaching about.  And when Jess & I spent a half an hour talking (well Jess did the talking...) with our neighbor lady about the bills and just about life, Jess didn't have to translate what was going on for me.  It really is just a freeing feeling knowing that I can at least know what's going on around me & I don't feel so lost anymore.  But the speaking is a different matter... and I'm getting to the point where I've seen others get to, where they can understand and speak the basics, but since they don't push themselves to speak on a regular basis, they just can't.  I only ever speak it in my lessons, which really isn't that much, because Delia doesn't force me to the whole time, and when I'm trying to actually say something to her and be more understood, I always just say it in English.  And although you would think living in a country where everyone around me speaks Romanian would automatically mean I would have to pick it up really quickly, it doesn't, because everyone I ever have conversations with can also speak English fluently.  I'm so thankful that I can communicate with my friends & those around me, and since I 1st got here, but it really doesn't help my Romanian at all.  I feel like when I get to camp and most of the kids don't know much English, I'm going to have to learn to speak all over again or something.  But Kristie and I are kind of in the same boat, so we're going to start getting together once a week to just practice having a normal conversation in Romanian, outside of our lessons with Delia.  I really hope this helps both of us & forces us to actually speak it & that we'll get faster & faster.  And wow... didn't think I'd have that much to say about language...


      Art class this week was a blast, although it was a huge mess.  I set up bowls with paint all around the room, and the kids dipped yarn into them & made awesome abstract designs on their paper with the paint-soaked yarn.   Of course all of our hands were covered in paint, which surprisingly disgusted some of them, and the paper that was covering the floor didn't always stay where it was supposed to.  So with kids whipping the yarn all over the place, needless to say me and Jess were scrubbing the carpet, walls, tables, and chairs after school.  But it was so worth it because we all had so much fun & created some beautiful works of art! :]

Jess & I wanted to get in on the fun too!

Oh Rose... She definitely ended up with her hands completely covered in paint too!

      So Jess spent the night at our apartment Thursday night, and we woke up super early Friday morning to head to the Graef's to meet up with the ROSO gang & Hillary.  I rode in Hillary, and of course there were great times jamming out & dancing with Wayne and Gravy.  We stopped at a mall in Varna on the way to get Subway, since they don't have any in Romania, and it was nice having a little taste of America, except that the menu was in those crazy letters.  We got to the Admiral Hotel, a supposedly 5 star hotel, early in the afternoon.  I shared a room with Jess on the 8th floor, and we had an amazing view of the Black Sea, a ferris wheel, and the Eiffel tower from our balcony.  Our room was sweet and they even had the big white bathrobes & slippers for us!  The 1st thing I did after we put everything in our rooms was run down to the beach.  The water and even the sand was freezing of course, but it's still amazing to be at the beach!  And it was my 1st time at the Black Sea!  After our feet were numb, we went inside and joined the Postema gang at the indoor pool & hot tub until dinner time.  We ate dinner at the hotel, and even though our waiter, Evilene, was really nice, it took us like 2 hours to get all our food because our orders got completely messed up.  Then we headed upstairs to the conference room we got free use of for the weekend.  

Wayne & Gravy, my pals for the trip

These are their "I haven't had Subway in years!" faces

Our plush room, complete with robes & slippers on our beds!

The view from our window on the 8th floor!  The only place where you can see the Black Sea & the Eiffel Tower at the same time!

Awesome cow chair... and check out the Eiffel Tower in the distance

It was quite amazing to read my Bible on the balcony overlooking the water in the morning.

      The Graef band, consisting of Tom on the keyboard, Dave on the guitar, and Hannah on the violin, led us in a couple songs, then we sent the kids to bed.  Dave and I sat in on the meetings the whole weekend, but the meetings were for the ABWE Romania South team, or the Graef's, Postema's, Kristie, and Jenny.  Tom just took the leadership position for the ROSO team, and the purpose of this retreat was to have a time for the team to discuss more of the business side of things & to evaluate & plan their ministries and the goals for the team as a whole.  I really enjoyed getting to see the more business side of a missionary's life, and I definitely learned a whole lot more about the planning and teamwork.  I've been thinking and praying, especially during this weekend, about going into full-time ministry in the future, if that's what God has for me.  I've keep saying how I don't want a full blown career in some job that I would hate, and that I don't want to go back to school and waste my time and money on something I'm not passionate about.  But full-time ministry just makes sense.  I would get to do something that I'm passionate about, which is the work that God wants me to do for the purpose of furthering His Kingdom and encouraging the believers.  And I don't anything about my future past September yet, but I just keep telling God that I'm up for anything & He can take me wherever He wants and use me however He wants.  So we'll see if He's got full-time ministry planned for me, whether that be missions or some other kind of ministry!  

The Graef band leading us in singing in our conference room for the weekend.

Gorgeous, but still a little chilly

Braving the wind & coldness to walk on the beach!

     Saturday morning we had a buffet breakfast in the hotel, during which Andrew went over the camping "Arrow," which is a list of the accomplishments, resources, and goals that all point to the ultimate goal of the team.  We've got about 8 weeks of camp for this summer set up so far, and I can't wait until it begins!  Then we went back up to the conference room for more songs and then the team "Arrow" discussion time.  In the afternoon, Kristie, Jenny, and I went on a walk on the beach, but it was only pleasant for a little while because the clouds decided to cover the sun and the wind blew the sand which felt like little needles on my skin.  So we decided to hit up the indoor pool, hot tub, and sauna instead!  It was amazing just getting to relax & feel warm for a change, and to swim with all the kids.  That evening we ate at the hotel again, which went a whole lot smoother, and then had our last meeting discussing the team's plans and goals.  After the meeting we had a girls party and watched all the German, Bulgarian, Romanian, and French channels on tv, with random ironing, singing, & dramas that we just made up the words to.  It was pretty hilarious, especially with our group & late at night after a long day.  


      After breakfast on Sunday, we had a time of just worshipping God and sharing verses and what we'd been learning.  Then we packed up Hillary and went back to the mall to get Subway again & do a little shopping.  A little into our trip home, we stopped at a city called Shumen and spent about 2 hours exploring the ancient ruins of a fortress there that was built over 3,000 years ago.  It was freezing, but fun climbing on everything with the kids.  Then we got on the road again & had some more good times jamming to the Beach Boys of course.

The whole team!

Shumen Fortress

The oldest/biggest? mosque in Bulgaria

      I know it may sound like this missionary life is pretty plush since we get to take team retreats to the Black Sea, and I'm not going to lie, it is pretty sweet that traveling here is so easy and cheap.  But it truly was a great weekend of team bonding, discussion, and worship.  I am so blessed that I get to work alongside this team, and that they've taken me in to their families.  They are all just amazing people who love the Lord, daily give their life to the Lord for His work, and also just know how to laugh and have fun.  I thank God for them & for all that I'm learning through their lives.