I'm Thankful For

I am completly thankful for my past experiences with Romanian culture. Walking on the streets, riding in a crowded bus, greeting strangers on the street, all these normal activities are different then they were in my previous experiences of them in Romania. There is no longer a strangness about these things. This world is not different , as it was before. This place makes sense. In short, I am becoming more comfortable here. This is because I have spent so much time here in the past. I thank God that these past experiences have allowed me the privilege of feeling at home in a differnt culture. Oddly, this feeling of familiarity is an entirely NEW feeling, because I've never flet comfortable in another country before.

Also, the differences that I notice are smaller now then they once were. As the superfishal differences cease to amaze me, the differences in the details become easier to observe. Instead of noticing how people dress differently in general, for example, I notice the uniqueness of dress that one person has from another. Noticing the simpler things is sweet. I've also been able to get a glimpse into a new dimention of the culture. The people have endless complexities.

There is a girl who had an operation in December at the orphanage, but she has not recovered. She no longer walks so much. Today I walked with her. She was scared, but made it down a long flight of stairs with my help and encouragement. When I told her we were going to go back up the stairs, she couldn't handle this. She screamed in the hallway, giving a little tantrum in response to my statement of returning up the stairs. Although she can understand most of my Romanian, she does not speak for the most part. I tried to understand what her screaming meant and decided it meant that she had walked enough. I carried her up the stairs.

I am so thankful for my pervious job in the states at Green Pastures. My exposure to kids who have trouble waking at Green Pastures has allowed me to begin to understand the importance of foot orthotics. I got a hold of a Phusical Therapist and she gave me the idea of making sure that Elena at least has strong boots that come up around her ankels when she practices walking. I found some winter boots. One pair was missing a shoelace. When i asked a worker, she found a shoelace and give it to me.

I am amazed by the amount of hope and light I have felt at the orphanage in the past week. Many people from outside and INSIDE the culture have taken time to help some of the children, and this makes things so hopeful. Prayers for help and growth have been and are being answered in extraordinary ways. Another way I saw prayers answered today was that God helped me to understand a staff member at a key moment that allowed me to connect with them. This is an answer to prayer.

As I consider that there is so much to be thankful for, I find that I am wishing for one thing more. There are kids who may be more desperate than the ones I've worked with so far. I want to help them. I want to reach out a hand to kids I am afraid to touch. Pray that I will do this.