By Estelle Gibson
Romania is a country very close to my heart having been called to work there in short time mission some seven years ago. Last year, I and some friends from First Ballynahinch went to serve at Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF).
Our initial mission was to provide and install a playground but that was our plan - God had other ideas. The team was made up of six adults and two girls, Amber and Rebecca both aged eleven, and we all came from different backgrounds and had many different skills to offer.
As time progressed it became clear that the boys in the group were best placed to erect the play equipment whilst the girls concentrated on the humanitarian aid side of the trip. Olwyn and I come from medical backgrounds and so we were faced with many different tasks including toe-nail resections, holding medical consultants for CEF workers and their families, giving advice re health education issues.
Avril and I were also called upon to carry out some lectures in the local orphanages through an interpreter on issues including healthy eating and dental hygiene, as much to our surprise many of the orphan girls refuse to eat properly, as they are afraid they may put on weight. This was something I had never had to deal with before, as usually the orphans get too little food. Now, however, with more aid coming in, accompanied with more and more Western images of model-like figures, the Romanian girls want to be like these images and now so many have eating disorders. The two girls aged eleven were able to fit in very well as many of the orphans speak English and so they would teach each other songs and games.
One of the most humbling experience I had on this trip was when we were told that a particular orphanage had been without food for thee days and there were 26 orphans in this very well run orphanage, but they had no money. We bought provisions for them and when we delivered them the Director told us how they had been praying for days that someone would come and that everything we had provided had been all the items on their shopping list! On reflection, we went to Romania a very mixed band of people, with very mixed skills but open hearts, willing to serve and God used each one of us, even the children, to reach out to these people.
The experience has reinforced for me how different we are but if we are willing God will always use us. There are so many other stories of events, similar to those above, which have happened throughout our time in Romania - too many to mention - but I hope this will encourage you to open yourself to God's will and when you get a chance to serve that you will do it willingly.
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Photos of the trip
Rwanda 2003
Edge Trip to Romania 2004
Tanzania 2004
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