Hey everyone, not this past weekend but the one before it was my last working at La Cumbre, a camp in the mountains. Here are some pictures of the camp:

Hey everyone,

Just got back from Panama where we spent 3 days to renew our visas. Here are some pictures.

Hello there my dearest friends!

Hey y'all,
I hope you are all doing well! I have made it here to Capernwray Hall in England and it has officially been 1 week since I have arrived. It feels as though I have been here for a very long time already but I have heard that is typical for the first week. It is truly beautiful out here! The weather has been lovely (unusually warm for this time of the year) and the Capernwray base is pretty fantastic. I'm really beginning to settle in and the routine here is becoming more familiar. At first I found it hard to settle in, there were so many new faces and a completely new environment. I'm slowly getting it all figured out though. So it looks like the real work begins this coming week, if you could pray that I'm able to balance the work load and really get the most out of every moment that would be much appreciated.
Love you all ... Your sister in Christ,
~Courtney

Buenas!

Just updating you with a few more pics. Enjoy!

My Tickets are Purchased!

Buna Everyone!!!
I hope you are all doing really well! I just wanted to let you know that I have bought my plane tickets to England. I will be flying out of Calgary on Sept. 22nd. I actually ended up getting in contact with a girl from Calgary that is heading to Capernwray as well so we will be travelling together. And we will be spending one night in London before we catch a bus to the school. So those are my most recent plans :) I pray that wherever you all are at, you are enjoying this new phase of life and are eagerly anticipating the adventures that God has for you!!!
I love you all,
~Courtney

Here's a look at Portantorchas

Hello from Costa Rica!

I hope everyone is doing well back in Red Deer, Romania, and wherever else you may be reading this from. First of all, thank you Pastor Jordan for setting this up so we can all keep in touch. I hope everyone uses it. For those who dont know, I am attending Portantorchas, a Capernwray Missionary Fellowship Bible school, here in Costa Rica. I have been here for five days now and I am loving every minute of it. I am excited to see what God does in my life and the lives of the rest of the students as we seek Him together throughout the course of the semester. I am looking forward to updating this blog every once in a while and hearing from the rest of the Romania team in days and weeks to come.

Austin

Grad update

Hey guys,

Just wanted to encourage you to share this with your friends who are graduating so that we can stay updated with each other.

Jordan

July 17th

Hello everyone,

This may be our last update before we come home, because we are not positive about the stability of the internet connect where we are going today. We will be cleaning and packing before we leave today. Everyone's hearts are sad to leave this amazing place, but we are also excited to return home. Hopefully we will talk to you again, but if not see you in Calgary!

A little play time!

 Our Horse whisperer. Darcy is petting a baby horse. Right next to the mom.

 Heman competition between gary and kurtis.

 Gary won! Kurtis drops this load.

 Here is all the kids.

 The Monastery

 Working on the building!

New Update

Update!

Sorry it has taken so long to write you. I had two posts almost complete until the internet went down and lost all my work. The last three days have been very good, beside the fact that we have had no running water. So needless to say everyone is a little ripe. We ran the students into town last night for a shower at an apartment, but the last two days we have spent working hard in the sun. We have gotten a lot accomplished in this 35 degree weather. Some of the tasks included pressuring washing, painting, concrete work, digging some trenches, pulling weeds and cleaning up the kindergarten classrooms. The team has been working really hard and the attitudes have been fantastic. We ran out of things today because John couldn't keep up with how fast we were working.

            A couple days ago we had the opportunity to spend a little time in the main city around here and partake in a little bit of the town's history. There was a beautiful 13th century monastery, with incredible paintings and architecture. We did some other touring through town and at lunch stopped for a tasty shawarma, they were delicious. As we spent the rest of the day in town we recognized quite a few of the gypsy children begging in the streets. We watched many elderly women and young children, asking people for money. That was difficult to watch because we have fallen in love with many of the children in the village. What was especially difficult to watch was one young teenage boy begging. While we were eating this young man was asking people on the street for money and out of nowhere a group of four male young adults came from behind him and one of the bigger guys just thumped this gypsy boy in the back of the head and said some derogatory things to him. The boy said something back to him and then the man came over and threatened him then pushed him over a hedge. The boy was absolutely humiliated. As I watched the whole ordeal I was told not to do anything otherwise the boy would be beaten worse later.

            These Romanian young adults merely humiliated this young boy because he was a gypsy. I could hardly believe the discrimination. I have never an outward manifestation of racism. I couldn't believe how much it hurt my heart. Everything in me had to talk with this young boy and help him. We invited him over and bought him something to eat and talk to him a little bit about Jesus. As a team we were so grateful that Jesus allowed us to witness the oppression of these people first hand, because it helped us to be able to understand more what life is like outside this village. However, it was painful to witness. John often gets ridiculed by the city people for being a gypsy lover. We are so grateful that John and Cheryl love these people, because they are a blessed people and it has been a privilege to spend time in Momaia. I ask you to pray that the Lord would really give our team wisdom on how to love these people when we are at home. What could the Graduation class of 2011 do for the Kingdom of God in Momaia with the Gypsy's? How can we help these people? Are their some needs that we could meet? These are the questions we will be chewing on for the next couple of days.

            Anyhow  right now it is nap time and then we will pick up our work after team devotions and prayer. Hope that everything is going great back home. We look forward to seeing everyone on the 20th.  

This Is Dawson!

This is Dawson Strome, I am going to update you on yesterday's day 5 VBS. everything went very well not quite as smoothly as the day before but we are learning how to deal with the kids when problems arise and are getting much better at keeping them quite and respectful. Today's VBS was lead by Stephanie Friesen she did an amazing job she wasn't feeling very well but she got out there and knocked it out of the park she has a great speaking voice and the kids listened so well. After our vbs in the mourning we went out to another village it went so well the kids there are so behaved it really gave me hope that the kids here in Momaia will be like that in the future. When we were talking they were quite and when we were playing games they all got involved it was so awesome! When we arrived back at the base Darcy used her horse whispering skills and got to pet a horse that was 3-4 weeks old it was really cool to watch John said she must be very good with animals because it is very uncommon that a horse will let someone pet it especially with a new born baby. The team is doing well but if you could pray for Julie as she is having migraines and continue to pray for Sydney as she is still sick and it's causing her to loose sleep because she is coughing so much.

 Today was the last day of VBS this morning we meet in the mourning and had a great time of worship and prayer it really just pushed me through the day and energized us as a team. The last day of VBS did not go as well as the last too days but still went very well and when problems came up we dealt with it properly. Today's VBS bible lesson was the story of the Good Samaritan taught by Courtney Woyke and Sygney yes I miss spelt Sydney because the kids here can not say it properly. It is really funny to try to communicate with the kids and hear them try to say are names. Courtney and Sydney did a great job with the bible lesson and did a great job sending the finishing message's of our VBS. After the VBS was over the mayor allowed us to use the city's gym it was a great time we played volleyball basketball, and dodge ball. It was really amazing! Tomorrow we are going around the town john and Cheryl are going to take us on a tour we are very excited and hope there will be lots of little souvenirs so if you want to pray for us pray to have safety in travel and wisdom as we walk from store to store.

Day 5 VBS!

Buna everyone!!!
It is my turn to give you all an update on what's been happening :) Yesterday was our 4th day of VBS and after a pretty discouraging Sunday evening, we recognized that as we continued to pour out love on these kids we might just need to show a little tough love at times. We took some time to restructure our program and plan for what might come. Like always it was fantastic to see the kids smiling faces ready and waiting for us at the gate :) I love to hear them call out our names and brighten right up when they see a familiar face! And when it came to showing some tough love, it was a blessing to see them receive it so well and hopefully they understand that we desire the very best for them. One particular moment that really blessed me was when two of the older boys acted so respectfully and responsibly during our craft. They quitely followed the instructions, helped one another out and politely asked for help. I think we were all encouraged by how VBS turned out. That afternoon we had the opportunity to relax and just spend our time whatever way we pleased :) Some of us spent time prepping while others took a nap or had a water fight! That evening we spent some time in prayers of thanksgiving but also praying on behalf of the people of Momaia. This time as a team before the Lord was really neat. And since we had to say good bye to Frank and Rita this morning we spent some time encouraging them. They both played such a vital role as a part of our team and we truly missed them today. Their hearts for the gypsy people and missions in general is so exciting. We were richly blessed by them :) So that is what our Monday looked like. The Lord has just so richly blessed our team and I hope you all may be encouraged by the way the Lord is working here in Romania. It is evident that the Lord has His hand on the village of Momaia. We hope you all are doing well!!!
Lots of Love,
~Courtney (Wookie ... lol)

 A Romanian Home.

Day 4 VBS

Today we really cracked down on some behaviour issues that have been arising. We do not want teh kids taking advantage of us but at the same time we want them to be a part of the program, to enjoy themselves and learn about Jesus. What has been occuring with the program is we do intro games, worship, bible story, break off into groups of 5 and under --> they go do crafts while 6 and up goes off to the feild and plays games, afterwards the groups switch and then everybody goes home. Well during the games, we have been having teenage boys and girls join our program. The teenage boys are there mostly because us foreign girls are there and they like to show off for us. The problem is that they are a big distraction for the little kids and they only want to come for the game and the craft and mostly misbehave and do not come for the program. In order to attempt to solve this problem we have decided to change the way the program moves a bit. We began with an into game, then we did a worship song. After the song we broke off into 5 and under, 6 and over. 5 and under did the craft while 6 and over went to the feild and played a game. After the game we all came back inside the fence and the teenage boys were not allowed in. 6 and up went inside the school to do a craft while 5 and under stayed inside the fence and played games which prevented anybody disruptive from joining them. Any kids that were misbehaving today were either sent outside the fence for a time out as a warning if they were being disrespectful and any child that was badly misbehaving was sent home. This sent a message to teh kids that they need to respect and listen to us if they want to join in the funness of the program. It worked very well. We are praying that tomorrow goes as smoothly as today went and that the kids who were sent home learn their lesson so that we do not have to send them home again tomorrow.

After the program we had the afternoon off as Sunday was a non-stop day and we were all very thankful for the break. Some people had a water fight others, like me, napped for a good three hours. It was a much needed rest day and was awesome.

Frank and Rita, missionaries that joined us for the week are leaving us tomorrow and so we spent time praying for them and encouraging them in thier mission of living in another gypsy village and running a similiar program. We'll miss them because they have been such an encouragement and a huge help to our team.

Everyone is relaxing now before bed. It is 9:54 p.m. here. Naptay Buena (i think thats goodnight, its Naptay something, anyways goodnight) - Amy Nicks

Sunday July 10 2011

Hello Eveybody. The temperature high today was I think 40, which is nothing compared to yesterday. Yesterday it was 45 or something like that.

Yesterday was Sunday and it was a loaded day. We were up and ready to go by 8:00 for church at 9 a.m in another town. Our transportation was delayed because the vehicle had some machanical problems but we got to church at 9:30. The church building was quite small compared to Crossroads, it was even slightly smaller then the chapel, probably more like the size of the former chapel before te renovations. Anyways there were wooden benches to sit on. Women and men sit on seperate sides. The church service is 3 hours long (2 and a half hours for us because we were late). The men had to wear pants and a t-shirt. (remember its 45 degrees outside) and the women had to wear a shirt with sleeves that were at least to our elbows as well as a skirt that was below the knee or lower. The women also all had to wear a head covering which consisted of a scarf that was wrapped around the head and looked like we were all wearing nice headbands. We were all very hot and sweaty. Also the women were not allowed to wear flip flops to church because in the Romanian culture, flip flops are seen as bedroom slippers. Therefore we had to wear flats. In the service various men got up to preach. One man would preach and then he would sit down. Following his message was prayer. In this culture all of the people pray out loud at the same time, which is really cool to listen to, even if you really have no idea what they are saying. We were invite to sing worship songs. We sang Mighty to Save in Romanian and Blessed Be The Name in English. The people were really honored that we learned a Romanian song for them. Jordan was also invited to preach and he did a wonderful job. After Jordan preached the church's pastor further elaborated on Jordan's message and said how insightful it was. Jen Shewchuk also shared her testimony before Jordan spoke. She was very courageous getting up in front of all of the people and did an excellent job speaking out.

After the service we were all so hot covered in sweat so Jordan asked the driver if we could stop for ice cream. The ice cream was very delicous. I had a popsicle because I'm lactose intolerant and it was the best popsicle I've ever had. We were all very thankful for the ice cream.

Once we got back to Mamaia, we had some lunch and got ready for the Baptism that was taking place in the village. At the Baptism three people were baptized and they announced that they were having a bonfire to celebrate. This is the first bonfire that the village has ever had, so that was a very special event to occur.

Following the baptism, we went back to John and Cheryll's to have supper and get ready for the Mamaia church service that was occuring for 2 hours in the evening. The Mamaia church service ran similiar to the other church service. The main difference was the worship. The men were leading and this one man had the loudest voice I have ever heard in my life and it just boomed throughout the small building. The building was even smaller then the other church building. The worship was really awesome though because the people just sing with a lot of soul and volume, which was awesome to sit and listen to. We also performed the same worship songs and Jordan preached again.

Following the church service was the Bonfire. As it was the first Bonfire that has ever gone on in the village, the people and especially the children were very excited. We had many children following us back to John and Cheryll's and at John adn Cheryll's there were many people waiting to see us. Once everyone was safely inside the fence we decided that it was best not to go to the Bonfire because the people were so roudy. The children are also more roudy then they were at teh beginning because they are more confortable with us. We have been here for almost a week now, spending every single day with them and they are overstepping some boundaries and seeing what tricks they can get away with. We could really use a lot of prayer for wisdom on how to handle the misbehaving children as well as discernment for what is simply bad behaviour and what is Satan trying to discourage our team. We really love these children and these people. The goodworks that God is doing through us is so evident and continued prayer is greatly appreciated.

John told us that at the Bonfire, three more people were baptized as well as many children were crying because of the sin in their lives. These children are not taught to say sorry and are not taught manners really so its incredible and entirely Jesus working in their hearts and that it just really awesome.

So that was Sunday in a nutshell. -Amy Nicks

Day 3

Here is our second day of vbs. We have had about fifty students and it has been really great so far. The kids have been awesome and we have really enjoyed getting to know them. Our translators have been absolutely fantastic and so helpful. I wish all of you could be here with us to experience this with us. The each one of the children are so special. They have been eating up the attention we have been giving them. Take a look at the days pictures.

We flipped this car in the afternoon for the guys to work on it. John's front lawn is the local auto shop. This was quite the experience.

This is us working in another village where the gospel is beginning to be spread. We kinda felt like pioneer missionaries because we just set up shop right in the middle of the town and everyone looked at us like we were crazy, but they seemed to really enjoy us. Lucky for us we have awesome translators, otherwise it would have been impossible. It helped us realize how incredible those pioneer missionaries were, because it was so different and we found it quite challenging to share the gospel in that environment.

Continue to pray for us. We are all getting a little sick and could use your prayers of strength. Plus I might have to preach three times tomorrow. Twice at church services in two different cities and an evangelistic outreach in the city. Look forward to seeing you soon.

Jordan and the Team

Buena Ziway. Thats good day in Romanian, p.s. This is Amy Nicks with todays updates.

It is 4:17 p.m Romanian time. The weather was 27 degrees celcius, it was supposed to get to 36 degrees celcius, I don't know if it ever did.

We had our very first bible camp day with the kids. It was really excellent. The kids have the most difficult names, so its pretty hard to remember all of them but they are all fairly forgiving. They are really kind and have funny personalities.

We started off the camp playing a "gather" game in front of the school. It's intention was to draw the kids because when they see other kids coming, they want to play too. It worked well. Once all of the kids were there we went inside the gate to the schoolyard and played a welcome game where all the kids were introduced to us. Then we scrambled our name cards and the kids had to match the names. They have difficulty pronouncing Dawsons name. After that we sang some songs in Romanian. Joy Like A Fountain and My God is So Big and this other song about a river of God's love, I can't remember what its called, sorry. All of hte songs have actions so we sped up the tempo to make doing the actions more difficult and more fun.
After that Dawson did a talk on David and Goliath showing God's strength and power. He did a great job. Jordan and a little boy were Goliath and Austin was David. It was quite hilarious. The kids loved it.
Then we all went and played Sharks and Minnows. We probably walked 3-4 minutes up and down a slope to the space where we played. This little girl probably less then 3 feet tall and maybe 5 or 6 was carrying around her sister who was probably 2 and weighed about 30-40 pounds. I really suck at estimating, I only know she was quite heavy. Anyways this little girl was carrying her sister so I offered to take her because she looked like she was struggling a bit. Thats when I found out how heavy this little girl was and I was super impressed with the strength of the other sister who was carrying her. After 45 minutes of sharks and minnows my arms felt like they were going to fall off. So don't worry Matt, I'm still getting a work out in every now and then.

After the game we sent the kids home because we had a meeting with the Mayor at 1:00. We got there and he told us how he has been renovating schools and putting in plumbing for the village and really jsut doing a lot for hte people. He then showed us a bunch of schools, the library and the sports center. They have seperate work out rooms for men and women. In the womens room there is one of those machines where you step on it and jiggle. Then some of the students wondered if the machine actually worked and I was quite adamant that it didnt. I don't know if they believed me or not. Anyways at about 3:00 we were done with the mayor and we went back to the school. Then we had supper at about 4:45 ish.
Oh my goodness it was delicious. We have Romanian translators staying with us and one of their moms made us an authentic dish. It was meat/pork balls with bread, coleslaw and my favorite part, this potatoe salad with peas, carrots, red pepper, pickles and mayo. So delicious. Now some people are going for a walk inthe village and other people are playing soccer with some little boys.

Hope this was informative enough.

Nuaptay Buena --> Goodnight   (i dont know any other farewell thing at the moment)

Day 2!

Hey Everyone,

           Buna! We hope that all is going well back in Red Deer. We just finished supper and so far today has been a great day. We had an early morning, which started at 6:00am because our personal clocks have not changed over yet. We have been working hard preparing crafts, praying, working on our bible stories and decorating our classrooms.

        We spent some time this morning mediating on what it means to be a servant of Christ and had a great time of prayer and worship. Darcy, Kurtis and John went into town to get some groceries and came back with some exciting stories. Darcy took some great pictures of the city and we couldn't believe the contrast of daily life in the nearby city compared to this village we are spending our time. The best comparison we could make would be the reserves outside of red deer except here is a greater extent of poverty.

Most of the day was spent getting ready for tomorrow, but we took a little break to play with the kids. It was fantastic. Our students came alive as they played, talked and loved on these little kids. It took everything to get them inside for supper. We actually didn't start eating until 7:30 because everyone was having such an awesome time with the village kids.

Keep praying for us. The language has been a lot of fun to learn, but is quite a challenging barrier with the villagers. Pray that the Lord would give our translator a lot of wisdom. Also, please pray as some of the team has been feeling quite poorly especially Sydney, hasn't been able to sleep because of a cough.

Tomorrow is our first day of VBS. We look forward to telling you more about it.