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.