Last Day of Camp

2011 RomaniaRomania

Jul 3

Written By

We’re going to miss these kids. When they first arrived we really had no idea what to expect. Street kids? Umm... yikes! But now, we love them. Let me tell you about a couple of them.

Beatrice... dark eyes; long, dark hair; and the most beautiful smile. She was in my Bible study group in the mornings. I had the 9-12 year old girls. We studied parts of the book of Ephesians. Starting with the verses in Ephesians 1 about how we are accepted and adopted into God’s family, I used the analogy of a king adopting a little street girl to be his princess. I wish you could have seen Beatrice’s eyes light up and her sweet smile spread across her face as I told her that she had an invitation to be a princess. Imagine a little girl who has seldom felt loved, wanted, or chosen being invited to be a princess, a daughter of the true King, and you can have an idea of what this meant to these little girls.

Tiffany... curly blond hair that seems to go in all the wrong directions, a young teen who hasn’t gotten past the awkward stage, quiet, hungry for love and acceptance. Tiffany also loved the idea of being a princess. Her face lit up when I told her that God knew all about her before she was born, that she would have blond, curly hair and beautiful blue eyes. I don’t think anyone had ever told her before that she was a beautiful girl. She would often come up and just put an arm around me, wanting to be close and feel loved.

Ionel... a tall, thin, shy boy with a sweet smile. One morning the kids were asked to share prayer requests. His request: a shelter. He’s homeless. He loves people, though. I sat at the older boys’ table one meal. Have you ever seen a bunch of 10-12 year old boys who don’t get regular meals attack food? It was disappearing at an amazing speed. Ionel spoke up, “Wait, guys! You have to leave some food for Elizabeth!” He often watches out for other people to make sure their needs are met. He is also very artistic and loves the craft projects. He gave me a card to today: “Thank you for loving all of the kids and being kind to us and especially to me.” Given just a little love he responded with such love and gentleness.

I could go on and on about these children. They may be the unwanted, rejected children of society, but they are incredibly loved by God. Jesus died for them. When someone loves them, they soak it up. Please pray for these kids. They are returning to very difficult home situations, or in Ionel’s situation, no home at all.

As the children piled into the bus to return to their town we all gathered to yell back and forth, “Goodbye! We love you! God bless you!” We love these Romanian children.

-Elizabeth, for the team