Getting into a car at 11 am, and then arriving in Romania 1.5 days, almost 2 days later. In the car with young people, that is little sleep, a lot of sing-along songs where everyone enjoys themselves and then have a good conversation about whatever. Every 2 hours a break, stretch your legs, eat, eat more and maybe go to the toilet. Yes, every year again, that is the journey we make by car, 1 cozy gang, which makes you intensely happy and tired.
That journey is for a good cause, we can once more spend 2 weeks with Danny and Rianne with their children, all wonderful people who put a smile on your face. Between 6:45 am and 7:25 am all alarm clocks that go off to have breakfast at 7:30 am as a group. Everyone is always “fresh and fruity” at breakfast, getting some energy and then getting to work hard. This year we are going to renovate the outbuilding, everything must go: the floor, parts of the walls, the bathroom and the kitchen. Just a completely empty shell remains. To then be able to fully install everything again, with kitchen, bathroom and living area. A lot of work, a lot of work. Everyone is working hard to get it done as much as possible. The walls have been reinstalled, with plasterboard, they just need to be painted, the bathroom is almost completely tiled and the kitchen is partly in it. Yes everything is half because it is so much. We try to get it done as far as possible. Very cool how this is handled as a group.
Apart from that, we go to a normal school care where tutoring is given, we get teach them something about Faith, and what a privilege that is. Such beautiful and lovely children where the energy just bounces off, children find it so fun to play with you, children athat have so much love to give. The only thing I can say is: wow!
This year we also have attended a parent-child project for 2 days. Mothers who have been victims of domestic violence or other difficult situations for which they need a safe place for a long time (for about two years). Such sweet children and mothers, we have had so much fun playing with them and reading stories that gave us a lot of joy.
This is not only our life, who we are as a group brings a lot of fun with it, while washing the dishes, eating or evenings by the campfire. Good conversations, sometimes with a tear, but often enough a laugh. We also had the privilege to have two people on this journey for some of spiritual care. Because of everything they do, we feel closer to God and we feel touched by him. This makes us as a group stronger and more powerful.
This trip is an essential journey, a journey that will always stay with us, a journey that all of us became part. God is with us