Our Kids Club Kids are Growing Up!

This has been an awesome school year for our kids in the village. We are so proud of our Kids Club and After School Program kids for all their hard work and dedication to learning. It has been a joy to see the growth in each heart and mind. While we will suspend regular meeting for the summer we are looking forward to three teams from Hungry, Michigan and Texas who will be providing Vacation Bible School, back to school photos and other fun activities for the children throughout the summer months. 

SARAH VIENNA - "Stuck in Between" Live in the Studio

As a follow up to our last post, we're excited to share with you Sarah's live in the studio music video, "Stuck in Between"! This live recording is available on her new album. 

Click this link ://vimeo.com/channels/661985/84423618 

SARAH VIENNA - Concert in California

What an amazing night!! FFR President Sarah Vienna, accompanied by Raelene Schmalz, had the opportunity to perform her debut album to The Barnabas Group monday night in San Juan Capistrano. Hosted at the iconic restaurant, El Adobe, in front of over 200 guests, Sarah sang a set of six songs off of her self titled album. It was also an opportunity for her to share about her personal music journey as well as promote the work she is leading in Romania. 

"Thank you Jim West (President of The Barnabas Group) for this amazing opportunity to share my music and my passion for Romania and what FFR is doing. It was truly an honour." - Sarah Vienna 

Her album will be available on itunes in the coming weeks. And stay tuned to see some clips of singing live at the  concert! 

  

Love Never Fails

Since 2005 we have been working in the Brasov Children's Hospital, providing love, care and hope to the abandoned babies there. There is no doubt that things have improved over the years, we've seen the hearts of the staff soften, quality of care improve and watched as what was once a dark place, become flooded with light. How has this happened? LOVE. It is the love shown by those who travel from all over the world to reach out and touch these broken little ones, hold them, sing to them, treat them as if they were their own. Volunteers make a difference everyday, they give their hearts to these children and allow their little hands and feet to leave prints there. As much as the children find love in the arms of these, once strangers, these foreigners walk away loved, impacted and forever changed. 

This year has been no different, 6 months in and we find ourselves overwhelmed and thankful for the beautiful people God has brought to Brasov. Jesus performed many miracles, acts of plenty where there was always more than enough, always extra, extra bread, fish and wine. And we are blessed with the continuous flow of loving individuals who are brought to Romania so that these children may know what it means to be loved. 

Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all you heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22:37-39

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Deuteronomy 11:18

Thank you Katie Greiner for these beautiful photos. 

Cooking Time with Tina - Crispy Oven Baked Chicken

Do you ever think, I wish I could do something to help out but I can't go all the way to Romania?  Well, don't let that stop you! Sarah Berchtold's sister Tina wanted to do something for the teenagers in our After School Program, so she took what she is best at and shared it with us. The result? A cooking segment to teach the teens a delicious new recipe, as well as cooking do's and don'ts. Our teens have little experience cooking and a fairly limited knowledge food and nutrition. This video, and more like it, are going to be a fantastic way to educate them and help improve their quality of life. Plus, its fun, and lets face it who doesn't love crispy oven baked chicken! Thank you Tina for sharing your knowledge and for being a part of changing these teens lives. Gordon Ramsey has nothing on you!

Budila World Cup!

So maybe not the World Cup, but, this Saturday project manager Jason
Schade is in Budila kicking off our 2014 soccer season! Last year we
began this after school sports program for the boys in the village and
it was a huge success. There are no organized team sports available to
the kids through the community, so this gives them the opportunity to
learn team work, how to respect authority and good sportsmanship. Below
is a little montage we put together last season, but its just so epic we
had to share it again!