The Interns Have Arrived!

By Rachel Titiriga, Internship Coordinator

 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11

I am so very excited to introduce you all to FFR’s first ever Interns! 

Izzy Hathaway, 20, is from Fenton, Michagan, USA

Sarah Peters, 23, is from Stockton on Tees, Teesside, England

These young ladies have moved to Brasov to Intern with Firm Foundations Romania for one year.  The FFR Internship Program is a Christian Missionary and Discipleship Program.  Izzy and Sarah will be encouraged to grow in their walk with the Lord this year through Bible reading, group book and Bible studies, discipleship, accountability and prayer.  They will learn firsthand what it means to be a missionary as they serve alongside of FFR’s programs.  My hope is that by the end of this year these young ladies will have a heart for Romania and the people here, but more than just that, they will have God’s heart for the lost and hurting of this world, and that their lives will be transformed from the inside – out.

Both Sarah and Izzy arrived on Monday, August 10^th and we began our Orientation Week on Tuesday!  It was so fun watching them walk through the Intern Apartment that had been prepared for them.  Their excitement made all of the hard prep work well worth it! Thank you to the members of the Calvary Chapel Treasure Valley and Kingwood Bible Church teams for all of your help in getting the apartment ready!

 

During this past week the girls were introduced to an overview of FFR’s Programs and how they will be involved.  We went over the Internship Guidelines and House Rules, did a ton of walking to tour their new home of Brasov, and began our Romanian Language Training!   These ladies will be Brasov City and Romanian Language pros in no time at all!

There has been time for fun and fellowship too as Izzy and Sarah went on a Photo Scavenger Hunt across the city!  They did a great job finding all the places on their list!

 

We also had our first dinner and movie night together!  We had nachos and watched Peter Pan!

 

Friday night was our first Bible Study and time of prayer for Romania and each other.  We also began our Bible reading schedule with the hopes of reading through the entire Bible by the end of the year.  I am so honored to have the opportunity to be the Internship Program Manager and to be able to pour into the lives of these ladies.  I can see their desire to serve and grow in their relationship with the Lord and I’m excited to see what God has for them in the coming year!

VBS in Budila

FFR is so thankful for the team from Kingwood Bible Church in Texas. They came and put on an amazing week long VBS for the1st - 4th graders in our After School Program each morning in Budila. Then each afternoon the team split up and worked in our Hospital Project as well as helped prepare an apartment for FFR's first ever Interns! They were a tremendous help with sewing and cleaning in the apartment. 

They really poured out love on our kids in Budila, the babies in the hospital and the long term FFR volunteers and staff! Thank you Ladies! We miss you already! 

Idaho Visits Romania

FFR is so thankful to the team from Calvary Chapel Treasure Valley for all of the time they spent working with us in our different projects!

The team began their week by running a VBS for almost 40 of our 1st – 4th grade kids! They sang songs, taught Bible lessons, played games, face painted and did crafts with the kids. Everyone had a great time!

Then the men of the team worked together to lay some cement on the outside of a home in the Roma village where we work. The foundation of the home was dirt and rats were digging their way into the home and biting the kids at night. The family had already poured cement on the inside of the home but did not have enough materials to finish the job. FFR was able to purchase the remaining materials and this amazing group of men helped to pour cement on the outside of the home to be sure that the kids would be safe.

The next day the men helped with painting an apartment and putting beds together to get ready for our first set of FFR Interns who will be arriving in August!

While the men were hard at work, the ladies in the group volunteered their time holding babies and playing with the kids in our Hospital Program.







We were so blessed that the team took time out of the other ministry work they were doing in Romania to work with us! And we thank Nicu and Silvana Hagiu for connecting us and setting everything up!

English Camp

Juliana, Andrei & Lyndsey

For one week in July we were so fortunate to have Lyndsey Marcu come to Budila to run an English Camp for our teens. Lyndsey hails from Northern Ireland but currently lives in Hungary with her husband, Simon. In Hungary she is a teacher and during her summer break she travels all across Eastern Europe, holding camps for at-risk youth.

Lyndsey's camps promote teamwork, good social skills, manners and sharing. The kids are encouraged to participate in reciting verses, playing games and singing songs. Teams are created the first day of camp (with each team picking their own name!), giving the kids incentive to work hard for points. Additional incentive is the "Star of the Day" certificate that is presented to one boy and one girl every day of the week for exceptional hard work and a willingness to work with others.

Close to 40 teens attended the camp and we feel so blessed. This is the second year that Lyndsey has come to work with our teens and we are grateful for her! We also want to send a huge thank you Juliana Timofte and Andrei Pintilie for volunteering their time and energy to this camp.

Thank you Lyndsey! We hope to see you again next summer...

English Camp 2015 Theme Verse:

Let us run the race that lies before us. 

Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.

Hebrews 12:1-2

Yikes, Bikes!

We are currently looking for a team to come as early as Fall 2015 to set up a bicycle workshop  for our children in Kid's Club and the After School Program.

 This workshop will include bike safety, proper technique and hands-on teaching with our kids. If you are interested or know someone who is, please email us at mail@firmfoundationsromania.com