Romania Recap

My month in Romania was beyond incredible. I deeply, deeply love and respect Hope Church and its staff and volunteers, working with our Ukrainian friends was absolutely life changing, and I’ve come to realize that I’m just obsessed with Europe. Ministry was hectic, unorganized, and crazy at times and I somehow managed to injure my back so badly that I had to take a day off, but Romania was by far one of my favorite months on the Race. Here’s a glimpse into how I spent most of my time and some of the amazing people I got to meet.

We knew that Romania was bound to be a wild time before we even got there. First, we received some training in Rwanda that prepared us for the work we would do with refugees. It was really helpful for my team to get an overview of what we would be doing and helped relieve some nerves. Next, we had a 17-hour layover in Egypt and there was no way we were staying put in an airport for that long. That means I got in an extra whole day of adventures (and spending money) with some of my favorite humans, Claudia, Anna Stewart, and Claire.

My camel’s name was Charlie Brown!

We arrived in Craiova Romania in the evening after another flight and two train rides. My team got the room with the best view, and we quickly settled into our bunkbeds, unpacked as well as we could, ate some pizza, and went to bed.

The front of the Mission House is covered in beautiful paintings!

Hope Church wasted no time putting us to work. One of our first tasks was to deliver some groceries to the refugee houses that we were responsible for. My team ended up with 4 different houses that we would check in on, go on fun outings with, and share meals with. Finding these houses is a bit challenging the first time, especially since they’re all actually apartments. We eventually got all the food to where it needed to go, but not before getting absolutely drenched in a downpour.

We saw a double rainbow while we were running around!

After our first few days, we settled into a bit of a rhythm with ministry. We would start our morning with an hour of worship and prayer and sometimes a teaching from Raul. I really enjoy his teachings – He would challenge us to dive into Scripture, answering simple questions with nothing but the Bible. My respect for him skyrocketed immediately when I saw how dedicated he was to the Word and how he approached every question with the mindset of “What does the Bible say about this?” When he challenged us with questions or gave us “homework,” he made it clear that he never wanted to hear our opinions, only what Scripture taught. It was such a beautiful, refreshing way to be lead and preached to.

After our time with Raul, we would have a social media hour with Claudia. Claudia would lead us through different posts to make and interact with in order to boost the algorithm. The rest of the morning would be filled with miscellaneous tasks around the office that usually included cleaning or organizing of some sort. After our lunch break, our afternoons were free to spend with our Ukrainian families.

Hope Church gets frequent donations from local food banks and stores. That means that there’s usually a truck to unload and food to sort through and organize.

Another common task that took up our morning ministry times was handing out packets with information about the gospel and the church. We would grab several boxes and stuff our bags with them, then head off to the market or town center. It was actually quite easy and fun to do! I was surprised by how readily people accepted the packets and I even had a few people come over and ask for theirs.

By the end of our stay, we had handled out several hundred of these packets – every single one that the church had!

We all got the chance to go to the Roma community once during our stay with Hope Church. We were only there for about an hour to play with the kiddos, sing some songs with them, and hand out food. I loved the time I got with them so much and learned a lot about the simplicity of the gospel. Check out the blog I wrote about my afternoon with them.

So many precious smiles!

Hope Church is very focused on reaching the youth of Craiova and giving them a safe space to spend their weekends. Every few weeks they do a prayer walk around the university, which we were able to join in with once. They’re also working on establishing a consistent youth group on Saturday evenings. Anna Stewart and Jackie took over the planning and leading for the three weeks we had in Craiova, and they absolutely crushed it. They did an amazing job of engaging the youth and making the rest of us feel kind old. They even started a TikTok account just for their youth group antics that you all need to check out right now! Every week was a complete blast with snacks, dancing, and ridiculous games. We would end with a worship song and short teaching. I had so much fun every single week and got to meet some amazing people.

I connected with a girl named Raisa during our first youth group. She’s one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met! Unfortunately, we weren’t able to meet up again since she’s very busy with her studies and modeling job, but we’ve stayed in contact through WhatsApp and I’m really thankful for our friendship.

I got to play this amazing game where I attached a panty hose to my head with a potato in the foot and had to use it to knock over a row of cups. You’ll be pleased to hear that I beat Claudia like a pro.

Another regular ministry I got to be a part of is helping out with the after-school program. Hope Church is working on building connections around Craiova, and they were able to set up a partnership with an after-school program that offers a daycare program and English classes. Cass and I were chosen to visit on Fridays and help the teachers. I loved this a lot. The kids are so smart, and I loved getting to try weird games and practice for their English exams with them. I fell completely in love with a little boy named Victor who you can read about here.

Flashcards were one the easiest ways to practice with them.

On our last day, we took two friends from M Squad, Derek and Braydon, with us who would take over after we left. We split the kiddos in two groups. Derek and I had conversations with the first group in English while Braydon and Cass played Uno with the other. Then we switched groups. The kiddos loved it a bunch!

We had to wear these little footies inside the building to keep the floors clean.

On Sundays we had the option to attend church where one of the staff members, Christina, would translate the sermon for us. Raul also asked one person to share a short testimony each Sunday and I volunteered for one. I was actually really sweet to get to share my duck story with the congregation.

Raul translated for me and was super kind!

That same Sunday, we had an event to fundraise and raise awareness for all the Ukrainians in our care. It was such a sweet time! I spent most of my time at the kids table, coloring with them, eating snacks, and making sure that fights were kept to a minimum. We raised a bunch of money through an art auction, handmade jewelry that the kiddos made, and random donations.

At the end, we also took some fun photos with our Ukrainian families.

These girls put in so much hard work into this jewelry! Look how amazing it turned out!

Arts and crafts are one the best ways to keep the kiddos occupied!

This month we had Sundays and Mondays off for our Sabbath and Adventure Day and I certainly had some amazing adventures. On our first weekend, Claudia and I went to Bucharest and had the most amazing girls trip! We wondered the streets, ate so much good food, sat in the park for hours, and saw a bunch of monuments including the iconic “Potato on a Stick.”

We ate breakfast at this incredible Van Gogh Café! The French toast was amazing, and the ambiance was perfect. We also went to a five-story bookstore (aka heaven) where I could spend the rest of my life.

No matter which road we took, we somehow always ended up by this monument… not sure how that happened.

For our other weekend trip, I went to visit the city of Alba, which is an old fortress in the shape of a star, and the nearby castle. The drive was beyond beautiful as we made our way through mountains and over rivers. Raul’s son, Sammy, drove us and we got to stay at his girlfriend Raluca’s house. Raluca went with me to the Roma community and since then I’ve loved and respected her a lot. It was amazing to get to see her again! She took us to a cute bookstore and was happy to just hang out with us.

Raluca’s parents cooked us an incredible Romanian meal for dinner, and we slept in some of the comfiest beds ever!

I think I was meant to live in a castle…

Of course, we had to have a photoshoot! Luckily it didn’t start raining until after.

While these were the big trips we took, we also had a bunch of fun in Craiova during and after our ministry hours. There were several festivals in the town center that we would swing by when we had free time. We spent one night dancing our hearts out after stuffing our faces with some Turkish food.

We needed more toilet paper, and the store was on the way to the festival so here we are.

Craiova also had some of the most beautiful flowers, which made me super happy! It just gives you an extra boost of joy to walk through a rose garden on your way back to the church. Tulips are absolutely everywhere in Craiova! There were also often cute old ladies in the town center selling small bunches of flowers. You know I had to buy them.

We took a quick break to take some photos with the roses… don’t tell Raul!

I made an Instagram post a few days ago that said “The best part of Romania was definitely the people, but the snacks were a close second” and I wasn’t kidding. We found some amazing coffee shops and stands that we became regulars at real fast. European food is just superior.

Brendon, Bre, and I made it a tradition to get ice cream every day. And by tradition, I mean we went every day for three days straight.

Coffee Story had some of the best chocolate croissants!

There are so many wonderful things that we got to experience in Romania, but my favorite memories are by far of the time we got to spend with our Ukrainian families. They were certainly the highlight of my month and I’m so freaking thankful for all of them. Here’s a few photos that try to sum up the amazing time I got with them.

She was the Elsa to my Anna. <3

Wrestling and gymnastics were common whenever we visited our family in House 6.

The girls also really love makeup, so we got makeovers from them one day!

The kiddos loved the fish and turtles in the ponds of the botanical gardens.

LOOK AT THIS!!!

Whenever we visited House 4, they would ALWAYS feed us. One day, we actually got to bake a traditional Ukrainian dessert with them!

Playgrounds are always a hit! Thankfully, there was one right outside the apartment.

As you can see, Romania was amazing. I’m obsessed with Hope Church and all that they do, and I was even considering coming back for a little while. I’m not sure it that’s something the Lord is calling me to, but I’m definitely open to it. This was the month with the hardest goodbyes for sure and I’m praying that I can stay in contact with the Ukrainian families. Craiova is a cool city, but it was the people that really blew me away and made this month one of my favorites. I made some lifelong friends here and I already miss them so freaking much.

One of these friends is Emily. She did Gap Year with AIM last year and had just finished an Alumni Trip before she came to Romania to serve with Hope Church. She is so freaking amazing. She was able to join my team and I for a day of ministry and we connected so fast. I admire her love for the Lord and openness to serving whenever and wherever so deeply. She’s so kind and encouraging and I’m praying that we’ll be able to remain friends when we’re both back in the States.

Love and miss you bunches! Remember when we spent half the afternoon trying to find this specific formula only for it to be the wrong one?

Thanks for getting to the end of this blog! I know it’s a long one but there’s just so much to share about Romania! Please keep Hope Church in your prayers as they continue to serve refugees, build up a community in Craiova, and love on the Roma. Here are some specific prayer requests:

• More housing for Ukrainians
• Funding for convoys
• More drivers
• Rest for Raul and his family
• Raul’s back
• Youth in Craiova and Hope Church youth group
• End to cycles of poverty and abuse in Roma Communities

As always, here is the link to donate.