Buna from Romania! Week Three (Entry Two)

Things have been so busy here...this last week was probably our busiest yet...but it was great! We have already had 2 church groups come and go, and they both put on great programs for the kids! We just finished a week doing VBS with children who live in group homes in the mornings, then we would go out to special needs group homes in the afternoon and play with them. We didn't really know what to expect with these children, but we ended up falling in love with them, and had the best time! They are so sweet, and so funny! They entertained us more than we entertained them i think, but they were so welcoming and loving towards us, and we were able to get close with alot of them.

We were able to take about 7 of them to the zoo yesterday morning, and we had a great time. All the interns and I thought the zoo was hilarious! It is a little different than zoos in america. In Romania, they have deer, cows, and horses in their zoos...haha...not too exoctic...but still very fun!

I can't beleive this will be our last week here...the time really has flown by so fast! Our plans have changed again (flexibility is the theme this month...haha) which turned out to be a blessing, because we will get to spend more time with the special needs children, and then we will be going to Zau again!!! We are all SO excited about this, because we spent our whole first week here and got really close with the girls, so we are really glad that our last 2 days in Romania will be spent with them. Those girls are so amazing and they love the Lord, which is SO comforting as we prepare to say goodbye.

We will then drive to Budapest on Friday morning, and fly home Sunday...so crazy! But, God has done some amazing things on this trip, and it has been filled with lots of laughs, some tears,new friendships, and many memories.

Thank you so much for your prayers,

Amy

Buna from Romania! Week Three

Week 3 has come and gone and we're about to begin our last week in Romania. This past week was spent with a visiting church group with participants from Florida to Texas to Massachusetts. Talk about diversity!

Each morning we, the interns, went with the group to a local church where we helped lead VBS for orphans from three group homes. Despite communication barriers, the kids seemed to really enjoy themselves - especially when it came to snacks and sandwiches. Each afternoon we split up and spent two hours playing with and loving on special needs children in three group homes. I must say, I really love those kids! They are so sweet and just plain old fun! We definitely got some laughs!

One boy, Virgil, is especially passionate about vaccum cleaners. He has actually created his own vaccum, which he uses to sweep the playground for hours on end. Yanust loves a "pistola" - the more the better! Claudia loves to be tossed up in the air, while Cristi smells everything he can get his hands on. Another little boy smells and eats hair, while another played with my watch for two hours straight everyday. Each one of these children is very special - I will miss them when we say goodbye.

The needs of these children are so great, and yet they are so loving and satisfied with so little. Working with the special needs kids has served to remind me that despite the seemingly hopeless situation, God's hope is at work and completely applicable to their lives, as well as my own. His promises ring just as true in Claudia's life, as they do in my life. God is indeed good, and we mustn't forget that, especially when working with those who seem to live with many needs.

Rachel

Hola from Guatemala! Week Three (Entry Two)

A Glorious Reunion.....

On Monday of this week, we celebrated a much anticipated reunion with the boys at San Gabriel. They came running out to us yelling and screaming with excitement. They didn't know that we were returning this week. I'm not sure who was happier.....the boys or the team of interns. We are spending this week with a team from South Texas Children's Home. It's another amazing team! Best of all (and most impressive) is that the team is lead by four teenagers from the South Texas Children's Home. The other members of the team completely submitted themselves to these youngsters. It's been so exciting watching them lead our team. They are doing a phenomenal job!

We had a busy week at San Gabriel. We had a great time reconnecting with the boys while continuing to build relationships with them. Each day, one of the teenagers shared their testimony and a Bible story with the boys. On Wednesday, the gospel was presented to the boys, and 24 boys committed their life to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Yes, 24 boys have started a new life!! We are honored to call them our "brothers in Christ." On Wednesday, we also brought new shoes to the boys. I've never seen a group of people so excited to get new shoes. Many of the boys' shoes had holes and were torn. All of them needed to be replaced! Thank you to everyone who has donated shoes to the Buckner "Shoes for Orphan Souls" project. Again, it was an honor to be a part of this mission.

We spent the mornings this week at community homes in Guatemala City. We enjoyed seeing familiar faces and playing with the preschoolers. We also went back to the Buckner Baby Home. There are now 6 babies in the home. Two of the babies are from the orphanage in Xela. It was so fun seeing these precious children again!

On Tuesday of this week, the team of interns went on a special "intern only" field trip. Where, you ask? We all went to the doctor! Pretty much all of us had been sick off and on for over a week, so it was time to get some prescription drugs. Eight of us were given medicine! Praise God, we are all almost completely healthy now!

Please continue to pray for us and the other teams of interns in Russia, Kenya, and Romania. As we enter our last week, pray that we would finish strong. Pray for endurance, energy, and excitement. Pray that each person we come in contact with will see the face of Jesus, not us. Pray that we will see everyone through Jesus' eyes, not our eyes. We are honored to be able to spend one last week with our boys at San Gabriel. Pray that God would continue to do miracles there.

We have an adventurous weekend ahead of us....more details on the next blog! Thanks for checking in and thanks for praying for us!

For His Kids and For His Glory,
Sheena

Jambo from Kenya! Week Three

Hello everyone!

I am excited and sad today because this marks the end of the first leg of our trip. Yesterday, we said goodbye to all of the children from the school that live in the slums and the staff at the Baptist Children's Center. Tomorrow we are leaving for Busia (western Kenya, bordering Uganda) with a team from Wilshire Church. We will be working with a medical team and also with children in Busia. I am looking forward to the drive tomorrow and seeing more of the Kenyan countryside. After Busia we will go on a two-day Safari and then attend "camp" at Brackenhurst with the orphans from the Baptist Children's Center. I am so thankful that we will have more time with the children from the orphanage in Nairobi!

I am not sure if you have ever heard of Kibera slum in Nairobi, but it is supposed to be the second largest slum in Africa and the largest in Kenya. I know Kibera from watching the movie the Constant Gardener and reading articles from National Geographic. The statistics that I have read say that Kibera is 4 square miles and more than a million people are crammed into a space with no running water, electricity, etc. There are supposedly over 50,000 + documented orphans in Kibera.

Earlier this morning, I had the opportunity to visit Kibera. Tom, the missions coordinator, lead us in a stroll along the railroad tracks that ran through the slums. Trash and mud were covering the ground. As we walked, the children would smile and say "how are you, how are you?" They would also yell "mazungu" which means "white person!" I have been told that when they say "mazungu" they are commenting that the person is either crazy or lost to be there. Most of the shelters were made of mud, cow dung or tin. Everything was crammed in very close together. I saw many people working very hard at carpentry, sewing shoes, selling bananas or shoveling dirt. No matter where I have traveled, I am reminded that people are people wherever you go. I loved getting to make eye contact with women there and send them a smile. I pray that they could somehow be encouraged by our greetings. Walking through, I heard praise and worship music coming from one of the market stands. I am reminded that our God is a big God. He is alive and well in the hearts of his children in Kibera.

Thank you for your prayers.
May Jesus bless you today as I am blessed daily by his grace...
Becky

Hola from Guatemala! Week Three

Hola from Guatemala! Week Three

Hola!!!

Team Guatemala is in full swing as we start week 3. We had a phenomenal ending to our time in Xela ("Shay-la"). We had a huge beach party for the kids on the last evening. It was miraculous reflecting back on the week and seeing the changes that occurred in the children. Many of the changes were so great that it could have only been God working through us in the life of the children. Several interns spent time in the medical clinic giving lice treatment, washing feet, and assisting Dr.Bobby. There is a picture of Denise washing the feet of one of the children. After cleaning the children's feet, we clipped their nails and applied an anti-fungal cream. It was such a privilege, honor, and a humbling experience to do this for the children.

On Saturday morning, we went to Lake Atitlan. It was definitely one of the most beautiful places that I've ever visited. One of the pictures is from the lake. Even though the picture is really pretty, it doesn't give justice to the true beauty of the lake. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at a restaurant overlooking the peaceful water. Afterwards, we spent some time relaxing in hammocks while listening to music. On Saturday night, we had our farewell dinner with High Pointe Community Church. Wow, what an amazing body of believers! The interns were continually in awe watching this church and seeing their passion for the children in Xela. This church has been visiting this orphanage for four years. On Sunday, we went back to beautiful Antigua. Once again, we had a great time hanging out with the girls at the girls' orphanage in Antigua (Manchen). It's so great seeing the children several different times.

It's so hard to believe, but we are at our midpoint of the trip. Each day, God has taught us so many things. Below are some of the things that God has taught a few of the interns:

"How humbling it was to be at my weakest point physically and for God to speak to me. I was so broken and was often reminded that I am nothing and can do nothing without Christ. I've seen many times that none of what we're doing is because of us, but because of God. We have to continually die to ourselves every day, so Christ can be seen and live in us. I've also learned that because of the language barrier and culture, Christ can't be seen in us without God's grace." ~Laura

"I have learned what an incredible gift love is. We all try to figure out what gifts God has given us and how we can use them in our lives, but we often overlook the best gift of all that we have to give- love. And it's such a simple thing to give, yet I often get too absorbed in my own life and forget how important a simple smile or hug can be." ~Shauna

"God has been teaching me His crazy sovereignty in taking care of these little orphans. He totally broke my heart for the babies in Xela. It has just been incredible to allow God to use me to bring smiles and joy to the sad, crying, lonely faces of the babies. BUT, God has been revealing to me that He is still taking care of them, and still has their names written in the palm of His hand." ~Becky

"The time in Guatemala has revealed God's vastness and sovereignty over His entire creation. Entering into the orphanages has been hard to even begin to comprehend the realities that these children face day to day, week to week, even year to year. But He has revealed that He is sovereign over their lives and their future -things that we can't even begin to worry about. It has been amazing to know that we can give these children nothing of our own strength, but only that which God has set ablaze in our hearts to overflow into their lives. We have been at Christ's feet for strength and energy, and that has been a truly amazing experience; in our weakness, He is strong!" ~Noelle

"I have been in utter amazement of how God has used diverse personalities for His Glory!!! His plans are so timely!!! His love is overwhelming and beautiful. I thank my God for teaching me how to submit and encourage those who are becoming leaders. I thank him that He has allowed me to see others through His eyes and not my own. Praise God for the power of prayer!!!"
~Lorraine

"After praying that God would make me incredibly alert to the needs of His children on this trip, I think He's teaching me to serve immediately upon seeing needs instead of waiting to be asked to serve. More importantly, He's teaching me not only to be perceptive of needs in the orphans here and to be praying for them when we can't be with them, but to be serving in this way each day of my life. As God is tearing my pride apart over & over, I'm learning to value my family more than ever, to strive to bathe each day in prayer, and to let Him be the one to heal broken hearts. One of the biggest ways I've learned here is through observing the passion of this incredible team of interns, so thanks for your support of the team!" ~Denise

As I've said before, I am surrounded by an incredible team of interns. I've never been so encouraged and supported as I am in Guatemala. This week, we are going back to the boys' orphanage at San Gabriel. What an exciting reunion for us and the boys as they don't know we're returning. Pray that their hearts will be open and receptive to us and most importantly to God.

Pray that God would use us in mighty ways to impact every child at the orphanage. Pray that all of the children would desire a relationship with Jesus or would desire to deepen their current relationship. Also, please pray for the health of all of the interns. Thanks for checking in and for your prayers.

~For His Kids, Sheena

Zdravstvuyte from Russia! Week Three

Zdrastya!

We got back from Orphanage # 60 yesterday and it was by far the "roughest" orphanage thus far. Aside from the rock-hard mattresses, there were about 50 kids there and only one caretaker with little control over the kids. Even though it was rough, I found that my three days at this orphanage have been some of my best since I've been in Russia.

I want to share a particular story about two girls in the orphanage who I spent the majority of my time with, Natasha and Alyona. Both of them are 14 and have lived in the orphanage system for a long time.

They were the orphanage bullies, very hard girls and hard to reach - physically and spiritually. When we first arrived at the orphanage I was drawn to Natasha because she had several long, deep scars on each of her forearms, which I later found out had been self-inflicted.

After the first day of camp with the kids, some members of our group took a walk to the nearest store four miles away, and Natasha and Alyona went with us. During that time, I got to meet them and they opened up a little to me. Both were very sarcastic and tough kids, with each other and us, yet they were still kids. Deep down they were scared and wanted hope and love more than anything else in the world.

After the walk, I spent about an hour with them and some of the other kids and actually gave Natasha a hug (Alyona would let me get close to her) before saying good night. The next day at crafts Natasha wrote me poem which said - paraphrased; it rhymed in Russian and was very well written:

"I can not wish you love, I know love will find you. I can not wish you happiness because what is happiness? I can not wish you success, I know you will be successful. My only wish for you is that you will be a good man."

Of course, I will keep that poem forever. During the next two days we spent together we sang praise songs in Russian and Natasha was actually singing the words and requested that we sing a certain song over again.

We talked for about four hours on Saturday night after dinner, laughing and joking around because underneath the hurt and the pain, they both are just kids, only 14 years old, and in their heart they both want love and hope and a future - things that only a life in Christ can bring.

During our short time together I tried to hug them and hold them as much as I could, and by the end of the three days, they were actually giving me hugs. I wrote them each a card and gave them each a bracelet. As we were leaving, I had to hold back tears as they were waving goodbye. My heart breaks for these two kids, and I hope that you will pray for them.
I know I will be praying for them.

God bless you,
Ben (Venya)

Hola from Guatemala! Week Two (Entry Two)

Hello everyone!

The Guatemalan team of interns has been very busy, yet we still remain in awe of our wonderful God and His mighty works. It's been so encouraging to hear how God is working through each of us and through the children that we encounter.

Over the weekend, we visited a transitional home in Guatemala City and an orphanage in Antigua. The transitional home has girls from the ages of 14 to 22. The girls are in finishing school and starting their careers. We took the girls to see "Super Man." They loved the movie, and it was a great time to get to know the girls better. It was very encouraging to hear the girls' stories. We asked the girls how their life has changed since they first came to the Buckner Transitional Home. One of the girls started crying and told us that since she came there, she realized that she has a future and can achieve her dreams. We shared testimonies with the girls, and they shared their hearts and personal stories.

On Saturday, we drove to Antigua, which used to be the capital city of Guatemala. The city is so beautiful!!! Ancient churches and buildings abound along the cobblestone roads. When we first arrived, we visited Manchen (a girls orphanage). We sang songs with the kids and told stories. We had so much fun hanging out with the kids and playing with them. Several of the girls know how to knit and sew. I thought it was interesting watching the young girls knit purses together. After having lunch at Mono Loco ("Crazy Monkey"), we went shopping at the (very popular) market in Antigua. We had so much fun bargaining with the vendors. We bought skirts, purses, blankets, and more. The market is filled with brightly colored, handmade items. It's a matter of finding what you want and then bargaining to get the best price. My skirt started at 90 Qs (about 12 US dollars), and we bargained until the price was 50 Qs (only $6!!!). Its fun bargaining, yet very tiring!!!

On Sunday, we drove about 6 hours west of Guatemala to Xela ("Shay-la"). We drove over and around many mountains (including the highest point in Guatemala). It was such a beautiful ride through the mountains. This week, we are with a team from Puyallup, Washington (High Pointe Community Church). We walk to the orphanage each day (it's about a half mile each way). There are about 70 children at the orphanage....from infants to orphans in their 20s who have special needs. We meet for devotional at 8:30 and then walk to the orphanage. The boys are with us in the morning and the girls in the afternoon (they are at school during the other part of the day). We are doing a wide variety of things at the orphanage. Each child is seen by the doctor (from the High Pointe team). The doctor and assistants also give each child lice treatment and foot treatment. All of the children get a new pair of clothes, new pajamas, new socks, and new underwear. The kids were so excited trying on their new clothes. I was again reminded of life as an orphan when I found out that each kid may only have 3 pairs of clothes at any time. Wow, we have so much to be thankful for...especially the things we take for granted each day. The children also participate in VBS stories, crafts, and songs. All of the children are going to a dentist this week for a cleaning and checkup. Several of the men have already spent many hours this week fixing toliets, rewiring lights, changing hinges, and many other much needed repairs. It has been so easy for us to see how the whole body of Christ pulls together. We each are talented in different ways and make an incredible team when we combine all that we have.

Please continue to pray for us...several team members have been sick these past couple of days. Pray that we will be healthy and will be filled with energy and excitement each day. Pray that the children will see Jesus in us and that we will see the children through Jesus' eyes. Pray that we will be a positive witness to the caregivers and will continue to encourage them.

We will travel back to Guatemala City on Saturday night....pictures coming soon!!!! (as soon as we get back to the Buckner House). Thanks for checking in and thanks for your prayers and encouragement!!!!!

For His Kids,
Sheena (or "Chee-na" as the kids here refer to me as) :)

Zdravstvuyte from Russia! Week Two

Zdrastya!!

I’m sitting in an internet café located on the Nevsky Prospect, the most famous street in St. Petersburg. This morning we prepared for our next mission to camp #60 and we visited the Church of the Spilled Blood in the afternoon. It’s the church that everyone thinks about when they think of Russian Orthodox Churches (the one with the bright colors and swirling domes on the top).

We got back from orphanage camp #9 on Tuesday. It was a camp that the follow-up staff here in Russia had never gone to and some of the children had never heard the gospel message before. It really was an incredible experience how God changed the hearts of the kids at that camp. They were mostly older kids who earned their keep in the orphanage by working on the farm that was attached to the camp.

One story I’d like to share is of a young girl named Anya, who is 19. She was in my small group where I had an opportunity to give the gospel message. While it was being translated, I could see that God was speaking to her heart. After our small group was over Anya approached the translator and me to ask more questions about God, Christ, and her life. I’m not sure if she accepted Christ at that point or not (most of the older kids do not open up that easily), but as we were leaving and I was just about to get on the bus, I looked over at her and she was at peace.

The kids at this camp are pretty hard and jaded. Most have lived a rough life and they’re only teenagers. Some of them had never heard of Jesus, which was really a neat for our group because the kids were so eager to hear what we had to say. When we left on Tuesday after only two days, most of them were waiting at the bus to say goodbye to us. We will be going back to orphanage #9 in about a week so please pray that we are able to connect with these kids and complete the good work that we have already started with this group. Our group really has a heart for the orphans at this camp and we can see God working in their hearts. I gotta go cause the rest of the group is waiting for.

From Russia with Love in Christ,
Ben

Buna from Romania! Week Two

Hello!!!

Wow...I can't believe we have been here almost 2 weeks....it is crazy! We had an AMAZING week at Zau girls orphanage and it was very very hard for us to leave...alot of us were in tears and we became so close with so many of the girls...the week was a neat experience for all of us to start out with...some of the girls were surprised at how close they got with the girls and how real their bonds became...the Lord really blessed us with memories of these girls that we will never forget.

Since then, the team from FBC Euless has been here and they are SO GREAT! We all got along instantly and they have been a huge help and blessing for us this week....it has been great working together and learning so much from them as well. Their leader, Dave has also been extremely supportive and has been very comforting and encouraging to our team of interns this week also. We have had many laughs and good times so far, and we'll be really sad to see them leave on friday.

We just got done with our group devotionals/reflection time tonight and it is so neat to see how we have only known these people for a short time, but I feel like i could talk to them about anything. I think that because of this, the week has gone very well and we have been able to be more confident as a team because we have so many people working together and supporting one another.

But, the kids have been great, we have been working at a day center in the morning, and Ludus orphanage in the afternoon, and today was our second day, and went alot better than yesterday, because we are getting to know the kids better and they are opening up alot more. We were a little worried about how Ludus would go, but God really is working there and things have gone alot better than we expected...which is usually the case! We are just praying for continued trust and that we would have complete faith and not let satan intimidate us in any way.

It is really hard to sum up a week, because SO much happens here everyday! Some other girls will be posting in the next few days to give more insight to what is going on, so hopefully you will get a better picture of what we are doing everyday....but whoever is reading this...your prayers are much needed for the children of Romania! Have a wonderful day!

Love,
Amy

Jambo from Kenya! Week Two

What an interestingly wonderful week we've had.

There are many things I can write about for this week. The monotony of grinding maize stalks. The joy of impromptu skits. The little boy starring at the white guy behind him even as I write this. But I would have to say, the best thing I can write about would have to be my preaching experience. This was not my first time preaching, but it was my first time preaching in a foreign country. This was not my first time preaching, but it was my first time preaching with an interpreter. This was not my first time preaching, but it was my first time preaching were I am the minority (and what a big minority!)

I think I might hold the record for the shortest sermon at BCC's chapel. A quick 15 minutes is all it took for me. But it was a great experience! I am called to be a foreign missionary, so being given this opportunity was truly awesome. The lessons I've learned cannot even be listed (I'm to keep this to 200 words if possible), but I tell you, for the rest of my life, I will be able to remember back to the day I preached at BCC.

Well, goodbye for now!
Michael

Hola from Guatemala! Week Two

Hola from Guatemala! Week Two

"MI TESORO, MI TESORO, MI TESORO, MI TESORO ESTAN AQUI, MI TESURO......."

Team Guatemala has had an amazing first week in Guatemala! We have continually been in awe of our indescribable God. The team of interns has bonded so well. It's like we've known each other forever. Each of us have many different strengths. It's so encouraging to be surrounded by so many Godly people each day.

This week, we spent the mornings visiting different community homes in Guatemala City. Most of the children were between the ages of 3 and 6. We sang songs, shared a Bible story, and played with the kids.

In the afternoon, we went to San Gabriel Boys' Orphanage. The second day through the last day at San Gabriel, we were greeted with one of the guys shouting, "MI TESORO, MI TESORO, MI TESORO, MI TESORO ESTAN AQUI, MI TESORO......." In English, "my treasue, my treasure, my treasure, my treasure is here, my treasure!"

Our Bible School theme this week was "Bible Heroes." We studied Noah, Daniel, and Joshua. We played with the boys for a little bit and then started our program. We sang songs and shared a Bible story. Then, the boys started rotations (prayer/snacks, soccer, arts & crafts, and basketball). We shared our personal testimonies with them and shared some of our favorite Bible verses. We have prayed so hard for the boys this week and have seen God work in so many ways. We built many relationships with these guys. Many of the guys are still very broken-hearted, angry, and sad.

However, by the end of the week, several of the guys opened up and shared stories with us. Several of the boys were very interested in learning English. One of the boys asked Denise how to say "Dios con nosotros" in English. Denise told him "God with us." She taught him many more phrases in English, however, his favorite was "God with us." He went around the orphanage and told all of the Americans, "God with us." Even at the end of the week, he still remembered and constantly repeated "God with us." On Tuesday, some of the boys really started opening up and sharing with our small group. They started telling us their background and their stories.
We listened to Elmer tell about how his dad choose his stepmom over him.

Elmer's dad told him that his stepmom could give him a normal child (as opposed to one who has epilepsy). Elmer told us how he was called worthless trash. He told us stories about being physically abused by his dad. We listened to Tedy tell about how he formerly looked to drugs to satisfy the void in his life. Tedy told us numerous abuse stories. It was so hard to hold back the tears and be strong. All of a sudden, life as an orphan seemed so real to me. My heart broke in two for these kids. Then, they started telling us how they pray every night and the things they pray for. The next thing we knew, Tedy and Elmer were telling us how they've been praying for us and how grateful they are for us visiting them. They told us they pray for our safety, our relationships with God, and they thank God for us every night. Tedy told us that when he grows up, he wants to be a pastor to spread the word of God (see picture below...Tedy is holding a picture that he drew of Jesus). Wow! It's like we were speechless listening to the boys' past stories, then blown away by their prayers for us, and finally in complete awe of God's sovereignty. Later in the week, Denise was talking to Samuel and asked him who was his best friend. Without hesitation, he pointed up and said Jesus.

Ahh, and our big surprise.....Thursday we had a surprise birthday party for all of the boys at San Gabriel. It was EVERYONE'S birthday!!! While the boys and the team from Bellcroft sang songs and acted out the Bible story, the interns decorated the cafeteria. We had posters with encouraging words and balloons. We had pizza for the boys and a huge birthday cake. After the food, we had a huge water balloon fight. We ended the party with birthday gifts for all of the boys! What a day! Best of all, we will be returning to San Gabriel the last two weeks that we are in Guatemala. Please continue praying for all of the boys at San Gabriel. Pray that God would soften their hearts and that all of the boys would seek God with all of their heart. Pray that they would be overwhelmed by the love of their Heavenly Father even though an earthly father isn't part of their lives.

Pray that God would work miracles through us when we're at San Gabriel.

Feliz cumpleanos!!!
~For His Kids, Sheena

Zdravstvuyte from Russia! Week One (entry 2)

Priviet from Russia!!

It was so good to hear from a lot of you via email. Thanks for all your prayers and concerns. It has been an amazing trip so far. Our group has bonded really well and Buckner’s Russian staff are such great people. I’ve spent the last week at a camp located outside of St. Petersburg with about 50 Russian orphans. It has been so incredible that words cannot describe what it was like, but I’ll try.

The age group of the kids was from 5-13 year olds and of course they loved us as soon as we saw them (the older kids take a lot longer to warm up to us, or so I’ve been told). Our group did a tremendous job with the Vacation Bible School and everything worked so well, praise God. In the afternoon, we had free time with the children and I taught them how to play football (American football.

The kids, of course were the best part of the trip. They were constantly jumping all over me and asking me to throw them up in the air. I’d usually have at least 3 or 4 kids hanging from my neck and arms and since I’m the only guy (the other 9 American interns are girls) all the boys wanted me to play with them. The kids are starving for male attention because all of the caregivers are women. I had an opportunity to get close with a number of the boys and just hug them and play with them and build them up. One little boy in particular had a special bond with me because we saw each other when he was in Dallas and I told him that I would see him when I came to Russia. His name was Vitaly, please pray that he gets adopted. I’ll never forget on the first day when we arrived, he remembered me and what I said back in Dallas. After the first day, when we were all waiving goodbye, I looked up and saw Vitaly smiling down at me from the balcony with a look of shear joy. It’s a moment that I’ll probably remember for the rest of my life.

The orphanage that we visited (#2) has some of the best caregivers in all of St. Petersburg, but the kids are still so starved for attention and just basic love. Any time I’d go anywhere, they’d want me to hold them or play with them or just hold their hand and smile at them. One little girl named Ella stole my heart. She’s 10 years old and lives in the orphanage with her brother Kostya, she has bright blue eyes and blond hair (always wears a bandana), such a cute little girl. I didn’t even meet her until the second day and even then she was very shy and would hardly let me touch her. Slowly she warmed up to me and I got to spend some time with her during our Bible story time and craft time. By the end of the week she wanted me to hold her during our times together and would sneak a kiss on my cheek from time to time. When we left this afternoon, I wrote her a little card and she gave me a big hug, while holding back tears. Words really can not express the love I had and have for this little girl. She is so sweet and innocent and I pray that a Christian family will adopt her.

Well I gotta go cause I’m holding up the group. My time so far has been challenging and so rewarding. We start again on Monday at orphanage #9. Till next week, we remain Strong in Christ,

- Benjamin (Venya)

Jambo from Kenya! Week One

Here a few of the blessings that I experienced today:

1.When we walked into the orphanage, Josia (eight year old boy) was leading the song:
"I have a living hope, I have a future, God has a plan for me, this I am sure. Jesus your my firm foundation. I know I can stand secure. Jesus your my firm foundation. I put my hope in your holy word."
How precious and what a true testimony to hear the children loudly singing this song together. I am reminded of what a tight grip that their Lord Jesus has on their lives.

2. The children had a running race at school. Shirro (a five year old girl) was racing another little boy. She ran to the fence and was leaps ahead of the boy. All of the girls were chanting "Shirro, Shirro..." She had the hugest smile on her face as she ran across the finish line and straight into my arms. I pick her up in a huge hug and began to spin her around. I felt so privileged that she would run that hard to me. This reminded me of how the father in the parable of the prodigal son might have felt as he received his son. All of life's worries fade away and you see the face of someone you love. Those of your who are parents know what it feels like to have a child pick you out in a crowd and run to your arms.

3. The poverty in Nairobi is so extreme. We saw a few ladies digging through huge piles of trash today looking for any food to eat. Again, how blessed am I not to worry about the next meal that I will eat.

Thank you for your prayers. Our team is healthy and has a wonderful attitude. Tomorrow the children are doing a performance of the traditional songs at school for us.

Much love,
Becky

Buna from Romania! Week One

Buna!

Yay we are finally here!!! haha...30 hours of traveling is insane! We are having a really good time here so far. Yesterday was our first day working in an orphanage, called Zau. It is an all girls orphanage with girls from 4 years old to 20! So, we are having different programs for the older and younger girls. We have been doing VBS in the morning and play time in the afternoon. The girls are all so precious, and our team was all so surprised how sweet and welcoming they are! We were all getting kisses on the cheek about an hour after we got there! Everyone on the team is doing well, and are laughing a lot...so that is always good!

Today we got to have a picnic outside and enjoy the beautiful mountains here! We had no idea there would be so many mountains, trees, and animals walking around. The orphanage is about an hour away in a small village, so it has been really neat to see a completely different way of life.

We will continue working with the girls until Saturday, when a church team comes and we will start at Ludus next Monday. We are all having a great time getting to know the city and one another, and especially the girls. Personally, I have become friends with a girl named Lucia, and there is nothing better than getting her hugs every time we arrive! Please pray for the rest of this week and that we can form deeper bonds with the girls...they are wonderful, and we are so lucky to be able to spend time with them this week!

Ciao,
Amy

Zdravstvuyte from Russia! Week One

Priviet Comrads :)

Well our group made it to St. Petersburg safe and sound. No problems along the way or getting through security. It was a long trip and we got to experience the "White nights" (because our flight path was so far north, the sun never went down completely all throughout the night) on the way there. It was so nice to hit the sack last night after being up almost 36 hrs straight! We have got a terrific team with us here. Besides the 10 interns from the US, I've met 3 other Russian nationals who will be helping us in our mission to the orphans, Olga, Lena and Yan. Yan is totally classic; he's my roommate and the only other guy on the trip, so we've been spending a lot of time together. He has an amazing story about how he became Christian. Also, coincidently, he is from Shymkent Kazakstan, the same city my brother Zack stayed at when he was in Kazakstan two years ago. We had a really good time of worship and Bible study last night and I think the team is bonding pretty well already.

Church this morning was really cool; we went to a Russian church. I think it's one of the most amazing things to hear songs that praise God in other languages. The people at the church were really nice and I got to talk to (and practice my Russian) with a number of them.

The Russian people (in general) on the other hand, are not so friendly. One of the biggest things I've noticed is no one talks. It's so weird, we'll be walking down the street and there will be lots of people everywhere but the whole place is silent. St. Petersburg is a beautiful city and they are doing repairs on it which is good, because it is a little run down in some parts. It reminds me of Paris or Vienna in its architecture.

Well I gotta go cause the group is waiting for me. Everything is going well and thanks for all your prayers. We head out tomorrow for our week at the first orphanage camp. Will be in touch soon, also, getting a phone card tomorrow.

Dasvidanya Y Slava Bogo (Goodbye and Praise the Lord)

Ben

Jambo from Kenya! Week One

This week, well, really day, was splendid.

It was quick; it was slow; it was perfect.

Today my biggest worry was that they wouldn't remember me. But all that vanished when we got to Baptist Children's Centre (BCC) for church. We walked into Sunday school this morning and right away I was Hillum (my main man from the December trip)... and Hillum saw me. I watched with almost blinding joy as he mouthed, through full grin, "Michael". All the anxiety I had had now fled with the beam from his face.

The faces that I remembered, and that remembered me, only increased as the day progressed. And it felt like a long awaited homecoming.

Then it was time to leave. What felt like only a momentary meeting was now over; but not to worry my little orphans, I'll see you tomorrow.

-Michael



Dear friends and family,

I have arrived safely in Nairobi, Kenya and am so thrilled to return here again.

This morning we went to church at the orphanage. I was so excited to see all of the familiar faces. The children remembered me by name and it took everything in me not to break down with tears of joy. Everyone looked so healthy and their smiles were even larger than I had remembered. I couldn't help but scan the crowd for my little friend Regina, but she was no where to be found. I asked the school teacher where she was and I found out that she was moved to a different orphanage. Regina and another little girl with AIDS were taken to a special medical orphanage. I will miss her, but know that her life is still in the Lord's hands.

The church service was very encouraging. I love getting to sing hymns and here the Bible read in Kiswahili. There is something really special about getting to praise God in different languages. I think this morning at church is a little glimpse of what heaven will be like.

Tomorrow we will begin our daily routine of visiting the orphanage. Today, we are still recovering from Jet-lag. I hope to send weekly email updates. I value your prayers above all!

Many blessings and Bwana Asifiwe (Praise the Lord!)
~Becky

Hola from Guatemala! Week One

Hola! Estamos en Guatemala! The Guatemalan team of interns safely arrived in Guatemala City Friday night. We are staying in the Buckner House in Guatemala City this week. One of the pictures is from the roof of the Buckner House. What an amazing view to wake up to each day!

Yesterday, we went to the Buckner Baby Home. This orphanage is a new baby home that is completely ran by Buckner staff. There are currently three children living there. Below you will see two pictures of the kids from the Baby Home. The interns were so excited to spend some time loving on those precious kids.

This morning, we went to church at La Verdad ("The Truth"). It was my first experience at an all Spanish church. It is so amazing to reflect on the fact that the God that we worship in English is the exact same God that we worshipped in Spanish this morning (as well as the same God that other interns are worshipping in Kenya, Russia, and Romania!!!). I think that sometimes it's so easy to put God in a "box" and minimize who He really is. However, God doesn't even recognize the language difference, because He looks at our heart. What a big God!

We met Bellcroft Church from Maryland this morning. We will be teaming up with Bellcroft Church this week while we do Bible School at San Gabriel Boys' Home. Here's a little background about some of the boys from San Gabriel. Several of the boys came from Elisa Martinez Boys' Home which was recently closed. As you can imagine, this was a very hard transition for those boys. There are many boys there that are sad and have broken hearts. It is truly Divine appointment that we planned many months ago to go to San Gabriel this week. It is our prayer that the boys' hearts will be open and excited to hear the Word of God. We have a BIG surprise for the boys on Thursday! More details on the next blog . . . :)

~Sheena

Photos from Guatemala

Buna from Romania! Week Four

We're in Budapest!! This city is amazing. We've spent our whole last day here taking pictures and trying to cram in all the culture and beauty that we can. We took a bus tour in the morning (to figure out how to get to all the places we wanted to go back to), took a boat tour midday (included in the bus tour price), took several metro rides to get to a museum that closed five minutes before we got there, visited the sweet zoo, shopped like crazy people, and managed to find time for food here and there.

It's strange to think that just two days ago we were spending all of our time with the kids. (These last three days we were at a great group home with only nine kids - wonderful!) I don't think it's really hit us yet that we probably won't ever see those kids again. I'm not even sure it's registered for me that I'll be seeing my family so soon.

I never really know how to handle ending these kinds of short-term trips. It doesn't feel right to just go back to living the life I had before all of this, but I know that dwelling on the past and longing for it will accomplish nothing. The hardest yet most important thing that should be done is to continue praying fervently. Yes, we've all been praying while we're there, and even before we came, but after we get back into our routines? after we push these memories to the backs of our minds? Paul constantly urged the early Church to pray for one another, present all kinds of requests to God, be united in prayer (even when distance is an obstacle). What a challenge! Please continue praying year-round for all of the work being done by Buckner's in-country staff (Anca, Dacian, Cristina, Ioana, and others). And pray for the children - that they will come to know our Father and stand firm in their faith through the many obstacles that come their way.

In Doamne's hand,
Sara