Joy in the Journey

Camp Living Water

It all began as a dream and countless conversations in the office Cami and I shared while teaching at BCA. The frustration was having concentrated time to disciple the orphanage kids. Visiting the orphanage two to three times a week was great for building relationships and bonds with the kids. However, getting down to the heart of the gospel message was proving to be difficult. Thus, Camp Living Water was born. It would be an opportunity to take the children out of the abusive orphanage situation and bringing them to the peace found in the country side. Many said that this was an impossibility since the kids are wards of the State there would be mountains of paper work to grant permission for them to leave Bucharest. However, we serve a God who can move such mountains. This summer will be the third year of operation of Camp Living Water.
Two years ago I visited the land which held no structures. We camped in tents and stored supplies in rubbermaid tubs. Today, a multi-level cabin filled with beds, dinning platforms and picnic tables, a gazebo, and camp kitchen (camp fire cooking) dot the land once occupied by goats and herders. I was amazed and extremely thankful to all the volunteers over the last two years who have come to build to make this camp dream come to reality.
There is much more to be done. Additional cabins, soccer goals, pavilions, and other structures are still needed. However, at this time Camp Living Water stands as a monument to what God can accomplish when His people step out in faith and follow obediently.
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Photos above: View of cabin and dinning area. Notice the snow line on the cabin.

Photo right: Scott and Cami discuss the upcoming camping season and all that will be done before July.

posted by Laura Wilson @ 10:22:00 AM 0 comments

Packing

When parents send their children off to college there is a bit of stress in what moves to college and what is stored at home. For missionary kids the process also involved sorting through a lifetime of memories to decide what stays and what goes. This is how I spent my Saturday. One day after she graduated Rachael had to take on the painstaking task of shifting through all she held dear and deciding what would stay in Romania and what made it into the five tubs she and her family were transporting back to America. There is no easy way to do this. Additionally she is the oldest of four sister - all of whom share clothes, jewelry and shoes. Fortunately all negotiations were successful, clothing redistributed and tubs filled.
She will begin college in that fall, and as with many kids her age, will be leaving behind all that is familiar (despite being foreign to most). She has a new adventure ahead of her. Learning to drive, using a checking account, using US dollars. After conquering that, college should be a cake walk!

posted by Laura Wilson @ 10:07:00 PM 0 comments

Bucharest Christian Academy's Class of 2008

It was about 8 years ago when Rachael (third from the left) and I met. I was in my classroom at Bucharest Christian Academy getting ready for my next classes. Suddenly I heard the shattering of a porcelain sink as it hit the floor. Though I had become accustom to unusual sounds and crashes during my time in Bucharest, I knew something was wrong. Running to the bathroom, there stood Rachael, standing in front of where the sink once was. Her expression communicated clearly her shock and fear. I helped her navigate through the sink shrapnel, checked for slivers on her pant legs, and escorted her back to class. That is how I met Rachael, and on Friday I was witness to her and five others graduated from high school.
It has been a grand experience to be witness to how the Lord has used Rachael and her family in Bucharest. She has seized many opportunities to experience life in Romania and be a light there. As she walked across the stage to receive her diploma there was not shock or fear on her face. She too waits in great anticipation to what the Lord leads her to.
Congrats Rachael and the rest of BCA's Class of 2008. I am proud to you!!!

posted by Laura Wilson @ 6:05:00 PM 0 comments