The Hopkins

Today I went to Targu Mures to purchase hard wood flooring for the ministry center in Tsigmandru. It was a long and exhausting day, buying things in Romania takes longer than in the States. So when you buy a major purchase such as I made today, it takes a very long time. It is not just the language difficulties, it just takes more paper work and patience. There is no checking system here in Romania and credit cards are rare. So if you want to make a major purchase like I did today, you have to carry a large wad of Romanian money around in your pocket. I try to shop and pretend that there is not five thousand Romanian Lei on my person. The purchase is done, some of the flooring is being delivered, and the remainder will come in a month or so. Now we need to prep the very uneven sub floor for the flooring installation.

Upon returning to Tsigmandru, I meet up with Melanie for the younger teens club. This was the first time that 9-13 year olds were separated from the younger children for a program of their own. This was done because siblings of this age are required to care for their younger brother and sisters. So when there is kids club these 9-13 year olds are "working" and not enjoying themselves or being ministered to. They are forced to grow up very quickly. So this group was formed to separate them so they can just be kids. What a great success it was today. Thirty children showed up and had a terrific time. I found myself participating in a game of "shuffle your buns." These was a new concept to these kids but they had great fun. They also played a game where we tied a balloon to their ankles, and pairs faced off to stomp the other balloon until it breaks. There was not a person in the room, adult or child, who was not laughing uncontrollably. It was great to see the laughter and the freedom to just be a kid. It was very refreshing to me and to them the children. Maurice