"How are you doing?"

I have heard the question a multitude of times in the past couple of weeks. And everytime I respond in the positive. "Good! Really well." Then I always check myself, "I am good, right?" Yep. Honestly, I don't think the transition could've been any smoother.
I thought that I would ache to go back to Romania and be miserable for a little bit, but the truth is, it was time. I needed to come back to America, to come home and be surrounded by family and friends who love me unconditionally. It felt like one of those foam-pit things. You know, the pool sized hole filled with squishy foam squares with a long trampoline leading up to it.
I was jumping and jumping (and loving it). And once I got to the end where the pit was, I got a little scared and hesitated a bit. Cause jumping is great and I wasn't so sure what the pit would be like. But time got the best of me and pushed me over the threshold, bringing me to the softest and most comfortable landing ever. It's been especially relieving after having jumped for so long. My jumping muscles are getting the biggest and best possible break.
To sum up the past couple of weeks:
I came into the airport at about 12:30 in the am on Sunday (a week and a half ago) and was greeted by a few friends. It was the perfect amount of people. Any more and I would have been overwhelmed. We chatted minimally before I headed home to my big, beautiful bed. I had a couple of good beds in Romania, but nothing hits home like your bed.
The next morning I was off to church with mom and dad. Before I knew it, I was standing in front of the congregation getting all blubbery and thanking them for allowing us to be the hands of Pearce in Romania. (Which is totally true and worth blubbering about).
Then mom and dad made me an incredible london broil (beef!) meal and I thought I would fall out of my chair because it tasted so good. We went to Community of the Savior that night and I got to experience the church that I've heard all about for the whole year and anxiously awaited visiting. It was really cool.
So my days since then have been spent relatively "low key". I discover something new everyday, like the fact that I don't need a match to light the stove OR the oven! Spanish is not Romanian no matter how hard you try to make it the same. And eggs are white. And driving is like riding a bike. Cell phones are not permitted whilst driving a car. Swinging is still just as exhilirating as it was 335 days ago. The root beer is dee-licious. Cheddar cheese is incredible stuff. Reading a book in the sun is heavenly. Wegmans is still huge and very put-together. Golf is the same sport it was when I left. Knowing very little about the latest movies leads to bad decision making. There are developments springing up all over the place like mold on month-old applesauce. Hanging out with friends is still as fun as it ought to be.
Part of my adjustment being so calm and clean is that everything feels so dang normal. I feel like I was dropped back into life as it was. Yet my brain is racked with all sorts of new information and lessons learned. And sometimes the change in others peeks out at me, too. And I smile. Because I've realized that while I was away, things changed. Just as they should. Hey, although 15 year old me thought that the world revolved around my head, I've come a long way. And it's awesome to see those changes, to feel them, explore them. It's as if this huge feast is going on, but everyone from my life here in America has brought a course. So now we have all sat down and the feast has begun. Exchange of lessons learned and stories unheard doesn't disconcert me, it makes my experience richer. I don't know if I'm making any sense. I don't mean to sound like "oh my year was better than yours", no. That's not the point. The point is that all of our experiences mixed together and layered on top of one another make this beautiful piece of work, this fantastic feast. And only God can craft something like that. His fingerprints are all over this transition and for that, I am so thankful.
Praise God for his grace and strength. For his peace that surpasses understanding. And for the beauty in life that unfolds itself in unusual and unexpected ways. Praise his unending and limitless love, that we can only stand in awe of.

Meager meandering.

Alright, mom has been telling me I need to blog (wierd that mom can tell me what I need to do again, huh?) . And I do. I will write something soon. But, I'm just not sure what's best to write now. Things are going well. I'm feeling at home here in America. Strangely normal. Little things are surprising me along the way.
Of course, I miss Romania. I miss the people and the place itself.
I am trying to adjust healthfully, but I'm not sure what that means either. I'll let you know how it goes.
Anyway, the pictures above are from Sendi's graduation...the whole reason that I stayed behind a few days in Romania. It was a beautiful process and I was blessed to be a part of it.
Hm. Again, not feeling up for detailed explanations tonight. But I'll fill you in soon, really. I just needed a few days off. And now I feel like I can get the gears in the brain greased to move again. So I'll crank a new one out in the next couple of days. =]
Hope you're as excited as I am.

Last this, last that.

Life is extremely busy right now.
The Hopkins have officially left the country and will be in America this evening (your time). That is a truly strange feeling. These next few days I'll be trying to say goodbye to everyone. Turns out I know more people than I realized last week when I was attempting to plan out how this week would go. It's hard having to say goodbye over and over. Having to explain that I have no idea when I'll be able to come back to Romania and no clear idea what God is calling me to next. Sometimes I feel a certain expectation to know exactly where I am going, what I will end up doing, and how long it will be until I return. Only God knows.
One thing I have learned to do fairly well here, is to take it one day at a time. Focus on living the best you can in this day. And then when you rise the next morning, you can think about that one. But sometimes I still struggle with it. I want to say "this fall! I'll come back this fall!" or "next year! for sure next year!" but I can't. The way God weaves Romania into my life from here on out is truly up to his handiwork and I can only wait to see what that will look like.
So these past few days we've had some "wrapping it up" type things to do. Our last teen meeting all together was on Friday. On Saturday we went to Viscri with the Ludu family. On Sunday we had a big church picnic up on Vila Franka and I also went to church service in Tsigmadru for the last time. Yesterday I spent trying to prepare things for later in the week and also went up and helped the Hopkins out a bit. We had our last Monday night dinner and after that the Mailat's (the family I live above) came to say goodbye and send them off. Today I had elderly club, where they all were insistant on telling me I must come back as many times as I can before I go. And now I am off for my last trip to Tsigmadru where we'll have kids club and teens club. Tomorrow I have an equally full schedule, but mainly of going to see people.
I won't deny that the prospect of leaving all of this behind makes me really sad. I am trying to enjoy the time I have left, but having everything labeled "last" in my head is frustrating. I want to yell "no it's not!", but instead the truth remains and it really is.
I am so thankful for this year. I can't even put it into words. I am so blessed by so many people, I don't know if I will be able to express fully how much I care. And God is so faithful and real that it's overwhelming.
I don't know if this will be my last post from Romania. It very well could be because I really don't want to waste any more time on the computer. But if that's the case, I want to thank all of you profusely. Thank you for your support. Thanks for your prayers and comforting words. Of course, you will hear more from me. I will continue to write upon return.
Multumesc din suflet! (Thanks from the soul)

What day is it?

Most of these pictures were taken by Ange. I won't deny the fact that I didn't take very many. And we forgot to load Kristen's before they left. But these do a good job of capturing it.
Together again. At a cafe in Sibiu.
On a sweet bridge in Sibiu.
This one is for you, mom.
Beautiful Sibiu! Doesn't it look like a postcard?
Ange's all-time favorite picture. =]
Most of the group of teens that came to Prod for the retreat.
Porch in Prod.
Kristen and Ange with one of my elderly friends. They played rummi the whole time! And she talked and talked to them while they nodded their heads and said "da!".
Sendi and I at my apartment.

Oh dear. Time continues to fly and blessings and riches pile on top of each other with each passing day. I spent all day Friday bringing my friends to catch their flight in Bucharest and before I could even think about them being gone... Saturday I ran into mama Capusneanu who asked whether or not I was going to the Veritas picnic. I said I hadn't been invited, to which she responded, "what are you waiting for a hand written invitation? You're coming with me!" So we met Anita at the train station and walked up to Vila Franka (a restaurant that overlooks Sighisoara). And just about the whole staff was there. It was so much fun just to have time to be with everyone all at once. Oh, and guess who showed up? HANS! I didn't think I'd ever see him again! But he and Rhiann came to Sighisoara for the week.
So I'm sure this week will be spent just trying to drink it up and keep up with the race. I still can't believe that it's really been almost a year. And I still don't want to face the reality of leaving behind home here. I don't have to yet...

Breath of fresh air

That title embodies the past 10 days.
It has been such an incredible blessing to share "my world" with my friends and to introduce them to the place and people I have fallen in love with. For a few transient moments I was nervous about what that would look like. "What if they don't like it? What if they don't understand? What if they ask me all sorts of questions that I really should know, but have no clue how to answer? What if it seems like I've just been flopping around all year, not accomplishing much of anything?"
Then I realized all of those questions were ridiculous, whispers from the evil one. These are my friends who love me unconditionally and have supported me all year. Who just want to see and experience what life is like for me because I mean that much to them. That thought came while standing in the airport waiting for them to walk in and it occurred to me once again just how richly God has blessed me in my life. I feel like I have enough already to last a lifetime. Sometimes I wish I could say "stop! stop! I don't deserve it." Of course his amazing grace swoops in and hushes me. God's all-consuming grace, fills one with all-consuming joy, that's irresistable...even when things are hard. I have a hard time understanding how or why or even when this truth invaded my life this year, but it's something you don't compromise with persistent and useless questions. You accept it and embrace it, knowing full well that it may not always feel this way. I've been told before not to question where God has placed you, but just to listen and accept the blessings he pours over you. Share. Use the life of abundance given to you and bless others with it. Don't make it about yourself.
Okay, back to the week's activities. Traveling last Tuesday went well although it was unplanned (on my part) really. Leaving at 3ish in the morning, I took the train to Bucharest. Jumped on the metro and then the bus, arriving at the airport about 5 full hours before their flight came in. I actually enjoyed my time exploring, people watching (you know we all do it), and reading. Once they came through the gate I was quickly informed that all of their luggage was missing. HA! I couldn't help but laugh nervously as I thought of them being sucked behind the counters of "lost luggage" here in Romania and not resurfacing for two or more hours. However, half an hour later we left for the train being told that their things would show up the next day in Sighisoara "hopefully". All were in good spirits though as we left for the train and things like "well, this would have been no fun lugging stuff with us anyway" were said. Aaron, Kristen, and Kyle's luggage did show up the next evening. Ange's not until Friday afternoon.
So Wednesday Karen and Maurice decided that they were willing to house Kyle and Aaron the whole week for the cost of food. That was a relief because it would have been a little more difficult had they stayed in a host family. We had a relaxing Wednesday and pretty much just "hung out" all day. Karen had kid's club, which Aaron and Kyle attended, while Kristen, Ange, and I stayed with Liam.
Thursday we had another laid back day. I had planned for all of us to go to Sibiu and meet my friend Anita there, but it was supposed to rain. So we stayed in Sighi. We went to elderly club in the morning and then did some typical tour-like stuff after lunch. Climbed the clock tower. Went to House on the Rock. Enjoyed just being together. I'm pretty sure this was the day that we also went to go see the woman that Karen has been making visits to all year (and I've mentioned in a previous blog) Tanti Lenuta. It was really good to see her again and also interesting for me to see how much I could understand of what she was saying. Man does she get carried away talking about all sorts of things sometimes...=] It was fun to see her and hear her tell stories again though.
Friday was the day we left for a neighboring village, Prod. It was teen retreat time! We spent Friday afternoon, Saturday, and Sunday until late afternoon in Prod with the teen group. It went fantastically well and I believe God really worked in many of us in different ways that weekend. I was so glad to have that time with Sendi and Csilla as well. We had wonderful food gathered by Karen and prepared by one of the kid's mothers (with varying peoples' help too). We ate, laughed, played, ran in the rain, sang, talked, and stayed quiet together. I'm not sure that anyone wanted to leave when it came time. We had an adventure getting home after a vehicle broke down, but eventually all of us returned safe and sound.
Monday we decided to go to Sibiu. It is beautiful there and I loved it the first time (with Maggie and Anita) and loved it all over again the second time. We took an early train and spent the whole day just strolling around, climbing clock towers, sitting in cafes and parks, enjoying the sun. Again, just having time with each other felt incredible.
Tuesday we went to elderly club and family center lunch. After that, we all went out to Tsigmadru. The boys rode with Nelutu and the girls caught the maxi taxi. We hauled a snack and craft with us and just enjoyed time with the kids and with the teens. It was awesome to have them meet Nelutu and see the ministry out at the Nazarene Center. Especially for Aaron and Kyle, who had seen it when it was only a vision, literally stakes in the ground of a field.
Wednesday we went back to elderly club and enjoyed our time there. We thought about hiking to the Briete with Nolan and Liam while Karen had kid's club, but it was just too hot. So we mostly stayed home. Though we did go for a short walk to get ingredients for making dinner that night. After getting back from that walk, the girls and I headed back to the apartment to start in on dinner for the family I live above. Pizza, salad, toast and cheese, strawberries. With mandarine oranges in jello and sweet cream dessert. Yum! Csilla and Anita both came over to enjoy the meal with the whole gang. It was Kyle, Aaron, Kristen, Ange, Anita, Csilla, Lian, Andrei, and I. Liana and Emil ate too, but after the rest of us, so I didn't get to see their reaction. =] It was funny to watch Lian and Andrei as they ate "American" pizza. That night was great.
The next day was Thursday (yesterday). Last day already! We did some errands around town pretty much the whole day and hung out with Sendi and Csilla. For dinner we enjoyed a Romanian meal cooked by Karen and Liana that was absolutely delicious. And then after that we went up to Villa Franka with David and enjoyed the view as the sun set while eating some "house cake." All of us got home fairly late and then us girls continued the trend of lateness by staying up and enjoying the stars, packing, and talking. We had to do an up and down check of my apartment because something of Ange's went missing, but after that we settled down for a full 3ish hours of sleep.
Getting up at 4 to be ready by 5 and at the "barrier" at 5:30am, we dragged all things to meet our autobus on time. Loading in, we set off together and their super long day of travel began. I went with them to Bucharest airport, dropped them off, and hopped right back on the autobus to come back to Sighi. And now here I am.
I cannot believe that their time here is over. And furthermore, I can't believe what that means for my time here. But for today, I think I'll continue in denial and just try and catch up with some much needed sleep.

Chaos and I like it.

I'm going to pick up my friends from the Bucharest airport tomorrow. What time? Don't ask because I haven't figured that out yet. It could be 3 in the morning or it could be 6. The plans are a little sketchy right now. But that's okay with me and I'm not worried at all because all that matters is that they will be here. Ange and Kristen will live with me in my apartment and Aaron and Kyle will live with a family on the Veritas' staff. 10 whole days. And you better believe that I am going to enjoy every minute of it. =]