Some thoughts over coffee at Bucharest Airport

'Maximise your experiences'.....Colin

'A week of incredible contrasts'.....Jane

'Romania is different from eight years ago when I last came'....Jane

'A privilege to work with the FAST team'.... All of us

'What Daniel is doing is bringing hope and hope is a good thing'......Phil

'I love (working with) you George and Avram'......Kevin

'How can these things be happening in Europe?'....Emily

'A Roma sees a beach and children playing in the water, I just see a very dirty river'....Marie

'The more we have, the more selfish we become!'....Em

'Some of the Better Homes houses in the village looked good, but sad that many live in poor houses, some using mattresses for walls'...Patrick

'Remarkable that we kept free of accidents and illness all week, considering what we have done and how far we have travelled
....thank you Lord'

Faith, Hope and Love remain.....and the greatest is Love.

Ready to leave for home.

Just a final check of the engine and Daniel finds something loose under the bonnet.

Final team photo on Saturday morning before the drive over the mountains to Bucharest.

Last night, meal out with Daniel Ema and family.

Colin had tripe soup tonight, Ciorba de Burta, and really enjoyed it.

Daniel's Singing Stars

Last night celebrations culminates with two of Daniel's daughters singing Karaoke. Real stars!
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Kevin's favourite...... !!

She is not only the maker of endless cups of tea, the mother of a mattress mover, and the mother of an oily fence painter, Marie has helped two families this week by sharing her faith story through alcoholism.

Alcohol is a big problem amongst the Roma, with very little help for them in knowing what to do, how to confront their addiction or how to change their lives.

Maybe, just maybe and by God's grace, Marie has sown some seeds of hope that may begin a recovery for men like Peter.

Please pray.

Another Phil skill

Eat your heart out Ferguson, Phil has built about forty teams this week, pitch and stadiums as well!

Phil, many different skills this week!!

 

What did Phil do this week? 

He was a Horse and Cart driver

he was a Wood Shifter

A Shed builder

a Chain Saw operative

and on the first day he just sat there wondering what he had let himself in for!!!

Mission House and Muriel's Kitchen

 The Mission house is the larger building in the centre

 The front of the Mission House, with a new Alarm fitted by Colin and his helpers.

 at the back of the Mission House and attached is site of the Kitchen, complete with brick Chimney, and oven, cupboards and plenty of space etc    Muriel's Kitchen

Final day

Here is our Shed, at the back of the Church (which Daniel helped to build)

This is the old Shed, at the back of the Church. It has been used to store firewood for the Church Wood Stove. Apparently someone could be taking it down and using it as a little house somewhere else in the village!

Kevin and Phil, fell quite satisfied with their weeks work!

Reverend Roofer on Thursday Morning, putting battens on ready for ther sheets.

Oh, and its really hot again!!

George and Avram, they get all the sheets fixed on the roof by lunchtime on Friday.

They said it could not be done, but in four full working days.......guess what!!!!!

Nice one boys.

Final day!

Daniel finally sits down

How much fun can one ice cream be?

Natalia daughter of George and Simone, enjoying an ice cream (a special treat).

Mission House Alarm

Daniel said 'just put a burglar alarm in the Mission House, oh with sensors inside and out!' Oh, and can you put a fuse box.' Junuts and Colin sweated all week on ladders over wires and cleats.
Last night it was set and only triggered when Sorin's horse grazed too close.
Colin.

Biscuits

Emily and Marie helped the children bake biscuits this morning. They made two each. We were surprised that they did not devour them when they had the chance, several of them wrapped them up to take home for their siblings, we thought it a lovely gesture. One of the boys told us that his two little brothers were crying when he left home this morning. The teacher explained that they could have been crying because they were hungry, the boy comes from a very poor family.
Marie

Muriel's Kitchen

If any of you reading this blog have ever met Danel, you will know he is the inspiration behind the wonderful work of FAST http://www.fastcharity.ro/.

Daniel is always thinking ahead!! He has now built a Mission House in Tarlengeni, where Colin has been fitting a burglar alarm this week. But another idea that Daniel has, is that the Mission House have a kitchen attached to it, this could be useful in many different ways, especially providing food in the winter months for some of the needy people and children living locally.

So we have a plan!

The wonderful donations given recently in memory of Kevin's Mum who passed away at the end of April can now be used to help create this new structure,  with brick chimney, ovens etc, and there is enough money to provide food until Christmas. What a great idea and fitting tribute, it can become a place of Hospitality, Welcome and Good Food and called 'Muriel's Kitchen'.

End of the fourth day of Shed Making!

George putting the roofing felt on our trusses!

Phil helping Avram put up the last few panels, only trouble is they are quite high up.

We have actually only had one ladder all week, and some short folding steps.

Finiushing touches on the roof, before putting the sheets on tomorrow!

Its now 5pm on day 4. Phil (The Shed) and Kevin have been amazed how its all gone this week.

And just as were about to go home Alex and Raul, son of Avram, make a cool pose in front of the camera.

The best shed Phil and Kevin have ever built in Romania, that's cos it's the only shed we ever built together.

Kevin's slave chain gang

Just help move one or two mattresses, said Daniel.

Up high ladder

Never, ever, climb a ladder Colin they said. But that's where the alarm is!

House groups, hills and thunderstorms

Five of the team arrived safely back at the Centre after a visit to Anca's family home. She lives in a village, the house(in daylight) seemed to be the last one up a hill with fantastic views of the country side.

Anca is director of the Centre, a lovely Christian and tonight's meeting was a small group of the staff who work with Daniel and Ema, along with their children.

Marie told her story of her faith journey through Alcoholism and out the other side, it inspired and helped us, especially Anca's father. He also spoke movingly about his father's addiction(now died) and his sister's current problems.

All the time, it was thundering outside, with many cracks of lightening.

It would be impossible to put into words here, the precarious journey after the meeting ended at 10:30pm, down to the minibus, on foot, in the dark, in the rain, on a very muddy slope, with no rain coats, unsuitable shoes(Marie), and a car out of control(Avrams, and his family inside) coming down the same slope behind us.

Wow is one word, we'll tell you more about it when we get home!!

What, we have no Margarita pizza tonight.

Patrick, a young man with Gastronomic limitations tonight failed to have his preferred choice for a meal, and ate Jane's Spag Bol instead......under sufferance.
Well done Jane, she panelled a shed this morning and rustled up evening tea with ingredients from the local shops.
A Multi talented Mrs Vicarage!!

Oily Emily

 

Emily yesterday after her oily day down in the village, amazing that she managed to get herself clean again!!

Today

 

Wednesday Morning and Phil 'the Shed' gets to work putting the trusses up.

 

Look who joined the team of builders today, she's younger than Kevin and better looking than Avram and George!

 Below...we wrote our names inside the shed before the walls get covered up. Notice Phil has taken to his new name.....Phil 'the Shed Calcutt'

We started work again at 7 this morning and did not stop for lunch until 1:30pm, a long shift, but really good to see how much has been achieved.