tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56104827272358777492024-03-12T21:44:50.825-07:00Abba's KidsPure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. James 1:27(NKJV)Dawn Hoffman, OTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072449971325720046noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610482727235877749.post-22380457078541914582016-08-13T13:07:00.004-07:002016-08-13T13:07:41.137-07:00Spring/Summer Update<div class="version-NKJV result-text-style-normal text-html " style="box-sizing: border-box;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span class="passage-display-bcv" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-right: 10px;">"Oh taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!" Psalm 34:8</span><span class="passage-display-version" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline;"> (NKJV)</span></span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It seems only days ago that the trees were blossoming and the fruits were budding. Spring was absolutely glorious here in Romania. And yet, now here were are roasting the eggplants, canning vegetables and making jams. Summer is nearly coming to an end, and all the preparations for winter have begun. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="text Ps-90-12" id="en-NKJV-15391" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">"So teach <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">us</i> to number our days, t</span><span class="text Ps-90-12" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">hat we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12 (NKJV)</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This spring and summer were incredibly busy with trainings, consultations, mentoring therapists, meeting with parents, seeing children and relationship-building. Although I cannot deny there were days (actually more than a few) in which I felt completely overwhelmed, I was certain that each of these commitments was God-ordained and that He would sustain me. From the end of March until the end of July, I traveled on the average of 10 days per month to other cities all over Romania, providing consultations to therapists, children and parents. I also did 2 trainings on sensory processing and 3 trainings on fine motor development. It's been exciting to share my knowledge and skills, but even more amazing has been the ability to share my heart-God's heart for children with disabilities- with so many people. Years ago I made a commitment to God that I would start every training by sharing Psalm 139. For many, this is the first time that they have heard that they are <i><b>"fearfully and wonderfully made"</b></i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Trainings</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Mentoring Therapists/Consultations</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In addition to my primary work here in Oradea (Pyramid Learning Center), I am now providing ongoing consultation to two other clinics, one in Baia Mare, and one in Bucharest. The plan is to go to each of these centers every 12 weeks. Although this means a lot more train and bus rides than I would prefer, it has given me the opportunity to bond with many of the therapists. This has already allowed me to have some in-depth conversations about life, faith, hope, and perspectives. I am also starting to meet with parents, so please be praying for me to have wisdom. So many of these parents are hurting and have lost hope. Society looks down not only on their disabled child, but also on them. For some, they believe their child is a curse. For others, who fight desperately for their children to be accepted at school or in the community, they are exhausted and feel overwhelmed. I have been providing some respite care to a few families and recently started praying with one of the moms. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As much as I love coming alongside therapists and parents, I am thankful that I also have time to see a few children for therapy. This summer, Pyramid Learning Center needed to close for a few months, thus most therapy is being done in the homes or in the community. One little boy lives in a village, about an hour away from Oradea and home visits were difficult to arrange, so he now comes to my apartment every week. I'm so proud of each of these children!</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: 14px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luca and Andreea playing at the park<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Mihnea is going up the stairs!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex's craft: awesome progress with cutting and writing</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tomorrow morning I am leaving for Calvary Chapel's Mission Conference in Austria. I am looking forward of this time of refreshment and also a week of rest. My friend Sue, a CC missionary from Florida, will be doing all the driving, so we would appreciate prayers for safe travels. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Join me in these <b>PRAISES</b>:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm coming home (to Arizona) for a visit from October 11- November 28th!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was able to get a good price on a round trip plane ticket</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Partnerships in Oradea, Baia Mare and Bucharest</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">New opportunities to meet and pray with parents</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I found a new apartment! I will be moving the end of September</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Relationships with therapists</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Progress with children</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Opportunity to attend the missions conference</span></li>
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<b>PRAY</b> with me:</div>
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<li>To guard my daily quiet time with Jesus</li>
<li>For the missions conference this week- that I could quiet my mind and also be open to what God has prepared for me to hear</li>
<li>For my upcoming trip home~ to balance rest, enjoyment with family and also support raising. If you have a small group, bible study, group of friends, or a family that would like to hear more about my ministry here in Romania, I would love to share more with you :)</li>
<li>For wisdom in discipling/mentoring a young woman from my church here in Oradea</li>
<li>For wisdom in my relationships with therapists, parents, families, children</li>
<li>For the move to my new apartment</li>
<li>For Pyramid Learning Center and the staff; that God would make a way for us to reopen in September</li>
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All to His Glory,</div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dawn</span></i></div>
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Dawn Hoffman, OTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072449971325720046noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610482727235877749.post-50613667608490328312016-03-20T15:31:00.003-07:002016-03-20T17:00:11.631-07:00A Winter's Tale: December-March<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dear family and friends,</div>
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Greetings from Romania! With today marking the first day of spring, it is fitting for me to not let this day pass without taking the opportunity to finally sit down and write a winter update. I pray that in addition to the words, the pictures I am including will give you a glimpse into my life here in Romania. </div>
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December</div>
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December was full of Christmas activities and parties, which meant lots of planning and preparations! I had volunteered to organize the Christmas party for Pyramid Learning Center's (PLC) children and their families, including parents and siblings. We were able to rent a room at a children's play area, which turned out to be an excellent venue. I wanted the party to also be a gift to the therapist's, a time to just have fun and enjoy being with the children. Thus, all preparations needed to done by yours truly. I planned out the activities to have the families rotate through 5 stations: decorating sugar cookies, making an ornament, playing with gingerbread play-dough, exploring Christmas games on the iPads, and then dressing up with funny head bands and glasses to take a family picture. Being a fairly organized person, I had most of the activities prepared well in advance, However, when I went to make the Christmas-scented play dough, I realized I didn't have any cream of tartar. Unfortunately, this is not an ingredient I can get here in Romania. After making a few calls, a dear friend had mercy on me and gave me this coveted ingredient. The simple things we take for granted. The week before the party, I decided to try to bake a trial batch of cookies, only to find out my oven was not working! Each tray of cookies was burning, no matter how low I set the temperature. My oven is electric and is not a typical oven, more like a bad convection oven. Knowing I needed to bake sugar cookies for 50+ people all of the sudden became a frightening task! Thankfully, a fellow missionary invited me to come to her home and helped me with all the baking, including teaching me how to make buttercream frosting. For anyone who knows me well, knows how much I dislike baking, so I was truly grateful for her offer to help. I am also grateful that she was willing to share another coveted, and not easily available item to get here- food coloring. The children, families and therapists had a great time at the party, which also included a visit from Mos Craciun (Santa Claus). </div>
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Pyramid Learning Center Christmas Party</div>
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Christmas Vacation: Thanks to the generosity of my mom and sister, I was blessed to spend 4 days in Hungary, where I met up with my oldest niece, Khylie. Khylie is currently completing her Master's degree in Edinburgh and decided to come spend her Christmas break with me. I loved getting to show her my favorite city- Budapest. My mom also treated Khylie and I to a day trip to Vienna to experience the famous Christmas Markets. Vienna is only 3 hours from Budapest, so a day trip really is doable. The next day we took a 4 1/2 hour train ride to Oradea. After a good day of rest and introducing Khylie to a delicious home-cooked meal at my Romanian family's home, we then took an 8 hour bus to the beautiful city of Sibiu. Overall, we had about 24 hours in the city, but we both enjoyed exploring the old town, as well as the nearby ASTRA museum (an outdoor ethnographic museum). We ended our time in Sibiu with a visit to the nearby town of Cisnadie to meet up with the Tudose family, Natan, his wife Steluta and their adorable 3 children. Natan and I met on a train to Sibiu in the summer of 2000, and his wife and I worked together in 2004 at an orphanage. This was the first time I had seen them in over 10 years! We had a lovely visit, with the children reenacting the 3 wisemen coming to adore baby Jesus, and then singing carols. </div>
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Budapest</div>
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Day trip to Vienna</div>
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Sibiu</div>
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Christmas was quiet, but beautiful. After attending Christmas Eve services, I was invited to go caroling with a group of friends. Another beautiful Romanian tradition!</div>
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January</div>
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After a great week with my niece, I was excited to return to my typical life here in Oradea. While the therapist's took an extra week of vacation, I happily resumed seeing kids in their homes. One of the reasons I especially enjoy doing home visits is that I have more opportunity to really connect with parents and families. </div>
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Home Therapy</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luca loving the snow day!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">S.using PECS at home</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Petre loves his crawler!<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The last week of January, I returned to Baia Mare for a week of supervision at Asociata Autism Baia Mare. I always enjoy my time there! The therapists are receptive to suggestions and are eager to implement new strategies. I also did a mini-training on sensory processing for the team, especially for the newer staff. </span></div>
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Autism Baia Mare</div>
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February</div>
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In addition to consulting with therapists and families at PLC, and seeing children in their homes, I also began helping one time a week at the main special education school here in Oradea. After months of consulting, the school agreed to make a sensory room. The staff are excited to begin using this new space. As the weather started to be better, I also started taking Luca on community outings every week. He is doing great at handling the money and also at waiting! We even went to a restaurant to have a tea.</div>
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Community Outings</div>
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The first weekend in February, PLC hosted a fine motor workshop, completed by yours truly. We had 30 participants, including psychologists, kinetotherapists, parents and teachers. The training was very hands-on which is not typical here. But the participants had loads of fun and were all able to identify strategies they could use with their children. The greatest satisfaction for me was returning to PLC the next week and seeing our therapists applying what they learned. </div>
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Fine Motor Training, Oradea</div>
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Putting it in to Practice!<br />
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The second half of February was spent in Bucharest. I was invited to provide consultation and evaluations in a clinic for children with various disabilities, a new partnership for me. But the main purpose for my visit was to see Liviu, who turned 10 on February 18th. I was blessed to have a 3 day visit with him, including 2 nights in a hotel. We had a great time taking walks, going to Cismigiu park, eating cotton candy, playing games on my iPad, and just talking. Liviu loved his birthday gift- an electric toothbrush.</div>
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Liviu's grandmother took Liviu home for his birthday, which meant we got to celebrate as a family! Liviu's twin sister, Crina, and brother, Nicu, were overjoyed to have Liviu at home. Several cousins and neighborhood friends came over to help us celebrate Liviu and Crina's special day.<br />
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March</div>
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March 1st a special day in Romania, called Martisor. Martisor is a genuine Romanian holiday, celebrating the arrival of spring. A martisor is a small trinket adorned with red and white entwined cord, tied in a bow. These are typically given to female family members, friends and colleagues as a symbol of friendship, respect and admiration. Traditionally, martisors are worn for 9-12 days. I was blessed with several beautiful martisors and have fully embraced this lovely tradition.</div>
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Martisors</div>
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Pyramid Learning Center: The children have been making wonderful progress on their fine motor skills! I have also been working more with some of our newer therapists, and am helping start some new small groups to address social skills and play skills. <br />
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March has also been a month full of special birthdays! We at PLC had a surprise party for my little friend, Petre, who turned 5 on March 11th. It was such a delight to bless his parents and he loved coming to the center. We are praying to find a therapist to work with him at the center 1-2 times per week. We also celebrated Luca's 5th birthday. I took him on a special outing to the park and then to eat his favorite food, french fries. We then celebrated his birthday with family and friends at his home. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Birthday, Petre!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Birthday, Luca!</td></tr>
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I pray this update blesses you as you see God's mighty hand in all He is doing here in Romania. I continue to be in awe of how He chooses to use me in spite of my weaknesses, but nevertheless, I am thankful. Thank you for your continued support and prayers, and for joining me in this journey!<br />
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All to His Glory,<br />
Dawn<br />
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P.S. Happy Spring!</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Look, the winter is past</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and the rains are over and gone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the season of singing birds has come,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and the cooing of turtledoves fills the air".</span><br />
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Dawn Hoffman, OTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072449971325720046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610482727235877749.post-47425387727853660822015-12-01T10:47:00.003-08:002015-12-01T10:47:52.341-08:00Fall Update (September-November)<div class="verse font-helvetica" div="" st="" style="background-color: #fafafa; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; outline: none !important;">
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<b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">"He has made everything beautiful in </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia", "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">its own time</span>. </span></span><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">Also, He has put eternity in </span><span style="font-family: "georgia", "times new roman", serif;">their</span><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"> hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. I know that nothing is better for them to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of his labor-it is the gift of God. <span style="font-size: large;">I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever.</span> Nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken from it. Goes does it that men should fear before Him. </span></span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">That which is has already been, and what is to be has already been, and God requires and account of what is past. " Ecclesiastes 3:11-15</span></b><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today is Romania's National Holiday, which means businesses are closed and I finally have a day off to get caught up on emails and write this long overdue blog. Fall has come to a quiet end here in Oradea. The trees are now barren and the brilliant colored leaves have been raked away. The days are becoming shorter and Christmas decorations now adorn the streets, shops and most homes. The changing of seasons from fall to winter brings a time of self reflection and a deeper longing for Jesus. And he gently reminds me all is made beautiful in His time. Join me as I reflect upon the beauty of the last three months.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">September</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">September was a busy month as most of our children from PLC started gradinta (preschool). With the changes in scheduling, I began providing consultation 2 days a week in a special needs preschool and also started working with a few children individually. It has been a joy to watch the children progress and also have the opportunity to begin forming relationships with several of the parents.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The other big news was that I finally settled into my own apartment! I signed a 6 month lease on a 2 bedroom (650 square feet) apartment. So, visitors are welcome anytime! I am thankful for a quiet place to rest, space to entertain guests, having a real bed to fall into each night, being able to cook my own meals, and for having internet connection. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Casa dulce casa (home sweet home)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">October</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">My October started in Baia Mare, a city 4 1/2 hours from Oradea, in the heart of Maramures. The month began with participating in Autism Baia Mare's 2-day National/International Conference 2015 "Accept me as I am". It was a huge honor to be asked to return again this year as a speaker and also a presenter for their one-day workshop. I had great fun educating therapists from all over Romania on practical strategies to promote self regulation skills in children with autism. We were a rather varied group of presenters and only 2 of us were "internationals", but we had the best camaraderie and such fun together. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">After the 2 day conference, we (the presenters) were treated to a day of sightseeing, visiting some of the most beautiful places in Maramures. Maramures is widely regarded as Romania's most traditional area. Our stops included Sapanta (The Merry Cemetery), The Memorial of the Victims of Communism and of the Resistance (Sighet Prison), and we ended our day visiting the magnificent Barsana Monastery. It was a beautiful-ugly-sobering kind of day. It was beautiful to see the lovely places, but the visit the memorial in Sighet was hard. To read the stories of people like Richard Wurmbrand (the founder of Voice of the Martyrs), but to stand in the place where those horrific events occurred was something quite sobering. It gave me a much deeper appreciation for those who stood up against communism.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The next morning, all the other presenters left for their homes and I began my week of consultation in Autism Baia Mare's clinics in both Baia Mare and Sighet. This is my third year collaborating with this center. It is such a nice treat to go somewhere where I have established relationships with most of the staff and know several of the children. The staff at Autism Baia Mare was eager to implement their newly learned strategies on self regulation as well as to learn how to use iPads more therapeutically.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One of the biggest highlights of my time in Baia Mare was spending time with Andreea, one of the center's office coordinators. as we drove from Baia Mare to Sighet. The nearly 2 hour journey afforded us lots of quality time in the car. Andreea asked me if I remembered the first time I visited their center. She reminded me of a passage in scripture I had shared with the group (Psalm 139). She went on to tell me how this impacted the way she looked at children with special needs and that she now she wants to share this hope with the parents. Amazing! Such a beautiful thing to see words spoken 3 years ago are making a difference. Not really surprising though. Just like the Bible says "for as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, a<span class="text Isa-55-11" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">nd it shall prosper <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">in the thing</i> for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:10-11)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Learning about Self Regulation</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After arriving home from Baia Mare, I returned to PLC and also began seeing a few more children in their homes. A week later, I received a call from my good friend, Ciprian. He is now working at a center in Cluj, a city 3 hours from Oradea. He called to ask me to help write a small grant which would enable his work to purchase much needed therapy equipment, and would also allow for us to have collaboration. Unfortunately, we didn't get the grant, but I am praying about going to Cluj 2-3 days/month to help in his center anyway. While I was in Cluj, I also did a reassessment on a little boy I saw last year. One hour turned into nearly 4 hours as I quickly realized how much his mom was hurting. She has not come to acceptance with his diagnosis of autism and has little emotional support. Her husband left the marriage due to their son's disability. My heart aches as this seems to be such a familiar story. This again reminds me why I am here: to show His love to the broken.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Beautiful Cluj</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The next Sunday I was privileged to attend the church dedication of my Romanian nephew, David Ionatan, and also celebrate his big brother Iosua's 7th Birthday. Their mommy, Ramona and their auntie Adela, have been like sisters to me since 1999. All of the children call me "Tusa" (Aunt) Dawn. So thankful for family in Romania! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">November</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">November began in Bucharest. I was asked last year if I would be willing to take part in a 2 week conference/symposium for child protection. Initially, my commitment was for a few days; however, due to several changes in the schedule, I ended up agreeing to stay for 11 of the 14 days. Unfortunately, the airport in Oradea was not open, thus I took a train from Oradea to Timisoara and then flew from Timisoara to Bucharest. It took over 7 hours, but it was still better than the 14 hour train ride!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">The 2 week conference was hosted by Sector 6 Child Protection. The training team included myself and 2 other American occupational therapists, Beth Shaffer and Julie Miller. Our only communication up to the conference was via email, one Skype conference and a few phone conversations, but we had never met until the day before the conferences started. Yet, we immediately bonded and ended up having such a fun time. It was a wonderful feeling to be with other OTs and to be surrounded by people with a common vision. We were also able to connect with one of the Romanian occupational therapists (Marinela Rata) who is now teaching at the University in Bacau. I am looking forward to collaborating with her in the future. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">During my first weekend in Bucharest, I was blessed to get to visit the children at Don Orione. It had been 8 months since I last saw these precious children! Oh what joy to hear the children shouting my name (Dawn Americanca) as well as the inexpressible comfort of having them wrap their arms around me and tell me how much they missed me. After a few hours, I was then given permission to take Liviu home to his grandmother's for the evening. What a special time we had playing with his siblings, cousins, and neighbors. This was the first time he has been home since his mother passed away. Thankfully I have developed a good relationship with his grandmother. She has such a kind heart, but is so burdened just caring for his 2 siblings. Please keep her in your prayers (Teodora).</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Visiting Don Orione!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"> </span><span style="color: #274e13;">Home with Liviu's Family</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">On my second weekend, Julie and I were invited to go away to the mountains with some of Sector 6's staff. We had a lovely day exploring Rasnov Fortress and Bran Castle before catching the train back to Bucharest. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Since returning to Oradea 3 weeks ago (November 11th), my time has consisted of consulting at PLC, seeing more children in their homes, collaborating with Romanian OTs here in Oradea (Mirela and Lili), providing consultation at the children's neurological rehabilitation hospital in Baile 1 Mai (near Oradea), partnering with Emanuel Hospice (I am now seeing a 9 year old child with a brain tumor), and trying to balance all this with my Romanian lessons, seeing friends and doing all the day to day life activities we must do. In the end, my heart is full. I am content. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Thanksgiving Day is always tough for me as it was my dad's favorite holiday. Plus when you grow up in a Jewish-Christian household, Thanksgiving becomes the one shared holiday. Of course I missed my family, but I was thankful to spend the day with a few fellow American friends and some great Romanians. After having a delicious traditional dinner (my first in Romania), I was blessed to attend the inauguration of the Zion Synagogue (it has been in ruins for years and the renovations were now completed). Such a special day. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Last Sunday (November 29), my church held their annual event. This year's theme was "M-am Hotarat" which means "I have decided". In addition to the outreach (more than 10,000 people attended), there were 31 people from my church who chose to be baptized. My good friend Marius' father and brother were among those baptized. It was an incredible night! I was so happy that my friends Dora, Anita and her husband accepted my invitation to come. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">The 29th was also the first day of Advent. I am doing a 4 week study for advent on John (Elizabeth/Zacharias), Joseph, Mary and Jesus. I love this time of preparation as it makes Christmas Day even more anticipated! This is the handmade advent wreath I purchased. Beautiful isn't it?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Praises:</span></div>
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<li><span style="color: #274e13;">My apartment</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #274e13;">Safe travels</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #274e13;">Opportunities to connect with other therapists and organizations</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #274e13;">Relationship-building with therapists, children and parents</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #274e13;">Visitation to Don Orione and also special time with Liviu</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #274e13;">Thanksgiving with friends</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #274e13;">BBSO's Annual Event- for the baptisms and for the outreach</span></li>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Prayer Requests:</span></div>
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<li><span style="color: #274e13;">Staying focused during the Christmas season</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #274e13;">Preparing for my niece's visit (Khylie arrives in Budapest on the 17th)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #274e13;">Wisdom/discernment with trainings, scheduling</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #274e13;">Ongoing prayer for relationship-building with PLC staff</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #274e13;">Relationships with parents of the children, opportunities to share Christ's heart with them</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #274e13;">My Romanian language lessons</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #274e13;">To guard against homesickness during the holidays</span></li>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">I would love letters and cards! My address is:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Dawn Hoffman</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Calea Aradului NR 39, BL A2, Ap 4</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">410223 Oradea</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Bihor</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Romania</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">P.S. For those of you who would like to ponder a bit more on Ecclesiastes 3:11-15, I highly recommend reading Matthew Henry's Commentary. Good stuff!</span><br />
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Dawn Hoffman, OTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072449971325720046noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610482727235877749.post-8292640236253472392015-09-02T03:46:00.000-07:002015-09-02T03:46:15.116-07:00August Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Where's Dawn?: A Month of Travels</div>
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Trains, trains and more trains! I started the month with a 10 1/2 hour train ride from Oradea to the beautiful mountain town of Brasov. Arriving a few days before I needed to start my consultation work with Copiii de Cristal Association, I was able to visit my good friend and fellow missionary, Rachel Titiriga for the weekend and also do a little sightseeing around Brasov County, including seeing a few fortified churches and the impressive Fagaras Fortress. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Church (Biserica Neagra), built in the 15th Century</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old City Center, Brasov</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harman Fortified Church, 13th Century</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exploring Harman with Rachel, picture courtesy Rachel Titiriga</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sanpetru Fortified Church, Brasov County</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bod Fortified Church, Brasov County</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fagaras Fortress</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fagaras Fortress, built in 1310!</td></tr>
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After having a few days of rest and rejuvenation, Monday arrived and I began my 10 days of consultation at Copiii de Cristal, a clinic/day center for children and adults with autism and other developmental delays. It was wonderful to return to this center as I had done a training there in January, but didn't have much time to help with implementation of the strategies I presented. It was a joy to spend more concentrated time working one on one with the therapists as well as with the children and their families. I am already looking forward to returning to do more work there in the near future.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learning to incorporate tactile play</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Games to help with body awareness</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding some vestibular play during imitation</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working on improving proximal stability</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding some "heavy work" into an obstacle course</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ball time makes therapy so fun!</td></tr>
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On my last weekend in Brasov, I travelled to the nearby city of Sacele to visit with Nicu and Silvana Hagiu. Our time was limited, but it was still sweet to spend time with these dear friends. Please be praying for them as they have recently started a home church and are seeking the Lord's direction on if they are to start a church in Brasov. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with Silvana</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yZ8TYoS9org/VeWFtwZSKRI/AAAAAAAAF4A/KXVDCIaIu-E/s1600/IMG_8068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yZ8TYoS9org/VeWFtwZSKRI/AAAAAAAAF4A/KXVDCIaIu-E/s320/IMG_8068.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying the Countryside near Sacele</td></tr>
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In my last update, I had asked for prayers for me to be able to travel to Bucharest and visit my little friend, Liviu. Brasov to Bucharest is only a 2 1/2 hour train ride, much more realistic than the nearly 14 hour train ride from Oradea. I am happy to write that the prayers and intercession of many was indeed answered! Liviu and I got to spend a day at the WaterPark and then he was able to spend the night with me at the hotel. He was so happy to see me and kept telling me that he loved me! He loved being in the water as this is a place where he can truly move independently (with a tube of course). Hearing his giggles and squeals of delight as he splashed through the water made all the trials of getting here so worth it! Liviu also enjoyed getting to have his favorite foods: cartofi prajiti (french fries), pui de gratar (grilled chicken), and pepene rosu (watermelon). All the water play must have made him extra hungry, because he also ate most of my salad and then wanted dessert!</div>
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I was planning to say goodbye that evening, but I was then asked if I would like to keep him until the next day. Of course that question required no thinking before giving an answer :). However, the challenge then became to quickly find a hotel room suitable for his needs. Unfortunately, his chair does not fold compactly, thus we could not fit it into a taxi. In the end, I opted to take him in my arms (he has gotten so big, so this was a huge challenge). Thankfully, we were able to find a a wonderful hotel with an elevator (a must) and a double bed (another must), and it even had air conditioning and a bathtub! Liviu was overjoyed to get to take a bath, play on my iPad, talk to my sister and mom on Facetime and also loved getting to sleep in a big bed. It was a short visit, but I am thankful for every minute we were able to spend together!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1RzXM6yK8QI/VeRugcjFSOI/AAAAAAAAF1E/qlyOnVzaQK0/s1600/IMG_8340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1RzXM6yK8QI/VeRugcjFSOI/AAAAAAAAF1E/qlyOnVzaQK0/s320/IMG_8340.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the WaterPark!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pure JOY!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-528xjuiuE8M/VeRufsYaqcI/AAAAAAAAF0s/fHA0DxXmuBo/s1600/IMG_8436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-528xjuiuE8M/VeRufsYaqcI/AAAAAAAAF0s/fHA0DxXmuBo/s320/IMG_8436.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All smiles!</td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-79HaaFGxlxk/VeRuhQzd7NI/AAAAAAAAF04/aTan5fGL2PY/s1600/IMG_8533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-79HaaFGxlxk/VeRuhQzd7NI/AAAAAAAAF04/aTan5fGL2PY/s320/IMG_8533.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bittersweet~ Saying Goodbye</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SH_p358679Y/VeRuiHsZWhI/AAAAAAAAF1U/OmvvPa1g050/s1600/IMG_8788.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SH_p358679Y/VeRuiHsZWhI/AAAAAAAAF1U/OmvvPa1g050/s320/IMG_8788.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visiting Crina, Liviu's twin</td></tr>
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After 3 days in Bucharest, it was time to get back on a train (13 1/2 hour night train) and head back home to Oradea to pick up my permis de sedere (5 Year Resident Permit). I am so thankful to have this process behind me and am especially thankful for my friend Ligia Pop who walked this journey with me, including standing in long lines and making multiple trips to the treasury/financial office to pay my taxes and insurance needed for the visa.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Legal for 5 Years!!!</td></tr>
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August was a quiet month at Pyramid Learning Center (PLC) as many children and staff were on vacation. However, this provided me with more focused time to work with some of the therapists and children as well as with a few parents. I spent a good amount of time working with Alina, one of the therapists, on promoting fine motor skills. She has shown excellent follow through, resulting in one of the children learning to write his name. I am so thankful to be working with such a dedicated and passionate team of therapists here at PLC. My dear friend Ioana, the director of PLC, has recently started to come for a few hours at a time to supervise the staff. This means I get to spend more time playing with her almost 5 month old son, Elias. He is already loving ball time :)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1-P9v-tQS5w/VeRu_C28KPI/AAAAAAAAF1c/HfRI7BPKO6M/s1600/IMG_9086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1-P9v-tQS5w/VeRu_C28KPI/AAAAAAAAF1c/HfRI7BPKO6M/s320/IMG_9086.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bondi writing "Alina" (his therapist's name)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learning to write his name!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ball time with Elias!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luca is all smiles as he learns about "big and small"</td></tr>
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Upon returning to Oradea, I was contacted by a mother of a child I worked with last year in Bucharest. She was writing an article on early intervention for her website and contacted me to see if I would be willing to write some words from a therapist's perspective. After I wrote the article, she responded with these words "...where were you seven years ago? We were fighting fears, loneliness, and storms over our faith. Words like yours are a blessing!". These words so encouraged me and reminded me WHY I am here. God will use us if we are willing vessels! She and her husband have another website, supereroiprintrenoi.ro, that is especially for families of children with disabilities. It is a place where they share stories in hopes of encouraging others and also a place that strives to make God's name known. They have invited me to also write on this website. I am excited to collaborate in this venture! They really honored me by translating the following quotes and putting them on their website. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Accept a child for who he is, but always help him to become all that he can be"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Who are we to decide if a child will or won't benefit from therapy? Every life holds value. Every child deserves a chance to develop. Every family deserves to be given hope." <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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A few months ago, I received a Facebook message from my friend Darla asking me how far Arad was from Oradea. It so happened her church in Pittsburg was sending a missions team to Arad and she was going to be part of the team. The train from Oradea to Arad is only 2 hours, so of course that meant traveling to Arad was very realistic. Her church team, as well as the church they were working with (Harvest Arad), warmly welcomed me to join them for a few days. I even helped out with manual labor as they were drywalling a new church/pastor's training center. Darla completely spoiled me by not only bringing me much needed supplies, but also lots of goodies for me and gifts from some of the women in my church back home (Calvary Chapel Central).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cseOjso1OqU/VeVqKojVoQI/AAAAAAAAF28/MsB07TScg_Q/s1600/IMG_9248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cseOjso1OqU/VeVqKojVoQI/AAAAAAAAF28/MsB07TScg_Q/s320/IMG_9248.jpg" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darla made it to Romania!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jyIgYujrH9E/VeVqTOcAX0I/AAAAAAAAF3U/oh5PbG7fuuE/s1600/IMG_9245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jyIgYujrH9E/VeVqTOcAX0I/AAAAAAAAF3U/oh5PbG7fuuE/s320/IMG_9245.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learning all about drywalling</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pMtxXq_cBFc/VeVqSvhrMHI/AAAAAAAAF3E/L7sorGMzeVM/s1600/IMG_9252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pMtxXq_cBFc/VeVqSvhrMHI/AAAAAAAAF3E/L7sorGMzeVM/s320/IMG_9252.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at all these goodies!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8YEwFMYMjfY/VeVqTqS_-rI/AAAAAAAAF3Q/XfaSCLjKIME/s1600/IMG_9275.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8YEwFMYMjfY/VeVqTqS_-rI/AAAAAAAAF3Q/XfaSCLjKIME/s320/IMG_9275.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downtown Arad</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sE2NyT4eBkY/VeVqZHm3SNI/AAAAAAAAF3c/fG9wS1rBDms/s1600/IMG_9317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sE2NyT4eBkY/VeVqZHm3SNI/AAAAAAAAF3c/fG9wS1rBDms/s320/IMG_9317.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Primaria, Mayor's Hall, Arad</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wHB0GLp4e2I/VeVqbIQUAYI/AAAAAAAAF3k/vru4VMX78b0/s1600/IMG_9345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wHB0GLp4e2I/VeVqbIQUAYI/AAAAAAAAF3k/vru4VMX78b0/s320/IMG_9345.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The city was all decorated for Arad Days</td></tr>
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So August has now come to a close. It was a busy and sometimes very tiring month with all the traveling. But it was also a wonderful month of seeing dear friends (and Liviu), making new ministry connections and experiencing more and more of His grace!<br />
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Join Me in Praise For:<br />
<ul>
<li>Safe travels to Brasov, Bucharest, Oradea, Arad and back to Oradea</li>
<li>Answered prayers in getting to see Liviu</li>
<li>Receiving my 5 Year Resident Permit</li>
<li>Fruitful time at Copiii de Cristal in Brasov</li>
<li>I was able to put more data on my phone, so at least now I have some internet</li>
<li>Continued relationship building with PLC staff, children and parents</li>
<li>New bible study group, starting September 10th (this will give me much needed fellowship and also accountability)</li>
</ul>
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Pray with Me For:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Finding an apartment (it has been more challenging then I expected)</li>
<li>Continued relationship-building with PLC staff, children and parents</li>
<li>Opportunities to connect with other therapists here in Romania, especially Oradea</li>
<li>Unity with the new bible study group, that we would seek Jesus together and encourage one another on our walk with Him (the person hosting this bible study is another missionary and the group will be a mixture of Americans and Romanians)</li>
<li>Upcoming international conference on autism (October 2-3): I will be presenting at the conference and also hosting a workshop on self-regulation</li>
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<i>Joyfully His,</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>Dawn</i></div>
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<br />Dawn Hoffman, OTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072449971325720046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610482727235877749.post-57392405567552519332015-07-25T11:03:00.000-07:002015-07-25T11:03:35.311-07:00 Oradea: June/July 2015 Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Returning to Oradea</span></div>
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51 days. It has been nearly 2 months since I left Arizona, once again returning to Romania. However, this return brought me back to the first city in Romania where I served in 1999, Oradea. Oradea is in the northwestern part of the country, just 10 miles from the Hungarian border. Thus, I was able to fly into Budapest, Hungary and spend 36 hours (even if primarily sleeping) in my most favorite city before taking a nearly 5 hour bus ride to Oradea. Although the visit was short, it allowed me just enough time to recover from jet lag before continuing on to Romania.</div>
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It has been a unique experience to return to Oradea. In some ways, I feel like it is the same little town I fell in love with in 1999. Yet, in many ways, the city has greatly changed. There are new modern buildings being built and so much renovation and restoration are being done to the old city. They are making the largest square in the city center (Piata Unirii) into a pedestrian zone. It will be wonderful when it is completed, but in the meantime, all of the trams which go through the city center are not in operation. This has meant learning bus routes and enduring much longer commute times while traveling anywhere in the city. Typically, my commute from where I am currently living to where I am working takes 45 minutes. I know that doesn't sound like much of a commute, but it has been in the 90s-to low 100s here and many of the buses don't have air conditioning. But I am still finding much to be thankful for~ at least there is a bus stop less than a 5 minute walk from where I am living! I am also thankful that while I am searching for an apartment, I have been blessed to stay with my friend Lucia's parents and sister. Although I don't have internet available at their home, I am learning the beauty of living a simpler life (at least for a while).</div>
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I am also incredibly thankful that I am already connected to a solid church, Biserica Baptista Speranta Oradea (BBSO). For the past month, we have been looking at different traps. A few weeks ago we looked at the trap of fear. It was a fitting message as I had been really struggling with fear. I knew God had sent me to Oradea, but I was really struggling with fear. Fear of adjusting once again to a new place, new people, new surroundings. Fear of not being able to find an apartment. Fear of living without internet (yes, that was a true fear!). Fear that my visa paperwork wouldn't be processed in time. But God, being the faithful Father he is, didn't leave me in this trap of fear. He helped me gain a new perspective.</div>
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Here are a few of my notes that I took in church that Sunday: </div>
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Fear imprisons us. When we think about problems and obstacles, this causes us to become paralyzed. We no longer see God. This takes us away from the goodness God has prepared for us. God wants us to be free from this trap! In 2 Kings 6: 8-23, Elisha traps the blinded Arameans. This is a great passage to look at when considering perspectives. Elisha's servant sees the army with horses and chariots that has surrounded the city and is filled with fear. He goes to Elisha and asks "Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?". The important thing to see in this question is WE. But Elisha offers a different perspective. Elisha is not afraid because he has kept his eyes on the Lord and is able to see beyond his situation. He knows that is isn't about what WE will do, but rather about what God is doing. He encourages his servant not to be afraid, because "those who are with us are more than those who are with them". Elisha than prays that his servants eyes would be opened that he may SEE. Elisha truly SEES and knows that God is there with him. This is my prayer, that when the trap of fear tries to enter, that we would see beyond the situation, keeping our "eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith"(Hebrews 12:2).</div>
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Here are a few pictures from downtown Oradea:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KkJyzrW7prU/Va-py7P9xxI/AAAAAAAAFuA/lkKpkqAgRq8/s1600/IMG_6384.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KkJyzrW7prU/Va-py7P9xxI/AAAAAAAAFuA/lkKpkqAgRq8/s320/IMG_6384.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite building: Mosvokits Palance</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m4LLbEKP780/Va-uZZwltMI/AAAAAAAAFxI/bleDOumqaZc/s1600/IMG_6747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m4LLbEKP780/Va-uZZwltMI/AAAAAAAAFxI/bleDOumqaZc/s320/IMG_6747.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piata Unirii, in construction</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fehLrnF4NTU/Va-p2ytrI5I/AAAAAAAAFuI/I3isafMalf4/s1600/IMG_6730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fehLrnF4NTU/Va-p2ytrI5I/AAAAAAAAFuI/I3isafMalf4/s320/IMG_6730.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along Crisul Repede, thankful for this little river :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OJdvX7zb8Mg/Va-p-EViiZI/AAAAAAAAFuY/-PZYOvlJCOA/s1600/IMG_6561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OJdvX7zb8Mg/Va-p-EViiZI/AAAAAAAAFuY/-PZYOvlJCOA/s320/IMG_6561.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vulturul Negru Passsage<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pyramid Learning Center (PLC)</span></div>
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Although my original plans were to not start working at PLC until I completed my visa paperwork, God apparently had other plans! Within just a few weeks after arriving in Oradea, I was able to complete my paperwork for the Baptist Union/Ministry of Cults, the first step I needed to complete in order to apply for my religious visa. This then meant waiting. And any of you who know me at all, know I can't stat still while waiting! This is especially true after spending 3 months in the USA without working. So when my friend, Ioana, who is also the director of PLC, asked me if I could start helping at the Center in June, I was more than happy to say yes!</div>
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PLC is a day center for children with disabilities, primarily with autism or language delays. Currently, I am seeing children alongside the PLC staff, offering consultation primarily for sensory processing and gross/fine motor skill development. It has been a joy to get to come alongside these therapists and offer suggestions. They have been so receptive to my feedback and I am already seeing them implement new strategies! I am also starting to develop relationships with some of the parents, which is my greatest desire. A few months back, I was listening to an old interview with Chuck Colson's daughter. She has a grown son with autism and was speaking about what she really needed when she was raising her son. She said most of all, she just needed someone to "be there". Although I am thankful for how God has equipped me as a therapist, more than anything, I just want to "be here", to be present and available to minister to these families <i>however </i>God would choose to use me.</div>
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In addition to my work at PLC, I have also been working with a few babies and their parents in the homes. It has been such fun to help these parents </div>
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Here are a few pictures from the Center:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3Bnn6Yl15F0/Va-qR8jj64I/AAAAAAAAFvk/yVGLhGAiqZQ/s1600/IMG_6378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3Bnn6Yl15F0/Va-qR8jj64I/AAAAAAAAFvk/yVGLhGAiqZQ/s320/IMG_6378.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-580P-iVuePE/Va-qPZn0EOI/AAAAAAAAFvY/ZteAuM0Y-DQ/s1600/IMG_6816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-580P-iVuePE/Va-qPZn0EOI/AAAAAAAAFvY/ZteAuM0Y-DQ/s320/IMG_6816.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deep pressure helps me stay calm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1WRlGi8h8wQ/Va-t9RzV2SI/AAAAAAAAFwg/WiHI_wZBaLM/s1600/IMG_6803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1WRlGi8h8wQ/Va-t9RzV2SI/AAAAAAAAFwg/WiHI_wZBaLM/s320/IMG_6803.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love playing in my body sock!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wOOyf2HpLzU/Va-qKu2ZJQI/AAAAAAAAFus/rYk8pBiW2VM/s1600/IMG_6683.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wOOyf2HpLzU/Va-qKu2ZJQI/AAAAAAAAFus/rYk8pBiW2VM/s320/IMG_6683.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wearing a weighted vest helps me to focus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VBqL2taW0lI/Va-qKoM7h8I/AAAAAAAAFuw/KnZ6yHkt37E/s1600/IMG_6687.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VBqL2taW0lI/Va-qKoM7h8I/AAAAAAAAFuw/KnZ6yHkt37E/s320/IMG_6687.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sensory play with food</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aA_I2g5CjKk/Va-qPr1biZI/AAAAAAAAFvc/gn6IVOcEnNk/s1600/IMG_6840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aA_I2g5CjKk/Va-qPr1biZI/AAAAAAAAFvc/gn6IVOcEnNk/s320/IMG_6840.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Using iPads to learn all about cause and effect</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vWFF_mHsfzk/Va-uATEKURI/AAAAAAAAFws/SdVnlku-S-M/s1600/IMG_6838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vWFF_mHsfzk/Va-uATEKURI/AAAAAAAAFws/SdVnlku-S-M/s320/IMG_6838.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All smiles!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dr9D04lEFn0/Va-uARzbCfI/AAAAAAAAFww/J0LqizIekws/s1600/IMG_6947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dr9D04lEFn0/Va-uARzbCfI/AAAAAAAAFww/J0LqizIekws/s320/IMG_6947.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing beats water play!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
Praising God for:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Safe travel to Romania</li>
<li>The generosity of the Vari family hosting me while I find an apartment</li>
<li>Friends here in Oradea who have made this adjustment so much easier</li>
<li>Opportunities to begin to develop relationships with children, parents and staff at PLC</li>
<li>My church here, BBSO, as well as my church family at Calvary Chapel Central (I love being able to "attend" church online)</li>
<li>My paperwork for a 5 year religious visa was accepted last week and I should be receiving it mid-August</li>
<li>Helping me endure the heat, despite not having air conditioning or fans</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Pray with me for:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Finding an apartment/a place to call "home"</li>
<li>Continued relationship-building with PLC staff, parents and children</li>
<li>New opportunities to serve within the community as well as other cities in Romania</li>
<li>Upcoming travel to Brasov-10+ hour train ride </li>
<li>Partnership with Cristal de Copii in Brasov- for the upcoming consultation with staff and parents</li>
<li>Reliable internet connection, especially so I can stay connected to my mom and family</li>
<li>God to open a way for me to be able to return to Bucharest for a few days to visit Liviu, the little boy with whom I deeply connected over the past 4 years</li>
</ul>
<div>
As always, I am deeply grateful for your words of encouragement and prayers. I am thankful I am not called to travel this journey alone and am daily reminded that He uses others to sustain me.</div>
</div>
<div>
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<div>
Joyfully His,</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Dawn</div>
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<br />Dawn Hoffman, OTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072449971325720046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610482727235877749.post-57349025325673830352015-03-31T06:32:00.000-07:002015-03-31T06:32:34.728-07:00Transitions and New Beginnings: January-March 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 16pt;">“Remember not the former things, </span><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">nor
consider the things of old.</span></i></span></div>
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</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Behold, I am doing a new thing; </span><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">now
it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness </span><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></i></span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>and
rivers in the desert" Isaiah 43:18-19</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 16pt;">"Enlarge the place of your tent, and let
them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your
cords, and strengthen your stakes" </span></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Isaiah 54:2</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Two weeks have passed since I arrived back in Arizona, thus I decided it was time to write a much overdue update. The two verses I posted above were special verses God gave me last year when I was preparing to return to full time ministry in Romania. He continues to use these verses to remind me of His greater plan, His bigger dreams for me during this time of transitions and new beginnings. More about that later. First I will try to give you a recap of the last few months.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Most of my time from January to mid-March was spent at Centru Don Orione. After the excitement of Christmas settled and the promise of the New Year blossomed, my focus began to shift from providing hands-on therapy and support, to pouring my energy into the staff I knew I would be leaving behind. Thankfully Don Orione Center is blessed with several staff members who are passionate about providing excellent care and have caught the vision for helping the children reach their best potential. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Classroom Developments</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As I mentioned in my December update, I was overwhelmingly blessed by a few friends in helping me acquire several iPads. In January, we began using the iPads in our 2 classrooms. It was so fun to watch the children make such rapid progress with learning colors, shapes, numbers and letters simply by adding in the technology piece. Some of the higher functioning children are now learning to write their names! In addition, several of the non-verbal children started to show the ability to match, sort and complete cause and effect activities when using the iPads. The educators are excited with these changes and are motivated to continue using technology in their classrooms.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dMnlKdoCI3A/VRlnBnwpUOI/AAAAAAAAFiE/_Whcq-MIwv8/s1600/IMG_0342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dMnlKdoCI3A/VRlnBnwpUOI/AAAAAAAAFiE/_Whcq-MIwv8/s1600/IMG_0342.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ana loves Peek-a-Boo Barn!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yxahudu5uNM/VRlnBHCrzyI/AAAAAAAAFiA/F1XI8ujZ0Us/s1600/IMG_0375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yxahudu5uNM/VRlnBHCrzyI/AAAAAAAAFiA/F1XI8ujZ0Us/s1600/IMG_0375.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at Liviu's finger isolation! He loves that he can do this game independently!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oakyMkEH3SA/VRlnBxYxC1I/AAAAAAAAFiM/ICjQ4qLvIuc/s1600/IMG_0615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oakyMkEH3SA/VRlnBxYxC1I/AAAAAAAAFiM/ICjQ4qLvIuc/s1600/IMG_0615.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex is making great progress with writing~ This says "Thank You" in Romanian</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MoIJKi6cB2E/VRlnEsGY3qI/AAAAAAAAFiY/d2cOSdt5GFE/s1600/IMG_0618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MoIJKi6cB2E/VRlnEsGY3qI/AAAAAAAAFiY/d2cOSdt5GFE/s1600/IMG_0618.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proud Lumi~ learning to write her name</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The children are also making amazing progress with their social skills. The children in Nina's class are now able to participate in a seated, structured circle time. They love getting to make choices for singing preferred songs and are now able to wait and take turns. These are HUGE accomplishments for these children! Ramona is beginning to accept more interaction with other children, Ana is exploring new activities with less resistance and Ioana M is showing great gains in her motor skills. In Roxana's class, the children learned about polite manners, requesting or refusing items and how to advocate for their needs. It has been such a JOY to watch these children develop their play skills. They love playing games together, especially CandyLand! Luminita loves to play house, Liviu is happiest with his remote control cars and Laurentiu is all about construction toys and trains. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lm1Vl7wTUhw/VRlngGcstTI/AAAAAAAAFio/EVBDhpIcQIg/s1600/IMG_0412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lm1Vl7wTUhw/VRlngGcstTI/AAAAAAAAFio/EVBDhpIcQIg/s1600/IMG_0412.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ramona exploring Old MacDonald book during circle time</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BBQhDY2z3oM/VRlnpPJMKBI/AAAAAAAAFjQ/TINd1chMOKM/s1600/IMG_1974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BBQhDY2z3oM/VRlnpPJMKBI/AAAAAAAAFjQ/TINd1chMOKM/s1600/IMG_1974.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ana's smile says it all!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i20g95_3qbk/VRlnf2vL1xI/AAAAAAAAFik/XraLTgsnGVg/s1600/IMG_0438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i20g95_3qbk/VRlnf2vL1xI/AAAAAAAAFik/XraLTgsnGVg/s1600/IMG_0438.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ioana says "Look everyone~ I can do this puzzle all by myself!"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MnWo7Rl0Ymw/VRlnfqrDocI/AAAAAAAAFig/4zVS0j94ggs/s1600/IMG_0865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MnWo7Rl0Ymw/VRlnfqrDocI/AAAAAAAAFig/4zVS0j94ggs/s1600/IMG_0865.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group Play in Roxans's Class~ CandyLand!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ncrMjszkiVo/VRlnmW8WzJI/AAAAAAAAFi4/zl1rDULJfz4/s1600/IMG_1072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ncrMjszkiVo/VRlnmW8WzJI/AAAAAAAAFi4/zl1rDULJfz4/s1600/IMG_1072.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laurentiu loves building his train tracks</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4ByE2HFPxq0/VRlnmXK6j1I/AAAAAAAAFjA/TMLS07hEl-U/s1600/IMG_1248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4ByE2HFPxq0/VRlnmXK6j1I/AAAAAAAAFjA/TMLS07hEl-U/s1600/IMG_1248.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mami Lumi</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mxLHXgOsBhM/VRoCAeP5BBI/AAAAAAAAFoM/IMVDkn2SqMA/s1600/IMG_1018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mxLHXgOsBhM/VRoCAeP5BBI/AAAAAAAAFoM/IMVDkn2SqMA/s1600/IMG_1018.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liviu and one of his many remote control cars</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The children in both classes get together on Fridays for a cooking activity. This has been so much fun! They have made sandwiches, fruit salad, homemade pizza and a special Romanian no-bake cookies. They are learning all about working together, sharing items and doing an activity from start to finish....which means getting to eat all the yummy food they make! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Outings with the British School of Bucharest</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The British School of Bucharest continues to bring student volunteers once a week to visit and play with the children. However, in order to develop more meaningful relationships and help some of the higher functioning children have more experiences with the outside world, we began doing outings or as we would call them "field trips". In February, the children were treated to a trip to the Natural History Museum. The children loved getting to explore this wonderful museum!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Birthday Celebrations!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">January and February were filled with lots of birthday celebrations. Seeing each child's life celebrated was probably my favorite part of being at Don Orione this year. In January, we celebrated Alexandra's 11th birthday and Alexandru's 9th birthday. February was filled with 3 special celebrations: Ioana's 6th birthday, Liviu's 9th birthday and Fluturas' 15th birthday. Unfortunately I wasn't there for Fluturas' birthday, so I don't have any pictures from his party. Liviu's birthday was extra special as we celebrated it with his twin sister as well as several of his family members. It was truly a special day!</span></div>
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<b><i>La Multi Ani Alexandra!</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Happy Birthday Alexandru!</i></b></div>
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<i><b>La Multi Ani Ioana!</b></i></div>
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<b><i>Happy 9th Birthday Crina and Liviu!</i></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Trainings, Transitions and New Beginnings</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After months of planning, I finally was able to do a training in the beautiful city of Brasov. The director of Copii de Cristal, a non-profit organization that serves 80+ children, youth and young adults with various disabilities, had contacted me after I presented at the international conference in Baia Mare back in October. Due to timing issues, we had to schedule the training for the end of January. Over 25 psychologists, educators and parents attended the 2 day training. I loved the enthusiasm and the hunger for not only knowledge, but practical application, that the attendees showed. I was also blessed to stay with Andra, one of the psychologist's, and her family. Interestingly (and by God's great providence), Andra attended one of the very first trainings I ever did back in 2009, so it was great to see her and reconnect after all these years. They have already asked me to return next year and I really am looking forward to partnering with this amazing group of therapists!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i>Brasov Training</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Over the past few months, God has been revealing more and more to me regarding His heart for parents of children with disabilities, as well as how He desires to use me in this area. This may seem kind of strange to read. <i>Of course </i>I know God wants me to reach out, support, encourage and love these parents. Over the years of being a school-based and clinic-based therapist here in the U.S., I always loved connecting with the parents of children I served. Many have become lifelong, cherished friends. But somehow, during all my years in Romania, I have focused so intensely on abandoned and/or orphaned children, that it became hard for me to see the needs and the people God was placing in front of me. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Over the past 5-6 years, I have done trainings throughout the country, but this was always secondary to my work in orphanages.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Sunday before I left for Brasov, I was challenged by a church study to consider what it means to live a sacrificial life. As I spent the next several days pondering this question, I journaled A LOT! I began asking God to show me areas where I was being "close fisted" instead of "open handed". I began asking Him to show me where I was asserting my will over His Will. This led me to a place where I had to acknowledge and accept that I was holding on too tightly to MY work at Don Orione. You see, I was quite content being there. I loved my kids. I loved the people. But God was showing me that He has an even BIGGER DREAM for me. One that will be shifting my focus from direct care to providing more consultation, training and support to not only therapists, but more importantly to parents. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In this same time, I also traveled back to Oradea to meet with my dear friend, Ioana Corompaki, as well as her staff at Pyramid Learning Center (PLC). PLC is a clinic that provides therapy for children with autism and other disabilities. During my week there, I was able to meet with several parents and provide consultation on sensory processing issues. It has been such an honor to come alongside PLC this year. Through a series of confirmations, God has shown me that my "home base" for this next period of time will be back in Oradea. This really is like coming "home" as Oradea has been my Romanian home for most of the past 16 years. I am beyond blessed with not only friends there, but by many who consider me family. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So what's next? I will be returning to full time ministry in Romania in June (yes, just over 2 months from now) in order to apply for my 5 year Religious Visa. My current Visa expires in July, so I need to back in Romania by June to apply for my new Visa. Thanks be to God, a wonderful church in Oradea has agreed to petition to the Ministry of Cults on my behalf! I am thankful for this as it will give me more spiritual accountability. In regards to ministry, I will be providing consultation to the PLC staff and helping with program development. However, I will also focus on seeking more opportunities to partner with existing day centers and clinics throughout Romania in order to provide more parent/staff trainings and support. I will share more details in the near future. He is indeed stretching me as He shows me a new vision for Romania!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the next month I will be able to share more about ministry partnerships and financial needs, but for now I would just ask you to pray to God for </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ways that you can be involved. If you have been a monthly donor and want to continue giving during this time that I am at home, thank you! If you want more information on how you can financially contribute, please contact me and I will share more details.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> If you have been a sponsor of a child at Don Orione, I will also be sending you information on how you can continue to be involved in the lives of the children there. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Other prayer requests</b>: </span><br />
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For the children and staff at Don Orione, to continue the vision which was started</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For me to have peace with leaving Don Orione, especially the children. I also would ask for prayers for clarity on how to stay connected as it is a 12-14 hour train ride from Oradea</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Logistics in moving my stuff from Bucharest to Oradea</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Unity/Shared vision with the PLC team</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Partnership opportunities</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Language learning, to be more diligent</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sweet time of refreshing and fellowship with my family and friends while I am here in the U.S.</span></li>
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With a Thankful Heart,<br />
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Dawn</div>
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Dawn Hoffman, OTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072449971325720046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610482727235877749.post-89241948865447850192014-12-26T17:49:00.002-08:002014-12-26T17:51:55.236-08:00December BlessingsDear Friends and Family,<br />
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Merry Belated Christmas! Christmas day has once again come and gone, but thankfully the hope, joy, peace and love of Jesus remains in the hearts of those who trust in Him. December has been a full and very fun month! There are so many stories to tell, so many things the Lord has done to show how much He loves me and the children here at Don Orione. I was blessed to go to Budapest (my favorite place in the world) for the first 4 days of December and then took a quick 2 day trip to Brasov, Romania to make arrangements for a training there in January. The remainder of the month was spent with the children at Don Orione preparing for Christmas. Roxana, one of the educators, prepared a play about the birth of Christ with all the children downstairs having a part. She also taught them (and me) Christmas carols. The children made wonderful Christmas crafts and very special cards for their supporters and staff at the Center. Thanks to the generosity of the British School of Bucharest, we were able to take 5 of the children to a local shopping mall to see Christmas decorations and eat at Pizza Hut. The students and staff at British School came to visit and delivered gifts for each child! These gifts were purchased mainly though the generosity of workers at Oracle, a company here in Romania. We also had several birthday celebrations in December. I am also including pictures from Laurentiu's birthday as I forgot to post them in the last update.<br />
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This month has been filled with so many blessings. I am truly in awe of what God has done and how He is speaking to so many of my former coworkers, old college friends, church friends and family to come alongside what He is doing here in Romania. Due to the amazing response I received to a Facebook post, each child now has a sponsor for Christmas and their birthday. This allowed each child to receive gifts chosen specifically for them on the day of their "serbare" (Christmas party). A dear friend wrote and wanted to help with purchasing iPads, other friend wrote to help with Christmas gifts for the young adults, others wrote letters of encouragement. A former coworker from my days as a NICU OT contacted me and decided to not only sponsor a child, but also to share my needs with her doTERRA team leader. As a result, their doTERRA team decided to sponsor me in their Pay it Forward event. They raised enough money for me to buy the needed floor mats for the children upstairs. Plus, I will be receiving essential oils to use on the kids! Three days before Christmas I received wonderful news. Due to the vision of my friends Cornel and Ramona Lazurca and the generosity of several Romanians living in England, I received 8 iPads!<br />
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I was able to bring Liviu home after the party on the 22nd and he stayed with me until we returned to the Center on Christmas morning for mass. We were invited to spend Christmas Eve with my friend Lili and her family. Christmas Eve was extra special for me as Liviu prayed with Lili and I to ask Jesus to be his Savior! Christmas day was spent at the Center as we only had a few workers scheduled. Magda, Roxana and her husband helped feed the children who are more involved. We then ate Christmas lunch with Alex, Anca, Liviu and Laurentiu (Luminita wasn't there as she is staying with her special friend Denisa). Laurentiu then left with Nina and Anca with Roxanna. After lunch, Liviu's family came for a visit and I took Alex downstairs to play games. It was a quiet Christmas day, but one I will never forget. Now I am going to post way too many pictures~hope your hearts will be filled with much JOY as you look through them.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Visting Budapest</span></div>
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It was such a treat to visit Budapest in December as the city is beautifully decorated. I was invited to come and stay with one of my former students, Kinga and her family. Kinga has been such an encouragement to me and has a huge heart for the children at Don Orione. She is hoping to come visit before I leave in March. I was also able to visit some other dear friends, Kati and Agi. It was wonderful to catch up with them and also spend some time with Agi's children, Zsofi and Csabi. It has been 4 years since I have seen them! Kinga and I went to a Turkish Bath, explored my favorite places, and meandered through the Christmas Markets.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Birthday Celebrations!</span></div>
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Thanks to the commitments made by new sponsors, each child's birthday can now be celebrated! This is a dream that I have had for the past 3 years here, so it is exciting to see it become reality. At the end of November, we celebrated Laurentiu's 11th birthday. In the month of December, we celebrated twins Vera and Lucica's 26th birthday and Ioana G's 11th birthday. Ioana's parents came to visit her, so it was extra special! As you can see in the pictures, the children were delighted to have their special day celebrated! My friend Norita, a fellow missionary who spent the last 30 years of her life serving the abandoned and rejected children there, always reminded me to celebrate these children and to let them know "it's good that you were born". Norita passed away last year, but these celebrations in Romania speak of her legacy. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">36 hours in Brasov</span></div>
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Back in October, I spoke at an autism conference in Baia Mare. Several other centers in other cities around Romania then contacted me requested for me to do trainings. As much as I love training others. I also know my priority is being at Don Orione. However, the city of Brasov is only a 2 1/2 hour train ride, so I had agreed to do a training there in January. To help prepare for the training, the director of the center there and I agreed for me to come visit the center in December. I had a little free time, so I was able to squeeze in a visit with my good friend and fellow Calvary missionary Rachel Titriga, and then spent a wonderful evening with Adriana and Pete. Rachel and I walked in the city center to see the Christmas Market and ended up experiencing another Romanian December tradition~carolers dressed up as animals. It was both intriguing and disturbing as they represent evil forces that they are trying to rid before the New Year. Adriana introduced me to a new favorite dessert~ matusa cremes. I am so thankful Marius introduced Adriana and I when he was here visiting! </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Bucharest Christmas Market</span></div>
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Much to my delight, Bucharest's city center was transformed into a lovely and festive area for the holidays. The Christmas Market at University Square was splendid! I visited twice, first with my friend Rodica, one of the caregivers on the children's unit and then with Esthera and Denisa, two of the workers in our Day Center for Autism. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Christmas Activities at in the Classrooms</span></div>
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The children had a busy month making cards and Christmas presents for their supporters and staff. Roxana had each child in her class choose who they wanted to make cards for and then helped them write messages in each card. It was so fun to see their personalities shine as they dictated to her what they wanted to say. Luminita's messages were very specific and quite entertaining. In the card she made me, she asked if I had a broom at my apartment (she loves to clean) and asked me to come to the Center dressed nicely in the morning! Roxana taught them about advent and prepared them for Christmas by reading passages from the Bible. The children also practiced learning Christmas carols and playing instruments. We also did rehearsals almost every day for their Christmas play. Luminita was cast as Maria (Mary) and Laurentiu was Iosif (Joseph). Every child in our programs downstairs was given a role, from wise men and magi, to an angel who brought the good news and the innkeeper with no room in the inn. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Decorating My Christmas Tree</span></div>
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Liviu came home with me for a night to decorate my/our Christmas tree. I say "our tree" because I promised to take him home for Christmas as his mom said she couldn't manage him at home this year. Our friend Esthera joined us and graciously took these pictures. Liviu did a great job and was able to place several of the butterflies in the tree all by himself.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">British School of Bucharest</span></div>
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Hannah, one of the teachers at the British School, organizes the volunteer program and brings students every Monday to visit and interact with our children. A few months ago we talked about trying to do outings/field trips with some of our children. The British School director gave the thumbs up, allowing some of their children to miss school and also offered to provide transportation for our children and staff! Our first outing was to Baneasa shopping mall. The children enjoyed seeing the Christmas decorations, visiting the pet store and eating at Pizza Hut. Later the same day, the students returned to the Center to pass out gifts to all the children. Hannah's partner works at Oracle and she shared with him about the children. He in turn got his coworkers involved in sponsoring gifts. Their generosity was much appreciated and we look forward to them coming for a visit in the near future. Thanks Hannah, The British School of Bucharest and Oracle for bringing Christmas cheer to our children!</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Christmas Party (Serbare)</span></div>
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December 22nd was a very emotional day for us. After more than a month of rehearsals, the children presented their Christmas play to family, friends and staff. They did an amazing job and we were so proud of each of them! Ioana G's sister came, Alex's sister came, Bruno's father came. and Laurentiu's teacher came. The children were delighted to also have Don Roberto, Ciprian, Elena and some of the other staff attend. After the play, the children received the gifts purchased by money given by their sponsors. Words can not describe the joy, but I think many of the pictures do! I also received the cards the children made for me~my favorite gifts for sure!</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Christmas with Liviu</span></div>
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After the Christmas Party. Liviu came home with me for 4 days. We spent the first 2 days at my apartment and then went to my friend Lili and her family. Liviu was so excited to get to play with Beniamin and meet baby Alessia. Christmas Eve was beautiful. Alex and Cornel led us in singing carols and we ate delicious traditional Christmas foods, including salata de boeuf (similar to a potato salad but with other vegetables and meat added) and sarmale (cabbage rolls). Lili made them with chicken especially for me. Before bed, Liviu started asking me a lot of questions about what does the word Savior mean, why did Jesus come, die and then raise from the dead? I asked Lili to explain more as my Romanian is still limited. After a lengthy discussion. Lili asked Liviu if he wanted to ask Jesus to be his Lord and Savior. He said yes and then prayed to accept Jesus! This made Christmas Eve even more special for all of us. Christmas morning we woke up and gave the boys a few gifts before Liviu and I returned to the Center for Christmas Mass. Lili and Alex bought Liviu his adorable outfit. I missed being in my church, but the service was beautiful, especially because it was for our children, young adults and elderly residents!</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Christmas Day</span><br />
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After Christmas service, the children were given some sweets and fruits by Santa (a creepy looking one, don't you think?). We then went upstairs to feed the children lunch. After we fed the more involved children, Magda, Roxana, her husband Bogdan, the 3 caregivers and I sat down for our meal with Alex, Anca, Laurentiu and Liviu. We all decided it was so much nicer to eat this way, like a family. The children were all excited about having delicious and special food, but Alex's whole face lit up when I told him there was sarmale AND lasagna~his two favorites! After lunch, Liviu's mom and siblings came for a visit. He was so happy because all morning he kept saying he didn't think she would come. Please pray for his mom (Vera) to come more often and to see the beauty in her child. The rest of the day was spent playing games with Liviu and Alex. Liviu's siblings joined Alex for a lively game of CandyLand which Alex enjoyed immensely!</div>
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Thank you to everyone who has prayed, supported and encouraged me, the children and my coworkers this Christmas Season. Know you are making HUGE differences in these children's lives. Thank you also to everyone for helping me to dream BIG and to remember we serve a God who is able and willing to lavish good gifts on those who put their trust in Him. As we move into this New Year, I pray we all remember the greatest gift has already been given~ Jesus Christ! </div>
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La Multi Ani~Happy New Year from Romania!</div>
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Joyfully His,</div>
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Dawn</div>
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Dawn Hoffman, OTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072449971325720046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610482727235877749.post-1393896640872592022014-11-30T03:11:00.002-08:002014-11-30T03:11:53.184-08:00A Full Autumn: October/November Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>With joy you will draw from the wells of salvation. And you will say on that day: "Give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the peoples, proclaim that His name is exalted. Sing praises to the LORD, for He has done gloriously: let this be made known in all the earth. Shout and sing for JOY, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel." Isaiah 12:3-6</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Happy Belated Thanksgiving! From all the pictures I am seeing from the USA and here in Romania, the transition from fall and Thanksgiving to the wonders of Christmas have begun. I love seeing all the Christmas lights and the decorated trees. Such a marvelous time of the year as we wait expectantly to celebrate the birthday of The King. Today marks the first Sunday of Advent. Excitement and anticipation fills me as I look forward to lighting the first candle on my Advent wreath in a few hours, but first I want to write this update and share a glimpse of what the LORD has done during the last few months.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Maramures: Baia Mare, Sighetul Marmatiei and countryside</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">At the beginning of October I traveled to Baia Mare to take part in a national/international conference on autism, entitled "Accept me as I am-about abilities and disabilities". I was asked to present on sensory challenges of children with diverse disabilities. I loved being able to share my passion with 130+ fellow clinicians from all over Romania. My presentation was well received and as a result, I have been asked to do more trainings in other parts of Romania. It has been awesome to see how God is opening doors to not only share about therapy and treatment strategies, but more importantly, I get to share His heart for these children. I made a commitment to begin each training with Psalm 139, proclaiming boldly that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made".</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The conference poster</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Networking with some of other presenters</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">City Center in Baia Mare</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After the conference, I did a 2 day training on sensory-based strategies, oral/feeding strategies and fine motor development for the staff at Autism Baia Mare. I spent a week last summer in their clinic, so it was wonderful to have the opportunity to come back and reconnect with staff and children. There were around 25 therapists in attendance and they were so eager to learn! We had so much fun playing and problem-solving together. Before I left, they asked me to add my handprint to their special tree~what an honor!</span><br />
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After the training, I spent an additional 3 days in the clinic for supervision and helping implement the newly-acquired strategies. Again, the staff were so eager and excited to try new things~from having the children sit on balls during table work to incorporating different body positions and adding fine motor challenges to their sessions. On one of the days, Anita (one of the psychologists and also my host) and I drove 2 hours to their extension clinic in Sighet. The 3 girls working there truly blessed me. They were like sponges, taking in everything I suggested, but also showing great critical-thinking. It was fun and very exciting to see immediate changes with a few of the children!<br />
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The drive from Baia Mare to Sighetul Marmatiei afforded me the opportunity to see a bit more of the enchanting region of Maramures. Of course getting to see a glimpse of fall colors only added to the beauty. Maramures is home to many traditional villages and is known for their wooden churches. Eight of the Wooden Churches of Maramures have been recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Most of these churches were built in the 1700's. Last year I was able to visit one of these magnificent churches, but this year Anita blessed me and took me to see 4 more (Barsana, Budesti, Surdesti, Plopis). All of the ones we visited were more secluded, which made it even lovelier (we were the only visitors at 3 of the 4 churches). On our journey back to Baia Mare, we also visited the beautiful Barsana Monastery. <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>Moving Day: My New Apartment</i></span><br />
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The day after I arrived back in Bucharest/Voluntari, my coworker Elena and I began making calls to look at apartments. After MUCH searching, we finally found a few that were promising. The ads were listed on the site at 9:00 a.m. and we called 30 minutes later only to be informed they were already rented. Discouragement doesn't even begin to describe how I was feeling. I went home (to the nuns house where I was living) to rest. As I laid my head down on the pillow, my phone beeped, indicating a text message. My friend Ines was writing to see if I had found an apartment yet and if not, to let me know she had a friend who was looking for a renter. Elena has made some other appointments to see a few apartments, but we decided to go take a look "just in case". Initially we were both apprehensive due to the neighborhood/surroundings, but once we entered the apartment, I immediately knew I had found my temporary "home". It is a beautiful apartment and I was blessed with a 2 room apartment instead of the anticipated garsoniere (studio apartment). Although it has been challenging to live away from the children, the move was necessary and good. New nuns have arrived (thus the house was no longer available) and I really need to have some boundaries (yes, I know most of my friends have been saying this for years!). One of my favorite features is the close proximity of Parcul Tei (a lovely park) and Piata Obor (one of the best open markets in Bucharest). Another bonus is that is only takes me 40-45 minutes to commute to Don Orione.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sezxh3XYu9o/VHral6tizBI/AAAAAAAAD68/QOV4eiKv6q4/s1600/IMG_1490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sezxh3XYu9o/VHral6tizBI/AAAAAAAAD68/QOV4eiKv6q4/s1600/IMG_1490.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Living Room</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WVwu9bKivLE/VHramEp-9dI/AAAAAAAAD64/1JgKheKLbY0/s1600/IMG_1492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WVwu9bKivLE/VHramEp-9dI/AAAAAAAAD64/1JgKheKLbY0/s1600/IMG_1492.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bedroom</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DferE690dic/VHramKpt11I/AAAAAAAAD60/q25IUugZduk/s1600/IMG_1498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DferE690dic/VHramKpt11I/AAAAAAAAD60/q25IUugZduk/s1600/IMG_1498.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Work area</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-90AUIhzwCGM/VHranQ-GH-I/AAAAAAAAD7I/GrKYZZJ8Txc/s1600/IMG_1503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-90AUIhzwCGM/VHranQ-GH-I/AAAAAAAAD7I/GrKYZZJ8Txc/s1600/IMG_1503.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Kitchen~I have a modern and very good oven! </span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ig0Ue5__Enw/VHranUnueEI/AAAAAAAAD7M/fc_e248_2d4/s1600/IMG_1504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ig0Ue5__Enw/VHranUnueEI/AAAAAAAAD7M/fc_e248_2d4/s1600/IMG_1504.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hallway, with bathroom on the right, bedroom on left</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jyfdSk_hm3I/VHranlK4shI/AAAAAAAAD7Q/9LWUy78aJSA/s1600/IMG_1590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jyfdSk_hm3I/VHranlK4shI/AAAAAAAAD7Q/9LWUy78aJSA/s1600/IMG_1590.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Parcul Tei, 10 minute walk away</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IO6bm3bst_Y/VHraoYmda0I/AAAAAAAAD7c/AoSh2IFJHzk/s1600/IMG_1799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IO6bm3bst_Y/VHraoYmda0I/AAAAAAAAD7c/AoSh2IFJHzk/s1600/IMG_1799.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">view from my kitchen window</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>First Snow</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
Only 1 week after moving in, we had our first snow in Bucharest! I was like a little child on Christmas morning, staring out my window, taking pictures, making videos, calling my family on Facetime so they could see the snow too! The next day I went to the Center to visit the children and take a few of them outside to play in the snow. Luminita was the most excited to run (and fall) in the snow, Laurentiu immediately began making snowballs and Alexandru said he can't wait until there is enough snow to build a snowman.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pWZv6o_1oWo/VHrdmHc0fHI/AAAAAAAAD70/9HpSlWwJMrc/s1600/IMG_1823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pWZv6o_1oWo/VHrdmHc0fHI/AAAAAAAAD70/9HpSlWwJMrc/s1600/IMG_1823.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">View from my apartment after just 2 hours</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gW3qW3KPLeo/VHrdlx2yavI/AAAAAAAAD74/oDWrDJLyYm8/s1600/IMG_1826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gW3qW3KPLeo/VHrdlx2yavI/AAAAAAAAD74/oDWrDJLyYm8/s1600/IMG_1826.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">First Snow~first time wearing winter clothes</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QdWim-OmH28/VHrdlw9BuHI/AAAAAAAAD7w/Sd_IVTvfVjU/s1600/IMG_1830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QdWim-OmH28/VHrdlw9BuHI/AAAAAAAAD7w/Sd_IVTvfVjU/s1600/IMG_1830.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Don Orione Center, First Snow</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0ZlmrnL22DE/VHrdmzOkXMI/AAAAAAAAD8A/qrwcMuyVZ7g/s1600/IMG_1836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0ZlmrnL22DE/VHrdmzOkXMI/AAAAAAAAD8A/qrwcMuyVZ7g/s1600/IMG_1836.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Laurentiu and his snowball~ watch out!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">\</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ioAYkxroim8/VHrdnNFk5aI/AAAAAAAAD8I/IUhkIEuc6DU/s1600/IMG_1854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ioAYkxroim8/VHrdnNFk5aI/AAAAAAAAD8I/IUhkIEuc6DU/s1600/IMG_1854.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Virginica with Alexandru and Ancuta</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PsdgeApbe4I/VHrdnVBB31I/AAAAAAAAD8Q/GMP3LKerwr0/s1600/IMG_1855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PsdgeApbe4I/VHrdnVBB31I/AAAAAAAAD8Q/GMP3LKerwr0/s1600/IMG_1855.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Luminita loved playing in the snow!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WCFkuXQJpVw/VHrdn0qn8yI/AAAAAAAAD8Y/dwCVJTZ_Y_8/s1600/IMG_1879.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WCFkuXQJpVw/VHrdn0qn8yI/AAAAAAAAD8Y/dwCVJTZ_Y_8/s1600/IMG_1879.jpg" height="320" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Liviu wasn't too sure at first, but after awhile, he decided snow<br /> is fun!</span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>November: A Month of Many Blessings</b></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Adelina and Rebeca Come to Visit!</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When Randy, Adelina and Rebeca visited this summer, they fell in love with the kids here and promised they would return. And they (minus Randy who is back in Florida) kept their promise and came at the beginning of November. Rebeca took a week off from school (she is a senior in high school) in order to come serve. This was a huge sacrifice for both of them, and I really am thankful for their friendship and support. I loved being able to host them in my new apartment and was so blessed by their example of serving. Instead of me writing about their time here, I asked Rebeca to write a summary. This is what she wrote: </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 16px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="font-size: 12px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>This was my second time at Centru Don Orione, and I'm so glad God answered to my prayers, and He provided all that was necessary for me and my friend to go back so soon.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 12px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>This past week I realized how much God had blessed me through this opportunity to go back to those children who stole my heart from the very first time we met.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 12px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>This time was different because we had the chance to get to know the children better..to understand their needs and to help them improve their abilities.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 12px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>When we went there during the summer they were on holiday, so we did all the activities by ourselves. We had more time to play outside and have fun together.. but this time a program was started for each child, so we helped them to accomplish their goal for each day. It was a big challenge for us, but we learned so many things about each child..and also personally I learned once again to be thankful for every blessing God is giving me daily, and the most important of all- my mental and physical health.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 12px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i> We are so used to have everything, and sometimes we think we deserve the best in this world, but so easily we forget that God has made us all equals, so it's only His grace if some of us have more than the others. If we have more, that means we have to share with the ones in need. </i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 12px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>It was so amazing for me to work with these children, and watch their progress from day to day, to see how God is able to make their little minds understand everything we ask them to do.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 12px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>In the afternoons, we sang with them their favorite songs, but we also taught them some new songs. We did a couple of Bible Stories and some crafts. We also fixed a desert together.That activity was their favorite thing to do. We chose a very simple desert so they could make it by themselves. We had chocolate pudding. They simply loved it! </i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 12px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Both of us,my friend Adelina and I, spent a wonderful week and we are so thankful to our friend Dawn, who received us there, to all the ones who supported us, and also to God who made all this possible! (Rebeca Marze)</i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 12px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X90hOrFU9jc/VHrjy2somAI/AAAAAAAAD84/EevIP3tcA_g/s1600/IMG_1090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X90hOrFU9jc/VHrjy2somAI/AAAAAAAAD84/EevIP3tcA_g/s1600/IMG_1090.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Selfie Time! Anca, Lumi, Rebe, Laur and Ade</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A02YoebkFys/VHrjz5mQEkI/AAAAAAAAD9Q/eExS0WJ8kac/s1600/IMG_1430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A02YoebkFys/VHrjz5mQEkI/AAAAAAAAD9Q/eExS0WJ8kac/s1600/IMG_1430.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ade learned to feed Valentin~ a huge accomplishment!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OlYdxkEELKA/VHrj0XpLmDI/AAAAAAAAD9I/uE3r-eaeir0/s1600/IMG_1471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OlYdxkEELKA/VHrj0XpLmDI/AAAAAAAAD9I/uE3r-eaeir0/s1600/IMG_1471.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ramona loves music time</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2GqIdDntnS0/VHrj0tiAGII/AAAAAAAAD9M/LJ4_ALtrNVg/s1600/IMG_1490.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2GqIdDntnS0/VHrj0tiAGII/AAAAAAAAD9M/LJ4_ALtrNVg/s1600/IMG_1490.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">oana M ~ Ade's special friend</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zoljaK5p3w4/VHrj1cUzZdI/AAAAAAAAD94/KvBAT9H8vjM/s1600/IMG_1501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zoljaK5p3w4/VHrj1cUzZdI/AAAAAAAAD94/KvBAT9H8vjM/s1600/IMG_1501.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lumi enjoying the pudding she made with Ade and Rebe</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jwzlg7ad488/VHrj1uZ9qvI/AAAAAAAAD9c/sSv7q4shkJ8/s1600/IMG_1515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jwzlg7ad488/VHrj1uZ9qvI/AAAAAAAAD9c/sSv7q4shkJ8/s1600/IMG_1515.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rebe, Me, Ade and Roxana</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q3B-kjfo0Ro/VHrj14npjKI/AAAAAAAAD9g/RvfoFOTxd8E/s1600/IMG_2220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q3B-kjfo0Ro/VHrj14npjKI/AAAAAAAAD9g/RvfoFOTxd8E/s1600/IMG_2220.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Selfie Sunday~ taken after Ade voted in the Presidential Elections</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OeafQSkxHEM/VHrj2-94enI/AAAAAAAAD9w/aUrwQyvT5xM/s1600/IMG_2273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OeafQSkxHEM/VHrj2-94enI/AAAAAAAAD9w/aUrwQyvT5xM/s1600/IMG_2273.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rebe playing with Ioana G</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FflAqZe2sVQ/VHrj3XR2eZI/AAAAAAAAD90/AILZNGasLRI/s1600/IMG_2283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FflAqZe2sVQ/VHrj3XR2eZI/AAAAAAAAD90/AILZNGasLRI/s1600/IMG_2283.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rebe helped out in NIna and Monica's class</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oO7IvIBTJSk/VHrj4FkI9JI/AAAAAAAAD-Q/GtIngrgpN6M/s1600/IMG_2309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oO7IvIBTJSk/VHrj4FkI9JI/AAAAAAAAD-Q/GtIngrgpN6M/s1600/IMG_2309.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The kids love when Ade tells Bible stories (so do I)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y56a4aTtfEc/VHrj4dcFJ_I/AAAAAAAAD-M/2JsZYsiRv7M/s1600/IMG_2342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y56a4aTtfEc/VHrj4dcFJ_I/AAAAAAAAD-M/2JsZYsiRv7M/s1600/IMG_2342.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Alexandru was really focused during craft time</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bY_ZuRD4sZM/VHrj4tsf3WI/AAAAAAAAD-I/sCctO7GGYT4/s1600/IMG_2441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bY_ZuRD4sZM/VHrj4tsf3WI/AAAAAAAAD-I/sCctO7GGYT4/s1600/IMG_2441.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lumi says "Thanks Ade's sister for my new dress"!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SC7CZttwC04/VHrj6HrXgKI/AAAAAAAAD-k/doru1N9o2AA/s1600/IMG_2565.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SC7CZttwC04/VHrj6HrXgKI/AAAAAAAAD-k/doru1N9o2AA/s1600/IMG_2565.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Liviu making his hand "sheep"</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gK69r0WaFqc/VHrj62OeYmI/AAAAAAAAD-o/ynpQeLgJhdQ/s1600/IMG_3410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gK69r0WaFqc/VHrj62OeYmI/AAAAAAAAD-o/ynpQeLgJhdQ/s1600/IMG_3410.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Laurentiu loved his face painting~thanks Ade</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pwlW6EFIKXk/VHrj8Qb5a1I/AAAAAAAAD-4/bZjvso8nkDA/s1600/IMG_3442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pwlW6EFIKXk/VHrj8Qb5a1I/AAAAAAAAD-4/bZjvso8nkDA/s1600/IMG_3442.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ade helping Alex with his homework</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QSmyjKRfEb0/VHrj8gqF-PI/AAAAAAAAD-8/X_ZwnsZP9zo/s1600/IMG_3448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QSmyjKRfEb0/VHrj8gqF-PI/AAAAAAAAD-8/X_ZwnsZP9zo/s1600/IMG_3448.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anca and Rebe~reunited at last!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H8S39iMtEbs/VHrj881uVKI/AAAAAAAAD_A/6zEA_7dz_ao/s1600/IMG_3500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H8S39iMtEbs/VHrj881uVKI/AAAAAAAAD_A/6zEA_7dz_ao/s1600/IMG_3500.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ade did a fabulous job helping out in Roxana's class</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SFnmyS111l8/VHrj9li0l3I/AAAAAAAAD_Q/70BUdQ5WHQc/s1600/IMG_3506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SFnmyS111l8/VHrj9li0l3I/AAAAAAAAD_Q/70BUdQ5WHQc/s1600/IMG_3506.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Liviu loved coloring by himself</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_5W-iRz_7WY/VHrj-WB22dI/AAAAAAAAD_U/Jxy5pSAwRxQ/s1600/IMG_3582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_5W-iRz_7WY/VHrj-WB22dI/AAAAAAAAD_U/Jxy5pSAwRxQ/s1600/IMG_3582.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sweet Kisses~Ade and Luminita</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X_z2g9HIPp0/VHrj_tSs9nI/AAAAAAAAD_o/GqLGC70XKgU/s1600/IMG_3590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X_z2g9HIPp0/VHrj_tSs9nI/AAAAAAAAD_o/GqLGC70XKgU/s1600/IMG_3590.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ade makes me a balloon design and teaches me to be "fitze"</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7l5WuNb5aeI/VHrj_wUd2fI/AAAAAAAAD_s/6qzOJ8lcpFk/s1600/IMG_3606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7l5WuNb5aeI/VHrj_wUd2fI/AAAAAAAAD_s/6qzOJ8lcpFk/s1600/IMG_3606.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Laur giving Monica a balloon</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>The Learning Continues: Don Orione</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Roxana's Room:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Roxana teaches our higher-functioning kids and has done a great job this fall with adding in more fine motor and creative-play activities. The children have made HUGE progress since we began this classroom. They are all sitting at the table and participating in the morning circle activities where they learn about days of the week, months, seasons etc. Liviu can now say all the months of the year in and out of order, Laurentiu is able to recognize and correctly place numbers on the calendar and is learning to read and write, Luminita has learned the colors red and yellow (good for fall activities) and Ioana P can choose the weather and season using pictograms. We also added another child, Bruno, to the morning group. Bruno and his twin brother live with their parents, but the parents needed somewhere to send the boys during the day. When Bruno first came to the center, he was very disruptive and screamed alot. Since placing him in Roxana's class. he has made dramatic changes. He is able to remain seated at the table and is beginning to make choices using pictograms. He is also doing really well making choices on my iPad! Ancuta joins us on Fridays (she goes to kindergarten the other days) and Alexandru comes in whenever he is on break from school. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BCM2L5kwPBs/VHrqppI_X3I/AAAAAAAAEAM/7W-_d_luyCc/s1600/DSC02057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BCM2L5kwPBs/VHrqppI_X3I/AAAAAAAAEAM/7W-_d_luyCc/s1600/DSC02057.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ioana P is now sitting and exploring more toys<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qLkH41dm2VE/VHrqpVQBX7I/AAAAAAAAEAE/gVDyGBnDrc8/s1600/IMG_1409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qLkH41dm2VE/VHrqpVQBX7I/AAAAAAAAEAE/gVDyGBnDrc8/s1600/IMG_1409.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Roxana teaching the kids about seasons<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QQWahgzEia4/VHrqp2Ix-RI/AAAAAAAAEAY/HZhSva0gbyE/s1600/IMG_1411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QQWahgzEia4/VHrqp2Ix-RI/AAAAAAAAEAY/HZhSva0gbyE/s1600/IMG_1411.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Fridays means special snack time! Lumi and Laur making clatite (crepes)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lhITwje4GDs/VHrqqbWzKHI/AAAAAAAAEAU/pCN79JIPFPA/s1600/IMG_1414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lhITwje4GDs/VHrqqbWzKHI/AAAAAAAAEAU/pCN79JIPFPA/s1600/IMG_1414.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anca is all smiles when it comes to sweets!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N1habaVfGWU/VHrqqxdw1OI/AAAAAAAAEAg/mHq8UI1R-o8/s1600/IMG_1453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N1habaVfGWU/VHrqqxdw1OI/AAAAAAAAEAg/mHq8UI1R-o8/s1600/IMG_1453.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Laur loves technology~ maybe he'll be an engineer :)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ImJ-9K8KT0w/VHrqrV98q7I/AAAAAAAAEA8/dfB4DRXbSyE/s1600/IMG_1717.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ImJ-9K8KT0w/VHrqrV98q7I/AAAAAAAAEA8/dfB4DRXbSyE/s1600/IMG_1717.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ancuta is doing better with staying with activities, like drawing</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pU5kqU5LSCE/VHrqroehkKI/AAAAAAAAEAk/EZ7xIEBrw_Q/s1600/IMG_1755.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pU5kqU5LSCE/VHrqroehkKI/AAAAAAAAEAk/EZ7xIEBrw_Q/s1600/IMG_1755.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Liviu loves to explore the guitar~he misses the music therapists from Ital</span>y</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I-zPHMzvSOw/VHrqsXsZygI/AAAAAAAAEA4/X1d34RexChI/s1600/IMG_2038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I-zPHMzvSOw/VHrqsXsZygI/AAAAAAAAEA4/X1d34RexChI/s1600/IMG_2038.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Laur is learning to write!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VDv5wNWLYFo/VHrqso2NmwI/AAAAAAAAEA0/s6OgW5rj7QM/s1600/IMG_2097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VDv5wNWLYFo/VHrqso2NmwI/AAAAAAAAEA0/s6OgW5rj7QM/s1600/IMG_2097.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Liviu is now able to sit at the table using a special chair</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cxOwv6emZTg/VHrqt5XyDbI/AAAAAAAAEBI/9kLeo8BprKk/s1600/IMG_2101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cxOwv6emZTg/VHrqt5XyDbI/AAAAAAAAEBI/9kLeo8BprKk/s1600/IMG_2101.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What's the weather like today</span>?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-niuvHmvUHug/VHrqt6jJ2XI/AAAAAAAAEBo/BhMgczT14kE/s1600/IMG_2109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-niuvHmvUHug/VHrqt6jJ2XI/AAAAAAAAEBo/BhMgczT14kE/s1600/IMG_2109.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The JOY of communication! Ioana P is now making choices using pictograms</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GydxyQBIan0/VHrqufP3rSI/AAAAAAAAEBQ/nED3ta5MJsY/s1600/IMG_2638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GydxyQBIan0/VHrqufP3rSI/AAAAAAAAEBQ/nED3ta5MJsY/s1600/IMG_2638.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What's for dinner? Lumi loves to play in the kitchen</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EOWWMHhWeSk/VHrqvcJNJ5I/AAAAAAAAEBg/ZyI7w4NJHuY/s1600/IMG_3282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EOWWMHhWeSk/VHrqvcJNJ5I/AAAAAAAAEBg/ZyI7w4NJHuY/s1600/IMG_3282.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Always time for a selfie with Lumi! Photobombed by Ioana</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Learning all about colors</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Learning all about shapes</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Nina's Class:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Nina and Monica work in our second classroom with our more challenging kids: Ioana G, Ioana M, Ramona, Ana and Bruno (1/2 day). They also include our youngest child, Valentin, for the morning activities. All of the children in this classroom are nonverbal and have very limited communication. When we started this class in September, none of the children could stay seated, all had severe behavioral issues and were not following most directions. Nina and Monica are so patient with the children and have been very receptive to my input. I am really in awe with the progress the children have made in just 2 short months, especially when you consider none of our staff are teachers~they are just willing women who see the beauty of each child. Ioana M is throwing objects less and is starting to show signs of imitation, Ramona is now staying awake and recently began initiating play (before she slept all day), Ioana G and Ana are learning to dress themselves and share/pass toys and Valentin is following objects more with his eyes and exploring objects in his hands. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The children can now sit in a circle and play together</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7sBCHwrwHY8/VHrxPreWSuI/AAAAAAAAECo/HJQ0PCrCoX0/s1600/IMG_1477.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7sBCHwrwHY8/VHrxPreWSuI/AAAAAAAAECo/HJQ0PCrCoX0/s1600/IMG_1477.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Nina helping Valentin explore a musical toy</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ramona and Ioana enjoying the sensory room</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yybWEa49oco/VHrxRLb0MlI/AAAAAAAAEC0/30N1YFw81FM/s1600/IMG_2306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yybWEa49oco/VHrxRLb0MlI/AAAAAAAAEC0/30N1YFw81FM/s1600/IMG_2306.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ioana G~that smile says it all!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7IE9hZTowfs/VHrxPl0tUCI/AAAAAAAAECg/E-F_sO9zmFc/s1600/IMG_1299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7IE9hZTowfs/VHrxPl0tUCI/AAAAAAAAECg/E-F_sO9zmFc/s1600/IMG_1299.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ioana M, exploring the xylophone</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_kk_hLgNJNc/VHrxRPYsdwI/AAAAAAAAEC8/JrVfUg5ogCs/s1600/IMG_2389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_kk_hLgNJNc/VHrxRPYsdwI/AAAAAAAAEC8/JrVfUg5ogCs/s1600/IMG_2389.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sweet Ana~ she is so much happier now that she has a schedule</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Etaj 2 (Second Floor)</span><br />
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Altogether we have 25 children who live at Don Orione and then the two brothers (Bruno and Marco) who are with us during the day. 12 of the children spend their days downstairs in our 2 classrooms or at school and the other 14 are upstairs. The children upstairs are all more physically and cognitively involved. Most are wheelchair-bound and are dependent on all their needs. However, it is still our desire to bring them joy and improve their quality of life. During the month of November, we created 2 groups upstairs and reconfigured 2 rooms with mats so that the children could start having scheduled floor time (play time). It has been beautiful to see how some of the caregivers are now interacting with the children. it brings me hope. In addition, the British School of Bucharest comes each Monday for an hour to interact with with kids. In the past, they played with our more abled children, but in November, we split them into 2 groups, with one group spending time with our kids upstairs. Although it was initially hard for the students, we are already seeing big changes. 3 of the students have developed special bonds with our children. I love knowing that Mariuca, Alexandra and Adrian have someone who every week is excited to see them and just be with them for an hour. We would like to purchase some folding mats for each room (I found them at IKEA for 139lei ($40.00 USD) each. We need 6. If you are interested in helping out with this need, please contact me.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PDqP5Tr8Iso/VHry6Psh0FI/AAAAAAAAEDc/vjadJm_-ILU/s1600/IMG_1456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PDqP5Tr8Iso/VHry6Psh0FI/AAAAAAAAEDc/vjadJm_-ILU/s1600/IMG_1456.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sweet Alexandra</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vf1atpWDI0I/VHry6TPeZkI/AAAAAAAAEDg/Ifsvv-n3etc/s1600/IMG_1897.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vf1atpWDI0I/VHry6TPeZkI/AAAAAAAAEDg/Ifsvv-n3etc/s1600/IMG_1897.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Fluturas and Anamaria playing cars</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iT6MI7ENzlQ/VHry7E3sQ9I/AAAAAAAAEEE/I7mBN6Uvqvo/s1600/IMG_1916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iT6MI7ENzlQ/VHry7E3sQ9I/AAAAAAAAEEE/I7mBN6Uvqvo/s1600/IMG_1916.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Virginica loving on Stefan</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pQd6_GBbB00/VHry7i83bzI/AAAAAAAAEDs/fvIp7XkrbtA/s1600/IMG_1978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pQd6_GBbB00/VHry7i83bzI/AAAAAAAAEDs/fvIp7XkrbtA/s1600/IMG_1978.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Nicoleta loves Rodica (all the kids love her!)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zOGcF6dQ-2E/VHry72_sXKI/AAAAAAAAED0/SEjPG3ARfVk/s1600/IMG_1983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zOGcF6dQ-2E/VHry72_sXKI/AAAAAAAAED0/SEjPG3ARfVk/s1600/IMG_1983.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lucica and Aurel sharing some laughter</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3pB7_Qj5p0Y/VHry8Tb5o6I/AAAAAAAAED8/86G_RxvsSU4/s1600/IMG_1996.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3pB7_Qj5p0Y/VHry8Tb5o6I/AAAAAAAAED8/86G_RxvsSU4/s1600/IMG_1996.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Marian and his "wheels"</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NzSf0Gky03c/VHry6u6lPxI/AAAAAAAAEDk/qK0w5KND6WI/s1600/DSC02078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NzSf0Gky03c/VHry6u6lPxI/AAAAAAAAEDk/qK0w5KND6WI/s1600/DSC02078.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Kinetotherapist Ioana sharing a tender moment with Mariuca</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Thanksgiving Day </i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thanksgiving is not celebrated here in Romania, so for me it was a work day. However. due to amazing technology, I was able to Facetime with my family and also catch up with a few friends. Although I missed being with my family, I am truly content to be here in Romania. I had time alone in the evening to really ponder on the meanings of words like thankful and gratitude. As I reflect on all God has done here, especially in these last 2 months, I am filled with gratitude and awe for all He has accomplished. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So I guess you can say this Thanksgiving was celebrated in a special (and maybe more meaningful) way. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I think that about closes out this update. I know it was lengthy, but I pray it was an encouragement for you my dear readers. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thank you for your continued support, love and prayers. I am thankful for EACH and EVERY one of you!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Joyfully His,</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Dawn</span>Dawn Hoffman, OTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072449971325720046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610482727235877749.post-69099277805613551072014-09-26T15:33:00.001-07:002014-09-26T15:33:41.349-07:00August/September Update: Brasov Vacation with the boys, New Classrooms, School Begins....Greetings from Romania! It is crazy to think that this coming week will mark 4 months of me being back in my "second homeland". The summer was hot, humid, full of mosquitoes and lots of challenges and changes here at "The Center" (Don Orione). But it was also a summer full of carefree playtime outside, and fun activities, including a trip to Brasov with 3 of the boys. Now September is nearly over as well. September found us busy reorganizing our programs, implementing our new classrooms and preparing Alex and Laurentiu for school. <div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Brasov Vacation: August 24-27th</span></div>
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Ioana (our kinetotherapist and my good friend) and I took Alex, Liviu and Laurentiu to beautiful Brasov for 4 days. In the past years, I have taken 5-6 of the children to "tabara" (camp). But this has meant that we needed to not only plan all of the activities, but also do all the cooking, caregiving and cleaning. Last year I returned from camp completely exhausted. I had been praying about how we could make the experience more about the children and less about the things that needed to be done. So after lots of prayer and talking to friends both here in Romania and back home in the U.S., we decided to do something totally different and take the kids to Brasov and stay in a hotel. Great idea right? However, this is Romania. Most places are not handicap accessible, and yet I have one child in a wheelchair and one who uses a walker. Did I mention the city we were going to is a very old city surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains and lined with cobblestone streets? Was I crazy to pick this place? I knew the fresh air and the chance to show the children a glimpse of the beauty of Romania was enticing, but could we really pull this off? After doing weeks of research, I found a modern hotel with handicap accessibility, PLUS it featured and inside pool AND an indoor play area! I can not say enough about Hotel Kronwell and their employees. They warmly welcomed us and went out of their way to ensure that we and the children had everything we needed to be comfortable and happy.</div>
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We left Voluntari early Sunday morning and made a quick stop in Sinaia for the children to see Peles Castle. This is an important place historically, as it was built by Romania's first king, King Carol I. It is considered one of the most beautiful castles in Europe. </div>
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We then headed to our final destination: Brasov! Our hotel surpassed any expectation we could have imagined. The indoor play area and swimming pool were both big hits with the children and adults too! Alex and Laurentiu were so excited to learn how to play Nintendo games, especially those involving driving a car. Liviu enjoyed the bounce house and ball pit. All 3 boys decided the indoor swimming pool was the best feature of the hotel. It is kept at a therapeutic temperature which allowed for Liviu to experience the joys of swimming without increasing his spasticity too much. For him, the swimming pool was his favorite place because once he was placed in the swim ring, he was very independent moving in the water. Alex and Laurentiu did really great as well. Alex even practiced floating on his back and going under the water! </div>
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The children also enjoyed our outings to the old city center. They were able to see several historical places, such as Biserica Neagra (The Black Church) and walk through the narrowest street in Romania (Strada Sforii). Alex did amazing navigating through the streets and walked more than either Ioana or I imagined was possible for him. My sweet Naomi (Nicu and Silvana's daughter) traveled everyday from Sacele to Brasov to help with the children. They all loved having her around, but Laurentiu was especially fond of her. The children enjoyed experiencing eating out in several restaurants, but going for pizza was the biggest hit for all of them. On our last night, my friends Adriana and Pete met us for dinner. The children enjoyed getting to spend time with them and were even treated to banana splits for dessert. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">September's New Beginnings: Centru de Activitati</span></div>
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This summer we started to reorganize our gradinita (kindergarten) and renamed it the Centru de Activitati, which means the Activity Center. We decided on the name change because we have several children who are too old for gradinita, yet due to their physical and/or cognitive levels, are unable to attend a traditional school. We wanted them to have the opportunity to also attend school. However, our schedule in the summer was relatively light (1-2 hours/day) and included only 5-6 children. The children at Don Orione are divided into 2 groups. One group contains the younger children, most who have better physical skills, but varying cognitive levels. The other group contains our more involved children. The younger children spend their days downstairs, while the more involved children stay upstairs. There are 11 children that come downstairs, but only the highest functioning kids (5-6) were being involved in structured classroom activities. The other children, all non-verbal, were cared for by a worker who did her best to provide stimulation and love. But without any real structure, it was typically chaotic! After 3 months of planning, purchasing and organizing materials, from September 1st, we now have 2 classrooms. The program runs from 9:00-12:00 and then again from 1:30-3:00. Although there are still many challenges, we have already seen huge growth! The more involved children are learning to sit together for circle time activities (mainly singing, passing objects) and engaging in parallel play. Our kids in the higher level class our now learning colors, numbers and letters, working on fine motor skills through doing crafts, and learning to play games that require turn taking. </div>
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Of course the children also spend lots of time outside, especially when the weather is nice (which it has been until this week). Luminita has learned to pedal a bike (with training wheels) and Ana has become independent at climbing up the stairs for the slide. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">September 8th: I'm Legal!</span></div>
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After 2+ long months of filling out paperwork, going to the public notary, translating documents, paying fees and then being told to redo paperwork, purchase private insurance etc, I finally received by Permis de Sedere (1 year Visa). It was such a relief to finally get this little card and not to stress about leaving the country. I know God is fully in control, but it was still hard waiting. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">September 15th: School Begins</span></div>
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Here in Romania, all schools begin on September 15th. This year we have 2 of our children attending public school. Alex is in first grade. He is in a mainstream classroom this year with 26 other children. Laurentiu is attending an inclusion classroom at the same school. His class has around 8 children, all with special needs. They are both doing really well. Alex will need continued 1:1 support due to his physical limitations, but he has adjusted very nicely. Laurentiu loves going to school and is probably the happiest kid you will ever meet. </div>
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In a few hours, I will be traveling to Oradea (10 hours by car) where I will spend the next 5 days. I will be attending an ordination of a priest and then will be doing some work at PLC, the day center I did the training for in July. On October 1st, I will then head to Baia Mare to participate in an international conference on Autism and then do a week of training at another day center. I am really excited for the opportunities God is giving me, but I covet your prayers as I really have not stopped and rested since I arrived on May 31st. My powerpoints are still not completed as I have had a nasty cold this week, so please be praying for an extra dose of physical energy and mental clarity. Also, when I return on October 11th, I will be moving to my own flat (apartment) in the city (Bucharest). This is a huge answer to prayer, but it also involves packing all my things and learning the public transportation system. Please pray for a smooth transition. </div>
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On a side note, I also have to tell you I have been so spoiled this last month! I received 3 care packages and numerous cards from several of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have no idea what it means to me when I receive mail. But in addition to me, these actions speak to my coworkers and the children. Several people have expressed awe at the amount of mail I have received and this has given me opportunities to discuss my awesome "community" which is grounded in Christ. I am cognizant of your sacrificial giving and your continued prayers. Please don't stop praying! </div>
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Thank you again for your prayers, support, encouragement and love.</div>
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Joyfully His,</div>
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Dawn</div>
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Dawn Hoffman, OTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072449971325720046noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610482727235877749.post-65014558785994655432014-08-17T12:48:00.003-07:002014-08-17T12:48:57.637-07:00My Last 6 weeks: Timisoara, Oradea, Bucharest, Brasov, Back to BucharestSo from the title of this post, it should be quite evident these past 6 weeks have been extremely busy! Today I am finally finding the much needed time to sit down and write this update. As much as this update is for you, my dear family, friends, and faithful supporters, in many ways it is more for me. You see, when I sit down and reflect on my time here, it helps me to put so many things in perspective. It is so easy for me to be "busy", but unless I take the time to reflect on why my Savior has called me here, I can quickly lose my focus. Taking the time to look through my pictures (3000+) helps me to remember why I am here. Don't worry! I won't try posting all 3000 pictures, but I hope that the ones I do post will give you a glimpse inside my heart, and inevitably inside the heart of my Abba Father.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Timisoara</span><br />
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For several years now, I have been invited by a fellow missionary, Dawn Elenbaas, to come to Timisoara to do some trainings on sensory processing and developmental stimulation. Dawn works in one of the State Orphanages and has a great relationship with the local Child Protection. Unfortunately, the timing never worked out, that is until this July. It was wonderful to finally meet Dawn in person. She has such a beautiful heart and the way she loves on the children at the orphanage really encouraged me. Because of her faithful service and integrity, and of course God's grace, I was given access to visit the orphanage and work with Dawn. It has been 4 years since I last entered a State-run orphanage and to be honest, it wasn't easy. Seeing the conditions of these children broke my heart. Yes, things are better than when I entered my first orphanage 15 years ago, but still some fundamental issues remain, such as limited caregivers, lack of space and limited stimulation. Dawn does her best to take some of the children out into the community. While I was there, we took 4 of the children to the zoo and then to dinner at McDonald's. Because of stringent laws, I cannot post pictures of the children's faces.<br />
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I was also asked to do a day-long training at an orphanage in Lugoj, a city about an hour outside of Timisoara. There were about 20 people in attendance, ranging from therapists to psychologists to educators. Overall, I think it went really well. As always, I began the training by sharing Psalm 139, thus setting the stage for all to hear that we have a Creator who knit us in our mother's womb; we are fearfully and wonderfully made! My prayer is that at least 1 or 2 of the staff with catch the vision and begin delivering child-focused intervention.<br />
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Timisoara is a lovely and important city, historically speaking. It was here in December 1989 that the first street protests occurred, leading up to the Romanian Revolution. I had a few hours to explore the city on my last day. I loved all the bright colored buildings, such as difference from Bucharest!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Oradea: Home Sweet Home</span><br />
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After 4 days in Timisoara, it was finally time to go to Oradea! Oradea is my "home" here in Romania. It was the city where I did my first missions trip back in 1999 and it remains a place very close to my heart. I can't really explain it, but I felt a sense of peace and deep, deep contentment when the train stopped and I saw the sign: Oradea. Making it even sweeter was seeing my cherished friend/"sister" Ramona waiting for me at the platform. Although my primary reason for coming was to do trainings/supervision at Pyramid Learning Center (a day center for children with Autism and other developmental delays), I was blessed with getting to spend a few days with my Romanian families, The Feher/Lazurca/Ille clan, the Fagadar's, and the Vari/Dorog's. In addition, I was able to meet up for a few hours with my dear friends Dora and Monika. I was able to finally meet my newest Romanian "nephew" Filip (born in June) as well as Monika's sweet daughter Miriam (she was born right after I left last summer).<br />
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As much as I savored each moment with my friends and "family" in Oradea, I was equally excited to come and partner with Pyramid Learning Center. This day center just opened last March and is already making a huge impact on the lives of several children and their families. Their director, Ioana, is a very bright, passionate and motivated psychologist/special educator. She is also a fellow believer who truly radiates Christ's love. Lili, my close friend and co-laborer at Don Orione, is partnering with this center and thus "convinced" me that we needed to spend a week in Oradea. No that I needed much convincing to go "home" :) At the time, Lili was 8 months pregnant, but still insisted on joining me and even served as my translator for the trainings! We spent much of the week working alongside the staff, providing feedback, making suggestions and modeling treatment techniques. We then did a 2 day training on sensory processing. Around 30 people were in attendance, including therapists, psychologists, teachers, university students and even a few parents.<br />
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The day before I flew back to Bucharest, I was given another special gift: a visit to Loredana's family. My good friend and fellow missionary, Randy Bullock called me and insisted we carry on our annual tradition of driving to Astileu to visit Loredana's family. We were joined by Randy's summer intern, Cody as well as 2 of his Romanian assistants, Rebeca and Adelina. It will be 10 years in October since Loredana passed away and somehow God has chosen for me/us to keep this bond with her family. We had a great time playing with the youngest child, Simina and also enjoyed a sweet time of fellowship and prayer. But it was also a painful time. Leanora, Loredana's mom, confided in us that Lavinia, her 14 year old daughter, tried to commit suicide this past September. I was so sad not to see Lavinia. When Loredana passed away, she was a little 4 year old child. She would pray for me to come visit and was always so full of joy. It pains me to see how hard life has been for this family and how they have tried so hard to escape living in a gypsy community, only to see their dreams shattered. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers, especially that Leanora would hold on to Jesus.<br />
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As we headed back to Oradea, we were given yet another gift: Sunflowers! Most of the sunflowers were already dried up due to the extreme weather, but we came across a beautiful field and stopped for yet another annual tradition.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Bucharest Part 1: Randy's Visit</span><br />
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Thankfully I was able to fly from Oradea to Bucharest, making the journey a mere 1 hour flight instead of 12+ hours by train. The downside was having to be to the airport at 4:45 a.m. As soon as I landed in Bucharest, I headed to my appointment at the immigration office to turn in all my paperwork for my Romanian Visa. After more than a month of filling out forms, going to the notary, paying taxes, purchasing private insurance and consulting with a government official, I am happy to say all my forms were completed. I am scheduled to return on August 29th to pick up my visa. Amazing timing as my 90 day tourist visa expires on August 30th!<br />
The very same day I returned to Bucharest, my good friends Randy Bullock and Adelina Ghirau, along with Rebeca Marze and Randy's summer intern, Cody Hudler, took a train from Oradea to come serve with me here at Don Orione Center for 5 days. We have been talking about this trip for years, so when Randy said they were coming, it was a great and wonderful surprise! I am thankful for Adelina's insistence in making this happen. Randy and his team played with the children, shared bible stories, taught the new songs, dressed as clowns and blew balloons for both the elderly and the children. Cine regele jungele~Who is the king of the jungle~ became the favorite and most requested song of the week! They were also here to help celebrate Ana and Ioana's 9th Birthday.<br />
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In our free time, the team wanted to visit Muzeu Satului (The Village Museum). Although I had just been here with an Italian team, I happily gave Randy and his team a guided tour of my favorite spot in Bucharest. I know Romania is not all about village life, but I do think this museum beautifully displays the tradiitonal way of living here in Romania. <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Bucharest Part II: Marius Comes to Visit</span></div>
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The same day that Randy's team was returning to Oradea, my good friend Marius Lazau arrived in Bucharest. Marius was one of my translators on my first missions trip to Romania (Oradea) in 1999. We connected right away and have stayed close friends over the past 15 years. He has been the most faithful person in calling me, especially when I am in Romania. Marius has lived in the USA for the past 12+ years and this was his first trip back to Romania. He was coming back to finally receive his permanent visa for the USA and also to surprise his family. We were so excited to realize we would finally be able to reunite, especially since I am now living so close to Bucharest. It was really quite fun showing him around Bucharest, especially considering it was the American giving the Romanian tours around Centru Vechi, Piata Revolutiei, etc. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Brasov: Visiting Marius and the Hagiu Family</span></div>
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Marius invited me to come visit Brasov as he was staying there for a week before heading to Oradea. This was a perfect excuse to spend a little more time with him and also pay a long overdue visit to my dear friends, Nicu and Silvana Hagiu along with their children Naomi and Leo. </div>
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Saturday, Marius and I explored the old city center, with him now acting as the tour guide which was a nice surprise. I finally got to see Rope Street (Strada Sforii), which is the narrowest street in Romania and the 3rd most narrow in Europe. We were then invited to go to Bran Castle with his friends Adriana and Pete. </div>
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On Sunday morning, I headed to Sacele, a town outside of Brasov, to meet up with the Hagiu's. Nicu and Silvana relocated from Sancraiu to Sacele this past March. They are now working with a charity called FAST, which works with the poor and at risk, mainly roma (gypsy) children and youth. I was able to attend church service (which was translated, a nice bonus) and then spent the day catching up with Silvana. My soul really needed this visit. It was so good to just talk, laugh, pray, listen/sing worship songs and of course eat! On Monday, I needed to head back into Brasov to explore places to take the children when we come for our vacation/"camp". Naomi (Nicu and Silvana's daughter) will be helping me with the children, so she decided to join me for the afternoon and then saw me off to the train station. I really loved spending time with Naomi and can't wait to see her again in a week!</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Return to Bucharest: Birthday Celebrations </span></div>
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This week we celebrated Luminita's 8th Birthday and Robert's 17th Birthday. Lumi loved her cake and was so aware it was her birthday. I love seeing how much the staff is enjoying celebrating each of the children's lives!</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">This coming week....</span></div>
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While I was in Brasov, one of our children, Adi Ene passed away. This has been so difficult to endure, especially because of all the politics involved with preparing his funeral. He is technically a ward of the State, so we are hoping to have an answer tomorrow on where/when he will be buried so we can attend. Please pray for the staff and children. </div>
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Next Sunday, Ioana (the kinetotherapist) and I are taking 3 of the children, Liviu, Laurentiu and Alexandru, to Brasov for 4 days. We are excited to take the children to this beautiful city and also expose them to some new adventures, including taking the train! </div>
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And now I will finally close this update. I will leave you with a verse from the chapter of scripture (Isaiah 43) that He uses over and over to remind me of my very existence. I pray it will be an encouragement for you as well:</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>"But now thus says the Lord, who created you</i> </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">O Jacob, and He who formed you O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. " (</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Isaiah 43:1, NKJV)</span></i></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Joyfully His,</span></i></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Dawn</span></i></div>
Dawn Hoffman, OTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072449971325720046noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610482727235877749.post-49586933412335655992014-06-30T15:49:00.000-07:002014-06-30T15:49:24.804-07:00June: A recap of my first month back in Romania<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Greetings from Voluntari, Romania! </div>
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It has hard to believe that is has already been a month since I arrived. Thankfully, I have had a smooth transition back into Romanian life, including culture, language and food. I can honestly say I feel just as much at home here as I do in the U.S.A. I know this is a gift from my Heavenly Father, and I am very thankful. I am also thankful for all of the prayers and support I have received. As my dear friend, Ann Carsten, always says : God is good, and I am blessed!</div>
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My "home base" is at the Don Orione Center. This is my 4th summer here at the Center, but this will be my first time staying here for more than 2 months. The Center includes a nursing home for 60 elderly people. a home for approximately 40 children and young adults with disabilities and a day center for children with autism. I am primarily working on the children's unit, but am also providing some training and consultation to the staff at the day center. </div>
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Instead of writing a lengthy letter, which would likely put you to sleep, I will share with you lots of pictures! I hope you will enjoy seeing these faces as much as I do :) It has been a wonderful and miraculous transformation to see these children change from hopeless to joyous. There is still much work to be done, but I know that He is faithful and will continue what He has started. </div>
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I arrived back in Romania on June 1st, which happens to be Ziua Copilului, or Children's Day. I love God's perfect timing! It was such a treat to spend my first day celebrating each of these precious lives! </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Special Outings</span></div>
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7 of our children were privileged to participate in a day of hippotherapy in a nearby village. Gabriela, a therapist from Italy, helped make the arrangements and then worked with our 2 kinetotherapists, Ioana and Camelia. We all had a great time and the children definitely benefited from this therapy. </div>
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Last summer when I was here the British School of Bucharest (BSB) came to visit our children. One of the teachers at the school (Hannah) and I talked about the possibility of them coming at least once a month. This was so successful that they are now bringing student volunteers every Monday afternoon! To celebrate the end of the year, the school invited Laurentiu, Alex, Liviu, Ancuta and Luminita to come to their school for a visit. The staff organized activities and games for our children and also invited us to lunch in their school cafeteria. This was such a treat for our children and we are truly thankful for the partnership with BSB! We look forward to their visits again once school resumes in September.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laurentiu loved playing a new card game</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liviu loved walking around the gym!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liviu and Hannah having fun on the scooters</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our dancing queen~Ancuta</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laurentiu made lots of new friends!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alexandru</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hannah and Luminita</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Celebrations!</span></div>
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One of the great perks of living at the Center is that I have more flexibility to be available for special activities with the children. I had the pleasure to attend Alexandru's end of the year party at his school and also escorted Ancuta and Laurentiu to their end of the year program at the gradinita (kindergarten). It was such a joy to attend these events and celebrate the successes of these children! Alex will attend a typical first grade next year, and Laurentiu & Ancuta will continue to attend the kindergarten that is on the same property as the Center. They are learning great foundational skills and even have "English Hour"!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex and his teacher performing "Guess the Story"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alexandru proudly showing his work display</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laurentiu and Ancuta with Dawn Americanca</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w2Xtr9Ji7fo/U7HBcBjyAFI/AAAAAAAACi4/MljDaqi5o-o/s1600/P1270671.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w2Xtr9Ji7fo/U7HBcBjyAFI/AAAAAAAACi4/MljDaqi5o-o/s1600/P1270671.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Little Dancer, Ancuta</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XOI-_szwrL0/U7HBiuRsSCI/AAAAAAAACjE/UnKXPlcOQ_k/s1600/P1270681.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XOI-_szwrL0/U7HBiuRsSCI/AAAAAAAACjE/UnKXPlcOQ_k/s1600/P1270681.jpg" height="320" width="237" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laurentiu did a great job reciting his poem!</td></tr>
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On June 21st, we had a prayer service and then a luncheon to say goodbye to our nuns, Sora Lidia, Sora Graciela and Sora Argentina. They have all been reassigned to different ministries in Italy. Their presence here at the Center is already sorely missed by the children, the workers and me. I will miss hearing Sora Graciela's laugh and the joyous way Sora Argentina greeted me each day. I am truly thankful for the example they showed in loving "the least of these".<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9vtYxsDUNSg/U7G4kaQtQ4I/AAAAAAAACh4/9PE68j1aP-M/s1600/P1270736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9vtYxsDUNSg/U7G4kaQtQ4I/AAAAAAAACh4/9PE68j1aP-M/s1600/P1270736.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sora Graciela and Lucretia</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p_E3xBvN7N0/U7G4kmB9OKI/AAAAAAAACh8/8RIL5EsyhRY/s1600/P1270738.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p_E3xBvN7N0/U7G4kmB9OKI/AAAAAAAACh8/8RIL5EsyhRY/s1600/P1270738.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Nina and Sora Graciela</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uBlG47rhAA8/U7G4lHUcJnI/AAAAAAAACiA/NN0ZHpfMK0I/s1600/P1270739.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uBlG47rhAA8/U7G4lHUcJnI/AAAAAAAACiA/NN0ZHpfMK0I/s1600/P1270739.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sora Argentina and Liviu</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V52pbWt-vW0/U7G5GILmmwI/AAAAAAAACiQ/XTYPDMBWhOI/s1600/P1270773.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V52pbWt-vW0/U7G5GILmmwI/AAAAAAAACiQ/XTYPDMBWhOI/s1600/P1270773.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laurentiu and Liviu love the nuns!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TTxb9v-3ub8/U7G5OrMxQtI/AAAAAAAACig/49E1Voxguso/s1600/P1270783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TTxb9v-3ub8/U7G5OrMxQtI/AAAAAAAACig/49E1Voxguso/s1600/P1270783.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dawn and Lili (with BabyAlessia on the way!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v5ki6IZqXMU/U7G5ZWt1cCI/AAAAAAAACio/UE7DBxjFxxs/s1600/P1270794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v5ki6IZqXMU/U7G5ZWt1cCI/AAAAAAAACio/UE7DBxjFxxs/s1600/P1270794.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sora Lidia, Sora Graciela and Sora Argentina<br /></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Sergiu's First Mass</span></div>
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On June 28th and 29th, a group of us traveled to Iasi to attend Sergiu's first mass, following his oridination as a Catholic priest last Tuesday. I was honored to be invited, especially since the priests are aware that I am an evangelical Christian. Don Roberto asked me and one of the workers, Nina, to take Liviu, Laurentiu and Alex along as well. It was a long 8 hour bus ride, but the children were so well behaved and were excited to get to go on a trip! The service was very beautiful and although I did not understand everything, I really loved being there. It was so cute to hear the children remember to say "Don Sergiu" (Father Sergiu)! After the service, we were invited to lunch at a restaurant, another big treat for our children! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w6O-ehqUhso/U7HldwVyxdI/AAAAAAAACm4/xLckYwPt6_A/s1600/P1280058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w6O-ehqUhso/U7HldwVyxdI/AAAAAAAACm4/xLckYwPt6_A/s1600/P1280058.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gina with Liviu and Laurentiu. Gina was a great help!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f8-wiaCXxzA/U7HlKsL-meI/AAAAAAAACmw/NbgN0RgavBw/s1600/P1280061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f8-wiaCXxzA/U7HlKsL-meI/AAAAAAAACmw/NbgN0RgavBw/s1600/P1280061.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laurentiu and Dawn Americanca</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gxmJkl370G4/U7Hlz7uHnYI/AAAAAAAACnI/8B93y3sNgf8/s1600/P1280089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gxmJkl370G4/U7Hlz7uHnYI/AAAAAAAACnI/8B93y3sNgf8/s1600/P1280089.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My amazing coworker, Nina, with Liviu, Alex and Nicu</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ASOzT5XjcQ/U7HluBv31PI/AAAAAAAACnA/574AdhWV6F4/s1600/P1280104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ASOzT5XjcQ/U7HluBv31PI/AAAAAAAACnA/574AdhWV6F4/s1600/P1280104.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boys loved having a sleepover!</td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VLn1Nr6p1HU/U7Hl8CuMsBI/AAAAAAAACnQ/saYRu-EV6Ks/s1600/P1280114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VLn1Nr6p1HU/U7Hl8CuMsBI/AAAAAAAACnQ/saYRu-EV6Ks/s1600/P1280114.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don Sergiu</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don Sergiu with the children, young adults and staff</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elena, me and Liviu</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch at a restaurant!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don Sergiu, Dawn Americanca, Don Christi</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were also treated to a traditional dance performance</td></tr>
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When I left home, I was still uncertain about where I would be living. The cost of renting a studio apartment in Bucharest is quite high and then I had to consider the distance. I didn't want to travel more than 1 hour with public transport. I am currently staying in the guest wing of the priests home (a large building, somewhat like a college dormitory), but wanted to find something more permanent as I am staying here until March. Because the nuns have now left, their home became available for me to use. I will be moving later this week and will be sharing the home with 3 Italian music therapists for the next 3 months. They are here doing their internships. The house is actually a duplex. On the other side, 3 young ladies who are all orphans and previous street children, live. The nuns watched over them and this will now be my honor. I already have a special relationship with one of the girls, Luctretia. She calls me "prietena mea" which means "my friend". I have been spending time getting to know Gina and Lucica better, including taking them into the city and also on walks. I am excited to see how God is going to grow these relationships!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucica, Lucretia and Gina</td></tr>
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Again, I am thankful for every prayer, email, letter, card, and word of encouragement. I am ever so aware that this is what is not only sustaining me, but allowing me to thrive here! All to His glory!<br />
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Joyfully His,<br />
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DawnDawn Hoffman, OTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072449971325720046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610482727235877749.post-73762613902314499342013-07-07T12:28:00.001-07:002013-07-07T12:30:04.579-07:00Play Dates!This past week Hannah and I, along with a few staff members, took some of our children into the community for special play dates. For some of the children, even the car ride was a first! <div><br></div><div>On Tuesday, we took Fluturas, Ramona and Ana to Herastrau, a large park in Bucharest with an abundance of activities. The children enjoyed seeing the lake, feeding the ducks and swans, seeing peacocks, playing in the children's park and drinking juice. Ramona and Ana mastered the teeter totter and loved swinging on the large swing. Fluturas was fascinated with the water and enjoyed feeding the animals "pufuleti". We ended the day with a trip to McDonald's. Fluturas was all about the fries, Ana loved drinking Sora Graciela's soda and Ramona joyfully ate her ice cream! Despite a few challenges, it was a successful day.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-LPI1g8txd34/UdnBdnsmqPI/AAAAAAAAChA/Iqxop4KD-2s/s640/blogger-image--271645091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-LPI1g8txd34/UdnBdnsmqPI/AAAAAAAAChA/Iqxop4KD-2s/s640/blogger-image--271645091.jpg"></a></div><br><div><div>Thursday, my dear friend Lili arranged to take me, Hannah, Ema (one of the caregivers) and the three Ioanas to the zoo. Hannah has really bonded with Ioana "mica" (little Ioana). Ioana mare (big Ioana) looked at the lions and tigers with such interest and helped to pull the other 2 children in a wagon. Although she is basically non-verbal, she often exclaims "oh dear". After exploring the zoo, we took the children to an outdoor restaurant. Hannah was able to get little Ioana to taste the chocolate filling from a croissant. This is huge as Ioana mica eats very few foods. Ioana mare eagerly ate mini croissants and pretzel sticks, foods that are a real treat! The greatest surprise was watching Ioana "the twin" independently reach for mici (a type of Romanian sausage)! She also did amazingly well with drinking flavored water from a sports bottle. </div></div></div><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-QLtgRNuZgnM/UdnBbXcfauI/AAAAAAAACg4/zjV3B-DvC5I/s640/blogger-image--1571468915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-QLtgRNuZgnM/UdnBbXcfauI/AAAAAAAACg4/zjV3B-DvC5I/s640/blogger-image--1571468915.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Tomorrow morning we leave for "camp" with 5 of our children: Alexandru, Ancuta, Laurentiu, Liviu and Luminita. The children have been asking for weeks how many more days until we will leave for "tabora" (camp), so today when I was with them, they squealed with delight when I reminded them we were leaving in the morning! Thanks to the generosity of another foundation that I have partnered with in the past, FARA, we will be staying in a small village house up in the mountains. It will be wonderful for the children to breathe clean air and be able to stay outside all day. Our theme this year is "God keeps His promises" and our activities will be all about Noah's Ark. Please be praying not only for the children, but also for the workers, that Hannah and I would be Salt and Light. </div><div><br></div><div>Joyfully His,</div><div>Dawn (and Hannah)</div>Dawn Hoffman, OTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072449971325720046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610482727235877749.post-70957884537275989012013-06-27T14:00:00.002-07:002013-06-27T14:05:55.729-07:00Bucharest Update: Don Orione Center June 14-27, 2013"Dawn Americanca"! Squeals of delight, followed by hugs, kisses and hearing some of my sweet children say "Dawn, te iubesc" (I love you). This is how I was welcomed by Laurentiu, Luminita, Alexandru and Liviu on the morning I arrived at the center. The children did not know when I was coming, so it was great fun to arrive in Bucharest early in the morning and surprise them as they were waking up. Although I slept little the night before and had risen at 4:00 a.m. in order to catch my flight from Baia Mare to Bucharest, somehow God filled me with so much energy that I stayed with the children until they went to bed.<div><br>
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Much has changed at Don Orione, especially in the last 3 weeks. One of the worst orphanages in Bucharest is closing, so some of the children and young adults (all with special needs) have now moved here. The children's unit increased from 19 to 27; however, all of the new children are quite severe. In reality, only 2 are truly children, the other 6 new residents are in their 20's but are very small for their ages. In addition, there is now a "young adult" section, housing 10 higher functioning teenagers/young adults. Both sections are now located on the 3rd floor, so the children are needing to adjust not only to new people, but also to a new place. It has been rather chaotic, but we are thankful for each child and young adult that is here. For the most part, the children are doing well. A few of them are having difficulties with all of the changes, resulting in some regression and aggression. However, this is completely understandable. The workers have shown tremendous patience and grace. </div>
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My first week consisted of spending all day (7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.) helping feed, dress, bathe children, playing with and getting to know the new children, new staff and new place. Many staff changes have occurred. One of my friends, Magda, recently joined the staff and will be overseeing the children's section along with Sora Graciela, a nun from Paraguay. Magda is so gentle and nurturing, but also knows how to set limits, so she will be a great asset. In addition, they have a new kinetotherapist, Ioana. She is so ambitious and has already made some huge changes with the children! Today she even had Liviu pedaling himself on an adapted bike! Laurentiu and Luminita are now walking with canes and I can't keep up with Alexandru when he is walking with his walker. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-pDJ1sJDRyyU/Ucyg0TjXUOI/AAAAAAAACfg/lxQI0BtaOUk/s640/blogger-image--1313225845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-pDJ1sJDRyyU/Ucyg0TjXUOI/AAAAAAAACfg/lxQI0BtaOUk/s640/blogger-image--1313225845.jpg"></a></div><br></div>
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Although I was spending all my time with the children, I was also becoming overwhelmed with all the needs. Thankfully, one of the priests, Don Roberto, sat me down and helped me to prioritize. I continue to be with all the children during meals and play time, but I am focusing my time on working with our 5 children with the greatest potential and with our 4 most severe children. Laurentiu, Alexandru, Ancuta and Luminita are working on bathing and dressing skills and Liviu is working on feeding skills and learning how to use his tone to help him brush his teeth independently. I am training the most gentle and compassionate woman named Monica on how to provide stimulation to our 4 children who are bed-ridden and completely dependent. It has been beautiful to observe her as she interacts with Alina, Danut, Maria and Alexandra. Danut and Alexandra have been actively reaching for toys, and Alina and Maria just light up when we touch them and sing to them. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-eYOWQisqMWc/Ucyg7kw97lI/AAAAAAAACfo/I96G2Dktb7M/s640/blogger-image--504187539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-eYOWQisqMWc/Ucyg7kw97lI/AAAAAAAACfo/I96G2Dktb7M/s640/blogger-image--504187539.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-oMRGy-jhhX4/UcyheJgTkQI/AAAAAAAACfw/7tv4hugMEwg/s640/blogger-image-1934527872.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-oMRGy-jhhX4/UcyheJgTkQI/AAAAAAAACfw/7tv4hugMEwg/s640/blogger-image-1934527872.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oFwdbKngLks/Ucykhxs_4vI/AAAAAAAACgY/dIQqEHAV4_4/s640/blogger-image-1257180351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oFwdbKngLks/Ucykhxs_4vI/AAAAAAAACgY/dIQqEHAV4_4/s640/blogger-image-1257180351.jpg"></a></div></div><div><br></div>
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This week I have been continuing my work with the children. In addition I have been seeing children in the Day Center, working with Lili and her staff. Most of the children who come to the Day Center have a diagnosis of autism. However, they also see children who have other neurological or cognitive impairments. Tomorrow I will be doing a parent training course on developmental stimulation, play and sensory processing. Knowing the needs, I wish I could spend more time helping at the Day Center, but at the same time, I don't want to miss out on any opportunities to be with my kids. God has certainly been faithful to answer my prayers to stretch me! I am so thankful that although we make the plans, He is the one who directs our steps (Proverbs 16:9).</div>
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<br></div><div>Tomorrow evening Hannah Owens, a young lady from my church, will be arriving to help out here at the Center for the next month. Next week we will be doing 2 day programs for 6-8 of the children, taking them out on excursions and doing some modified activities. The following week, July 8th-12th, we will be taking 5 children away to do a "camp". Our theme is Noah's Ark and how God keeps His promises. I am so excited to have a Hannah join me! Please continue to pray for us, that we would show His love to the children and staff, that we would light in this place, and above all that He would be glorified!</div><div><br></div><div><i>Joyfully His,</i></div><div><i>Dawn </i></div><div><br></div>
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</div>Dawn Hoffman, OTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072449971325720046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610482727235877749.post-84638115891809194682013-06-23T12:17:00.000-07:002013-06-23T13:47:17.651-07:00Baia Mare and Maramures: June 9th-14th, 2013Last summer 3 girls from Autism Baia Mare Center came to my training on sensory processing in Bucharest and inquired if I could possibly come and do trainings for their center as well. The original plan was to first come to Bucharest and then fly with Lili to Baia Mare. However, due to scheduling needs, I was asked to go to Baia Mare directly from Oradea. Thankfully the train ride was only 3 1/2 hours long and it was on one of their newer trains. Anita, the head psychologist, and her husband, Cristi, met me at the train station late Sunday evening. I loved staying with them and getting to spend time in the evenings with their adorable 2 year old, Eric. <br>
<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fgoCtLoh-G4/UcdeatF1w6I/AAAAAAAACZ0/cY7asY90FP0/s640/blogger-image--1639712299.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fgoCtLoh-G4/UcdeatF1w6I/AAAAAAAACZ0/cY7asY90FP0/s640/blogger-image--1639712299.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-x_UigWEyd2k/UcdemP0YovI/AAAAAAAACac/O8BbfVXGa4c/s640/blogger-image-1589215539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-x_UigWEyd2k/UcdemP0YovI/AAAAAAAACac/O8BbfVXGa4c/s640/blogger-image-1589215539.jpg"></a></div><br>Instead of doing formal training sessions, I was asked to observe each worker in the Center during their individual therapy sessions and to provide feedback and specific recommendations. I was truly impressed by the level of service and commitment these women provide. They were also extremely receptive to my feedback and training. We also did several home visits to surrounding villages as some children require in-home therapy. Seeing 20+ children in a matter of 3 1/2 days and then trying to come up with specific recommendations after only 1-2 visits was definitely challenging. Due to tue Center's policies, I am not able to post any pictures of the children. But I have to tell you about one special little boy, Vasilica. He is 2 1/2 years old and had a stroke in utero. On my first day there, I noticed that he only used his right hand during his therapy sessions. After explaining to his therapist the importance of incorporating his left side in all activities, I was then able to demonstrate. Immediately, he tried using his left arm to activate my iPad! The next day, I joyfully watched as his therapist reinforced these same techniques. I was also able to meet with his mom and provided some hands-on training. <div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iAD9G1AwVWg/UcdeqwRYK6I/AAAAAAAACas/BlLh8MqQkto/s640/blogger-image-899905871.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iAD9G1AwVWg/UcdeqwRYK6I/AAAAAAAACas/BlLh8MqQkto/s640/blogger-image-899905871.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-NRbkxvS-bBg/UcdeczaSRxI/AAAAAAAACZ8/Ou7NK_79Nvc/s640/blogger-image--1509239699.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-NRbkxvS-bBg/UcdeczaSRxI/AAAAAAAACZ8/Ou7NK_79Nvc/s640/blogger-image--1509239699.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8qenn6fJNzc/UcdeWCmCQII/AAAAAAAACZk/-E2851FlVdo/s640/blogger-image-1167851612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8qenn6fJNzc/UcdeWCmCQII/AAAAAAAACZk/-E2851FlVdo/s640/blogger-image-1167851612.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>On my last day, I was treated to a half day tour of Maramures, driving from Baia Mare to Sighet. It was a beautiful drive and I was finally able to see a few wooden gates, a wooden church and Elie Weisel's home. The church we visited was built in the 1700s and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I am already looking forward to returning to Baia Mare next summer!<br><div><div>
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Her brother Adam is a gentle soul who also has many talents, including drawing. He was recently diagnosed with Asperger's. This can be devastating news to any parent, but here in Romania it is even harder as disabilities are not accepted and therapies are non-existent. I was thankful that Lucia confided in me and that I was able to offer her hope, as well as some practical advice. On the very positive side, Adam is now able to hold a pencil correctly and no longer needs to use the pencil grips I brought him in December.Dawn Hoffman, OTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072449971325720046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610482727235877749.post-78948301780522293092013-06-23T11:41:00.001-07:002013-06-23T11:46:48.543-07:00June 3rd-June 9th: Oradea, RomaniaOn Sunday afternoon Viki's father drove me to Fehergyarmat so I could catch the train to Debrecen, Hungary. I was tired and back in my same old clothes, now for the 5th day. Yet, once I arrived at the train station and saw my friend Adela's husband Dan waiting for me, I immediately felt relieved, knowing I would be "home" in Romania in just an hour. I was a little disappointed Ramona's husband, Cornel, was not there as I had been expecting him. However, upon walking toward the car, Cornel came out to greet me! But the surprise didn't end there. Adela and Ramona jumped up to greet me and then I saw my sweet Romanian niece, Hannah-Ruth, and my nephews, Iosua and Luca. Unfortunately, Abigail could not come as she does not have a passport. I call them my nieces and nephews because their moms have been my Romanian sisters for 14 years now.<br />
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I was able to have some quality time with my dear sister in Christ, Lucia, her husband, children, sister and my Romanian parents "mami" and "tati" as I stayed with them for my first 3 nights. I was also blessed to have special time with my dear friend Monika, her daughter Hanna and my friends Dora and Carmen. Carmen graciously invited me to stay with her family during my remaining time in Oradea. On Thursday afternoon I was able to visit Fundatia CASA, the Christian ministry I partnered with when I first lived in Oradea, and partake in their prayer time. Thursday night, we chose to have "home church" at Ramona and Cornel's home. We shared a delicious meal, read scripture, prayed and sang old hymns in Romanian. It was especially sweet to sing The Old Rugged Cross as this was my grandfather's favorite hymn.<br />
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Dawn Hoffman, OTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072449971325720046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610482727235877749.post-15285822615851677002013-06-22T04:10:00.001-07:002013-06-23T10:48:11.470-07:00May 31st - June 2nd 2013. Szatmarcseke, Hungary: Viki's Wedding<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dear Friends, </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It has been nearly a month since I left home and I am just now managing to update my blog. As always, I </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">appreciate your patience, your faithful prayers and encouragement. I hope you will be encouraged by these stories and pictures. To make it a bit easier, I am going to be do separate posts for each place I have been.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I left home on May 29th with only 1 suitcase, deciding this year to travel light. It sounded like a great idea, that is until American Airlines lost my luggage! Next year I will surely bring a carry on :). My luggage was delivered to Romania 4 days later, but this meant I had no change of clothes or proper clothes for Viki and Bela's wedding. Viki was one of my students when I taught English in Budapest 2001-2002 and we have remained very close. After years of praying for her, she accepted the Lord as her Savior and was then baptized a few years ago. So attending her wedding was extra special. After a 6 hour train ride, I arrived in the little village of Szatmarcseke, close to the Ukrainian border. Viki's family's had already gathered some clothes and toiletries for me and some of her friends took me into the closest town to purchase a shirt and a pair of shoes. Not exactly the clothing I would have chosen, but thankfully, everyone in the whole village (it's tiny) knew what happened and were very kind to me. It was definitely a time of testing, but I am so thankful for being able to witness their wedding. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>Dawn Hoffman, OTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072449971325720046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610482727235877749.post-678178150818006102012-07-20T23:04:00.000-07:002012-07-20T23:04:00.327-07:00Visiting Brasov: July 10-11, 2012After camp was finished, I wanted to show Leana a little bit of Romania before she headed back to Seattle. We had initially planned to go to Bran Castle for a day; however, we were both quite exhausted after camp and the thought of a long day trip was unappealing so we opted to stay one night in Brasov and then travel to Bran the next day. Yet once we entered the city, we both immediately decided we would rather spend our day meandering the cobblestone streets and exploring the lovely town of Brasov. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KNmm7MWW1yA/UApDpcvzI0I/AAAAAAAACP0/tb_9B_BREOs/s1600/P1160537.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KNmm7MWW1yA/UApDpcvzI0I/AAAAAAAACP0/tb_9B_BREOs/s320/P1160537.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Dawn Hoffman, OTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072449971325720046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610482727235877749.post-22941699838918290252012-07-19T02:42:00.001-07:002012-07-19T05:03:44.662-07:00Camp Update: Slanic Prahova July 3-7th, 2012<em>"You are holy, great and mighty. The moon and the stars declare who You are" (Phil Wickham, Cannons)</em><br />
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As several of you know, the main reason I returned to Bucharest this summer was to organize a camp for some of the disabled children who live at the Don Orione Center. Last summer one of the priests asked my what I would like to do if I returned and I immediately responded "I want to plan a camp". These children receive good care at the center; however, most of them had never left the center and thus had very few life experiences. While I was home in Arizona, I kept contact with my good friends Ariana and Lili (both of them work at Don Orione), reminding them of my dream. Thankfully, these 2 women share my passion and were excited to join me in this journey. As I prayed for God to reveal to me His theme for camp, I kept hearing the song Cannons in my head. As I listened to the words, I became overwhelmed at the thought that most of these children had never even seen the moon, let alone the stars! With this revelation, it became clear to me that the theme of camp should be on Creation. </div>
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The initial plan was for me to try to bring over a team from the U.S. However, by March I knew this was not feasible. I agreed to do the planning and purchase the supplies for arts and crafts while stateside. As I mentioned, Ariana and Lili were already invested in the idea of camp and asssured me they would find others in Romania to help us with camp. Yet, I still was praying for at least one other therapist to join me. In March I flew to Seattle to visit my friend and fellow Occupational Therapist, Leana Kolbeck. For several years Leana has expressed a desire to come to Romania, but this year as I implored her to come to camp, she seriously considered my request and decided to join me for camp! She was a tremendous asset and the children loved her, despite the language barrier.</div>
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Wonderfully Exhausting. These are the 2 words that came to my mind when I was asked "how was the camp?". Due to the varicela (chicken pox) epidemic, we were only able to take 5 of the children from Don Orione to "tabara" (camp). However, once we arrived in Slanic Prahova we quickly realized that the 5 children (plus Lili's son Benaimin) were the perfect group and the perfect amount of children. </div>
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Slanic Prahova is a 2 hour drive from Bucharest and for most of the children, this was the longest time they have ever spent in the car. I drove with Lili's husband, Alex and 2 of the children, Liviu and Ioana Mare. Ioana is nonverbal, but was very interested in the journey. Liviu was a typical 6 year old, asking "how much longer?" every 5 minutes! Lili's husband was so patient, explaining time and time again. Slanic Prahova is a beautiful little town, famous for it's salt mine (salina) and salt water lake (apa de sare). It was the ideal location for our camp! The children immediately felt at home and called the home "casa noasta" (our home). </div>
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Every day was filled with games, activities, outings, songs and stories based on the days of Creation. Our theme song was "Cine a Creat?" (Who Created). The first night we spoke about darkness and light, gazed at the moon and the stars and then blew glow in the dark bubbles! The children's excitement and giggles were contagious! The children loved all the activities, including parachute games, using dot markers to create colorful fish, painting their hands to make hand print flowers, making (and then wearing) animal masks, and dressing "people" puppets. </div>
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Thanks to the generous support of family, friends and co-workers, we were also able to take the children on several outings, including to a restaurant for pizza (quite the experience taking 4 wheelchairs into a place not designed for disabilities), a visit to the salt mine and to a swimming pool with salt water. </div>
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The children are already talking about next year's camp. Leana is praying about returning, but I would love to have even more people come. I promise it will be an experience that you will never regret!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Ariana and Laurentiu</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>The children loved playing parachute games</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Alexandru proudly displaying his fish</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Roommates~Leana and Luminita</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Liviu loved being able to feed himself at the restaurant</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>The children enjoyed making the creation circle</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Alexandru was all about the swimming pool!</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Sweet Laurentiu at the Piscina (Swimming Pool)</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Ioana Mare and Alexanadru</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Making Handprint Flowers (Laurentiu)</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Simply Adorable~ Laurentiu the Lion!</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Liviu the Pirate!</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Carmen, Lumi, Dawn and Liviu in the elevator at the salt mine</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Leana helped Laurentiu to learn to push his own wheelchair</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Luminita is all giggles</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Carmen and Ioana Mare~at the salt mine</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Best Friends~ Liviu and Dawn</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>In the salt mine~Ioana Mare, Dawn and Liviu</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Lili and Liviu</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Liviu loved being able to color with the other kids, thanks to these special crayons</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Finished product~Liviu colored the mask all by himself!</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Ioana Mare typically keeps a distance, but she went and sat on Leana's lap without any prompting!</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Ariana helping Ioana Mare to dress her puppet</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Luminita made her puppet all by herself</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Ioana Mare adding to our creation circle (with the help of Alex and Leana)</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Group Picture with the completed Creation Circle</em></td></tr>
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</div>Dawn Hoffman, OTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072449971325720046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610482727235877749.post-60310143102231658282012-07-02T23:07:00.003-07:002012-07-28T10:01:01.872-07:00Suceava June 16-25thI am getting ready to leave for camp this morning, so I want to write a quick update on my time in Suceava. I took over 500 pictures, so instead of writing a lengthy blog, I am going to let the pictures tell you the stories.<br />
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Last year I was asked by my friend Ines, a manager for FARA charity, if I could spend some time helping with some of FARA's programs in Suceava and the surrounding areas. FARA runs several programs in this part of Romania, including St Michael's (a group home for disabled young adults, modeled after St Rafael's in Bucharest), a therapy center in Baia (a small village), an autism center in Suceava. <br />
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During my 9 days in Suceava, I was able to work with each of these programs and also provide a formal training for their staff. I have the utmost respect for FARA and all they are doing to empower children and adults with disabilties.<br />
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St Michael's: This home is located in the lovely village of Spataresti which is located about 30 mins away from Suceava. Prince Charles is one of the benefactors for FARA and helped in designing this home. They have an incredible organic farm where some of the young adults with disabilities learn the techniques of farming and managing the land. When I arrived there were 11 young adults, however, during my time there, 4 of the young people were transitioned into independent living in another village. <u></u><br />
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Suceava: Unfortunately, there was a meningitis epidemic while I was in Suceava. This limited my ability to see the work at the autism center. However, I suggested that we visit the children in their homes. This would allow the workers as well as myself to understand how the children interact within their own environments.<br />
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Baia: Baia is a small village with limited resources. FARA started a therapy center in order to provide the impoverished communities surrounding Baia. I was able to work with Adina, a psycho therapist. Adina uses many techniques similar to what we would do as OTs. However, we were able to discuss and implement the importance of using sensory motor play. <br />
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Training: Firuta, the director for FARA in Suceava, asked me to do a formal training for all their staff as well as parents. We had over 22 people in attendance! Everyone seemed to enjoy the training and many of the workers at St Michael's were quick to implement several of the techniques!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xuWNuIXqHVE/T_KBHiaXp5I/AAAAAAAACJU/gp7ALl6QiHo/s1600/training+group+photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xuWNuIXqHVE/T_KBHiaXp5I/AAAAAAAACJU/gp7ALl6QiHo/s320/training+group+photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Dawn Hoffman, OTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072449971325720046noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610482727235877749.post-51187051047424042122012-06-26T14:08:00.002-07:002012-06-26T14:08:51.967-07:00Blessings in Bucharest<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><em>I shall remember the deeds of the Lord; Surely I will remember the wonders of old. I will meditate on all Your work and muse on Your deeds</em> (Psalm 77:11-12)</span><br />
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<br /><span style="color: #351c75;">Dear Family and Friends,<br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Greetings from Romania! It was my plan
to write this first update last weekend; however, upon arriving in
Suceava, I learned that I did not have any access to the internet. It has been 3 weeks
already since I arrived in Romania and I want to be sure to remember
all the amazing things that have occurred thus far. So although I
joyfully write this blog as a way to share with you, in reality this
blog is just as much for me...to remember. For now I will write about my first 2 weeks in Bucharest.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #351c75;">June 4-16<sup>th</sup>: Bucharest</span></strong></span>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Unlike my “normal” routine of flying to Budapest and then traveling to Oradea, this
year I flew straight to Bucharest as I had committed to spending the majority of my summer to working with 2 charities: FARA and Don Orione. God's favor was on me throughout
the journey. His blessings were evident~ from my bags weighing in just below 23 kgs, to sleep on
the plane and a smooth layover at Heathrow (despite having to change
terminals).<br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Don Roberto, one of the priests at the center where I am working, waited for me at the airport. We arrived to
Don Orione Center a little before 1:00 a.m. Being a bit OCD, I stayed up for a few hours and unpacked my bags. I could not sleep more than 3 hours as I was too excited for the morning to come. As soon as I began walking from the house over to the center, I could see that some of the children were outside. My heart felt so full when I saw the children. Immediately I spotted my little friend Liviu, a sweet 7 year old with cerebral palsy. I approached him in his wheelchair, unsure if he would remember me. But he did! He cried out "Dawn! Dawn!" and then
asked me "are you going to help me learn to feed myself?". So he not only remembered me, he also remembered what we did last summer and wanted to immediately resume our "program". He is so motivated and determined despite his limitations. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Ioana "mare"</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yyMfoNUshZU/T-of7b7yIDI/AAAAAAAACFI/LT6rPiXY9LI/s1600/ramona.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yyMfoNUshZU/T-of7b7yIDI/AAAAAAAACFI/LT6rPiXY9LI/s320/ramona.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Ramona loves the sensory room, especially the musical toys</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3zJWbLfNKS0/T-ogIZ30AGI/AAAAAAAACFQ/ViXoaLIzjSE/s1600/lumi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3zJWbLfNKS0/T-ogIZ30AGI/AAAAAAAACFQ/ViXoaLIzjSE/s320/lumi.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Sweet Luminita. She is now talking and loves to play!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">I then went into the center to meet up with my dear friends, Lili and Ariana. Don Roberto is making HUGE changes at the placement center and beginning in September, Ariana
will be overseeing this area instead of working with Lili and the others in the day program for children with autism. The placement center is home to 19 children with disabilities. The majority of my first week was spent observing each child and assisting Ariana in writing down each child's strengths and needs. We then grouped the children according to their levels as needed to determine more appropriate sleeping arrangements (there are are 4 rooms for 19 children) as well as for creating schedules/activities. Our groupings were amazingly confirmed when we asked one of the workers and also one of the nuns to also group the children (this was done independently). The children were placed exactly the same! We also began making some changes to the bathrooms in order to allow some of the higher level children to learn to bathe and dress themselves. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pgX4yn0Rjck/T-oiFA2oi3I/AAAAAAAACFo/-KNymPBL9eQ/s1600/3fetele.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pgX4yn0Rjck/T-oiFA2oi3I/AAAAAAAACFo/-KNymPBL9eQ/s320/3fetele.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Ariana and Milana</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ABcKL7c36wY/T-ohGursrqI/AAAAAAAACFY/uNB8113PMso/s1600/lili%252C+dawn%252C+romy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ABcKL7c36wY/T-ohGursrqI/AAAAAAAACFY/uNB8113PMso/s320/lili%252C+dawn%252C+romy.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Lili and Romy (one of the young adults now living at the center</span><span style="color: #38761d;">)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">We had planned to begin making several changes during my second week (including changing the bedrooms), but unfortunately we had a varicella (chicken pox) epidemic. 16 of the 19 children were affected plus one of the workers. There are only 2 workers in the day and 1 in the evening, so you can imagine the stress. Understandably, we had to delay most of the changes. On the positive side, this allowed me time to work with some of the children in the day program. Ariana and I were also able complete most of the preparations for our camp in July. Thankfully Ariana is quite artistic and was able to design many activities based on our "creation" theme.</span></div>
<br /><span style="color: #351c75;">Each day I have been working with Liviu on learning to feed himself. He is spasticity (increased muscle tone) and poor trunk control is severe, but his perseverance trumps any of his limitations. Ariana and I also decided that I would begin helping one of the other children, Alexandru, to learn to dress himself, take a shower and brush his teeth. He is also a very motivated child and is already making great progress. He especially loves to brush his own teeth!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B6uokJaeVT4/T-obH7G5u-I/AAAAAAAACEs/r4x0lyEEGaE/s1600/alexandru.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B6uokJaeVT4/T-obH7G5u-I/AAAAAAAACEs/r4x0lyEEGaE/s320/alexandru.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Alexandru posing after his bath</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lygi7ChsUcA/T-oZ7IUpJWI/AAAAAAAACEc/mOLi9GCyvZ0/s1600/liviu+mancare.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lygi7ChsUcA/T-oZ7IUpJWI/AAAAAAAACEc/mOLi9GCyvZ0/s320/liviu+mancare.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Liviu learning to tear bread and place in his soup</span> </td></tr>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">During the weekend, I was able to visit the young adults at St Rafael's (FARA). It was encouraging to see all the progress. There are now 8 young adults at the center as 2 of the girls (Elena and Anamaria) are now living together in an apartment. They still receive some supervision, but are quite independent with caring for themselves. They are both working at a nursing home 6 hours/day, 6 days/week. Gabi continues to have minimal speech, but overall her ability to communicate her wants and needs is much better. I had great fun listening to Marius and Mada read and practice speaking English. I am planning to take them on an excursion into the city in July.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lXItbagsy_4/T-oWFJwCuzI/AAAAAAAACDo/tajDPaoWe3o/s1600/st+rafael's.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lXItbagsy_4/T-oWFJwCuzI/AAAAAAAACDo/tajDPaoWe3o/s1600/st+rafael's.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lXItbagsy_4/T-oWFJwCuzI/AAAAAAAACDo/tajDPaoWe3o/s1600/st+rafael%2527s.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lXItbagsy_4/T-oWFJwCuzI/AAAAAAAACDo/tajDPaoWe3o/s320/st+rafael%2527s.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">St Rafael's</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lXItbagsy_4/T-oWFJwCuzI/AAAAAAAACDo/tajDPaoWe3o/s1600/st+rafael's.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8332jaKYOgw/T-oWaDDGIZI/AAAAAAAACDw/8FzOj5Fl6Eo/s1600/dawn,+gabi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8332jaKYOgw/T-oWaDDGIZI/AAAAAAAACDw/8FzOj5Fl6Eo/s320/dawn,+gabi.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Gabi is all smiles</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KIyjtoljbn4/T-oWrIDsdEI/AAAAAAAACD4/rDP8FMWsV20/s1600/elena,+anamaria.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KIyjtoljbn4/T-oWrIDsdEI/AAAAAAAACD4/rDP8FMWsV20/s320/elena,+anamaria.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Elena and Anamaria in their new apartment (with Ines, the manager</span><span style="color: #38761d;"> of FARA)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RETUkitJzCw/T-oW8BhZKfI/AAAAAAAACEA/FEwJNKZV7Uk/s1600/mada,+dawn.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RETUkitJzCw/T-oW8BhZKfI/AAAAAAAACEA/FEwJNKZV7Uk/s320/mada,+dawn.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Mada~she is much calmer and happier now</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zU2sFyMBUh0/T-oXQ0stwKI/AAAAAAAACEI/eaKwQ1Rl7s0/s1600/miti,+sanda,+roxy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zU2sFyMBUh0/T-oXQ0stwKI/AAAAAAAACEI/eaKwQ1Rl7s0/s320/miti,+sanda,+roxy.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Mitica, Mama Sanda and Roxana</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F-tbql_nxA0/T-oXg60qQVI/AAAAAAAACEQ/yuk9QQJ2fP4/s1600/tudor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F-tbql_nxA0/T-oXg60qQVI/AAAAAAAACEQ/yuk9QQJ2fP4/s320/tudor.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Tudor is a great help around the house</span></td></tr>
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</div>Dawn Hoffman, OTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072449971325720046noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610482727235877749.post-75999496243748819492011-08-31T15:01:00.000-07:002011-08-31T15:01:18.062-07:00Bucuresti: August 1-22, 2011<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>"For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works and that my soul knows very well" Psalm 139:13-14</em></strong></span><br />
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It has been a month since my last update and it is my last night in Europe; thus I decided it was due time to share with you my August adventures! Before coming to Romania I had been in contact with my friend Lili who somehow talked me into traveling to Bucuresti. Over the past 12 years, Bucuresti is the one city in Romania that I seem to continually resist going to; yet over the past few years, it has also been the place where God has revealed to me His presence, His hope and His mighty works. This year was no exception! Quite honestly, my last few months in Romania had been discouraging and I was ready to come home by the end of July. However, I knew that God had called me to go to Bucuresti and I had already commited to doing some trainings there, so I knew I needed to stay. I am so glad I did! The 3 weeks I spent there were not only emotionally and spirtiually invigorating, but also reminded me of my passion to not only reach out to children with disabilities, but also to equip and empower parents and caregivers. I was blessed with the opportunity to work alongside 3 very different charities: Don Orione, FARA and Inimii Deschise/Children to Love.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>DON ORIONE:</em></strong></span><br />
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Lili and Ariana, 2 of my dear friends in Bucuresti, began working at Don Orione, an Italian Catholic charity, this past year and had invited me to come help them create a special "sensory" room as well as to provide some training on sensory processing. Lili has an amazing testimony that truly challenges me, thus it was impossible to not want to come and help her. Don Orione is located about 45 minutes from Bucuresti in a town called Voluntari. The center is home to 18 children with disabilites and 50+ elderly people. The children were all rescued from state-run orphanages, where their chance of developing was quite slim, and brought to a place where they receive love and lots of stimulation. The center has music therapists from Italy, "donkey therapy" (similiar to hippotherapy) as well as the therapy Lili and Ariana provide. <br />
On my day of arrival I took inventory of a sparse room and dreamed of how it could be transformed. Of course this meant a trip to IKEA! I had envisioned we would go and just look at options, but Don Roberto~one of the priests~generously purchased all the equipment on my dream-list and within just a few days, we were able to tranform that empty room into a magical playroom.<br />
Staying at the center provided me with the opportunity to get to know some of the children and spend some 1:1 time with a few of them. I bonded quickly with Liviu, a little boy with cerebral palsy. Due to the generosity of SPIOworks, I was able to fit Liviu with a SPIO shirt which allowed him to sit up in a standard chair and play with toys. We also worked on adaptive feeding as he wants so badly to be independent.<br />
God willing, we are planning to organize a camp next summer for some of the children. If you are interested in helping with this, or perhaps even coming, please let me know!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zPZX-wkTFuY/Tl3N17KOpDI/AAAAAAAACBs/Tap2t_lTeg8/s1600/don+orione+2+ikea.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zPZX-wkTFuY/Tl3N17KOpDI/AAAAAAAACBs/Tap2t_lTeg8/s320/don+orione+2+ikea.JPG" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Shopping Spree at IKEA!</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tXWdhJM7hHE/Tl3N4zuUq3I/AAAAAAAACBw/YsJAM5aV7ZI/s1600/don+orione+3+sensory+room.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tXWdhJM7hHE/Tl3N4zuUq3I/AAAAAAAACBw/YsJAM5aV7ZI/s320/don+orione+3+sensory+room.JPG" width="240" xaa="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>In the beginning...sensory room</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BOgzZDOCp0w/Tl3N-A0zrrI/AAAAAAAACB0/_xc19Myrv88/s1600/don+orione+4+sensory+room.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BOgzZDOCp0w/Tl3N-A0zrrI/AAAAAAAACB0/_xc19Myrv88/s320/don+orione+4+sensory+room.JPG" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Sensory Room in progress...check out our tactile board!</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R5EqX-TvFM0/Tl3OEHJ2DlI/AAAAAAAACB4/cyFNNPO3q5g/s1600/don+orione+6+sensory+room+ramona.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R5EqX-TvFM0/Tl3OEHJ2DlI/AAAAAAAACB4/cyFNNPO3q5g/s320/don+orione+6+sensory+room+ramona.JPG" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Ramona loves the sensory room! (so do Ariana and I)</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zDHJnbKzOt0/Tl3OKRqwo7I/AAAAAAAACB8/_w3IZXeyJMM/s1600/don+orione+5+sensory+room.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zDHJnbKzOt0/Tl3OKRqwo7I/AAAAAAAACB8/_w3IZXeyJMM/s320/don+orione+5+sensory+room.JPG" width="240" xaa="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Finished Sensory Room</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FpRZQEb2ZtM/Tl3OPVXKrII/AAAAAAAACCA/QGLWcXLox40/s1600/don+orione+7+group.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FpRZQEb2ZtM/Tl3OPVXKrII/AAAAAAAACCA/QGLWcXLox40/s320/don+orione+7+group.JPG" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Lili and I did a sensory group with Ramona, Ioana, and Ioana</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RvVgEOGEFv8/Tl3OSM-XMwI/AAAAAAAACCE/IbmpVH2VSvw/s1600/don+orione+8+liviu+eating.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RvVgEOGEFv8/Tl3OSM-XMwI/AAAAAAAACCE/IbmpVH2VSvw/s320/don+orione+8+liviu+eating.JPG" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Liviu learning to feed himself~so determined!</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jdHTWVH0oQ0/Tl3OVE1qV1I/AAAAAAAACCI/xxg7L9Uozoo/s1600/don+orione+9+lili+and+ariana.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jdHTWVH0oQ0/Tl3OVE1qV1I/AAAAAAAACCI/xxg7L9Uozoo/s320/don+orione+9+lili+and+ariana.JPG" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>I love these girls! Lili, Ariana and I in the sensory room</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZB2Jdugt2Mc/Tl3OYqtsStI/AAAAAAAACCM/Q1Dzq15qDTc/s1600/don+orione+10+liviu.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZB2Jdugt2Mc/Tl3OYqtsStI/AAAAAAAACCM/Q1Dzq15qDTc/s320/don+orione+10+liviu.JPG" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Dawn and Liviu</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table> <strong>INIMII DESCHISE:</strong><br />
God's timing is so perfect! During my second week in Bucuresti, Lili and Ariana were scheduled to take a few days off and I wasn't quite sure what I would do. But then Lili spoke with Bogdan, the director of Inimii Deshise/Children to Love (CTL). This is the organization with whom I partnered in 2008, providing trainings in a large orphanage alongside my friends Jenny Lotter and Kristi Carnazzo. This is also the charity that Lili and Ariana worked for until last year. As it turned out, Joni and Friends had a short term mission team working with Inimii Deschise and they needed help in providing parent training on sensory processing. It was a joy to serve alongside 3 physical therapists and one of their professors. During my time with Inimii Deschise I was able to visit several orphanages, work with Inimii Deschise staff on basic handling of infants with hydrocephaly, provide a 3 hour parent training on sensory processing for parents of children with autism. The following week I provided a staff/volunteer training for those helping with Joni and Friends family retreat for 15 families with children with autism. The parents and staff were so receptive and had great questions. For me the highlight was sharing Psalm 139 with the parents and acknpwledging that each of their children was designed by a loving God who has a perfect plan.<br />
CTL also has a sewing project to help equip moms with skills for work. They are making purses, so I "had" to support them :) We also discussed the possibility of them making weighted blankets and vests in the future~it would be great to see this business really expand.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7eiDr8eVdKQ/Tl3Rb747LlI/AAAAAAAACCs/8P5CvCwKnlY/s1600/CTL+training++parents.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7eiDr8eVdKQ/Tl3Rb747LlI/AAAAAAAACCs/8P5CvCwKnlY/s320/CTL+training++parents.JPG" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Parent Training</em></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dDevBbw5YuE/Tl3Rgep7aRI/AAAAAAAACCw/NciGQBmr8YU/s1600/CTL+training+1+me.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dDevBbw5YuE/Tl3Rgep7aRI/AAAAAAAACCw/NciGQBmr8YU/s320/CTL+training+1+me.JPG" width="240" xaa="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Playtime!</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aZcC2Ogs3Jw/Tl3Rl5cvpeI/AAAAAAAACC0/Pv0J8DnzN50/s1600/CTL+training+2+Dawn+and+Magda.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aZcC2Ogs3Jw/Tl3Rl5cvpeI/AAAAAAAACC0/Pv0J8DnzN50/s320/CTL+training+2+Dawn+and+Magda.JPG" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Magda and I~Magda works for CTL at one of the larger orphanages</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-20r350rVwG8/Tl3RqKgKokI/AAAAAAAACC4/yZjvm8ZRgsY/s1600/CTL+training+parents+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-20r350rVwG8/Tl3RqKgKokI/AAAAAAAACC4/yZjvm8ZRgsY/s320/CTL+training+parents+2.JPG" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Parent Training~this woman is a wonderful Christian foster mother</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9D7nGnG2HJA/Tl3Ru51Jy_I/AAAAAAAACC8/UB7nlsn7qps/s1600/CTL+staff+training.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9D7nGnG2HJA/Tl3Ru51Jy_I/AAAAAAAACC8/UB7nlsn7qps/s320/CTL+staff+training.JPG" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Staff and Volunteer Training</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LQC8S_gr_G4/Tl3Rza9-s3I/AAAAAAAACDA/IJxTvKcAYW4/s1600/CTL+training+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LQC8S_gr_G4/Tl3Rza9-s3I/AAAAAAAACDA/IJxTvKcAYW4/s320/CTL+training+2.JPG" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Parent Training</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iVk6Ml1MDMQ/Tl3R36hDaXI/AAAAAAAACDE/lxdLtqeOJjk/s1600/CTL+purses+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iVk6Ml1MDMQ/Tl3R36hDaXI/AAAAAAAACDE/lxdLtqeOJjk/s320/CTL+purses+1.JPG" width="240" xaa="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Anca, Mirela and Alle~the designers of my new purse!</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>FARA:</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The highlight of my time in Bucuresti was getting to spend a few days with the young people in Popesti Loerdeni. So much has changed since my last visit in January 2010! There are now 10 yound adults as 2 new girls, Roxi and Doina, joined the home last November. The young people have made so much progress, as evidenced by their independence in taking care of themeselves as well as the home. Regardless of their disabilities, all of the young adults help with cleaning, cooking and tending to the garden. In addition, they now have a pottery room a well as a craft room where they are able to make crafts to sell.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of the girls (Ela) has made remarkable progress and will begin a course to become a cook. The hope is for her to transition to independent living in the future. Several of the young people are independently seeking out doing exercises on the therapy ball and kept asking me to do "gymastics" with them. Gabi, the young lady who is non-verbal, is able to use some picture/symbols to communicate her wants/needs, and is humming songs now! She will begin working with a speech therapist in September. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have been asked to partner with FARA projects in both Bucuresti and Suceava next summer. I am praying that God will make this possible as I really admire the work FARA is doing throughout Romania!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZJDsQlVW1dk/Tl3TUapIkWI/AAAAAAAACDM/0iA-pfRpzck/s1600/FARA+Ela.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZJDsQlVW1dk/Tl3TUapIkWI/AAAAAAAACDM/0iA-pfRpzck/s320/FARA+Ela.JPG" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Dawn and Ela</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-moZJuVsFu_M/Tl3TYl_T_CI/AAAAAAAACDQ/5Y2nq3x0KLk/s1600/FARA+group.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-moZJuVsFu_M/Tl3TYl_T_CI/AAAAAAAACDQ/5Y2nq3x0KLk/s320/FARA+group.JPG" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Group photo in front of the new flower garden</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uRAjM3B3JC8/Tl3Tbo4ix2I/AAAAAAAACDU/2tpAXs5DXfk/s1600/FARA+Ines.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uRAjM3B3JC8/Tl3Tbo4ix2I/AAAAAAAACDU/2tpAXs5DXfk/s320/FARA+Ines.JPG" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>It was great getting to see Ines, the director of FARA's project. This pepper was grown on FARA's organic farm in Suceava! It weighed almost a pound!!</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pNTje7OCdMA/Tl3TfGknHgI/AAAAAAAACDY/p663HZwMwGI/s1600/FARA+Tudor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pNTje7OCdMA/Tl3TfGknHgI/AAAAAAAACDY/p663HZwMwGI/s320/FARA+Tudor.JPG" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Hanging out with Tudor</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrSu3r4-PHk/Tl3Tiz521iI/AAAAAAAACDc/jNv6_FpAbtk/s1600/FARA+Miti+and+Tudor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrSu3r4-PHk/Tl3Tiz521iI/AAAAAAAACDc/jNv6_FpAbtk/s320/FARA+Miti+and+Tudor.JPG" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Miti, Dawn, Tudor</em></td></tr>
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</div>Dawn Hoffman, OTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072449971325720046noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610482727235877749.post-12685128666954801632011-07-30T04:59:00.000-07:002011-07-30T04:59:46.475-07:00Dress A Girl Around the World: Nojorid and Calatele, Romania 2011Before coming to Romania, I was contacted by a dear friend, Rachel Eggum Cinader about bringing over some dresses from her organization <strong><em>Dress A Girl Around the World. </em></strong>I met Rachel on a Hope 4 Kids International missions trip to Romania in 2005 (some of you may remember I first came to Romania under H4KI). Rachel is the sister of H4KI's founder, Tom Eggum, and has made such an impact on the women in Uganda through Hope 4 Women International (H4WI) as well as on the lives of so many little girls through her Dress A Girl Around the World campaign. Rachel was so generous in entrusting me to deliver over 50 dresses to some gypsy children in Romania. As you can see from the photos, the girls are just adorable in their homemade dresses! Thank you Rachel and to all of the women who sewed these dresses. If you would like information on how you can get involved in this great cause, please read more at <a href="http://www.dressagirlaroundtheworld.com/">http://www.dressagirlaroundtheworld.com/</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NYw-jJlid2Y/TjPxdoUzY8I/AAAAAAAACBg/40BfHOtOlxI/s1600/P1070802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NYw-jJlid2Y/TjPxdoUzY8I/AAAAAAAACBg/40BfHOtOlxI/s320/P1070802.JPG" t$="true" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OwnaxaZ4_hE/TjPx_LcHHTI/AAAAAAAACBk/WW17kfvfKx0/s1600/P1070809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OwnaxaZ4_hE/TjPx_LcHHTI/AAAAAAAACBk/WW17kfvfKx0/s320/P1070809.JPG" t$="true" width="240" /></a></div>Dawn Hoffman, OTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072449971325720046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610482727235877749.post-56274367293944680962011-07-30T04:06:00.000-07:002011-07-30T04:08:15.242-07:00Beautiful Romania: Apuseni Mountains and Vladeasa Countryside July 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">While Randy and his team were here, we were able to drive over the mountains from Sancraiu to Sacuieu and visit the waterfalls in Rachitele. Thought I would share a some pictures of how beautiful the countryside in Romania is...just enough to tempt you all to come and see for yourself a few reasons why I love this country!</span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZWIr3WlmPXM/TjPcmXGmdEI/AAAAAAAAB_k/-0i4nEcb3KM/s1600/P1070028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZWIr3WlmPXM/TjPcmXGmdEI/AAAAAAAAB_k/-0i4nEcb3KM/s320/P1070028.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><em>Haystacks in Sancraiu</em></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dudQKBx2sNg/TjPc8P0WiYI/AAAAAAAAB_o/JijIXsjKcUM/s1600/P1070289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dudQKBx2sNg/TjPc8P0WiYI/AAAAAAAAB_o/JijIXsjKcUM/s320/P1070289.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><em>Ciorban (Shepherd) tending to his sheep</em></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><em>View driving from Sancraiu to Sacuieu</em></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><em>Cascada Miresei (Bride's Veil Waterfall)~Rachitele</em></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><em>Inside the Reformed Church, Sancraiu (built in the 1700s)</em></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><em>Reformed Church, Sancraiu</em></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><em>View of Braisoru, a village 4 km from Sancraiu~a beautiful walk!</em></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Dawn Hoffman, OTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072449971325720046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5610482727235877749.post-81215769228295775282011-07-30T02:55:00.000-07:002011-07-30T02:59:06.031-07:00Highlights from Sacuieu and Calatele: July 20th-30th, 2011<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">July 20th I traveled from Oradea to Sancraiu to meet up with the Hagiu's along with their team from Calvary Chapel Treasure Valley (CCTV). Initially CCTV had planned to have a team of ~10 people come to do a VBS for the children of Calatele and Sacuieu; however, due to several circumstances, the team dwindled down to Daryl (their pastor) and Tom. However, we knew that this was still part of God's plan. Back in May I had spoken to my friends Randy and Adelina about possibly helping with a 2 day VBS in the villages. Thankfully God carved out for their team (Randy, Adelina and 2 of Randy's interns~Vic and Josh) a few free days~ the exact time period in which Daryl and Tom would be in Romania! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Before I write more on the VBS programs, I want to share with you a few pictures from one of our services in Sacuieu. When we first entered the village, several people came out to greet us. Most of them I knew; however, there was one person I did not recognize, a woman holding a baby. Others then brought her to me, wanting me to look at her infant daughter. Her baby was born with only a partially formed arm/hand. Knowing how much disability is regarded as such a stigma here, I was amazed to see the love this woman had for her child. The mother, Luminita, has been faithful at coming to church and you really see her joy despite her many trials. Interestingly, her name means "light", a fitting description as she truly is shining her light for the Lord in Sacuieu! During our worship service, Nicu did a baby dedication for Luminita's sweet baby girl, Maria.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Baby Maria and her mom, Luminita</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Nicu dedicating Maria</em></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Randy and his team blessed the children (and adults!) with a wonderful 2 days of VBS on June 25th and 26th. They prepared stories, songs, object lessons and skits that truly spoke to the heart of the gypsies. Randy and Adelina then put their clown skills to work and made each of the children a balloon. We were so thankful for their labor of love~thank you Randy, Adelina, Josh and Vi</span>c!</span></div> <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Waiting for VBS to start~Sacuieu</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Adelina and Randy~bringing lots of smiles to Sacuieu</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Coj4rPO_9ig/TjPHzuxFKDI/AAAAAAAAB-M/VCDcmkyLM5k/s1600/P1070159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Coj4rPO_9ig/TjPHzuxFKDI/AAAAAAAAB-M/VCDcmkyLM5k/s320/P1070159.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Captive Audience~Sacuieu VBS</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lyjeLX1HuyE/TjPIDPxSvdI/AAAAAAAAB-Q/3NM1cDGUF80/s1600/P1070222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lyjeLX1HuyE/TjPIDPxSvdI/AAAAAAAAB-Q/3NM1cDGUF80/s320/P1070222.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></em></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Randy made balloons for all the kids (with help from Adelina)</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>My friend "Jimmy"~he was the first child I met in Sacuieu in 2007</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Veta, Corina, Garafoa, Larissa~Sacuieu</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6hBQHPdAczc/TjPLJ4GfEPI/AAAAAAAAB-k/GGqGtuI25j4/s1600/P1070440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6hBQHPdAczc/TjPLJ4GfEPI/AAAAAAAAB-k/GGqGtuI25j4/s320/P1070440.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Calatele VBS~ nearly 40 children were packed into this small room!</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Sweet smiles in Calatele</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Adelina leads the kids in prayer~Calatele VBS</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Cristina and Crucita~Calatele VBS</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_68hQ-OQUkE/TjPMTCGfaTI/AAAAAAAAB-0/0sVjEHHkQc8/s1600/P1070561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_68hQ-OQUkE/TjPMTCGfaTI/AAAAAAAAB-0/0sVjEHHkQc8/s320/P1070561.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Vic, Josh and Randy with gypies in Calatele</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We then did an additional 2 days of VBS on the the 28th and 29th. Tom and Daryl had brought a variety of puppets from CCTV so with the help of Naomi and Leon (the Hagiu's children) and Nicu, we were able to put on puppet shows in both villages. The children and adults loved the puppets! We did 2 skits, one on waiting and one on the parable of the sower and the seeds. Daryl and Tom then did a great job explaining the skits and trying to related them to the lives of the gypsies.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Waiting for the puppet show~Sacuieu</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lk-TKve2Kac/TjPO3s6JYvI/AAAAAAAAB-8/5TuaWRFdoLE/s1600/P1070758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lk-TKve2Kac/TjPO3s6JYvI/AAAAAAAAB-8/5TuaWRFdoLE/s320/P1070758.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Watching the puppet show~Calatele</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Our amazing puppeteers~Naomi, Nicu and Leo</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Silvana, Nicu and his sidekick Cristi</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Great attendance~Calatele VBS</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DRFavs2TC1M/TjPQSt6P89I/AAAAAAAAB_Q/f4X3uMJVmC0/s1600/P1070661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DRFavs2TC1M/TjPQSt6P89I/AAAAAAAAB_Q/f4X3uMJVmC0/s320/P1070661.JPG" t$="true" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Tom illustrating the parable of the Sower and the Seeds</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Daryl teaching on "waiting on the Lord"</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>The puppet shows were a great success in Sacuieu and Calatele</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sdby8N7mvuw/TjPRQOOW-NI/AAAAAAAAB_g/n-S2tMjzUgY/s1600/P1070809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sdby8N7mvuw/TjPRQOOW-NI/AAAAAAAAB_g/n-S2tMjzUgY/s320/P1070809.JPG" t$="true" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Delivering dresses from "Dress A Girl Around the World"</em></td></tr>
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</div>Dawn Hoffman, OTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072449971325720046noreply@blogger.com0