adventures in romania

we are here!

tabarateam — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:15:08 +0000

well, we arrived safely in Marghita, and in the morning, around 8am, we head out to Orad… for camp! YAY!

just a really short post,

please pray for safety in travelling, and that God would send who He wants on camp with us, as well as that we would all have the strength to face the stumbling blocks the devil places before us.

pray for the needs that God knows about.

just pray that it would be amazing!

Multsumime!!

some info

suz — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:18:53 +0000

For anyone following along, who’d like to know some more about what’s going on with this trip… well, it’s getting close to departure!

we leave next wednesday (15th) at silly o clock in the morning, and from that point it’s pretty much a full day of travelling, the flight from prestwick and then a train to Debrezcen (sp?) and minibuses from there to Marghita. we’ve got a couple days to relax, buy our remaining supplies, meet some of the kids we’ll be taking to camp, see some kids from last year and just settle into Romania.

Saturday, we head to the campsite (4hours by minibus) where we’ll set up and get ready for the young people to arrive on Sunday. we’re running the first FCE camp of the summer, so we’ll have a fair amount to sort once we get there, arts and crafts equipment, sports, checking out the teepees, dorms, new sports fields… all that stuff.

we’ve got five frames and a bench to make before the kids arrive too, whether we do that in marghita or at camp remains to be seen.

there’s still a fair amount of prep to be done, from talks to crafts, through dramas and sketches, lots of little bits of logistics to be sorted out. but with God on our side, it’ll all work out.

thanks for reading and praying for us!

suz

All about Stephen (well not ALL really, more “a little bit” to be honest)…

tabarateam — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:00:42 +0000

Unlike most of the others, I wasn’t part of the team last year. However, my wife Caroline was and she loved it (although finding some aspects of the trip challenging). I heard all the stories, and really wanted to be part of it this year – plus I was told I had to come by Caroline!

I know Jenny and Jules (aka the Manson sisters and lovers of all things Romanian – especially the men from out there) as I also attend Glasgow West End Vineyard church. I had met them firstly at CLAN (Christian Linked Across the Nation), and even remember trying to tell Jenny not to go to Romania but come to CLAN instead. This year however, the shoe is on the other foot, as I shall be in Romania while CLAN is taking place.

Despite hearing of the other guys’ experiences, I still don’t think I’m prepared for the trip. I grew up in a Christian family and have done quite a bit of kids work in my time (I make it sound like I’m ancient), but mostly in the UK through church stuff or Scripture Union. Playing games, getting to know the children, making new friends, the fun worship songs with actions and communicating the gospel – I love it! But the big unknown for me is what it will be like with kids from a different country and background. The word “challenging” is one that has been used by the other members of the team when talking to me about last year, but almost always with the phrase “it was worth it”. And so I suppose I’m looking forward to being stretched, God giving me His compassion for the kids and ultimately being challenged, in the knowledge that it will definitely be worth it.

A bit about Ali….

tabarateam — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:53:57 +0000

Like Suzi, i was on the Romania team last year. I really enjoyed camp, meeting new people (including most of the team) and getting to work with the children from Popesti. In fact i loved it so much that not only did i sign up for this years camp, i decided that in september of this year, i am going to move there….I got invloved with the team through the manson family, who my family have known for a long time, although i did not know the girls at all really.

A bit of Background

I come from a family who are not Christian (although i was brought up with christian principles as my parents were once christian). i committed my life to God at the age of 16. Since then i have been attendng the North Church in Perth where i play in the praise band and try to be actively involved with other activities. I left school just before my 17th birthday and left to work in a Christian outdoor centre in the North of Scotland with the Abernethy Trust for almost two years. i can home at the end of march this year and am currently working part time and spending the rest of it trying to rais emoney for my own Roamania trip or working voluntarily in a day centre with PRTC.

Summer camp is not easy, but it is really rewarding. You get to work with kids, teach them about God and shre the Goood News with them. (aswell as have water fights, doing crafts and dramas and having a banter). the best thing about is camp is the young people, they really seem to appreciate the time, energy and attention they recieve., and in turn they have a lot to teach us. my trip to romania really made me appreciate what i have – a family, friends, shelter, love and my faith- many of which the young people dont have.

the hardest things about camp for me, are the heat, during the day it is roasting which is why the water fights are fantastic. Also seeing the children who have not had a great life and who lack the love that they need and deserve is absoulutley heartbreaking and propbably the hardest thing for me. However there is a positive to it, it made me give everything i had to my time at camp and to the children, and gave me a real drive to do something about it. which is why i decided to move out for longer. despite the difficult aspects of camp, 11 of the 14 of last years team are returning again this year- i think that says something about how much they enjoyed it! But you would have to check out there stories and experiences to find out…

Im really excited about camp, we have just recieved a donation to cover the lst of the funding costs as well, so that is fantastic! any prayers for the run up to and during camp would be greatly appreciated. there are always ways to get involved, so check out your options….

suzi.. otherwise known as a glutton for punishment…

tabarateam — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:23:39 +0000

i remember thinking at the end of last years camp, ‘man, i don’t think i could do that again’ and yet… less than twelve months later, here we are, getting ready to go again, and actually, incredibly, getting really really excited about it. but then i guess that’s how God works.

so, a little bit of background.

i’ve been in Glasgow for the last four (roughly) years, studying to become a community artist, which, as of june 26th, i am. yay.

in the years i’ve been studying here, i’ve also been attending a church called Glasgow Westend Vineyard, at the prompting of my good friend, Jules.

because of this church and, probably more, because of my friendship with the Manson family (in particular Jules…) i was, er, encouraged to joing the team going to Romania last summer.

a big part of being in Romania is being able to share your faith with the kids and teenagers that you are working with, so i guess it’d be appropriate to tell you a little of my story. i grew up in a christian home, with parents who encouraged me to go to church and who led by the example of their own faith, i guess i thought i was christian for a long time before i actually decided to make the faith of my parents real for me. so, an important part of coming to uni was to find a church and be part of that community.

the week in Romania was tough in a lot of ways, being challenged to get out of my comfort zone, to get alongside kids who just need love and yet don’t know how to articulate that, how to reach out and who take a lot of work to get through to. it was a time when we, as a team, really had to rely on God for support, provision, and for general good camp runningness.

as we prepare for this coming camp i, personally, am getting really excited about the ways in which God can and will use each of us, both team and campers, to encourage each other and demonstrate His gospel. i’m getting excited aboutthe gifts we can give the campers, about the crafts we can interact with together, the dramas that will be acted out, both on stage and in camp, the unpacking of scripture and the times of worship. i’m mostly looking forward to sitting by the campfire of an evening chatting…

so as we go, i’m looking to you, the people who have heard of this trip and who care for us, for the children, for the world, to be thinking and praying for us and looking to what else you can do.

the boring and sensible view

tabarateam — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:28:44 +0000

Douglas here – a retired bank official. Although I had a background with Church of Scotland membership I only became a Christian after meeting a couple of guys in a pub in Edinburgh. They invited me along to one of their church meetings where I was immediately attracted to the modern style of praise and worship. Some of what was said during the meeting was particularly appropriate to my situation at the time and I went back the following and subsequent weeks. Made friends with some wonderful people and eventually was baptised.
Having been lucky to travel extensively I have become aware how fortunate I am and want to share some of what I have with others less fortunate.
Went to Romania last year and was somewhat apprehensive as to how a dotard like me would get on with the rest of the team who were all considerably younger than me – I need not have worried.
Our team is entirely made up of Christians but we are not going out to Romania to bible bash anyone – our main aim is to try and instill greater self esteem in a group of kids from an orphanage who have never known real love and affection.
We are not sure who will be coming to the camp this year but it would be good to see some of the characters from 2008 again. Like kids anywhere they can be mischievious but I believe projects like this can give them some encouragement in an environment where they are normally given little or no self-respect.

tabara 2009

tabarateam — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:33:21 +0000

hello!

welcome to the new website for the team going to Romania in July…

we’ll be updating this as we prepare for the trip, and once we’re back, we’ll give you a full update of all the happened, the highs and the lows…

soon we’ll get some info on each of the team, who they are and why they’re coming… until then, there are a few things you can be praying for:

-planning the daily sessions

-planning the arts and crafts

-travel arrangements

thanks!

suz