Easter At The Orphanage
Holy Saturday In The Orthodox Church
The Sun is shining, flowers are abounding, trees have put on their green coats and the fountains near the palace are in action and, with the Sun shining through, are creating rainbows!
So - to bring some of that joy out of the city Traian and I set off for the orphanage! There we found a very depleted staff coping bravely with almost one hundred children. Looking relieved, they gave us a warm welcome. In the car we had beautifully designed boxes filled with biscuits and chocolates (one box for each child). We also had large cosonacs (Romanian cakes) to be shared by staff and children. No need to describe the joy and excitement given - this was indeed reciprocal.
Georgiana full of the joy of this occasion came with a big hug of welcome. A chorus of "Christos a inviat" from a roomful of children was a joy to hear! Little Mihai, who always wants a hug always brings tears to my eyes as I realise, once again, that if the Georgianas and Mihais could only be adopted or fostered life would be so much
more normal for them.
The negative side of the picture was the sight of the clothes. Although we did clothe all the children last year, staff tell us it is hard to maintain a good standard of clothing, so, god willing, we will return soon with a "suit" for each.
Things are improving slowly there and one staff member told us of how the children are benefiting from using the gymnasium. We are still hoping to have a playroom set up there.
Holy Saturday In The Orthodox Church
The Sun is shining, flowers are abounding, trees have put on their green coats and the fountains near the palace are in action and, with the Sun shining through, are creating rainbows!
So - to bring some of that joy out of the city Traian and I set off for the orphanage! There we found a very depleted staff coping bravely with almost one hundred children. Looking relieved, they gave us a warm welcome. In the car we had beautifully designed boxes filled with biscuits and chocolates (one box for each child). We also had large cosonacs (Romanian cakes) to be shared by staff and children. No need to describe the joy and excitement given - this was indeed reciprocal.
Georgiana full of the joy of this occasion came with a big hug of welcome. A chorus of "Christos a inviat" from a roomful of children was a joy to hear! Little Mihai, who always wants a hug always brings tears to my eyes as I realise, once again, that if the Georgianas and Mihais could only be adopted or fostered life would be so much
more normal for them.
The negative side of the picture was the sight of the clothes. Although we did clothe all the children last year, staff tell us it is hard to maintain a good standard of clothing, so, god willing, we will return soon with a "suit" for each.
Things are improving slowly there and one staff member told us of how the children are benefiting from using the gymnasium. We are still hoping to have a playroom set up there.