Several years ago when I was teaching music at Central High School in Providence, RI, as usual per any day I headed to the main office to pick up my mail. In the teacher’s mail boxes would be stuffed certainly plenty of notices and important information, but also a fair share of ‘junk mail’ which promptly went into the waste basket. One day, however, one of the unsolicited fillers seemed to catch my eye, and I even took time to read it.
Update from the month of September –
3000 kg. of potatoes were delivered to Barza Mica, along with 700 kg of carrots and 700 kg of onions.
Nineteen boxes of beautiful clothing arrived from some precious ladies at First Romanian Baptist Church of Atlanta – and were warmly received at Albina and Barza Mica Orphanages
It has been a wonderful – fruitful – fruitless, at times – joyful – heart-breaking – interesting past month in my beloved Romania.
“In Psalm 104, the psalmist celebrates God’s glory in His works of creation and providence teaching the dependence of all living creatures, and contrasting the happiness of those who praise Him with the awful end of the wicked.” (from Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible)
Risking sounding like a broken record, I am thrilled to be back here in ‘the other land that I love’ once again – that the Lord has allowed me to be His hands and feet, eyes and heart among these people whom He planted in my heart seventeen years ago. I praise God for a safe and uneventful trip all the way from 19 Berry Street in Norton, MA to Str. Frasinuilui , Nr. 1, Bl. D2, Sc. B, Ap. 6. In Brasov, Romania. (How’s that for an address?!)
William Shakespeare said, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”. Isn’t that the truth? But in the play Romeo and Juliet, I’m told that Shakespeare was referring to Juliet’s argument that it doesn’t matter that Romeo’s surname is ‘Montague’ from her family’s rival’s ‘house of Montague’. It made me think about my name – or, my ‘names’. I was born Dawn Ellen Bean, but have been known by variations of that name, or completely different names according to my relationship with others.
I am excited to be returning to ‘the other land that I love’ (Romania!) on July 6 – landing in Frankfurt, Germany on the 7th – and then, to Bucharest – and finally up into the Transylvanian Alps to Brasov. Lord willing, I will be hands-on in the work until the first week of October. I can hardly wait.
I would never have dreamt in a thousand years that I would be using this space this month for the following:
Jesse Diauto – Born January 21, 1977 – Died unexpectedly May 22, 2017
Continue reading the "June, 2017 – Tribute to a Young Friend" »
I am so excited to be headed back to ‘the other land that I love’, Lord willing, on July 6. I miss my babies! I miss my kids! This summer will mark seventeen years in Romania – and I truly feel after all this time that I am their ‘Mama Dawn’. In a couple of weeks, or so, when it begins to warm up, the big kids at Barza Mica sit on the little rock wall outside the orphanage and stare up into the sky looking for planes. Every time they see one, they say, “I wonder if this is the one that is bringing ‘Mama Dawn’? Oh, I can hardly wait to get there – and love and hug them all. And to be able to minister to our little Severe/Profound ones at Albina!
