When I decided to do missionary work in Romania, I prepared myself for the worst. I was prepared to get sick. I was prepared to see poverty and saddening life situations. I even brought toilet paper. I knew I would grow and I would have experiences unlike any other, but I don't believe I ever really understood the power of missionary work. Now that I have returned home, I do. I can say from the depths of my heart that my missionary work is the best thing I have ever done in my life. I have traveled the world and been to five continents, and not one thing has touched me or
changed me like this.
Our main mission was a camp for "at risk" teenagers. These were kids who came from family situations that ranged from broken homes to homelessness. Most of them only had an eighth-grade education or lower, yet they managed to teach a 4th-year college student more than any college class ever could.
We offered a basic American camp curriculum that included sports, games, arts and crafts, etc. We also had Bible study. Our topic was the Ten Commandments, and every day we presented a set of commandments in skit form. We showed practical, everyday situations that explained the point of the Commandments. Afterward, we would have group discussions with the teens, who were grouped into "families." I expected to have to force my "family" to talk about what they had seen and heard. Instead I was asked deep probing questions, and every discussion ran over the allotted time. At times, I was reaching far into my soul to answer questions and problems I had never even considered. The teens were enthusiastic and inquisitive. They wanted answers to questions that had been bothering them. It made me ask questions myself. During the week, I realized that I am not nearly as informed an Orthodox Christian as I thought I was. It awakened a yearn-
ing to learn more.
Even more important than that were the relationships that were formed at camp. I mentioned my "family" before. Let me explain. Each American was grouped with a Romanian counterpart. The two leaders were then assigned a "family" of five or six kids. We were responsible for each other. Each couple had to know where their kids were at all times. This was the greatest idea. So many of the children had no family or very poor family experiences to draw on, but at camp they had their own little group that was always looking out for one another, always eating together or near each other and always caring about each other. It provided a warmth that many of the teens were not used to.
It took a few days for it to catch on, but by the end of the week the Big Brothers and Big Sisters didn't even have to search the crowd for their family. They would all be together without being asked to be. The kids felt cared for because somebody would actually miss them if they were gone. Someone cared enough to want to know where they were. I personally loved my "family" with every fiber in me. Several of my kids took a few days to warm up, but by the end of the week they were terribly sad to go.

My family taught me so much. There was Sorina who always had a smile on her face and a hug to give. Then there was Cosmin. He always asked the most difficult questions. He taught me not to accept things at face value because digging deeper provides truer, more pure results. Next there was Florin. He was very aloof at first and for the first few days it seemed I always had to search him out and bring him back to our family. He taught me that love is the most important virtue because, once I started paying attention to him by making a point of showing him I cared, he did a total turn around and became nearly my most cooperative family member. Then there was Corina who taught me the beauty of peacefulness. She and I would sit together and paint quietly for hours and be happy. She also showed me one of the most beautiful and rawest faiths I have ever seen. She inspired me beyond belief in that at 14 she had a faith that made mine look pathetic. She had the deepest and truest love for God, and looking into her eyes shook me at times. Finally there was Remus. Remus took a very special place in my heart. He is the little brother I never had. He taught me the art of a positive attitude and about trust. His life is hard and he has born the brunt of too many adversities for a kid his age, and yet you would never know it until he opens his heart to tell you. He is full of smiles and love, and his attitude should be a lesson to us all. He has shared me with his feelings, experiences and his worries because in his heart he trusts me. He trusts that I care about him enough to help him through his hard times with an open ear, a ton of love, and a strong base in Christ. By putting his trust in me, he has taught me that trust is a precious and humbling thing, and I feel so
lucky to have earned it.
I don't know why God chose me to do His work in Romania, and I have stopped wondering. It was in His plan, and I am thankful to have been a part of it. My heart is refreshed and I feel a renewed purpose in life. I know that I have done some good and I just hope that God will let me return to Romania to spread my love a little further.

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