Phase One

Buna seara,

The centre in Seleus was looking pretty dusty when we arrived on Tuesday morning with a couple of brushes and mops. It needed to be cleaned out for the first program to be conducted in the community centre. Phase One of introducing the people to what is their building began this week!

Victoria sweeping up the back room. We brushed the floor three times to get the dust minimised.

And after three times mopping it, it looked pretty good, Victoria and I were left to finish rinsing the mops whilst the two men went to have a break because it was all too much. That's not quite true- they went to get other bits and pieces that would allow us to set it up for distributing clothes to the people of Seleus.

Prior to leaving there was sorting of clothes. It was such a blessing to have the majority of them sorted by the previous team. A shame they didn't get to see them being distributed but I do want to acknowledge the amazing help it was to us the last few days!

Sorting shoes too...

So Victoria and I were sitting in Seleus discussing how great lunch was going to be when the guys came back, did the ten minute set-up and then we returned to Project House. However, after highlighting how much we needed the bathroom and how ready for lunch we were...the team showed up with all the clothes, shoes and bags ready to begin the afternoon work! This was so not how we had it planned. Thankfully I have acquired a nursing bladder so I coped. We set up 'shop' and prayed together.

The families came in with their tickets. (Previously handed out after everyone had been allocated a house number- the work Gary and I had done last week). They would wait in the room and two of us would go to them and take their ticket.

Then we assessed the ages of the children. However, it was more key to look at their size rather than the age number on their ticket. For example, some of the eight year olds could fit into 5-6 clothes. So British measurements on clothes weren't a great match to the size of those living on the hill due to malnutrition and stunted growth.

Then we went to the store and brought through an outfit for each child. This usually worked pretty well and we were able to find warm clothes for the majority.

Then the fun began. Shoes. (Ignore the spelling of the next few words...they will not be right in Romania and are more how they're said).

Miche. Mari. Strunge. Nu bun. (Big, small, tight, no good.) What an absolute nightmare to try and fight shoes for a family of ten, none of whom know their actual size. It got to the stage where I brought a few pairs, started them at one end and they were passed along until they were a perfect fit.
Eventually we were all sorted and good to go! I have decided I am never working in a shoe shop. Ever.

 Four hours later and we had completed 50 of the 120 families on Tuesday. Then yesterday and today it was the same both afternoons. And now all the families have received shoes and clothes for the incoming months.

Then this afternoon we packed up and began to distribute potatoes again. There were enough hands on crowd control and dishing potatoes out so I got to just play with the kids. We started with a Romanian game which I didn't understand. But it lasted for a while. Then it moved to duck duck goose- ratza ratza gusca. That was fun until I fell and got the smallest graze ever and everyone thought it was going to the end of me. I'm still here :) It then turned into football on the road with a plastic bottle. I had great fun and so did the kids. It actually worked really well because the children weren't pestering everyone giving out the food. Win, win!

The potatoes given out

The house down the yard on Tuesday night...

We also had to lift down 960 tiles from the attic of a spider infested shed!

The house last night-

 It's been a busy day which also included finding a mattress from home! It was being sent 300km North with a pastor to be given to a family in need. It was pretty cool to see where it ended up after coming from Ballymena.

So, after a long but rewarding few days, it is back to shoeboxes tomorrow!