It is a glorious day! The children have arrived with the usual excitement. Wondering who will be waiting for them at the Camp of the Good Shepherd. BEEP! BEEP! "They're here!!! The first to arrive are the girls from Fagaras. They have drivers which bring them in a extra large van. They arrive in good cheer. Some new faces and some of the usual cast of characters. All unique and all special in their own way.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP! Our vans arrive filled with the girls from Turnu Rosu. Again, they arrive in good cheer and searching for familiar faces. Shrieks of joy ring out as the girls see the faces for which they are searching. Looks of hesitation appear on the faces of the girls who are still searching for the volunteer they wish to reconnect with this year. Rita inquires..."Unde este Trecky?" Roxi asks... "Unde este Zhenn?" Unde este ??? and so on and so on.
We gather in the main dining hall for the obligatory "Rules" rundown. No smoking, no kicking, hitting or eye gouging, no running with scissors, no provoking the sleeping dogs, etc... Marcel and I get a promotion. We are now in charge of toilet paper distribution. After the "Honey Wagon" came to clean the toilets from last year...let's just say it was time to lock down the toilet tissue along with a number of other items such as quilts, tennis shoes, flashlights and more...
The kids are divided into cabins and given a mop, broom, bucket and dust pan. They will properly clean their quarters for inspection each day by our top notch cabin inspectors. There is the usual..."NO...I don't want to stay with her!". After some negotiation and arm twisting all girls are properly assigned.
The sound of the shrill whistle fills the air! CHOW TIME! The children jockey for position at tables and ensure they are sitting with their special volunteer, even if it means throwing another child OR volunteer out of the group at the table. The food is plenty and the bellies get full. Dishes are done and rest time begins!
It's 4:00 pm and snack is served. Yep! It's YUPS! Not just any YUPS! Strawberry YUPS which does contain some food byproducts. NOW we are ready for games.
The children are formed into four rag tag teams. There are four boys on the Romanian volunteer team and they are each the captains. There is one team which is clearly disadvantaged right from the start. Emi, their leader is not to be deterred. He runs, walks, crawls, skips or duck walks with many of his team members. He coaches, encourages and celebrates all of their accomplishments. His spirit is contagious. Girls who are normally annoyed and being paired with less capable teammates and also helping their team. It is a sweet reward to have the privilege to see. There is laughter and love floating in the air. The river is flowing and their is joy at the Camp of the Good Shepherd.
Dinner is another opportunity to gather in the dining hall. The smells from the kitchen permeate the hall and the sounds of the chairs sliding across the floor as the tables are set up. The team works like a well oiled machine. The whistle screams again and the children enter the room. Being creatures of habit the go to "their" table. Prayers are said in English and translated into Romanian. Let's eat!
Only brief moment of respite before evening fellowship. The children enter the room and prepare for music and skits. It is a short evening as they are tired from the day and ready for bed. Noapte Buna!
Jill
Jill, I can see the vans arriving and the anticipation on the faces of the children. I cried. I know that team will be such a gift to these children and they in turn a gift to you. Rest, reflect, and find joy in this wonderful day.
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