Week #1 in Nicorest- Tanner Mission style

After our first full week of volunteer work in Nicoresti, I found that I learned more from the children of Tanner Mission than I was able to teach them. It is amazing how children with so little are so proud and have such a positive outlook on life. Every morning I am reminded of this by the excited little faces that meet me at the door when I arrive at the group home. They take great pleasure in the littlest of tasks. Happiness is really not a factor of wealth, as these children prove on a daily basis.

This week my main task at Casa Rachel (boys group home), was to cut and stack the fire wood that the house would require for heat during the very cold winters in Romania. This sounds like a small task but we have already filled two sheds full of wood that a normal American family would not go through in three years. This is there only source of heat and every room has a ceramic fire place. The fires have to keep burning 24/7 from Nov. to March. With 11 boys living in this house and 14 rooms you can image the amount of wood required. Next week will be a little of the same but the wood will be for Casa Hannah which is the group home where Katie is working.

When I am not working on the wood, I spent time with the boys helping them with school work. Many have not had formal education but they are all eager to learn. A few of the boys attend school and range from 4th to 6th grade. It brings back memories of my teaching days helping them with their work. The kids are more than happy to help me learn Romanian while I help them with English. Often times I am wondering what they are really saying about me in their Romanian tongue. I have figured out that my baldness is a source of great entertainment. So far this has been a great experience and I am looking forward to learning more about the Romanian cultures and hopefully offering something positive in return.