Romania
A country full of sunflower fields, bread and the sweetest people.
Our time in Romania was short but it was packed full of great ministry opportunities and great memories. We were here for exactly 1 month. This was the shortest time we’ve spent in a country so far. I guess our experience here was very similar to what the Race would have been like before covid. There were definitely pros and cons with this time frame… but over all I’m thankful our Race experience has allowed us to stay in countries longer than just a month.
This blog is going to be all about the awesome ministry experiences I had in Romania. Also, I’m going to share how my time doing ministry ended up being marked by the Cotton Eye Joe.
The first week in Romania myself and 2 others (Daniel and Lydia) from my squad got to do children’s ministry in a nearby Roma community (the respectful term used for “gypsy”). The Roma people here were mostly poor. The kids would usually be wearing the same clothes for a few days and the baby’s never had diapers on. Their joy was incomparable though. They would be so excited to see us show up for just 1 1/2 hours of songs, games and a Bible story. These sweet kids quickly stole my heart. They loved giving us hugs and holding our hands. They loved learning the few English songs we taught them and the different games we played with them. One day we thought it would be fun to do something different with them. A change of pace from playing the games we had been playing everyday. Somehow we come up with the idea of teaching them a dance. Immediately the Cotton Eye Joe popped into my head. I taught this dance to a group of 3rd graders while I was in college. I suggested it and everyone got really excited. Daniel, Lydia and I practiced a few times before leaving for the Roma community. When we got there and told the kids we were going to teach them an American dance, they were so excited (these kids lovvvvve dancing). The 3 of us began teaching them and the kids picked it up so quickly. When we finally added the music to the dance the kids LOVED it. They loved the song and thought it was funny sounding.
This day was so much fun for not only the kids but also for us. We loved getting the opportunity to do a week of children’s ministry with these sweet kids and also getting to share cultures with each other.
*fast forward 2 weeks*
My team and I got to travel to a village about an hour away to do ministry there for 4 days. We were told on the way there that half the team (Courtney, Daniel and I) would be hosting a 3 day English program. We all kinda laughed at the fact that we were the ones planning and organizing a 3 day English program but we were also really excited for the challenge.
*side note* Not over thinking things is a good tool to use in life (easier said than done). It’s also exactly what we had to do to be successful with this event, lol!
We got to the village and immediately started planning. Our host that week gave us a few ideas of things he wanted us to incorporate in the program. The last day of the program he wanted to be all about the American culture. Kind of like a small American party but also including the English we had worked on the few days prior. He wanted there to be American games, food (that we cooked), music and dancing. I bet you can’t guess one of the dances we taught them. Yep! The Cotton Eye Joe was the #1 dance that we had to teach them. Haha! We had a lot of fun teaching another group of Romanian kids the Cotton Eye Joe. They also really enjoyed learning it, too. This event was so much fun! For Courtney and I, being able to use our teaching degrees to teach English and lead activities/dances was a lot of fun for us!
*fast forward 1 week*
Back at our main ministry location our host told us that 2 of the last days of ministry in Romania would be spent hosting an American event (lol do y’all see the pattern). One of those days was for ages 15-30 and the other day was for ages 30+. These events were unique because the attendance was all about people we invited. We had been meeting and building relationships with locals the entire month we were there in Romania. It was fun to see all of the familiar faces at the events of people we had talked to/ hung out with throughout the month.
These events were also planned and organized by people from my squad. They included American food, games, songs, dances and a testimony from someone on our squad. These 2 events ended up being really good and lots of people showed up to them. At both of these events some of us taught the Romanians the Cotton Eye Joe. It was a good time! My favorite part was teaching the 30+ year olds. Basically everyone was well over 70 years old and seeing the childlike spirits of each of them come out through learning the Cotton Eye Joe was so sweet! I felt so honored that the Lord let me be apart of something so special. (:
So as you can see, the Cotton Eye Joe really did mark my time here in Romania. I think one thing the Lord taught me through these experiences was the power of being open and willing. These Romanians did not have to be open to learning a dance like the Cotton Eye Joe. Honestly it might have even been easier for them to not choose to learn it. Learning a dance that you’re not familiar with, taught by people who don’t speak the same language as you can be intimidating and uncomfortable. But what I saw was the people who were willing to step out of their comfort zone and be open to learning and trying something new, didn’t regret it. They actually had a really fun time and the moment was truly filled with joy.
I think in my own life I can over think things that feel uncomfortable to me. For example, the 3 day English program. I didn’t really want to stand in front of a bunch of pre-teens and lead an English program because it made me kinda uncomfortable. I was worried about the impression I made on them. Whether they thought I was cool or a total weirdo. Whether they would participate or think what we were doing was stupid. After I realized they were just as uncomfortable as I was the first day, everything got better. At the beginning of anything new there will most likely be awkwardness and uncomfortably. It won’t stay like that forever though. At the end of the English program that group of preteens were so much more comfortable with us and so were we with them. We all had to be willing to do something uncomfortable and be open to new experiences. The result of us doing so lead to new friendships, a good time and new things were learned.
If you’re thinking of stepping out of your comfort zone but maybe feel scared or anxious to do so, just remember that there is something good in every situation. Putting yourself out there to learn or try something new is never a waste of time. With God we have the peace needed to do anything.
John 14:27
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid”.
Love y’all,
Brianne <3
So proud of you Bri. Stay well, keep giving with your happy heart and travel safe. God bless you all. Chris.