November Update

Greetings, friends and family! I hope you are well and thriving.

The last four months, I staffed a Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Discipleship Training School (DTS). The goal for our four students was to know God better and to make Him known. I believe that was accomplished.

A seasonal wave of The Plague hit Romania, and with The Plague numbers rising, the government wants to push Anti-Plague Injections. Therefore, for those without proof of Anti-Plague Injections, all but the store, the park, and church are off-limits. At the time that these regulations hit, our school was on outreach. Most of us did not have The Injection, so that put rather a damper on ministry. So, the staff decided to graduate the school.

My plan is indeed to go back to the villages for Mid-November and early December. One can't help anticipating spending longer amounts of time with village kids, and getting to build more relationship with them!

A favorite moment from outreach was teaching simple math in Romanian. There is a surprising amount that one can teach with a surprisingly miniscule vocabulary.

These are two boys from the after-school class that I helped with math.

I also loved connecting with children in another education program for a week, and then later visiting them in their villages. Sometimes they are overjoyed to see us, and they come running as fast as they can for a hug. Oftentimes, that's all they want, and it's a struggle to put them down. Sometimes they want attention, and they'll do anything to get it. One of my students, Tabitha, caught right on when I taught my class how to say "I love you" in American Sign Language, and she signed it to me every time she saw me. Another student, Victor, would bump and nestle his little head against me until I put my arm around him, when I taught him at his desk.

Getting up early in time for school

Thank you for your prayers and support. I so look forward to visiting many of you this winter!

Warmly,

Ruthie Jo