We spent our Sunday morning at church. We got dressed up for mass, which started at 10am, and walked down the street to one of the houses. A family in Bistrita, who moved to Romania from Idaho, had converted their garage into a Church. The family had come over on a mission from their Calvary Church. The family - a mom and dad with four kids who attended the local Romanian school – greeted us in the driveway while we waited for others to show up. They were very inviting as they offered us tea and coffee and welcomed us into their Church.
At 10, everyone filed into the refurbished garage to start mass. We found seats just as music began to play. Mass started with religious songs in Romanian sung by a young girl who attends church with her mother and father. She was accompanied by a guitar player and a projection screen with the lyrics. The music was light and easy to listen to and was a perfect way to bring together the children and adults despite the difference in language. After a few songs, however, the children were asked to leave for Sunday school, and were escorted into the house for a separate teaching.
Mass was long, as after each thing was said in English, it needed to be translated into Romanian, and at noon, we politely and appreciatively said goodbye.
We headed towards the other side of town to meet Lucia* and Marc* and their sister Michaela*- three orphaned children who were in foster care. However, when we arrived, only Lucia was there to greet us: Michaela was out with friends and Marc was playing soccer at the park. Lucia invited our group into her living room while we waited for her siblings to arrive. We learned that she was attending music school and plays classical guitar. Naturally, we asked her to play for us. All the while, her brother, Marc, had returned from the heat outside.
There were seven of us in the living room, and although we fit comfortably, it was an awkward scene. Lucia and Marc seemed uncomfortable with us being there and were very quiet despite their remarkable English. We asked many questions – about school and sports and music – but they remained reserved and seemingly skeptical of their visitors. Conversation was difficult and sounded forced, but it was better than silence.
Soon, Marc called his sister, Michaela, and was told that she would not be back in time for lunch, so, with this information, we all left the apartment and headed for Pizza Tonight, eager for lunch. While walking to the restaurant, my mom, brother and Marc began chatting about soccer and Sammy and Lucia engaged in conversation about music. The outdoors seemed to be lightening the mood.
The group had been to Pizza Tonight before (a few times before), but it was Lucia’s favorite restaurant and Marc didn’t mind it either. Quickly after we ordered the group began chatting again, headed by Marc and Lucia’s frequent questions. The whole dynamic of conversation had changed since we had gotten to the restaurant and the kids were quite talkative. And as lunch went on, we found them charming and funny and very polite.
Although we were sad that lunch was over, my mom and I happily skipped down the sidewalk with Marc as we headed towards his house. We passed by a park on the way, bustling with kids, and stopped to play. Lucia and I tried all the different sets of jungle gyms with the boys started a soccer game with some other children on the grass nearby. Not long after, Lucia and I joined them. Although the ball was a bit flat, and the grass a little too long, it was a fun match.
We didn’t want to leave, but the sky was getting darker and the group needed to get home, so we walked Lucia and Marc back to the apartment. We hugged and said goodbye on the stairs – Marc and Eric wished each other good luck with soccer as we wished Lucia luck with guitar. It was sad to leave them, knowing that we wouldn’t see them again, but we were thankful to have met them. They were happy and well-mannered and showed us the hope that organizations like RCR have for orphaned children. They made an impression on us that we will not soon forget and we can only hope we did the same for them.
Lucia and Marc – we miss you!
*Names have been changed in the best interest of the children.
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