Day 1: The Journey Begins

Now finally after many weeks of training and preparation, the Trauma Team of Regent University embarks on a journey to serve the people of Cihei, Romania. Led by the Dr. Benjamin Keyes, Director of the Center for Trauma Studies at Regent, 18 graduate students of Psychology and Counseling, his assistant, Dr. Merrill Reese and Dr. Kim Harris-Keyes, Adjunct Professor of Regent are excited as all gather to pray God’s blessings upon this mission trip. Two 15 passenger vans, fully loaded with supplies for the Romanian people, carry a team of graduate students dedicated to utilizing their skills and training to honor those whose lives have been devastated by the transition from Communism to Democracy. The team looks forward to the opportunity to share with the Romanian Gypsies who are poorer still, and whose impoverished lives are exacerbated by the exclusion they experience daily. With both excitement and humility filling their hearts, the members of this team realize that no amount of training will heal the brokenness or breach the void they likely will encounter, but grace coupled with empathetic hearts can, as they reflect the love of Christ. It is a 3.5 hour drive to Dulles International Airport. The team arrives in Washington, DC, refreshes themselves and dines at a local restaurant, since they will be flying Air France for more than 7 hours. Then off airport where the first leg of flight will place them in Paris, and where connections will be made the following morning for the flight to Budapest, Hungary. This is where they will be met and transported by the team with which they will be collaboratively working. Staff members of the Smiles Foundation, a long term missionary project targeting the homeless and gypsy population of Romania, will receive the team and travel 3.5 more hours by bus to their complex in Cihei, just a few minutes across the Hungarian border. The team is escorted by news anchorman Effram Graham, of CBN, and things are running as smoothly as a “well-oiled machine”, as this well prepared team moves with cohesiveness that makes travel easy.

-R. LaVerne Washington