Day 13: An Impacting Presence

The teams returned today after visiting several different surrounding areas to include a gypsy community where the team led by Dr. Keyes spent their day counseling with families. The team members returned after hours of counseling to report one incident wherein they were touched by a gypsy father’s love story for his daughter that caused him to plead with her not to marry before time. Dr. Reese and team spent their day visiting families as well and counseled one family where they found issues surrounding a parentified child who is now 19, but since age 14 was left to care for her 5 brothers and sisters now ages 3-14 years old. Trauma team members addressed issues of depression and worked with the smaller children with a therapy consisting of the use of different size and color stones to draw from the children their stories from which valuable emotional assessments can be made.

Dr. Harris-Keyes lead a team of counselors and clinicians to the Gepiu Community Center where they met with young men and women about to graduate school soon to discuss academic career goals. During this time, the team was able to assist with personality type indication using various activities designed to help with planning their futures. The team led by R. LaVerne Washington spent the day involved in the Family Care project where they encountered countless numbers of situations to include those that required counseling and psychotherapy. One such situation involved 4 beautiful Romanian girls ages 3-14 whose father struggled with alcohol abuse issues and whose mother was likely a victim of domestic violence. Trauma team members worked with each child and the father individually to assist the family in addressing these issues and preparing a premise upon which the social workers could continue to best serve this family. As time draws near to depart Romania, the team is stricken by a sense of inadequacy as we look upon so great a need but are encouraged by Smiles Foundation staff that our presence has had greater impact that we may ever know and every seed sown will bear fruit. Though we may not be here to witness the fruit, we will leave content that He will bring forth an increase.

-R. LaVerne Washington