Day 15: Final Day in Romania

Today we awaken once again to the gracious hospitality to the Smiles Foundation staff and the smell of fresh coffee, bacon and eggs. The staff translators and social workers lead us into the community immediately after breakfast to further share with the hurting community of people the hope that we each believe is still alive. Dr. Merrill Reese led a team to downtown Oradea to visit the homeless. He reported finding there a family of five children, the youngest of which were 2 and 3 year olds and two young adult parents. Expecting to hear from this family that their most grave issue was not having anywhere to call home, he said he was surprised to hear from the young girl that her most pressing issue was anger under which Dr. Reese shared with her is hurt. The team counseled with many homeless persons and families in the area before returning to the complex in Cihei. Dr. Harris-Keyes presented to teachers of the Smiles Foundation Tilead Primary School and Nursery and assisted them with professional consultation surrounding the issues connected to children’s response to trauma and how to overcome barriers to learning related to traumatic experiences.

Meanwhile, remaining team members visited the home of a Romanian woman, who along with her husband and 7 children was just homeless a few months ago until assisted by Smiles foundation staff in finding somewhere to call home. Since then the husband has found 2 days of work per week and she and the children have planted a garden to help her husband feed the family. After lunch the team visited the gypsy community at Tilead with many of the teachers to visit the children who are on summer vacation from school. Counseling and psychotherapy was available to a mother of 10 children whose husband struggles with substance abuse issues and who is the victim of domestic abuse, while the children of the gypsy village were delighted with interactive song in the community square. Dr. Ben Keyes and his team visited the Bratca Hospital which houses along term psychiatric patients and also has a short term geriatric unit. There the team provided counseling services to include play therapy, and individual counseling for mentally challenged patients and Dr. Keyes provided consultation for hospital staff. The team exchanged remarks today with each other and the founder and staff of Smiles as each person conveyed the transforming power of the ministry we have met here and the opportunity to have collaborated with such a dedicated team of Romanians. We came to serve this community and the staff here while sharing and utilizing our skills and training but will leave feeling that we have been the greater benefactors.

-R. LaVerne Washington