Our lives the last few weeks....

...have been a balance of busy and not-so busy. Let us take the time to re-cap.

We continued in our role as "interim executive directors" while Andy was in the United States. Things around the office went well and then we began to await his arrival. He arrived a couple of weeks ago with his wife, son and a lot of suitcases. We went to airport to greet them and help with luggage.

Many of you are familiar with Anca, whether you have met her or read about her through our newsletter. She has become one of our closest (especially Susan) friends in Romania. We were able to go to her house for dinner and spend the evening hanging out. Her dad, who used to drive for Project Ruth but left to move to the country, was in town for the evening and he joined us for dinner. It was really nice to visit with both of them.
Christmas is the time for presents and giving. We have been blessed to see how much people love the children at the Ruth School and other gypsy families in the area. Several supporters from England, Germany and the US have sent money or packages so that we could help make Christmas a little better for the children. We were able to be involved since there needed to be some organization on this end. So lately we have been buying food, gifts, candy and spending time packaging them and delivering them. Also we picked up a big delivery in western Romania and brought it to Bucharest. It kind of felt like were playing "Santa's elves." Which was so much fun for us.
Most recently the Ruth School had a Christmas program to end the semester. After the program we (Ruth School staff) delivered all the gifts that were sent from Germany to each and every child. It was very exciting.

Yesterday, Susan went to the airport to pick up 2 girls from Virginia. These girls have been coming to Romania every summer for the pat 4 years. It was their Christmas gift to get to spend it in Romania this year. Susan went to greet them at the airport. Also, they were bringing us some presents that were sent by a wonderful couple in South Carolina.

Again, we have been so blessed to see people want to give so generously not just to the Ruth School kids but also to us. We are thankful for so many people that have tried to help and make this Christmas a special one for us. We are truly grateful for your friendship and support.

Now we rest. We have 2 weeks off from the office to enjoy Christmas and New Year's. We pray that you and your families will have a wonderful and blessed Christmas.

Merry Christmas!