A Day to Celebrate

Yesterday was the wedding of a dear friend that I met in Romania—Cristina. She had heard about Bridge of Love and their work in the orphanages and asked if she could join us when we went to orphanage. She became a great help to us, not only by translating for us, but also in helping care for and play with the children.
Her family was one of the first families to sign up as a foster family under Podul Drogustei (the sister foundation in Romania to Bridge of Love). Their first child they fostered was Marian, now known as Joshua, whom the Lundberg family later adopted. Cristina and Joshua still have a very close relationship, and she refers to him as her “American brother”. Cristina also met up with Ginger in Romania during her trip to pick up Georgie, now known as Collin, and really helped Ginger and Collin through that transition.

When she graduated from high school in Romania, she applied to BYU and was accepted. She came here to Utah 4 years ago. During her time at BYU, she learned more about the church and the gospel and was baptized last year. She met Brandon and they were married a year later. She is one of the kindest people I have ever met, and I am so happy for her and her new husband Brandon.
The wedding brought many reunions. Cristina’s cousin, Lucia, and friend, Irina—who both also volunteered in the orphanage and knew both Collin and Joshua when they were babies—were very thrilled to see them. Cristina’s mom also knew Collin when he was in the foster program, and was excited to see Collin as well. Her face lit up when she saw him and she immediately said, “Ce fac, Georgi!” (How are you, Georgie!) Collin remembers just a few words in Romanian, and he very shyly replied, “Bine.” (Good). It made everyone smile to see him and hear him speak just that little bit of Romanian.The evening was amazing. I loved watching Cristina and Brandon, seeing how much in love they were with each other. I loved seeing how happy and beautiful Cristina looked. And I absolutely loved watching Joshua and Collin play together. At first they were a little shy with each other, but within just a few minutes, they acted as if they had been best buds forever. I have no doubt that their souls were bonded from their time in the orphanage together. It is amazing to me to see these two now and yet remember what it was like for them while they still had to live in the orphanage. It truly is a miracle.I also wanted to add some pictures of me and my buddy, Collin, at the temple. Ginger and I had some taken of us together, but they really didn't turn out. As Ginger mentioned on her blog, Collin has recently discovered the wonder of "bunny ears" and will produce them at every opportunity he can. He's such a goof!

I love being an Aunt!

Becoming an aunt 5 times to 5 beautiful girls has to be up there among the significant moments in my life. I love showing them off! So I created a link on the right that will take you to a photo album I put together of my cute girls. Enjoy!

Remembering Romania

Since the title of my blog is "Living in the Moment", I decided to share some moments in my life that have been very significant to me. One of the significant moments that immediately came to mind was my experience volunteering in orphanages/hospitals in Romania.

I traveled to Romania on three different occasions with a non-profit organization called Bridge of Love (a link to their website is located under the Favorite Sites section). My friend, Ginger, had heard Laurie Lundberg, the founder of Bridge of Love, speak at a Relief Society meeting and called me to tell me about Laurie's story. It's hard to explain the feeling, but both Ginger and I knew that joining the Lundbergs on a trip to Romania was something we needed to do. So we went on our first trip in August 2000.

An excerpt from the Bridge of Love website describes what we encountered. "Babies and toddlers stayed all day in their cribs, starved for love and attention. The bedroom walls were bare, and a cold breeze seeped through the windows of the poorly heated orphanage. There were no blankets or toys in the room, and the workers changed the babies' diapers in silence. The toddlers rocked their little bodies back and forth for hours, the only stimulation they could create. The older toddlers banged their heads on the side of the crib—over and over—creating a new noise and huge lumps on their heads. They were as children living in a zoo. They each had their own cage from which they couldn't escape. Most of the children had been abandoned at birth, with little or no information on them left behind. There were no plans for the children—they just existed. Nobody was their voice."

It is impossible to share the many experiences I had, or the many small and great miracles I witnessed (one of the great miracles being the adoption of Georgie--now known as Collin--by Ginger) on this blog. But I wanted to share that I do believe that my opportunity to go to Romania was a gift given to me. The children I met and interacted with did more for me than I ever did for them. This is something that I will never forget.

The following is a promotional video that my dad and I put together for Bridge of Love. It is somewhat outdated, but it still gives an idea of what we experienced, what the children's lives are like in the orphanages/hospitals, and what Bridge of Love is trying to do to help. I hope you enjoy the video. You may want to watch with a box of Kleenex nearby.

As a side note, the Lundbergs have been called to serve as Mission President in Romania. They leave in June. I am so excited for them!