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!