courtney; me, life, romania: December 2011

....and many months have passed since since I have last blogged. I know I have not been so good at keeping up with that...life just gets busy and I don't stop to take the time to add bits here and there about life here in Romania and our new family.

So let me try and fill you in on a bit of our life the past few months:

We have been really working and loving time together as a family and teaching Laszlo about what it means to be a family. He's now lived with me full time for a year and a half but with his Pappa just a bit under half a year and so there has been much learned and we have really seen progress in him and in school and just every day life things. Some things are easier for him now that he's growing up and such a change from last year with even the putting on of socks and shoes that where such a source of frustration. I also think there is something about having a Pappa. Laszlo is more settled, sleeps better, eats better and relaxes better and all this started soon after we were married and Jonte began to live with us. I love to see it! It's amazing and such perfect timing and such a wonderful thing to share life together and responsibilities with someone.

Anyways, my focus has been our family and mainly Laszlo. He's in Romanian school 3 days a week and 2 days a week we do school at home in English and let me say that this fall has been a wonderful on compared to last year at the preschool he was attending...it was disaster! I love being apart of his learning and watching him learn the English letters and numbers! It's been a challenge at times but I really do enjoy being apart of his learning (in every day things as well) and having a scheduled has been good for the both of us.

The rest of my week is spent driving some special needs children that are in foster homes to a school an hour away for them to be able to attend school a few days a week and also helping out a bit at our special needs school here in town where Laszlo also attends. I've been helping out a bit in our warehouse to gather things for our foster families and their children. And of course I've been going up with my good friend Katie to the hospital when I have a bit of free time to hold and love on those babies that are just laying there. I love that part...they are so very sweet those little ones and the 2 that we have there right now are so very precious and we see make progress...little Eniko and Iosif... but I do hope that soon they can return to their families or be placed in new ones very soon. One or 2 hours a day of holding time is not much when you are that small. Oh Jesus, show your grace and mercy to the little ones.

In October we went for a visit to Sweden to visit my husbands family and friends of ours from here in Romania and to also share at a church and raise some more support for our continued stay here in Romania. It was a wonderful time to see a bit of where Jonte grew up and a blessing with the Church and friends. Plus I did a few things I've never done before like ride a long board, go on a motorcycle ride... yes I was a bit scared and held on very tight but I enjoy the Swedish forest at the same time.

November was filled with an early Thanksgiving with our team here. Everyone brought a bit of food to share, the napkins rings where made by the kids, and the day was lovely and relaxed...it was nice. Then Jonte and I were off to visit Colorado for Thanksgiving there, a trip to the mountains (wonderful!),Christmas tree cutting (one of my favorite days!) and a wedding reception for those back home to attend since our wedding was so far away. It was also the time of our legal name change. So I am no longer a Brown, I am now officially a Björk! I will always be a Brown at heart but I'm happy to have my husbands name and proud to be apart of his family... they are lovely!

So, now it's almost the end of this year and we have bought our tree at a place in town on the corner, helped sort Christmas boxes for our school kids and their families and others we give to during this time, decorated the tree and put up lights, driven the kids to school and shopped for my day to cook for our team, held some babies, Advent with my family, Monday night worship and cmas party with my team here, watched the snow fall last night with a very excited boy and many "oh thank you Jesus'!", gathered again clothes for our foster kids and some hats and gloves along with socks and tights for Hope and her family (a girl that lived with me as a baby for some months 7 years ago), running to the post office to mail letters and practicing for our annual Santa Lucia caroling day the 13th. Love singing to those at the old folks home...they love it too! You can see tears as we sing and excitement like children when our children hand them Christmas gifts... I love that my son can be apart of this service in this country; his country. Much has gone on this month and I'm exhausted. I'm looking forward to break time to be home a bit more with my family. There is more to be said but I think is is long enough for now. I'll try and add pictures during the rest of this month and the months to come.

Lots of love to all! May you be amazed at all my savior has done for you and the greatness of the God that can command the storm to stop and whose son came as a little baby to save us and bring us freedom all those years ago!

Here are a few photos from these past months: