Mission trip to Romania
Hey everyone, this coming March 13-21, 2009 I am blessed with the opportunity to travel to Romania to serve on an OCF Real Break (spring break) mission team. The trip will be led by Veronica Pruim, OCF Program Director, who comes originally from Romania. We will be staying in Brasov, a beautiful Transylvanian city located in the center of the country and surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains. We will be mainly involved with two sites: the school for blind children which was just founded by a local NGO and the Center for Social Integration where 12 boys reside over 18. These boys come from orphanages in the area. In addition, we will visit the beautiful monastery of Sambata near Fagaras as well as the world famous Dracula's castle. Some of the specific work we will be doing includes giving English lessons, painting and repairs of the facilities, and sharing God's love with the underprivileged children of Romania.
Some brief information about Romania and Brasov:
Romania lies in Eastern Europe on the Black Sea and borders Ukraine, Moldova, Hungary, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria. Romania has the 9th largest territory and the 7th largest population (with 22 million people) among the European Union member states. Its capital and largest city is
Bucharest (Romanian: Bucureşti /bu.kuˈreʃtʲ/), the 6th largest city in the EU with 1.9 million people. The Romanian population is 87% Christian Orthodox.
We will be staying in Brasov, which is located almost in the center of the country and surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains. Brasov is one of the favorite tourist destinations in Romania. Only 9 miles far from Brasov, up in the mountains you can find a unique winter resort: Poiana Brasov.
Winter sports, mainly skiing and snowboarding, bring in the winter season thousands of tourists coming from all over Europe.. Brasov also provides many historic sites in the old city founded by Germans in the Middle Ages. Dracula’s castle is only 30 miles away and this beautiful medieval site attracts tourists from all over the world.
I am asking all of you for your help to make this a successful mission trip. The most important thing I can ask is for your prayers -- for me, for the entire team, and for all those who we will be working with. It is only by the grace of God that we will be able to share His love, and receive it from our brothers and sisters in Romania. Additionally, there is a price of $1950 that I need to fundraise before the trip, so I would greatly appreciate if you all would also prayerfully consider donating any amount for this worthwhile endeavor. May God bless you all and thank you for your prayers and support!
Donating information:
You can donate either through the mail or online. If donating through the mail please make your tax-deductible donation, payable to “OCF - Real Break“ and earmarked “RB 2009--(participant’s name)” and return as soon as possible to:
Orthodox Christian Fellowship
PO Box 6268
Fishers, IN 46038
You can also donate online at http://rso.cornell.edu/ocf/. You should put my name, Jesse Dominick, in the name slot, and choose the Romania trip.
Again, thank you all so much for your love and support and God bless you!