** What A Year! **

Mr. and Mrs. William Vinson, Jr.

Wow! Where do I begin? This past year has been a whirlwind ... but an awesome one! Last October, I began dating a man ("God's Will") who surrendered to the Lord's call on his life to be a missionary in Romania. We were separated by 400 miles and I thank the Lord for "free nights and weekends" since most of our relationship was held via cell phone! :) He proposed to me on January 1, 2009, and we were married May 23, 2009. Needless to say, my plans to return to Romania in April were changed, but we are now raising support to go full time when the Lord allows. We did, however, go oversees for his survey trip. We began in Hungary with the Kovacs family assisting with the first VBS in Debrecen. It was a blessing to be part of this ministry. Then, it was off to the Children's Home to see my babes and assist in a VBS for them. The most amazing part was seeing 4 Romanians accept the Lord as their personal Savior during this week. I was particularly excited about Cristina because I had the privilege to witness to her and lead her to the Lord ... in Romanian! Then, we went to Topraisar where we will be serving upon our return. We assisted the Price family with yet another VBS and had as many as 75 children and teens. It was wonderful to go back ... even if only for a visit. My heart longs to be there, but for now, I am content to be here. We are renting a house in Tennessee and have already been traveling to churches for possible support. We have been to churches in Virginia and Tennessee and will soon be traveling to Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and again to Virginia. This will take us to Thanksgiving and we will continue our journey in January. We are both excited about what the Lord is doing in our lives and are so happy that he put us together and gave us the same burden for the same people! Here are some pictures to overview my last year (Remember: You can click on a picture to make it bigger!) ...

My engagement ring ... Isn't it beautiful?!!!!! And he picked it out all by himself :)
My mom turned the big ummm ummm in April, so we celebrated her, my grandma's (her mom's), and my birthdays in 50s style.

Will graduated Bible college in May. Here he is with his dad, grandma, mom, and sister.
We had a Prince and Princess theme wedding because we are both children of the KING OF KINGS.

Wedding pictures and collages by Tony Phillips www.awphillips.com

OUR BRIDAL PARTY ~ back row left to right: my brother, Jordan; his friend, Jill; his dad, Billy (best man); my mom, Lori (matron of honor); my friend, Rebecca; his brother, Chris; my friend, Allison; my friend, Robyn; his friend, Ron; his sister, Heidi; his friend, David
front row left to right: my cousins: Brooklin, Evan, Dalton, Sarah
Dr. Jerry Mullendore officiates the exchange of vows.

Pastor Howard Vinson, Jr. (Will's uncle) officiates the exchange of rings.
A choir of special friends sing "L-O-V-E".

A symbol of two becoming one as we light the unity candle.
Pastor Jason Wiley officiates the sand ceremony.

Pat and Rebecca sing "When God Made You".
Time for cake ... yes, we decided to be nice to each other :)

Some of my favorites ...
My reflection of Miss Haines and Mrs. Vinson.
Evan prays for us.

My mom, matron of honor, seamstress, caterer, florist, baker, decorator, creative designer, and supporter ... I couldn't have done it without you!!
Will and I share a smile!

Our temporary home in Tennessee.
Captain's night on our honeymoon cruise.

At a reception held at our sending church in Virginia.
My mom cut about 13" off my hair and I sent it to Locks of Love in July.

VBS in Debrecen, Hungary.

VBS in Cehu, Romania.
I led 15 year old Cristina to the Lord on July 23, 2009! What a blessing!

Grace Baptist Church in Topraisar, Romania. The Price family is on the right.
75 kids in one little space...

Will is licensed to preach by Hunterdale Baptist Church on August 23.

Yes, I Know ... Here's the Last 3 Months in a Nutshell

I was subtly reminded today that it has been almost 3 months since I posted anything. Please forgive me! I returned to America in August to raise more support. I have enjoyed "catching up" with family and friends...

L: My cousin captains the boat and Dad acts as co-captain.

R: Me and Sarah enjoy the boat ride.

My buddy and I wait in line for a roller coaster at the famous Dollywood!

Before leaving Romania, we hosted a team from South Carolina that came to do summer camp. They came prepared to do 3 full days of camp for each group of children in Dersida and at the Children's Home, but the Lord had other plans. Day 1 in Dersida went mostly as planned. Day 2 ended short due to a funeral that we all attended. Day 3 was interrupted by construction on the driveway that prohibited any vehicles from leaving the premises. Surprise, surprise ... we had to be flexible! The days at the Children's Home didn't quite go as planned, either. Rainy weather forced us inside on days 2 and 3 and our days were cut short. The good news is that seeds were still planted in the hearts of children and that many heard the Gospel!

L: The kids at the Children's Home pose for a picture between storm clouds.

R: The teens in Dersida concentrate on Mr. Jacob as he explains the lost sheep.

As we traveled toward Budapest, Hungary, we made a short visit with friends in Debrecen, Hungary. Bro. Zsolt Kovacs is a national pastor and his wife, Bea, and their children have become special friends over the year. They hosted us well and we were able to relax a little after all the packing and before the long plane ride to America.

The Kovacs family and me.

Current word from Romania is not so good. I have contact with some of the children from the Children's Home and it seems that the home will be closing. The town is going to use the facility to create more apartments. From what I understand, the children are being placed in foster homes as quickly as possible. Some of the older teens were looking forward to going to college this year, but those hopes have been diminished. I have even heard that one young lady is now living on the streets because she was too old to stay in a foster home. This situation looks dim. These people are the only family that these children have ever known and now they are being ripped apart. My heart cries for these precious souls because 1. I know they are hurting and there's nothing I can do about it, and 2. When I return, it will be nearly impossible to find them and tell them that I love them and God loves them ... just one more time. I'm so thankful that God gave me that opportunity while I was there. I pray that He waters those seeds and gives them comfort in this time of turmoil!

As we speak, I am in Virginia for a revival and will be heading to West Virginia and east Tennessee for meetings in October and November. January will bring me back to Virginia for meetings and March will take me to Pennsylvania. I am still praying that God would supply many meetings and bring my support from its current 65% to 100%+ by April 15 when the plane heads back to Romania. I would love to be on board and fully supported!

My Little Piece of The Fourth of July ... But, on the 12th!

So, the fourth of July is no special day here in Romania, but today is! It's Simleu Days! (That's shim-lay-ooh : the town I live in.) It's the biggest event of the year with food, games, inflatables, toys and souvenirs to buy, music, and ... oh, yes ... FIREWORKS!!!

I stood on my balcony just moments ago and took in the beauty of the cool night air, the stars, the moon, and the fireworks. It was more than words could describe! I just love how the colors fill the sky (and I've always been a fan of the stars)!


Now, as I write, I hear the music that will last long into the night. Congratulations on another year, Simleu, and thank you for giving me just a small piece of my 4th of July ... on the 12th!
(my fav!)

Face Painting

So, I thought if we painted each other's face that Mada would let me paint his ....

You know you like the beautiful artwork I did on Mrs. Robyn!

And, she did this georgeous flower for me.

Then, Mada joined in and thought it was hilarious that he was putting the sun's rays on my eyelids and I would yell, "Not in the eye!"
But ... Mada still didn't let me paint his face. (boys .......)

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun! ... And Boys, Too!

A group of girls from the Children's Home recently spent the week here at the house. Here's some of the things we enjoyed together ...

I'm not sure what Daci enjoyed more ... getting to do crafts like his decoupauged napkin or getting to hang out with all the girls?!!!!!!!

Iudita concentrates on making her flip flop foam door hanger.

Ciri shows off her pom-pom doggie, while Cristina holds her beaded ladybug.

With deep conditioned hair and facial masks, it's no wonder girls are so beautiful (and crazy)! Mada had to join in on the fun ... but, the jury's still out on whether he truly enjoyed it (let's put it this way ... he hasn't asked for any more of that stuff that makes your face stiff).

Iudita was proud of her lime green nails with white stars. (Remember ... you can click on a picture to make it bigger!)

Ciri and Cristina show Mrs. Robyn and I how to make sarmale, a traditional stuffed cabbage roll.

These roses are all over the town. I love them! The girls thought they were pretty, too!

We took a trip to the mall in Cluj, and of course, where's there's water ... you MUST take a picture!

Iudita provides the music while "the gang" checks out pictures on the computer (including Mada).

We spent a few nights out on my balcony in a tent. We were really "roughing it" with our air matresses, sleeping bags, and a real potty about 10' away! Hey, we're girls ... what do you expect? Iudita and I were snug as 2 bugs in 2 rugs! We had a great week!