Monday, June 30, 2008

Babysitting

Elias playing the lollipop drum.
Some of you might remember a blog we posted over a year ago about our language instructor who quit her job to take care of her newborn.  Well, this past week I had the chance to watch him while the rest of the family had work, vacation bible school, and appointments.  

Elias loves music, so we got along well.  I did discover that I need to increase my box of toys. Watching a toddler I had to pull lots of tricks out to keep him occupied and entertained for about 5 hours that day. Being an exploring little boy, he found the TV remote fun. Overall, the day was a joy and I'm looking forward to watching him again.

His sister, Tania, requested that I come back to their house to play and sing more sometime.
Kristi

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Three T's in the Capital

Kristi (me, on the left) MT, Jenny (front center) a PT,
and Dawn (on the right) an OT

Jenny Lotter, Dawn Hoffman, and myself have been in Bucharest, the capital city of Romania for the past two weeks. Jenny is a Physical Therapist, Dawn an Occupational Therapist that specializes in SI, and I am a Music Therapist with SI training. We spent our time in a Rehab Center for Disabled Children. The first week consisted of 3 days observing of their PEC's program (Picture Exchange Communication), and then 3 days of training staff about Sensory Integration. The trainee group consisted of teaching assistants, psychologists, physical therapists, and a few staff from other facilities.

Group Picture of Center Staff who attended training.

The second week we stayed to work alongside the staff and put into practice the SI theory and techniques. It was amazing to see both the children respond positively, and the staff have many "ah ha" moments. Today was our last day there, and the staff expressed their gratitude and gave us an invitation to come back. Within the same building is an orphanage with many children that could benefit as well; however, we were not able to train the staff with these children, but continue to pray that the training that the PEC staff received will be communicated to them. Pray that this training will be multiplied in its effectiveness to touch more children that God Loves.

Tomorrow will be a day off and touring the city of Bucharest. I'm looking forward to going home on Saturday to Timisoara and seeing my husband!