Podul Dragostei: Education

How does Bridge of Love actually help the children of Romania if the organization is based in Utah? Well, the answer is Podul Dragostei. Podul Dragostei is the "sister" organization for Bridge of Love. As I understand it they are the "base" for Bridge of Love in Romania. Podul Dragostei actually means "Bridge of Love, in Romanian. They have their own website you can check out here. The site is in Romanian but you can GoogleTranslate it. Romanian is such a beautiful language anyway so by virtue of that face alone you should check it out.

Podul Dragostei releases a newsletter every month or so and in February's newsletter they featured an interview with a young man named Adrian P. He is one of the abandoned children. Adrian just graduated college and was giving some advice to the other children in the foundation. I wanted to share it with you. Be kind, because someone else translated it from Romanian and I tried to better translate parts of it myself.

Adrian 

The reason I wanted to share this interview is because Adrian has just graduated college. He is looking forward to his profession of a teacher. I love his enthusiasm and positive hope. He really treasures his education, and see's the benefit it will be in his life and the lives of others. I'm very happy for him, and I like this because it is what Longboard For Love is trying to help with. Many of these abandoned children are behind in life and therefore struggle with school. Without education, as Adrian says in the interview, they have little hope for a better life than the streets. That is why Longboard For Love is trying to get a teacher for these kids. We're trying to raise just $6,000 which is a years salary for a teacher or tutor in Romania. This will start the teaching program and we can continue on for further years. Thank you for your help, which allows kids like Adrian to succeed in life.

Interview:

Q: When did you find out about the foundation and how?

AP: I got to know the foundation through Danut B, a friend of mine who was already a part of the foundation then. In fact, Irina who was working for the foundation helped me sign up.This was between 2007 or 2008.

Q: Tell me a bit about how the foundation has helped you in your life?

AP: Well, I have no words for it. It helped me emotionally, physically, and even financially, and it helped especially when I was going through rough times in my life. We all go through rough times, and it is good to be able to help each other.
Q: Who is your Social Worker?

AP: Andreea.

Q: Has Andreea been a help for you, has she been there when you needed her?

AP: Of course, very much!

Q: Tell me a little about your life, what did you wanted to be when you were little, and what are you now that you have a diploma in your hands.

AP: Well ever since I was a little child I wanted to be an educator. I wanted to go to Negresti because lots of my classmates and friends had moved there or been transferred there, and the idea was to go there and to be an educator of children. But instead I become a professor. (He says this with a big smile on his face.)

Q: What kind of professor are you?

AP: Religion professor, and I can also teach history.

Q: Recently you finished work for your diploma, isn't that so?

AP: Yes, in middle of February I had my big exam, and finished my thesis.

Q: And what was your thesis about?

AP: It was an interdisciplinary work. Lots of domains entered in. Science. Biology. Religion, because this was the first choice, that was the base, religion.

Q: And what grade did you get on your thesis and your test?

AP: 10 (equivalent of an A in the US)

Q: And how do you think you succeeded ? Why did you want a diploma?

AP: Well it is obvious, without a diploma I would be a nobody. In my life usually the negative things helped me be motivated, not really positive things but negative things.

Q: What do you mean, can you tell me an example?

AP: The lack of a family.

Q: How did not having a family help you?

AP: Well my family lives in very poor conditions, and I promised myself that I wouldn't end up like them. I want to progress, I want to get somewhere in my life. I don't want to end up like them on the street or in any other circumstances.

Q: Do you think the future depends on you, or on the fact that you are abandoned and bad things happened in your life?

AP: No, no, no! The future depends only on you and nothing else, you and God. There is a saying I often use, "you make the bed you lay in." So if you can graduate from college it is obvious that you will have a good future.

Q: Do you have any advice for our children at the foundation who don't want to study, or who are sad because they feel abandoned?

AP: Yes! Don't give up. Don't let yourself down, don't feel sorry for yourselves and victimize yourself. Embrace what you have and remember that you have the capacity overcome difficult things. We all do! And second, be more open with your families, your friends, and anyone around you, because if you close up you won't succeed at anything. People are here to help. And never ever ever ever give up!!

Good Friends Doing Good

I was looking on Facebook the other day and I noticed something from one of my friends, Andre Heard. It was a link to his blog. I clicked on it and started reading. Andre is living in Namibia, in the Kavango Region, as part of the Peace Corps. It is amazing to read about the experiences he is having there, and I appreciate the good that he is doing.

I thought back to the last time I saw Andre. When I was 14 me and my family moved back from Chile to Kansas. Andre was one of my close school friends in Chile. We worked on the eight grade science fair together when we made a solar powered boat. I was happy he was in that science class because when we got bored we would talk about our "perfect world" we wanted to create. It was full of silly things like dinosaurs, snow that wasn't cold, and a time machine. Its amazing to look at what he is doing now, eight years later. What a wonderful thing it is to see friends who are helping the world and living right.

In the Book of Mormon it tells the story of a group of friends. These friends were a bit more riotous in their youth but changed and went out to do a lot of good. They split up for a number of years and when they get back together Alma, one of the friends is so happy to see what his buddies have been up to. "Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding" (Alma 17:2). He is so happy to see his friends are still good people, doing good things, with their heads on straight.

At Dane's wedding. He is on the left
and looks so happy. 

I feel much the same way. Its so good to see people helping in the world, and its great to see your friends doing amazing things as well. I've been feeling like this a lot lately. My friend from Chile, Richard Hunter, got married recently and I was so happy for him. Another friend, Emmy, calles me every now and again. We like to talk about old times and its great to hear what she is up to in her life, school, work, relationships. My closest friend, Jamie Wheeler, is graduating this April and prepping to enter the workforce of the world. She's also doing something I consider to be very good, and marrying me. I certainly approve. My friend, Jeff Suppes, is part of a project that gets textbooks put in auditory format so blind students can listen to their books.

My little brother Tanner is serving a mission in Ecuador for two years, and I love reading his emails each week. I got an email the other day from a girl named Debra, who went to the Romanian orphanages this past year, and wants to involve herself by helping out with Longboard For Love. My friend I met in Romania, Dane Layton, got married this summer which is a wonderful life choice. I got to go to some of the festivities and it was so good to see one of my friends, doing something that was so good which made him so happy. "Mason did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren and friends. That they were of sound understanding, and did do many good things of their own free will." That is my own edition of how Alma feels.

We all can do something, we all should do something. Thank you friends and everyone, for doing such good things, and being an inspiration.

Everyday Miracle Workers

I believe in God, and that He is very involved in our lives. I don't know what you, my reader, believe in. If its one God, a Christian God, a Muslim God, no God, many Gods, a higher power, scientific principles or what. I do believe that there is one absolute truth, I have my thoughts and I think I'm right...but you have yours and you think you're right. I guess we need to walk on faith now and one day we'll know. I do believe that we can all get along, we all deserve freedom to worship how and what we want. We can and should love one another, and that we have a lot to learn from each other.

I want to share an experience I had today. My life is very busy. I have school, work, responsibilities in my local congregation, wedding planning, and this longboard endeavor.  Life is busy, but...I'm not that different from every other college student trying to scratch out a life in this world.

Homework really hit me hard this week. I had a Physics test to take today and I haven't been able to study much. I do enjoy physics but it is challenging. I've been struggling in the tests and recently it has caused me to develop a testing anxiety. This anxiety causes me to do worse.

Earlier I was sitting in a hallway on campus, waiting for my cycling class. My nose was buried in my physics notes as I tried to remember all the rules and equations. I felt fairly prepared. Suddenly, right after this good thought I was hit by fear for the test and I got really nervous. This made me more nervous because I knew being nervous might make me do bad, and so I got more nervous, and it all just spiraled down from there.

I bowed my head down and said a little prayer, asking God that He would take some notice of my little life and take away the anxiety so I could study and test well. A simple prayer for a small request. But I still felt nervous.

Finding a penny is like one little miracle.
Finding a dime is like ten wrapped into one!

A kid next to me noticed my book and asked me if I had taken the test. I said yes and although I wanted to study and not talk, I asked him if he was in the class. He was and had just taken the test. He didn't tell me anything specific about it, just that he felt he did well and it wasn't too bad and I shouldn't worry. We talked a little bit more about our plans for life, he wants to be a physical therapist, I want to be a doctor. Then he left.

It wasn't until after the guy left that I realized he was the answer to my prayer. My anxiety was gone! Completely. I felt prepared for the test. Funny thing, is he will never know  I don't even know his name. He helped my test fears, and talking about our life goals made me feel better about my fears for the future.

The world is full of small moments like this; ones that lift us just when we need it. Like the guy who gave me a ride to school when I was walking in the snow one day. Or the lady who helped me pay for an essay I needed printed but I was two cents short. Or when I was walking into my test and I found a dime!

Call it our innate human kindness, which it may be, but it is too much "coincidence" for some things to line up just right. At the moment I was having stress over my test, I just happened to be in the hallway, and among tens of thousands of students I just happened to be sitting to one in my class, who just happened to have taken the test, and he just happened to look over and notice my book. Just try to tell me there isn't something out there orchestrating our lives. I say orchestrating instead of dictating because just like a orchestra director he leads us and sets up situations. its our choice to decide whether or not to play the music.

God is aware of our lives, and that is a very encouraging thought. The thought that the Grand Master of the Universe knows what is going on in the lives of his children, that He cares enough about my anxiety over a test, to put me in a situation where I can be comforted. If a test is important I know that bigger things have meaning to Him and he is aware. Not only is he aware, but God is very involved in our lives, and He involves himself mostly through the people around us. We are his hands. May we be listening to the cues so we can be ready to play our part, play our music when the time comes.

Oh, and by the way...I only missed one question on my physics test. Boo-yah.