Immerse yourself in post-communist Romania. Participate in the Word Made Flesh community. Live with a Romanian host family. Serve among vulnerable and marginalized children and families. Transform your life as you are part of the transformation of others.
Immerse yourself in post-communist Romania. Settle into life in Galati, an industrial city on the Danube River in the east of Romania. Learn about post-communist Romania, its current social and cultural situation, and Christian responses. Engage a people formed by the traditions of Eastern Orthodoxy and the culture of secularism. Visit communist remnants like Ceausescu’s House of the People, cultural sites like northern Romania’s medieval Orthodox monasteries, and the beauty landscapes of the Carpathian mountains and Danube River. Journey to one or more of the following countries to compare post-Communist contexts: Serbia, Republic of Moldova or Russia.
Participate in the Word Made Flesh community, serving Jesus among the poorest of the poor. Interact with experienced Christian workers, with vulnerable friends who confront marginalization, with those suffering the effects of transition from communism to capitalism.
Live with a Romanian host family. Experience Romanian culture and learn the Romanian language (which will come quickly to those who already have some familiarity with other Latin languages like Spanish and French).
Serve among vulnerable and marginalized children and families through Community Centers and involvement in impoverished neighborhoods. Explore different approaches to cross-cultural mission, spiritual formation, community development and ministry among the poor and experience transformation and put your knowledge into practice. Your practicum will run for the whole duration of the semester.
Transform your life as you are part of the transformation of others. Building new friendships, investing yourself in the lives of the vulnerable, and seeking God in the context of poverty will transform your life, hopefully forever.
Courses: The student will study the following courses simultaneously:
● Romanian Language Learning (ROM)
● Society and Challenges in a PostCommunist Context (POL/PSCI/HIS/SOC/INCL)
● The Church and Christian Approaches to Poverty (RS/RELI/CHMN/BIBL)
● Spiritual Formation in Missional Community (RS/RELI/BIBL/CHMN)
● Cross Cultural Practicum organized based on the student’s interest and focus of study, which include: Christian ministry and mission, social work, education, NGO management, international studies, health care, community development, job creation, urban farming, and Eastern European studies. (SWRK/BUSN/CHMN/RS)