Alex Dobre: The ROYA 2018 Heritage Trip presented a diverse landscape and time of spiritual focus enabling the Grace of God to sediment itself into the hearts of our eclectic group. We all experienced various modes and degrees of temptation, exertion, questioning, joy and beauty all converging towards love in the midst of the prayerful paths trodden by many a priest, monk, nun and lay person nestled in the cultural and spiritual centers of our spiritual home, Romania. Each of the three places we embraced: Putna, Valea Plopului, and Oasa greeted us with the love that characterizes those in Christ who seek first the Kingdom of God and expect everything else to be added on afterwards. Whether through a table rich with the bounty of the Theotokos' garden, as the Romanian landscape is often referred to, offered as a means to enliven the body, a midnight vigil to enliven the spirit, or words of guidance inspired through the Word to enliven the heart, each of us was fed with the prophetic manna of God's people travelling through the desert towards His promised land. Indeed, our home and native land has a spirit infused with the essential beauty of love in its scenery and peoples and the synergy between both is what I felt was able to slowly break down the layers of my own inhibition. It appeared at the start of our journey, that we were a fairly tired, or inwardly reflective group, not so open to sharing the inwards thoughts and feelings regarding our current stage in life... with a few exceptions. The prayer filled hours, mixed with time spent closer together as a group appeared to draw away these imprints of what one could conclude was immersion for far too long in a secular or, low reaching, social fabric. Over meals, hikes and walks we reflected on each other’s lived experiences, far away from the motherland that directly impacted our parents, if not to some degree our own, development in the world. We enabled a bit of our souls to shine forth to see that our failings and our sources of strength had common roots. Perhaps the best way, as it often proves to be, to grow a meaningful connection was through the moments we shared in morning, evening, vigil, and Liturgical prayers. Leaving each service and returning to our rooms or sharing a meal together one could feel renewed with a vigor (vlaga) that His presence distributed among those present, which a plethora of words coming from simple conversation could never implant. It appeared serendipitously that after prayer I would find a way to either impart more joy, or engage in an interesting, unexpected and more satisfying conversation with a new or well-known friend, than after working moving cabinets, laying planks of wood or sorting through books. For while mind and body work together, if the heart and soul are not also united to these, the bond one can form with those near does not appear deeply rooted. It is as such, after rediscovering the Jesus prayer, striven to be expressed in a state of physical and mental calmness that the greatest moments of joy and peace were provoked. While striven to be put into practice during daily tasks it was evident that this was not always efficacious and just as we must learn to walk before we can run, I realized starting simply and in isolation one sets a foundation that can be built up over time. The images floating in my mind of conversations about inner peace, relationships, and starting a community of faithful individuals back in this old world lend a thought that with good will and openness of heart, anything we ask in His name is possible. After all, just as our faith drew us together in these moments of soulful recollection from distant and tumultuous coasts, I can't help thinking that with focused, persistent, prayerful and courageous work all such dreams can grow into view of our lived and shared reality.

Alexandra Huluta:  This year was the fourth year I’ve visited Romania with ROYA. I have always found this trip to be pleasant and have experienced peace and purpose each year. This year was no exception. One difference from my past trips was that I made it to Oasa monastery with the group. This was the first time I spent over a week experiencing monastery life: its schedule, scenery, and serenity. We had a fairy consistent program where we were immersed in prayer life, surrounded by our brothers and sisters. We prayed, worked, walked, and explored all together and learned and asked questions during the conferences we had with various monks and members of the clergy. I learned a lot not only from the speakers, but from the people who posed questions as well. The scenery of Oasa was extraordinary. The lake, mountain, and lack of cell phone service brought me out of my daily routine which involves a lot of screen time. This gave me the chance to rest and reflect, which fueled me with newfound energy which I brought back home. There’s a special energy I feel I receive each time I visit Romania. I believe it’s a combination of the places I visit, the people I see, the subjects we discuss, and the bonds that we make and maintain. This trip that I do yearly warms my heart and makes me feel at home. Every year I meet new and old faces that both encourage and challenge the way I think and what I see which helps me grow year to year. While there is a component of lack of sleep on these trips, I end up feeling renewed. I look forward to using all I have learned this trip and the newfound energy I have acquired in my day to day life, sharing it as the sun shares its light, energy, and warmth.

Ana Girlonta:  This summer was one of my favorite summers, partly because of the ROYA Heritage trip. This year was my first time I went to a religious camp that lasted as long as a month, and also my first camp with ROYA. Each location that we travelled to, either the Putna and Oașa Monastery or the orphanage at Valea Plopului was so memorable and I will cling on to all the memories that I’ve had, and teachings that I’ve learned. From each place, I learned something different and I’ve mostly learned through the new experiences. However, I think that my time at the monasteries impacted me the most, and it’s mostly because of how much closer they made me feel to God, and love him more. At Putna, I loved the conferences with Părintele Hrisostom, he had a way of talking that made me want to pay attention. The atmosphere of the place there was also one of my favorite things. I loved hearing the ringing of the bells and pounding of the “toacă” early in the morning before church. I felt the most calm at Putna, and I wish to return to it next year. At the Oașa monastery, I loved going to any type of service the most. The underground church which we used was simple compared to the one at Putna, but I loved it because of that. Hearing the teenagers sing during the liturgy was very pleasant, it made me want to stay awake when I was tired and listen. I ended up enjoying my ascultare for washing the dishes and preparing the tables, the teenagers that had it too were very nice and positive. I liked it a lot that teenagers came from all around the world at Oașa, and knowing that they were all (or most) Romanian, and Orthodox, made me get attached them faster and easier. Even though I was tired at first at both of these monasteries, in the end I no longer paid attention to that and got through it. In conclusion, I loved it a lot at Valea Plopului but in a different way, since it wasn’t the same as at the monasteries. Părintele Tănase is a great person, and I am very grateful I got to stay in his home. I ended up liking to work there because our group made it fun. Playing with the kids was also absolutely fun although it did get tiring. Seeing how happy they all were every single day, made me also very happy, and it got me thinking that I should appreciate things more often and be more grateful. I feel very lucky that I’ve got to experience all of this, because not many people do, especially the people that I am surrounded by at school. I am very looking forward to next summer and hope that I can make it to the next summer camp.

Pompilia Girlonta: The ROYA camp this year was one of the best experiences I’ve had in my entirely life. Each place we visited this year had a good impact on my life. To start off, Putna was one of my favorite places we visited. I felt a really close to connection to God at Putna. I loved going to church everyday and hearing the amazing chorus sing. I also enjoyed having conferences with the priests. These conferences have answered many of my questions and it was nice being able to talk about our orthodox faith. Going along, my second favorite place was the Oașa monastery. When we first arrived at the monastery, I started comparing it to the Putna monastery and saying that Putna was way much better. However, my ascultare, the services, the conferences, the people, and the monks made me love this Monastery very much. I really enjoyed the brotherly love the monks had among themselves and how kind they were to everyone. In addition, I loved the services because I felt that God was near. Lastly, Valea Plopului was a nice experience as well. It was really nice meeting all the kids at the orphanage. They were SUPER friendly, loving, and kind with us, even though some of them didn’t have the best living conditions. To sum it up, I loved visiting the monasteries this camp because I felt God’s spirit there and I loved visiting the amazing kids at the Valea Plopului orphanage. In addition, I really enjoyed meeting the Romanian orthodox people in our group. I loved how united and close we became. Thank you to everyone in the group for making my summer so rememberable.

Danielle Radu: When asked to reflect upon this year's Heritage Trip, I don't really know where to start. For me, this summer vacation started off with a week spent in a small village in Alba at the house of one of my closest friends. That week for me was the perfect adjustment period and eased me into the different time zone, language, culture, and overall way of living that I had slowly let go of/left behind me since last summer. From there, a few of our girl friends from camp and I headed to Manastirea Putna (the first official stop of the Heritage Trip) a week earlier than the other campers so that we could take part in perhaps the monastery's most recognized feast day, St. Stephen the Great, as well as enjoy the services and peace that is found there. The week by ourselves didn't have much of a schedule except for services in the morning and afternoon, but once the entire group arrived, we really got to benefit fully from our stay there. A highlight of the pre-camp Putna stay was the services and even just walking down the pine-tree lined road in silence (I found that that was one of the places where I found myself most inspired and attentive in my prayers). However, the highlight once the camp began at Putna was the conferences we had with Pr. Hrisostom daily, in which he always managed to share his vast wisdom in the most relevant, captivating way possible, and even put on a movie with us. After the painfully emotional goodbye at Putna, we went to the ProVita orphanage in Valea Plopului. While Valea Plopului was my favorite part of the first Heritage Trip (the artist previously known as Mission Trip), I found that this year I was least inspired by this part of the trip and overall didn't feel as if we did much physically to help out Pr. Tanase or emotionally with the children in the orphanage up until the last day, when I finally felt a connection with the kids and realized how much it means to them therefore to me as well. The third and certainly most picturesque part of the trip was Manastirea Oasa, where I do not have enough words to recommend people come. Last year, the international camp had a profound impact on me and I was very impressed but, I felt a little bit out of my element in comparison to some of the other participants that frequented the monastery more often. This year, however, it was like coming home. Not only did I not let myself get too into my head as I did last year, but I also made a more conscious effort to integrate myself into the camp and monastery by stepping more out of my bubble in regard to other participants, as well as embracing my "ascultare". The latter of the two was probably my favorite part about Oasa this year due to Pr. Iosif who was in charge of food storage. His strong Ardeal accent captivated us immediately, but so did the variety of activities he had us do which ranged from washing crates, peeling potatoes, separating onions by size, mushroom picking with him in the forests nearby, arranging the food pantries, or placing and arranging coliva in cups as well as distributing them at the feast day we caught there as well (Sf. Pantelimon). The extensive list of speakers that had our pens moving frantically and tears in our eyes, both of recognition and sadness, as well as of laughter also have a special place in my heart. Likewise, the folklore concert put on for us by Hanu' cu Braga. Looking back, I can't say that I got anything specific out of this camp as I have in previous summers (an eye opener to the country the first year, a glimpse into the manual labor of our ancestors during the second year, or a more profound experience of faith our third year), but if I stop and think, I feel much more Romanian as a whole. I feel like I belong here and like I am a complete part of my country rather than just an occasional visitor. This summer, I learned to be "at home" and to be "firesc" and after 2 months in this country I have seen it's beauty (and some shortcomings) and love it all the more. Thank you to all who have organized, blessed, or simply prayed for us on this trip. I cannot wait to share this beauty with my ROYA family once more next year.

Pompiliu Girlonta: When camp rolled around, I was delighted to again see the people I had missed. It was easy to reconnect with them. It almost felt like just a few days ago I had said goodbye to them at winter camp. The program at Putna was very lax. We would wake up for the Holy Liturgy around 7 (although for those who could wake up earlier, services started from 4:30). The services at Putna were truly a gift. The monks in the „strană” sang like angels. Besides the services, we had a couple conferences/talks with two priest-monks, Părintele Hrisostom and Părintele Ieremia. They were very thoughtful discussions from which everyone could take little pieces and apply to their own lives. We also made a couple excursions to Sihăstria Putna and other significant places near the monastery. The best moments were, in my opinion, the services, us singing together, and the moments in the evening where a few of us would gather in prayer around an icon of the Mother of God. These are the moments where I felt the most unity with my brothers and sisters. The next part of the trip for me was at Oaşa. I had never been to their international camps, and when I first showed up I had low expectations. The monastery is still in a period of construction, which coming from a monastery like Putna, seemed to me to be a step in the wrong direction. But I learned quickly how wrong I was. The most immediate thing I realized was the strong brotherhood between all the monks. Even Părintele Stareț and Arhimandritul Iustin (who withdrew from his role as abbot a short time ago) were seen interacting on a day to day basis with all the monks, and they all treated each other equally. It was a change from the more hierarchal relationships from Putna. The majority of the time at Oașa we spent doing our obediences and conferences. There were the perfect amount of obediences for everyone, and there was a great variety, from the stables to taking care of the cows to the kitchen and to the "tămâie" workshop. One of the goals of these were to strengthen our awareness and relationship with God, through the recitation of the Jesus. I was pleased to notice many people reciting it under their breath as they went about their obediences. The conferences were useful too. My personal favorite, Fr. Nikolai from the monastery in Essex, held two conferences, and he taught us many things, including about his life in the monastery and about how our behavior in the world should be, as Orthodox Christians. Besides these, memorable moments included the Holy Liturgies that were always sung by us, probably about 20-30 people huddled in the "strană". The culmination of our singing efforts were probably the feast celebration of Saint Pantelimon, where we sang the Holy Liturgy in front of hundreds of people. Camp was definitely a success I would say. Oașa surprised me and Putna continued to bring me peace.