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BC registrar, Amanda Parks, visits Bucharest, Romania.

Heather Paisley

March 21, 2012

On March 1, Bluefield College's registrar, Amanda Parks, packed her bags to leave the states, along with BC art professor Walter Shroyer and five BC students. They embarked on a journey to Bucharest, Romania, to paint an 86-foot mural on the wall of a local school.

“I went to paint and to teach the kids how to paint,” said Parks. “I told them 'I want to learn all about you, so paint.'"

	Mural painted in the Romanian school the mission group visited

The painting project was the idea of 2011 BC graduate Brittany Garton.

“She thought the school was bare,” said Parks. “She thought painting a mural would liven and brighten up the hallway. The children--the inspiration--toward a mural was her idea.”

Garton moved to Bucharest after graduation and plans to live there permanently and work at the Project Ruth School.

“Brittany was so impressive to me,” said Parks. “She left her comfort zone to help these kids. You don’t always see people so willing. She is following her dream--this is where her heart is.”

Parks came up with the mural design itself.

“My idea was based on the creation story because God created the earth for us and gave us everything we need,” said Parks.

The mural is broken down into sections: space, nighttime, daytime, into the city, and sunrise.

Each section has a special common trait: kids with bubbles above their heads, so that the children could write what they want to be when they grow up.

“They [the children] loved it,” said Parks. “They were all smiles, really excited that we were there to do the painting in the hallway.”

Parks said that the children that she met are poorly treated.

“It breaks my heart to see how poorly they’re treated--malnutrition, drug abuse, emotional and physical child abuse,” said Parks. “I will now be supporting a child.”

Parks returned to the states Saturday, March 10, with a new life goal.

“My new goal is to do what I want,” said Parks. “Follow my dreams, not leave them.”

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