Dear Friends,
Since I last wrote we have been enjoying the arrival of warm weather, fresh fruit and flowers. In Romania we celebrate May 1st, Labor Day, as the start of summer. We rented a bus and went to a nearby forest where we played games and BBQ'ed. Then, on June 1st, we celebrated the International Day of the Child. We had a party for the children at the Center and entertained them with songs, dances, and a magic trick – Ron made Lenutsa disappear. Don't worry, she later reappeared. On June 2nd, Monica organized the International Day of Prayer for Children at-risk. We had a few people come from the local churches to pray together with the children for others that are hungry, abused and exploited.
In May I also took a trip to Moldova. It was my first visit since I studied there 10 years ago. Until this year the cost of a visa was too expensive for the trip to be worth it, but now there is no visa fee for US citizens. Upon arriving in Chisinau, the capital city, I went to a concert where John Koon, a new friend of ours, had invited us. I was amazed when I turned around and saw my old Romanian/Russian teacher. I was glad to reconnect with her. During the weekend that I spent there, we visited a couple of organizations working with children at-risk. This autumn John Koon will be doing an internship with our community in Galati. In November, April Folkertsma, who plans to come on staff, will visit us in November. Then, we will visit Moldova together to make a more thorough assessment of the possibilities of developing Word Made Flesh community there. Please be in prayer for John, for April, and for the children at-risk in Moldova.
While I was in Moldova, Lenutsa was finishing up her exams. Because we will be away this summer, she will have to take her final exam next February. Then, Lord willing, she will have her degree in psychology. I also continue to study in the masters program in theology. Although I'm a little behind, I am really enjoying it.
At the moment, Lenutsa and I are trying to get everything ready for our time away in the States. We will be taken some vacation with my family and then participating in the staff retreat that we have once every three years.
While we are away, Vali will have the opportunity to present a paper at an academic conference on how street children overcome barriers to meet their needs. Please pray for her during this conference to be an advocate for the children and to build relationships.
When we return to Romania, we will go to camp. As last year, we hope to do one camp with the children and one camp with their parents. Please pray that the parents will be interested and come. Also pray that we would have God's mind in organizing the activities, themes, discussions, etc. And pray that the lives of all those that attend are touched and changed.
Last month we learned that the Romanian government changed the law on non-profit organizations getting tax deductions. We used to receive about 19% back on all our expenditures. Now we do not. So, we have a 19% size hole in our budget. Please pray for the government to change the law to favor non-profit organizations. And pray that our needs would be met.
I don't know if you have visited our website (www.wmfromania.com). We are still working on it, but please visit. We are also kicking off a blog (www.wmfromania.blogspot.com) with the hopes of have more interaction with you and others that are involved in the community.
Lastly, many of our supporters have asked us for more frequent updates. So, the community wants to send out a very, very short update/story/prayer request on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. But because we don't want you to be overwhelmed with emails, we will only send these updates to you if you tell us that you want to receive them. So, let us know if you are interested.
Thank you for your prayers, support and constant encouragement.
Yours in Christ,
david and lenutsa