Dear Prayer Partners,
Well, we find ourselves in a mild autumn starting another school year. After a fun summer of camp and weekly outings, our schedules are now revolving around the demands of school. We have welcomed two new first graders to the Community Center and have left some spots open for children that have been begging on the streets.
Before school started we closed the Community Center for a couple of planning days. For part of that, we discussed personalities and the Enneagram test to help us better work in teams, and spiritual formation to help us be more intentional about our walk with the Lord. We were glad to have one of our board members from the States, Dave Bayne, with us for those meetings.
A group from the community continues to meet with the kids on the streets. We continue to hope that they will make decisions to come off the streets and off of the drugs. By visiting them a few times a week, we want them to know that we will help them when they are ready to make these hard decisions.
Over the last two years a few of the young ladies that we know have had children. In order to prevent attachment disorders and future street children, a group of women from the community are meeting with these new mothers and helping them to know how to best care for their babies.
We have had lots of visitors these past few weeks. In September Sue and Val visited us from England. We spent the week gathering information that they can share to many of their friends and acquaintances interested in helping children in Romania. Then another group from England (Frank, Neil, Allen, Eric and Rachel) came to work on some construction projects. They are now in the good habit of visiting us twice a year and help us get done in days what otherwise takes us months.
As I write this, Anna and Brian are coming from the WMF in Peru. We are looking forward to having them and to learning from their experience with the children.
In August we received a four person servant team. Josh and Robin Fowler are now coordinating those teams. At the same time, we welcomed John Koon, who is doing an internship with us. He had been in Moldova for the past year and is praying about future possibilities there. God is evidently doing something because a year ago I started corresponding with April Folkertsma about the possibility of doing something with WMF in Moldova. So, in mid-October, John, April and I will take an exploratory trip to Moldova to visit organizations working with children and youth at-risk.
At the end of October, Lenutsa and I will have the opportunity to participate in a retreat in Turkey for missionaries supported by Trinity Church. We are looking forward to that.
In November we will receive another inter, Annie Schenzel, to serve with us. A team from Omaha will also come that month to lead us in a worship called “Ministry to Jesus” (www.ministeringtojesus.com).
We continue to pray about the job creation project. We are beginning to plan the construction of the building and raising funds for that. But we don't want to wait for the building to be finished. So, we have started making Christmas cards. We hope to test market demand and potential buyers so that we can create jobs through greeting cards. If you are interested in buying Christmas cards that our kids made, look at http://www.wmfromania.com/Eng/main_news.php.
We have begun to send out some short updates every other week to those that are interested in them. I have attached a sample of those below. If you are interested in receiving these updates, please sign up by emailing me or cuvantulintrupat@hotmail.com.
Please do pray for us. Pray for the kids as they start a new school year and for the new children at the Center. Pray for the kids on the streets that they would be able to imagine life off the streets. Pray for the young mothers and their children. Pray for the job creation project and the sale of Christmas cards. Pray that our community continues to grow in intimacy with Jesus and conformity to His likeness. And thank Him for all that He has begun to do.
in Christ,
david and lenutsa
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August 31, 2007
This is the first of what we hope will be a short weekly or bi-weekly update.
Upon returning from our community retreat this last spring, we saw Maria and Alina* walking by the Community Center covered in dirt and grease. Now, these 8 and 9 year old sisters don't have running water in their house, so they are often a little dirty. But their hands, faces and clothing were almost black. I called out to ask them where they were coming from, but they sheepishly looked away.
Later, Maria and Alina's mother told me that they had spent a few days going around the neighborhood, searching empty lots, roadsides and trash piles for scrap metal, which they then sold. In this way these two young girls earned and saved some spending money for camp.
A few weeks ago, we went to camp. High up in the Carpathian Mountains, we played games, hiked, sang, and ate well. Maria and Alina spent their hard earned money on some snacks. On the scavenger hunt, Iulia was so excited to find the apple tree that she threw her sandals up in the air. Unfortunately, they got stuck in the tree. Fortunately, there were some daring boys who climbed up after them.
One night I was woken up by someone stomping in the room. 7-year-old Ion was sleepwalking. I said, “Ion, Ion! Go back to bed!” He looked at me with empty eyes and, still standing, plopped his head on someone else's bed. So, I took him by the hand and led him towards his bed. He knocked his head on the top bunk (thug), expressed some flatulence (thibsp), and then crashed into his own pillow. The next morning Ion accused me of making up the whole thing.
One of the games that we played is called “The Spanish Horse Race.” Each contestant had to say the name of their horse as many times as they could in 30 seconds. The name of the horse that won, translated from Romanian, is “Hay Varded.” You should try to race him.
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September 21, 2007
Monday was the first day of school. As you know, many of the children with whom we are in relationship have attachment disorders and behavioral problems. But we have seen immense progress in each of them. That is why it's upsetting when the principle comes into the points to one of our girls, and in front of all the students and parents says, “I hope you aren't going to misbehave and throw tantrums like you did last year.”
Gabi, one of our educators at the Community Center, couldn't keep quiet. She said, “Mr. Principle, do you think it's nice to ridicule her in front of everyone and ruin her first day of school.” The principle became irritated and told everyone to get out of the After the parents and students left, he asked Gabi if she came there to teach him how to run his school. But Gabi stood her ground and told the principle that this girl has made great progress, is in a new and doesn't want to be reminded of her past.
Pray for the courage to stand up for the marginalized.
Pray for the power to change.
Pray for a new year of renewed lives.