The seeds for Word Made Flesh Romania were planted in 1994 and 1995 in Chennai, India where Patrick and Victoria Samuel (WMF Chennai) prayed every Tuesday for Romania. In 1996, David Chronic went to Romania and the Republic of Moldova as a student and made his first visit to Galati, Romania. In April of 1997, he moved to Galati, where he served for five months with a local Christian organization called the Bethesda Foundation. He then returned to the States and began praying for a way to get back to Romania. At the same time Chris and Phileena Heuertz were praying for someone to go with WMF into eastern Europe. In October WMF hired and commissioned David.
In January of 1998 David returned to Galati and continued his partnership with the Bethesda Foundation, serving as a caregiver (along with another Romanian worker, Lau Archip) in an apartment with five boys that had been living on the street, giving him an opportunity to build relationships with even more children on the street. David partnered with the Heart of a Child (HOC) Foundation. Together with HOC, David and Philippa Curtis (WMFR’s first Servant Team member) developed a project to help children with AIDS who had been abandoned.
The first full-time Romanian staff member to work alongside them was Vali Stefan (Archip). In 1999, the Bethesda Foundation moved the boys from the apartment to a newly constructed house. David then used the apartment as a drop-in center for children living on the streets. The spring brought the first Servant Team along with a group of Romanian volunteers: Anca Raducan, Nina Sinca, Cristina Tudose, Bela Ispas and Nelu Stefan, four of which would eventually become staff.
The drop-in center was full of children who lived on the streets or who spent their days on the streets begging and sometimes spending their nights at home. The daily activities included a hot meal, hygiene, art, and games. The activities developed with much effort invested in preparing the children for school; including material assistance and educational support.
Though the program was busy, the team still met weekly to do a Bible study for the volunteers, friends and other local Christians. The staff played soccer and shared a meal on the streets with the children five days a week, in wind, rain, snow and sleet. Despite some workers’ and volunteers’ lack of talent, the boys still enjoyed playing together.
Many volunteers and staff came along to help David and Vali: Catalin Ispas, Will John. Danut Stefan, Nina Sinca, Olivia Reichart (Stefan), Dennis Mills and Cristina Tudose, Nelu Stefan, Bela Ispas, Joel and Monica Klepac, and Catalina Gutau (John)
In the fall, the community purchased an apartment where Nelu and Dennis lived together and took in one of the boys who was living on the street. In December, Bethesda’s drop-in center was completed and the activities coordinated by David moved to this building.
The collaboration with the Bethesda Foundation ended in February, two months after the new drop-in center began to function. The community then began looking for another place to continue their activities. During this period, the lessons with the students were done in the workers’ homes. The community also continued to meet on the streets with the children.
In March, the community purchased a home in the oldest section of town known as “The Valley” and in the spring renovation and refurbishment began. One of the first projects was draining the groundwater away from the house. This included digging a 9-foot deep trench in the garden by hand and installing a drainage pipe.
On April 12, 2001 the Fundatia Cuvantul Intrupat (Word Made Flesh Foundation) was established. The first board meeting was held on April 20 in the mountains of Central Romania. In March, Seth and Kari moved to Galati to serve as staff. Rachel Simons also joined as staff in July. In August, Cristina Tudose was sent by Cuvantul Intrupat to Bolivia as field staff to serve with WMF for 9 months. Dana Ariton was sent by Cuvantul Intrupat to Kolkata to participate in a Servant Team in September. On December 14th, David Chronic and Lenuta Dodu were married in Galati.
In January of 2003, the community grew with the birth of Simeon Klepac. Joel and Monica felt led to begin a home for boys living on the street, a place for boys to learn what it means to have a family. In August, the community purchased a home and immediately began renovations. The goal was for the boys to be able to move in as soon as possible.
In 2003 more children came to the Cuvantul Intrupat community and were integrated into the school system. There were six children in normal classes, five in literacy classes, and five in weekend courses. This increase stressed the community’s need for more workers. Paul Rase, Cornel Munteanu, Mihaela Bacnasu, and Gabi Angheluta were a quick answer to this need.
The community also welcomed several students who came as volunteers to help the children with their school work. Among the volunteers was Ana Maxim (Rase) who would later come on staff in 2006. Bogdan Chelariu was also a volunteer who joined the staff in 2010. The board of Cuvantul Intrupat continued to develop as Lau became Executive Director, Bela became Director of Administration and Valeriu Mihai joined as a board member. In December, the first boy moved into the boys’ home. He stayed only three weeks before running back to the street
Several staff members participated in a training course in Bucharest led by Nancy Thomas. The course addressed Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) and how to better work with children affected by RAD. This course radically changed the methodology of WMFR, the staff began seeing ways they could better serve and love the children with whom they were in relationship.
In the fall of 2004 the community held its first covenant ceremony, a regular community rhythm where we commit to the community. Several boys transitioned through the home short-term. In March of 2005, a boy moved to the boys’ home, eventually staying for one and a half years, longer than any other boy. The first issue of Lanturile Saraciei (The Chains of Poverty) was published that fall. This newsletter, similar in format to The Cry, is published twice a year to raise awareness in the church about poverty issues.
Emi Patriche, Viorel Manolache, Gianina Gheorghiu, Magda Clopotel, Ana Maxim (Rase), Anica Stefan, Ron and Audra McAvaddy, April Folkertsma (Ispas), John Koon, Anca Archip, Josh and Robin Fowler all joined as full-time staff during this season. In the fall of 2008 WMFR held its first Beggar’s Society meeting, molded after the meetings that have taken place in the Omaha community for several years.
In January 2010, a team from Romania left to begin WMF Moldova. Oana Tonica, Bogdan Chelariu, and Claudia Clopotel joined the community in September. Several of the youth have literally grown up with the community. There were four youth that had started first grade while with WMFR and they were now entering high school. In the fall of this year, twelve new children were received for the daily program, more children than had ever before been taken in at once.
A new cognitive development program was started in June 2011. Several children were the first to begin the exercises found in this program. These exercises actually stimulate growth in the brain where development has been impeded. July saw the start of a literacy program for adults. The parents and relatives of the children were the first to enroll, but the program will be expanded to welcome others as word spreads through the local community.