I’m not bringing any special message for 2013. God is always with us and all I want for us all is to be aware of it every second of our lives.
Another year passed, another year found us happy or not, content or not. 2012 was especially marked by news regarding the end of the world as you all know. If you are reading this letter I guess the end of the world has NOT come yet. J This is once again proof that God, the Creator of our Universe has all things under His control. (Mark 13:32)
Yet in the midst of this turmoil I ask myself “what if He had come, would I have been ready?” Would you?
December was a full month as usual. However we had to reduce the number of the events we had planned the number of the Samaritan’s Purse boxes was significantly smaller than last year. We continued our tradition of Christmas celebrations with the kids and their families. The kids always receive a Christmas gift which they are so happy about. They can also offer a gift to their brothers and sisters from home as a result of their involvement in chores at the center throughout the year. This has been a healthy way to for them to learn about responsibility, work and results that don’t always come over night. The look on their face as they proudly offer these gifts is just priceless.
We went Christmas caroling three days in a row. It took us this many days as we wanted to cover the kids’ families and also the people who help and support this ministry. Every short visit to the houses of the kids who come to the center continues to touch me so deeply. It’s so great to see how they want to share with us the little that they have. Hospitality is one of the things that always teach me so much. In most cases there are two of three generations living in the same room and that reminds me of the many things I take for granted.
The night of December 25th is usually a time people want to spend with their families and forget about work. For us “work” means loving on these children and making room for them in our lives and so we choose to spend it at the center with them. We eat together, play, watch movies, meditate on the gift Jesus is and open presents!!!
In my last prayer letter I shared the problem we had with the grant that we hadn’t received at that time. By God’s grace everything went well and the much needed money came on time and helped us overcome the financial problems we were facing. This area however is one that never lets us rest. It is an area that reminds us of how dependent on God we are. The year that lies ahead looks so uncertain in terms of the grant we should receive from the Government. The budget for 2013 does not include this grant. Our prayer is that January will bring some changes in that.
January will bring a significant change in our family dynamic as my wife Cristina ends her maternity leave. As parents we think that it’s crucial that our daughter Alexandra continues to spend as much time as possible with one of us. Needless to say we both dreaded the moment we would leave her with someone else. As an answer to our prayers it turns out that the WMF community here will allow me to work half time for a year. That will make it possible for me to be with her half a day which is great. My mother will fill in for the other half. We are so grateful for this arrangement!
As you can see we are entering a pretty challenging time. Cristina will go back to work after a year of doing something completely different and I have had to let go of some of the responsibilities within the community. January will tell how well we do with these changes. I
Please pray for:
– Wisdom and efficiency in fulfilling my role in community;
– Guidance from God in spending quality time with Alexandra;
– The approval of the grant we have applied for – this money is so crucial for our ministry;
– A clear direction from the Lord for the year of 2013.
May you all have a blessed year!
Thank you for your support!
Bogdan Chelariu for WMF Romania