Hi friends,
I had a snowy welcome back to Romania when I flew into Bucharest on January 6, 2008. Not as much snow as we had in New Hampshire over Christmas, but certainly enough to keep me happy. Frost covered trees magically line every street, with each tiny branch covered in crystals.
I'm smack in the middle of moving, so this will be short. Suffice it to say that I am grateful for a new apartment, and a room-mate to share it with. Thanks for your prayers and praise God for His provision.
I continue to meet every day with seven teenagers (age 15-22) for prayer, counseling, schooling, and games. I'm trying to learn more about teaching kids with special needs since four of those I work with fall into this category — some from fetal alcohol syndrome, others from neglect and abuse which affected their development from the time they were young. Pray for Ana, Fani and I as we meet with them for four hours each day.
Thanks so much to those of you who wrote me a little note! It's so fun to hear from friends and learn about some of what's transpired in your lives in the recent years. Thanks for taking the time to write.
Below are several more prayer requests to lift up before our Father.
Peace,
Rachel
rachel.simons@wordmadeflesh.com
1. Praise God for a wonderful Christmas time celebration with the children at our annual all-night Christmas party. The weeks prior to Christmas we were well received at various local churches and at a local nursing home for a presentation of songs and Scripture reading. Praise God for the new relationships with supporters from the local community.
2. Pray for the McAvaddy family (Ron, Audra, Gavin, Avery, and Kira) as they leave Romania on January 13. They have decided to end their term with WMF and return to the U.S. Please pray for them, for the community and for the kids as they say goodbye and make this transition. Pray that God will continue to provide for them and guide their steps. Read their most recent prayer letter on-line at www.wordmadeflesh.com
3. Please pray for the C. family. In 2006 they welcomed two of our children into their home who were in a difficult living situation. They are a wonderful, loving Christian family and F. (age 11) and E. (age 13) have been transformed by a stable, healthy environment. But it is not easy to live day to day with children with deep emotional wounds. Pray for complete healing and restoration and pray for energy, perseverance and supernatural love for the C. family.
4. Pray for A. and M. our fourth grade twin girls who have been coming to the after-school program for more than a year. They have been separated and placed in the care of various relatives while their mother works on getting their house in order, installing water and heat. Please pray for God's protection over them during this time.
5. Please pray D., a 16 year old girl who has come to the center for a year. Pray for her to be able to say no to the advances of boys. She has a real problem with lying and misses many days at the Center. Pray for wisdom in knowing how to counsel her and receive her with open arms, while also setting limits and setting expectations for her to respect.
6. Please pray for us as a community to know how to help the children that are more resistant to the drop in center program. For some children it is very fun to be here and it isn't hard to motivate them to come and stay. For others, they are more motivated to stay home, play on the streets or beg than to come to the program. Please pray for wisdom as we try to reach them all.
7. Please pray for L., a teenage mom, and her 9 month old baby A., who has significant health problems. Over the last month, her baby lost 3 pounds and has a very grim prognosis from doctors. Please pray for a miracle and for God to bring hope to L. and her family.