Dear friends,
It's a beautiful autumn day here in Galati, the bright sun warming the chilly morning air. At our Community Center in “the valley” we greet over thirty children each day, but I have the privilege of working with a group of five who aren't children anymore – they're young adults. This month I'd like to introduce you to two of them.
We'll start with the oldest, who at 30 is actually older than me! Following is a description I wrote of him five years ago:
“Out of all the boys, he is always the most expressive and affectionate in the event that we happen to meet on the street or at the Center. He's always waiting with arms wide open, offering his heart and a smile. B. loves to sing when he gets the chance, especially love songs. He is also an artist and had some of his drawings displayed at an art exhibit in the States once. Disguised under a long trench coat and large white and blue knit hat, B. is a young man full of talent, but burdened by the hard life of the homeless. Please pray for him to be freed from addictions and drawn away from the dead end streets that lay before him.”
Exactly 2 years ago this young man finally quit using drugs as he was afflicted with partial paralysis in his legs and hands. After a year in and out of hospitals and rehab centers he is walking again, living at home, and considering what to do with his life. If all goes well this month we'll have him enrolled in school(6th grade) and on his way to a diploma so that he can get a job. The biggest challenge with B. is his domineering presence in a group setting. Pray for continued transformation and healing in his heart and mind as he experiences a second chance in life.
Another one of my students just turned nineteen in October. Of course, I don't think of him as nineteen because his behavior often reminds me of a ten-year-old. Due to poverty in his family and his learning disabilities, C. never made it past first grade and spent the rest of his childhood riding a bike around and watching the hours tick by on the clock. Eventually he got a job at the corner store loading and unloading boxes of goods. At sixteen, he was enrolled at a school for young adults where we came to know him. This is what I wrote in my journal last February:
It's been four months now since C. first came to join us at the Community Center. He was so timid at first, barely able to speak a word. Now I often find myself reminding him to stop chattering and get back to his homework.
One wintry day as I sat next to him looking over his math homework, my scarf slipped off my shoulder. Without a single hesitation he quickly lifted it from my lap and gently draped it back over my shoulder. It was a tender gesture, an impulse of pure kindness that caught me off guard. I whispered a “Thank you,” he offered a “You're welcome” and we continued with the lesson.
Now alone in my living room I realize I am broken by this boy's love. How can one so abused and broken offer me love? Disfavored by his alcoholic father, C. endures cruelty in his home day after day. He often describes to us the way his father lets all the brothers eat except for him, who's plate of food he throws under the bed of their one room home. Yet from this young heart springs up kindness and care for the well-being of others. C. is shown hatred and contempt, yet he continues to love. How can this be?
I am broken, yet honored to be the recipient of his love. C. still calls me “Mrs. Rachel” even though I insist that he simply use my first name without the “Mrs.”. And his smile, that's the best! Every little new discovery, every mistake, and every correct answer gets him smiling from ear to ear.
He loves to read, one syllable at a time, and with every new sentence discovers a twist in the unfolding plot. Reading has become sheer delight for him as the written word suddenly comes alive with meaning.
This young man has been with us for a whole year now, and not a week goes by without him telling me how happy he is to come to the Center and how he has learned so much from us. Pray that I'll have wisdom in knowing how best to be his teacher, and have patience when he is slow to understand what is taught. Pray that C. will find healing in Christ and a place of belonging in the local church he has begun to attend. Pray that he will learn enough to get a good job and find a way out of his suffocating family environment.
I could write more, but I will close here.
Thanks for your continued prayers. I have not begun a girls Bible study as I had hoped because two of the girls are already attending a small group Bible study at their church. I'd still like to offer something for the others, a safe place to ask questions and learn to trust and grow in their love for Christ. Keep me in prayer concerning the best direction to take with this.
With love and thanksgiving,
Rachel
P.S. Help support our community and order Christmas cards here! www.wmfromania.com
All the images were painted by the children and youth at our Community Center, including C. who is the proud artist of one of the watercolor Christmas trees.