Thursday, February 19, 2009

Guess?


Ah gee you guessed - it's a bowl of fruit! But what does it represent?...yesterday I had a lovely time of counting my blessings. This bowl of fruit is one of them. I am able to keep the household in fresh fruit and vegetables in the winter. Here in Romania it is considered an extravagance here but it is one of God's blessings!

I picked up 5 loaves of bread at a discounted price just now to put in to the freezer for the Food Bank. I smiled and thought "Now I only need a couple of fish ." The Food Bank is scheduled to open March 7. Please hold this up in prayer.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Casa Alexandru

Casa Alexandru is a small facility that houses young people with various mental disabilities. We try and go once a week and I am buying food once a month. Last week was Play Doh, it was a hit!

Pictured is Vio with a patient. Vio has been a huge blessing to me and always ready to pitch in. She also goes to Mocrea with me and until recently would help with the Widow's Mite deliveries. Vio is now with child, in a high risk pregnancy - please pray for her and her unborn child/children (she may be carrying twins!)

I will not yet let the girls go with me as two of the patients can get violent.

By the way, have you ever tried to get Play Doh out from under your fingernails?????

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Elizabeth and Sarah at Mocrea

Last week was a school vacation and both girls wanted to come with me to Mocrea Psychiatric Hospital. I go there once a week and do crafts, play games, sing, serve snacks, and sometimes show a film. I started going around 3 years ago I think, originally to take food for the patients. The situation has vastly improved over these three years. The buildings have all been renovated and several new bathrooms and shower facilities were added and they have plenty of food. We started to go every other week and visit with some of the patients and the program grew!

Cassandra and Ionut had been regulars to go with me for a long time but they have little Caroline to care for and they are in the States for a while. Irene as well as Peter and Christine enjoy coming to Mocrea when they are in the country but right now it seems that no one is here for now! I have been trying to get others to go but I guess visiting a mental hospital is not appealing to many! It is such a blessing to me to know that the visits have made a difference. The administrator said that the patients are less violent and all around happier since we began the program. Vio, the young neighbor who has been helping with the girls and house for the last 5 years, loves to go when she can which is a real help to me. Ideally I need a team of 4-5 so I can get to the locked wards also.

The patients really enjoyed the girls. Many have children and grandchildren that they rarely see if ever. Elizabeth and Sarah did very well and said they would be glad to go whenever they had vacations.

Every week before we leave we pray together. The patients really like this and look forward to this time. Several have asked for bibles so I purchased a small supply to have on hand.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Just to catch you up, nothing earth shaking

This is Elizabeth with Caroline (Ionut and Cassandra's 10 week old daughter). Elizabeth is introducing her to Saturday morning cartoons. Elizabeth really loves babies.

I spoke with Marty Sutton yesterday, a missionary in Bulgaria involved in numerous awesome projects there, and he said he and a friend might be able to come and help with the summer camp for the kids in Vinga. I wanted the camp to be with in the first two weeks in July but those weeks were booked so we now are looking at mid-July.

I want to get out to Minis to photograph the playground there with the new equipment. I was so happy to be able to buy the rest of it. I'll be sure to post the picture here.

There is some interest being expressed in the food bank. In the next two weeks I will need to be talking to stores and bakeries. I pray churches will become interested and want to participate. I think this food bank could really help in unity here. One thing we all should be able to agree on is feeding the poor!

Just an added thought to close - if any of you reading this knew what my living-room used to look like you will know how awesomely blessed we are with the house now. The house had dirt floors and crumbling walls with a ceiling that was what could be best described as very thin particle board also covering up a layer of earth. I had weeds that used to come up under my couch!