Sunday, October 27, 2013

Praise for God's Goodness

There will be no picture posted for this one.  I dropped a Skype note to a friend a few minutes ago - why is it that nobody else in my circle of friends seems to have to deal with as many dead bodies as I do?  This can't be an anointing!  Well - OK, sort of. I know I have what I like to refer to as "A Full Service Ministry".

I transported Ioanci's uncle home from the hospital on Tuesday.  He had been in my favorite hospital, yup TB place.  Last week Vio felt an urge to talk to him, that he was afraid of death. This always prompts the question of "does he know where he will spend eternity?".  I urged her to go and talk to him and she did.  He listened and then prayed with Vio. Praise the Lord!  Her uncle would stay with them when he was released from the hospital.

On Friday I was driving Vio and she said she didn't know what she would do if he died while with her. Like many people Vio has a fear of being around people that have died and reacts really badly. I told her I did not think he had very long and to just call me when the time came. The time came Friday afternoon.  I wasn't far away when she called me. I arrived and yes he was dead. I told her that in my opinion he had been dead before he hit the floor. He had a rather deep cut on his eyebrow from hitting the floor and almost no blood.

God's goodness:  The uncle is in heaven, no more sickness or sadness. He did not suffer. Vio has to start work on Monday and it would have been difficult to care for him. We have had so many opportunities this weekend to explain how God's hand was on all of this and that the uncle is in heaven because he accepted the Lord!  Also this is working on Ioanci's heart, this was a favorite uncle who has the same problems as does Ioanci.

I can not just close with out giving you my take on yet another dead person along my way.  I was able to help Ioanci with the preparations and washing, all the while talking about how good God has been in this situation and how perfect is His timing.  Ioanci said we were instructed to wash the body and have him ready to be dressed when transportation arrived. Since the uncle was to be transported to Dorobrant I thought perhaps I would have to transport him in my Duster. No, thank heavens. I explained that in the States we would have had to notify the proper authorities etc. and would not be allowed to move or handle the body.  Nah - that's OK here. REALLY???  When the transportation and clothes arrived they also brought a casket. It was handled very efficiently and quickly...but ah, there hadn't even been a doctor here yet and we were transporting him directly to a chapel in the cemetery. When I softly questioned about who pronounced him dead - the answer was "you did,  oh and by the way he didn't die here."  Gotta love this country!

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Tabita and Natalie

What an adventure this last week has been. I have had to personally handle much of the work Adina had been doing for me so it is taking time for me to hit my stride, see what I can delegate and work in the rest.  God is good and it is all getting done. On that note - Adina has found a wonderful opportunity that makes use of many of her talents and she is very happy, I wish her well and God's blessings.



Tuesday was dwarf day - I don't know how else to say it.  There are two little girls, Tabita and Natalie that are little people. Last year we had managed to have both girls enrolled in a medical program that entails daily injections of a growth hormone as well as monthly and yearly monitoring.  Last Tuesday was the day for the big yearly evaluation.  I know both girls were prone to car sickness and we had to drive to Timisoara to a hospital that I had never been to, and to meet doctors I had never met.  The grandfather of one of the girls has been on these visits and was familiar with the program, but he also has a problem with alcohol.  I had all but begged him to be sober to help me Tuesday...HMMPPHHH - well at least he was coherent when we started off early in the morning.

I was directed to the hospital and then to the room where the girls needed to be (up 3 flights of stairs of course)  God had granted me one of my miracle parking spaces! At least these girls were as slow as I was going up stairs. There were several children there for evaluation. We were in a regular hospital room so they just say to sit on somebodies bed and ask them to make room. Since the girls were going to have to disrobe for examination the grandfather asked me to take it from there. Natalie is pretty much non-verbal so I was communicating what we would be doing to her when the grandfather asked me for money for coffee, I was distracted so I gave him money.  Gee what a surprise, during the course of the exams, going to other departments on other floors and back, blood and urine tests, measurements and x-rays he kept disappearing. Each time he was back he was in a little worse shape. Gotta tell you I am not having a good time.  I only had to have one of the girls give a urine sample - also not an easy task. Her little forearms are very short and she was unable to get up on the toilet by herself anyway.  I managed....


Since a mother in the hospital room gave both girls a nice lunch when we were done...there was a lot of woofing in the back seat on the way home.  I was prepared with bags, wet wipes and towels but since I was in the fast lane and couldn't pull over fast enough I kept encouraging them to "please barf in to the bags!"  As I dropped the one girl off with her grandfather he wanted to stay and chat a little. I was in no mood by then, told him I'd see him in church Sunday.

In driving Natalie back to Arad I realized I was not sure exactly where she lived. I had been there once and Bogdan had picked her up in the morning. I got in to the general area and then prayed. I turned to the little one and asked if she had any inclination of becoming verbal, now would be a great time, can you tell me where you live? Point? I found it.

I await the results of all the exams and pray that both girls continue to qualify for the program.  We pray for these girls and that the treatments work. How difficult will their lives be? They already live in extreme poverty.  Tabita comes to the children's program faithfully Saturday mornings in Vinga. Natalie lives in Arad so I don't see her on a regular basis.


Project 2nd Chance

These are four of the five kids in Project 2nd Chance.  This project is one to get school drop-outs back in to a special school in Arad that has a program to allow them back to school. The area in Vinga  where I have the church, Seedtime and Harvest, is very poor and many children drop out of school.  There is no work for them so they "hang out", many becoming parents at a very young age. Children having children.

We have tried to talk to the parents about encouraging their children to stay in school but many of the poorer Romii people do not see an advantage to education past the most rudimentary reading and writing.  Most of the men work "black", under the table - of those who work at all. Stealing is still an acceptable way of producing income. The cycle just keeps on repeating itself.

After camp this last summer Bogdan has worked with many of the teens encouraging them to go back to school, have a future, dream dreams....This month Bogdan was able to get 5 teens registered and started. Getting them registered was a huge hurdle - they are not exactly welcomed. Bogdan went to meetings, made phone calls, pleaded their causes for them to have a 2nd. chance. It is a real battle to keep them in school now. Since there is no reliable transportation in to Arad, especially for the girls, Bogdan picks them up every morning and takes them to school. The other kids have sandwiches and snacks - our kids do not so Bogdan makes them sandwiches. He stays at the school most times,  and he goes over their assignments.  Now we have added another girl to the program, unfortunately she goes to school in the afternoons but Bogdan is committed to getting her there.  Keeping fuel in his car and keeping it repaired has been a real challenge to me.

Please pray for these teens!  Again we are hearing "why do you bother - they're Gypsies"  etc. etc. Pray for Bogdan not to become discouraged.  The Lord is working in Vinga and this is part of it.

Marius and Elena

Marius has been faithfully teaching children in Sanicolaul Mic area music as well as led a wonderful kids club on Saturday afternoon for many years at our buildings. The kids named the club "Jesus Generation" On Sunday Oct. 13 he and lovely Elena were married.  We wish them every blessing! It is wonderful that she has joined the work. What a blessing for us.