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.

The Year Is Flying By!!!

My gosh - it is the 3rd week of September - already! Wasn't it just August first and I was writing about the camps and still had so much summer left. School didn't start here in Romania until Sept. 16. Sarah began 8th grade with gusto and Elizabeth entered high school with fear and trepidation. 

Sarah is taking voice and piano as extras this year.  I hope this is a really good school year for her. Scholastically it was  a little bumpy last year.  It appears Elizabeth will spend most of her time being tutored this first semester. Her language load as a freshman is Romanian, English, Latin and French.  Elizabeth has technically had French since 5th grade but they only copied things out of books and learned some recognition of the written word - but she spoke not a word. She gets in to her French class and what a shock - it is all in French and she doesn't understand a thing. Panic time. It was the end of the world for her!  Just a few days before I run in to a young woman that tutors in 5 languages. Elizabeth is now being privately tutored, plus there are a dozen other kids in her class that are in the same boat so they are offering an extra catch up class at the school. Elizabeth also needs some help in chemistry and physics. Elizabeth choose this school so she could be with a friend in high school - village kids in town high school are sort of looked down on. Elizabeth didn't make the grade average to stay with her friend so ended up as a language major. She regretted  choosing the high school altogether.

This evening we went to our first parent teacher meeting with her main teacher who also speaks English - a plus for me.  After the meeting I told Elizabeth that the Lord knew all of this and He would never set her up for failure. I said that if she hadn't tried to stick with her friend she wouldn't now be in the highest ranked high school - the Lord just used that and she is exactly where is is supposed to be. It also was no coincidence that I ran into the French tutor, this lady remembered me, I didn't remember her when we met again. God is in control.  After the school meeting we were making our way slowly out of the building ( many stairs) and Elizabeth said she could almost cry to realize God is taking care of her and has a plan for her. She didn't make a wrong choice.

Camp 2013

Well we are done with camp for this summer.  There were more than 60 kids sponsored this year. it is one of the two big one-time-a-year expenses that I have. The other is the winter wood for the Widow's Mite program.

Elizabeth and Sarah ended up with 3 weeks at camp. Elizabeth is in training to join The Grain Game (the Alabama based ministry that travels around the world to bring the gospel to children).  Sarah went along the 3rd. week and was also a help.  Both Elizabeth and Sarah bonded with the team from England and look forward to visiting them. Now they have two teams to visit!

We are looking to put together a Grain Game team together for the Balkan countries and Romania. This will be especially aimed at  Romii children. I agreed to form a team and the director of Grain Game will come back this winter for a training seminar.  My goodness, another leap of faith for me!  This year certainly has really been exciting so far.

Celebrate an Anniversary with me!

This month is the 20th anniversary of my first mission trip to Romania.  I had been on several other short term trips but July 1993 was Romania. I moved here in August 1997.

I spent some time last night reflecting and looking back.  Hindsight is so often  20-20. What an awesome 20 years this has been.  Oh my gosh - I have stood on spiritual mountain tops - feeling so close to God that I thought I could touch His face, certainly I could feel His heart beat.  I also have spent plenty of times in the valleys...feeling beaten down and despairing.  Some of the most rewarding times of my life have been here  - and certainly some of the saddest times in my life have also been spent here.

If I had to do it all over again...I would come again, even knowing the costs because I truly think I am in the Will of The Father...it doesn't get any better than this!

Ball Family Arrives April 24

Spencer, Lynsey, Jonathan and Trinity arrived back in Romania April 24.  Here they are pictured ready to go to Bogdan and Lili's wedding.

The family have served here before and made a mission trip back as well as a family trip back here to be sure this is where the family is called to be.  They are here for the long haul. So far they have been staying with us here in Sofronea but are soon to move in to their own place right next door to us!  The kids quickly settled in and have made numerous friends. Both Spencer and Lynsey have gotten the hang of village life.

The Ball's have pitched in in all areas of the ministries  I am involved with and feel called to serve the elderly and Romi in particular. Lynsey has long had a vision for working with babies here and the new Child Development Program is moving along.  It may happen soon!

Please keep this family in prayer as they are like additions to our family.

Bogdan & Lili's wedding

Bogdan and Lili were married April 27.  We first had the civil ceremony then went on to a lovely restaurant that provided a nice area for the religious portion of the service before starting the reception.

Clergy marriages are not legally binding here so you must have a State civil ceremony also. I have been waiting for the wedding pictures to be done to post but I have a few snapshots anyhow.

 Bodan and Lilli with his parents, Delia and Simon. It was lovely.

All smiles as they head to take more pictures before heading to the restaurant.  Pastor Rich Femia was here from my church in Ohio to help preside over the religious part of the service. I'll post those pictures when we have them.