Colossians 3:23

Colossians 3:23 was today's scripture. "Whatever you do, do it with all your heart."  I am extremely busy right now and will probably be until mid-September when I will take a break with another knee replacement. I guess I can't do emojis on a blog??  The emoji would be the one with the fat face rolling in laughter. Right now I am full-on and doing it with all my heart, and that makes me happy. I am truly grateful that the Lord is providing the strength daily!

I posted on Facebook about the Mocrea project. I am going to try and periodically post about the projects on my Facebook page (I know...promises promises - I am terrible at this!)

Cati, a widow in Vinga, is a real challenge for me. She was unable to go far to the outhouse and was used to just urinating where she was. This is difficult in so many ways - I will spare you the details. I bought her a potty chair. I would like to report that that solved the problem - NOT. I have purchased 3 different wood stoves for her but when the weather warms up she sells them. I have even cemented one to a wall - yup she got it sold, I guess the purchaser had to free it himself.  The latest? She has a donated refrigerator - an old huge consumer of electricity. It has tripled her electric bill, which I pay. Does she have food to refrigerate - no. I guess she just sits on her bed next to her potty chair and pees while listening to the peaceful hum of the refrigerator.

Got to go to the dentist (could use an emoji here also) I will blog again soon about the awesome summer Elizabeth and Sarah are having!

Spring has Sprung

End of March! We have seen the end of the ice and snow.  Soon we won't even need that one fire in the stove for the evening chill.  Do I splurge on a another set of tires for summer or just drive with this years new set of winter tires?  Ordinarily I would buy the summer tires, I usually change tires in April and October. This year maybe not. The good news is that I won't have to spend all that money for more tires...the bad news is that I am not sure I will be driving enough to warrant new tires. If you are reading this blog it is usually because you are someone that knows me well, if so you know I am not really pleased about being more or less grounded.

Before I chat more about me let me tell you about the projects!  All the people in Widow's Mite are looking forward to this spring.  Almost all of them ran out of wood since they started burning it early. In many cases I had to buy more. A miracle gift was received last month for them! I learned a very valuable lesson: do not start buying the wood really early because it is cheaper - they will start burning it for heat despite favorable temperatures!  Mocrea - many new patients have joined the program and several of the regulars have been able to leave. This is always a joy if they can go and then remain at home!  The visits are every Wednesday right now. We switch between Tuesday, Wednesday and sometimes Thursday depending on the shower schedules. It may change every few months. The patients so look forward to the weekly program. It is difficult sometimes to come up with new craft ideas!  Osana and Caleb houses. We have a visitor staying with us for 3 weeks, Farris. She is a delightful 17 yr. old that wants to be a missionary. We took her to Caleb house yesterday to interview the house parents and meet as well as play with the boys there.  I have tried to expose her to several of the ministries we are involved with at Rock Of Hope Ministries.  I am still involved in feeding and clothing the poor when resources are available. I received a couple of large bags of children's clothing last evening so we will prepare them for distribution. 

I had the right knee replaced in January and I did really well the first 6 weeks of rehabilitation. I received detailed instructions on doing these exercises at home and I was diligent.  About 10 days after the check up by the surgeon I apparently pulled a ligament on the new knee.  I waited almost 2 weeks o return to the doctor, hoping whatever I had done would heal. Not.  I will return to the doctor again in a week or so. I have knee braces coming from the States. My other knee was no better than the one I had replaced but picked the one that was the most painful  for the first surgery.  My left knee is objecting to this situation. The left knee is scheduled to be replaced in July. My plan was to update the blog after surgery in January but It was not comfortable to be seated at my desk for a period of time and then and then...well here we are today.

I went back and read my Thanksgiving blog post. Where am I today? Well the other members of Rock Of Hope Ministries have had to pick up the slack on what I can't do at this time. I had started back doing widows and Mocrea when I pulled the ligament. Actually we are not positive that is the problem as it is difficult to verify. I can't have a MRI because of the metal in both prostheses I have. All I can do is rest. In reading my Thanksgiving post I was reminded that in the tough times make a list of all you are thankful for. The pain is not intolerable and I do have medication available, So many people just have to suffer and do not have the luxury available to just rest. I mentioned ministry funds in the Thanksgiving post - no I have not located new sponsors or had many unexpected gifts (but there were some!)  I have been encouraged to start fund raising...oh my goodness that is not an easy one for me, but I think of my widows and orphans....In the Thanksgiving blog I mentioned my granddaughters - they are both in a good place right now. What a blessing!  Then I wrote that many people in my life are in serious situations...one has gone home to the Lord and we continue to hold up the others in prayer for miracles.  Now I come to the part where I have had to repent OUCH.  I wrote about being content where I was.  I was not content at this time. I wanted to go out and do what I wanted to do, go where I wanted to go...I was gazing heavenward and saying SERIOUSLY GOD???? Yup I am called to be content where I am right now. It is a daily battle. I am not in a place where I want to abide. An old lesson comes back to my spirit, mind and body - pain and peace can reside quite comfortably side by side. So I can say and will continue to say IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL!

If you have continued to this point in reading this long post I would like to ask you to pray: for the girls and myself; pray for Rock Of Hope Ministries, Scott Carolyn and Ramona;  pray that the widows have food  and all that they need; that the children at Caleb and Osana will grow in to all that the Lord has for their lives; that the patients at Mocrea continue to be blessed. Also would you consider giving to support these projects? Would you please see if any of your friends or church family would like to help.  If anyone would like more information please feel free to contact me:  jackieramsey1998@yahoo.com. Checks are payable to Rock of Hope Ministries and they are mailed to George Ford  1164 North Fox Ridge Links Dr,  Vincennes IN 47591.  Rock Of Hope Ministries.org  provides a means of giving by credit card.  I realize that there are so many ministries and projects asking for donations and funds are limited everywhere but I also know there IS Provision for the Vision. The Lord has poured out His blessings for this ministry for over a quarter of a century and the best is yet to come! Please consider partnering with us if you have not already!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Merry Christmas to you all!  I pray everyone will have a joyful celebration of our Savior's birth. I know the holidays are difficult for many people who are not with family or are grieving over the loss of a loved one. Some people are struggling in other ways like health or finances. I pray the peace that passes all understanding to wash over us all.

I wanted to share several pictures - the first is Elizabeth who has done very well in her exams this second year of veterinary medicine. I don't have a picture of Elizabeth studying. The next is Sarah in her student nurse uniform. She is also doing very well and likes her courses.

We were able to repair Cati's house in Vinga. Hans came with 2 friends from Holland to do the work and Reaching Romania helped to pay for the materials. This winter she has a new roof, walls without holes and a secure door.  We distributed Christmas gifts to all the widows and they had extra food for the holidays. There is a picture of Tammy packing the food bags in my bathroom - it is quite a task. The widows love their Christmas boxes. That is Randy with one of our ladies in the Widow's Mite program. The picture of a single widow is Ana. Ana is 95 years old and knits slippers from her bed. She will not use regular yarn for her slippers - she unravels sweaters!  She gifts me with all these slippers and we pay for her medicines in trade.  Ana broke her glasses and we were unable to get them professionally repaired, they said she would have to come in for an exam and get new glasses.  Ana is rarely out of bed anymore. I gave it my best effort with the repair and warned her they were very fragile. I got them to her this afternoon and she was so happy. Pray they last!

We had several Christmas parties at Mocrea.  The Rock of Hope gang all came and did an excellent job of caroling and helping to pass out presents, bags of candy and fruit as well as soda. Elizabeth doubled up on a class the day before so she could play the guitar. Scores of Ana's slippers were given as gifts as well as awesome finger-less gloves made by a special group in the States called Knitters on a Mission. All the profits from their knitting goes to help support the girls at ROHM. 

Osana and Caleb houses each had their own gift distributions. They also received the bags of fruit and candy. It is such fun to watch these youngsters dig through their Christmas boxes. Each year Reaching Romania provides all these gift boxes for the widows and orphans. 

A party was held in Vinga for the children in youth group in Vinga.  It was the first we did to start off our holiday parties. 

Well now I remember I have to load the pictures from last to first so it matches the narrative.  Also I do not know how to rotate after they have been uploaded. I would like to tell you that I will keep trying to edit this blog tonight...ah no. Wait maybe I can label the pictures...be right back...well as you can see that didn't work. Merry Christmas to you all and to all a good night!

Happy Thankgiving

I will hopefully actually update the blog with news on the various ministries like Widow's Mite, Mocrea, Orphan sponsors next week I hope, but for this moment I just wanted to share where I am at this point in time. Today is Thanksgiving and I do not remember a Thanksgiving day when I felt more thankful.

I was just trying to analyze this "feeling" ...well it is not exactly a feeling but rather a state of being. Does that make sense?  It can't be because I am pain free...but God is here with me comforting me. It can't be because I know how I will be able to fund all the different aspects of the ministry in 2019...but I know God provides provision for the vision. It can't be that my life as a grandmother of lovely young women is drama free...but I know it will all work out. It is not because all the people I care about are without disastrous things going on in their lives...but I know God is in the midst of their trials and He loves them and wants the best for them.

So what is this?  Perhaps it is just being content with where my life is and where it may go. Knowing I have been blessed and it is well with my soul. I am in a place at this moment in time that I want to abide in, a place I never want to leave.  For me this evening has been a mountaintop experience...with actually nothing really changing at all, nothing that could be described as spectacular or miraculous. I am thankful for this oasis and rest.

Tabita

When I went over all that I had posted in the blog update from just yesterday ((below) I forgot to tell you about Tabita.  Tabita was born a dwarf. I had known her mom and siblings for at least 18 yrs. Several years ago there was an experimental program here in Romania with a new growth hormone.  We were able to get her admitted to the program and in time she began to grow!  One of the difficult things was her appetite for sweets. Everyone fed her snacks and sweets. The doctor warned me that she was gaining way too much weight and that her blood sugar was getting too high to continue with the growth medicines. I pleaded with her family as well the neighbors to stop...to no avail. They said she would cry. I was so frustrated but no amount of discussion get get them to stop feeding her this junk!.  She was removed from the program not too long after.  I kept track of her and visited her, she was becoming less and less mobile and was developing heart and lung problems. Randy, Tammy and I stopped in to visit her, she wanted prayer.  We did pray and I asked her if there was anything I could get for her?  She needed money for more distilled water for her breathing machine and asked if I could give her health.  My heart broke for her, paying for the water was easy - health not so easy.  After we left I prayed that the Lord would not let her suffer.  Spencer and Lynsey had continued to work with the Vinga kids and had a program for them. The last time I saw Tabita was at a Community Art Show that Spencer and Lynsey put together with art from the Vinga kids program. It took some doing to get her to the community center with her oxygen paraphernalia but they got her there, she had such a good time. Tabita went home to the Lord soon afterward.  She was 14.

Where do I start???

I guess I will just find some pictures I want to share and go from there.  As most of you know my last post was just before my trip to the States. I visited friends in two places in Indiana before moving on to Ohio and then California.  I knew my daughter was hospitalized and was able to talk to her a few times along the way. She was excited about my upcoming  arrival in California to be able personally tell me about a recent experience with the Lord. I checked with nurses in ICU when she was unable to communicate. Several times I asked the nurse to put the phone to her ear so I could remind her I was on my way and that she was Covenant Seed.  Just after arriving at my second stop in Indiana I got the news that my granddaughter Sarah had been rushed to the hospital with what was assumed to be appendicitis and they would probably operate. I also got the news that my daughter had taken a turn for the worse. Wow - my first thoughts were "what do I do God? Which way do I go...to my daughter or granddaughter?"  I was geographically between the two.  I felt the Lord impress on my heart to just "stay the course"  My tickets had been purchased nearly 4 months before and He had things in control. OK - I kept to the schedule. I had mentioned, after I purchased the tickets, to some trusted people in my life that I had thought this would be the last time that I would be able to see my daughter.  I arrived in California on April 15 and went straight to the hospital to see her. She recognized me and knew that I was there. That was what she was waiting for apparently, she was ready to go home. Elizabeth and Sarah were both able to say what was on their hearts to their mother by telephone. She squeezed my hand when I asked if she heard them. She went in to the arms of the Lord at midnight April 16.  I brought her ashes home and we buried her with a small ceremony in a lovely setting near our home.  Elizabeth will have a brass plaque made with simply "Kathleen Ramsey - Covenant Seed.|"

Update on Mocrea:  The patients are always so thankful for our weekly visits!  Sometimes people will mention that they never feel really appreciated for the ministry they do, I chuckle and invite them to come to Mocrea - they will be loved and appreciated there! We continue with the same basic program; coffee and snacks; a craft; a bible story and quiz (candy rewards); singing and ending in prayers. Those patients can really pray!  Sometimes I throw in little messages of encouragement or what is on my heart. Ramona says I should "preach" more often because the patients like it.  We'll see. The picture below is of a patient at the widow of an open men's ward. We were getting back in to the car when he called out that he had no bible and could I give him one?  Just happened to have one and I handed it up to him.  He immediately kissed it. I love my work.

Widow's Mite:  Another one of our original ladies, Lena from Dud, has passed away.  I had talked with her about the Lord for many years. She softened and said she has forgiven many people. She always listened. I was never quite sure where she stood and always told her I looked forward to seeing her in heaven with me.  She passed away in May. The neighbor who regularly checked on her said her last words were to make sure she was buried with the "repented ones".  That made me smile.

We have one married couple in the program, Gheorghe and Maria. They are well in to their 80's and have no pension. They farm for a living and Maria hauls their harvest to the piata in a hand-pulled cart.  They always want to know which day we will come so Maria can prepare a snack and they always want to share their fresh vegetables with us. This couple are poor by worldly standard but rich in the things that count - knowing the Lord and family.  We found out that a neighbor across the street was very poor and Gheorge and Maria had been sharing the food we bring them with her. We of course have added her to the program. Below is a picture of this precious couple. The other picture is of a lady also named Maria. Her health does not always allow her to get to church and when we were there last month she was saddened because she had missed Communion Sunday. I told her we could fix that, we carry with us what we need to serve communion when we visit monthly. She was thrilled.

Gheorge and Maria are pictured with Tammy. Randy and Tammy are a huge help with this ministry. They are willing to take over this program when I am no longer able to work. No no no... I am fine but there needs to be people ready and able to take over when the time comes.

Orphan Sponsor Program:  These are two houses we help support. Osana is the girls house and Caleb is for the boys. The house parents truly care for the children at these homes. It is difficult work as so many of the kids are badly damaged when they come to the homes. Pictured below are the kids in these homes. The third one is with Tammy reading with the youngest boy at Caleb, Maldanado. If you are interested in sponsoring a child it is $30 a month.

Last but certainly not the least - Sarah graduated high school!!!  As you can see I have no idea how to rotate this picture! Sarah did not need surgery but is still under treatment for a large cyst.

Elizabeth is doing her practical training for 3 weeks at the university, having completed her first year of Veterinary Medicine, and then she and Sarah head off to England for a holiday, which will include Spain. Elizabeth and our team will do a Grain Game camp in Bulgaria. Randy and Tammy are helping this again this year. 


Ramona, our faithful partner at Rock Of Hope Ministries,  noticed when she read the last blog that I do not say how to donate to these projects or my personal expenses. OOPS!  OK - you can write a check payable to ROHM and send to my administrator; George Ford at 1164 North Fox Ridge Links Dr. Vincennes IN 47591 or donate on-line to Rock of Hope Ministries (rockofhopeministries.org) Rock of Hope in the States is Solid Rock Youth Ranch. Please designate where you want your gift to go and please include your e-mail address for me.

Thank you all for your prayer and financial support. Without you guys I could not continue with these projects as well as the other work I have not highlighted like helping various poor families. I was able to see many of you on my recent trip but saw very few of the California folks I have missed.Love to you all!

Going to the States

It has been  6 years since I have been back to the States. I will be there March 28 to April 24.  I will be visiting in 2 locations in Indiana and then on to Ohio, before continuing on to CA.  I am looking forward to seeing so many wonderful friends!

What a busy summer, fall and winter it was!  2018 is already shaping up to be an exciting year.  Before I update the projects here is the latest on Elizabeth and Sarah.

Elizabeth started Veterinary Medicine in Timisoara in the fall of 2017. Praise God she got a scholarship for the tuition!  This first year is a challenge but she is doing well. The dormitory situation is difficult and we hope to be able to make some changes for next year.  Elizabeth is enjoying the course work so that is wonderful. Watching Elizabeth blossom and mature is awesome. It is sometimes difficult  to "let go".

Sarah turns 18 on March 21. I can't quite get my mind around that.  She will be having a HUGE (in my opinion) all night party on the 23rd with 70 guests. This party will include a DJ, equipped with a bubble and smoke machine, a photographer, an all night buffet with a huge cake at midnight.  Last week she wanted to make sure I hadn't forgotten her tiara...S-I-G-H...of course not sweety. Then there is the special champagne flute for her with little porcelain flowers on it to match her dress. The next big event is the Baccalaureate and then her graduation. Sarah has been going to tutoring 4 days a week and is working very hard.  I am very proud of her.

Here are a few project highlights - so much has happened - wonderful things since my last update but I will just touch on a few things:

Mocrea - We continue the program at Mocrea Psychiatric Hospital weekly. The patients count on us to show up on Tuesdays. We have a good time with the crafts, snacks, bible story, singing and praying.  These people can really pray and I bring special prayer requests to them. They have a child like faith and pray fervently!

Widows Mite - We are slowing expanding this program. as more and more younger people leave Romania and the villages so often the parents seem to be forgotten. We have wonderful visits monthly with them.  Even as of last week I was still buying wood for them. We are supplying more medicines as fewer medicines are available free or were greatly discounted for pensioners.  Some of our widows  are failing and this is sad but I know that I will meet most of them again one day.

Children's homes sponsorship - Beca is getting married in August!  It is hard to imagine I was around when she was born. I was an honored guest at her engagement party. Her house parents at Osana hosted a lovely party. Giulia graduates this year. The other girls are all coming along. The sponsor updates will be around a month late this year due to my trip. The boy's house, Caleb, is adjusting to some real challenges some of these boys present! There are really committed house parents there also.

Working with the rest of the Rock Of Hope Ministry team is exciting. Randy and Tammy are back from the States and jumped back in with helping both at Mocrea and with the widows as well as their involvement with the girls at the ROHM apartments.  Ramona is awesome at helping wherever is needed and also helps with Mocrea and the widows. Scott and Carolyn have a special anointing with their vision to help the young women that have aged out of orphanages.  They are great at Mocrea too.

I will really really try to update again soon - I have some wonderful pictures I want to share of the work here. Thank you for your support for the work here and your prayers. I appreciate it so very much.