What an amazing time we have had this past week! I am so grateful for all of you who sent Kim, Lois, and Missy to the Isaiah Center, whether through financial support, supplies for their trip, or prayers of protection. They were a true blessing not only to us personally, the children and their families, but to the ministry as a whole. The kids were so excited to receive their presents, act out the story of Jesus’ birth, and to share the special evening with their family. Through each act of kindness that we show our families there seems to grow a new level of trust. This trust is what the team was able to help us to accomplish with all of their hard work and planning, and this will help to strengthen our ministry even more in this village of 3,000. Four evenings were created where we could bond and reach out even further to families who are rejected, mocked, outcast, and forgotten; showing them Christ’s love for them and encouraging them to love one another as well. I am so grateful to Kim, Missy, and Lois for giving up their time with family, work, friends and other activities to come and create a memorable Christmas for our children at the Isaiah Center and their families. Thank you to all who sent the ladies here and made their trips possible as well. Thank you for remembering us in your prayers.
Blessings!
Rachel
Monday, November 24, 2008
Our Last Day in Tinca and Prayer Requests
We're so happy to be home and are trying to get rested up for Thanksgiving. We are so blessed and have even more to be thankful for after our time in Romania.
Friday, we had our last Christmas party with Tim and Rodica, who work with FMN, and their family. They both helped us for all of the other parties, and it was their turn to be served! Their kids were so excited as they had waited all week for this! We served them lunch and then the kids did the drama for them. Tim read from the bible the story of the birth of Christ which he had done at all the other parties, in the Gypsy language. They loved it! They loved it even more when Santa showed up! He brought lots of presents which is always fun.
After the party, we went to take them back to their home in Tinca. We were able to deliver a few of the family portraits we had done at the parties. It was such a blessing to see them open up their gift, and have so much pride with their family portrait. More than likely, they've never had a formal portrait, and for them, this is a special gift. When Maria's grandfather saw their family portrait for the first time, he kissed it several times and then put it up to the wall to see how it would look when it was hung. When Anna, her husband and son saw their family portrait, they too seemed to be so proud of their family and their portrait. Kim and I both noticed that Anna had softened in her looks and in her actions since the last time we saw her last January and last November, and that has come from the love and support that she and her family have been shown by Rachel, FMN and many teams. Rachel had told us that when they showed the Jesus film right out in the middle of the village in the summer, Anna was in her car with her and she told Rachel that they hear a lot about Jesus, but watching Rachel and the team that was there the week they showed the film, Anna said she and her neighbors talked and they think this is what Jesus was talking about. She gets it! She wants it! But life in this culture beats them down, but through continued love and support, she has changed so much, and we pray that she and many others will accept Christ, and learn a different way of life, a life in Christ.
For the children and families in Tinca, life is hard. The poverty is unimaginable for most to even understand. The abuse, neglect and abandonment effects almost every family in the village, and this life is all they know as generation after generation have lived this way. Because of the former communist rule and the prejudice against the Roma (Gypsy) people, they merely survive and are considered outcasts, unworthy of love, and even some say they have no souls. It is hard to find work, even if there is a job opening because of the prejudice that exists. In these conditions, how can they even see a ray of hope for change? It is only through love, humanitarian efforts, encouragement and example that this can happen.
We are so thankful for Rachel's heart for the Roma people. She shines His light with all she meets, and it is obvious that God's will for Rachel is to be right where she's at, to love these people, where they are and as they are. Family sponsorship helps to provide the basic necessities for the families, and also allows an open door for Rachel to minister to them. Through the Isaiah Center, child sponsorship provides food, shelter, clothing and medicine for the children in the center. Rachel, Tim, Rodica, and many teams allow these children to see and feel the love they deserve, from us, and from their Father in Heaven. It is through the love and support that they receive, we hope and pray, that they will be the start of a new generation, one with faith and hope, that will be the turning point of a positive change in this culture. We pray too, that as they grow, they will be shining for Jesus in their village, and ministering to others, just as they have been loved and ministered to through FMN and the Isaiah Center.
After our time in the village, we went back to the center and put up the Christmas tree! The kids loved it, and Rachel was just like one of those little kids. She is so excited about their first Christmas at the center. The kids helped to decorate the tree and were in awe when we turned out the lights to see the twinkling white lights on the tree. Abel said to Rachel, "all we need is snow." What a blessing to share this day and the week with all of them!
Through the group fund raising we did for our trip, through many who "adopted" a child for Christmas purchasing gifts or donating money to purchase gifts, and by many who made monetary donations so we could come to Romania, we were not only able to give the gift of the Christmas tree and decorations, but we were able to leave a monetary donation that will provide Christmas for the kids at the center, a refrigerator for Tim and Rodica as they have five children and no refrigerator! It will be a great Christmas gift. Some of the floors are being redone at the center and the money will help to purchase some of the flooring as well. The monetary donation will also be used to purchase reprints of the family portraits and the pictures of the kids with Santa for all of the families we celebrated with.
Please continue to pray for Rachel, for FMN, and for God to send others to work with FMN. A prayer request is for a Romanian social worker to be found and hired to work with FMN, to work with the children and families, and also one that will know the ins and outs of the laws in Romania, as they can be confusing and can be misinterpreted. This is an important position that needs to be filled, so please join us in praying for God to send the one He has for this job.
Please consider partnering with FMN through family and/or child sponsorship, or by a monthly donation to fund the ministry.
The Isaiah Center is in need of socks, for boys and girls, for 9 months and up. In Romania, you can only buy a pair at a time, not in packages like we have here. When the kids are brought to the center in the morning, the first thing that happens is they are bathed and dressed in clean clothes. The clothes them come to the center in are kept separately because of the possibility of lice, which is very typical to have in their living conditions. When it's time to go home for the night, they are dressed in clean, but not as nice of clothes, because the clothes never make it back to the center. As it gets colder, the kids need socks to go home in, and also for when they are at the center. Please consider donating packages of socks that can be taken over by mission teams traveling to Romania. Call or email and we can pick them up (Lois' cell 502/291-7718, or email to lois.wadsworth@yahoo.com)
Rachel would like to build on to the center, an area for storage of the donations of clothes and medical items she receives. For now, space is limited for donations, and the add on storage room will help to keep things more organized and more easily accessible when needed. Consider making a monetary donation towards the building of the storage room.
We'll close for now, and again thank you all for your love, support and prayers. We thank Rachel and Iza for letting us stay with them in their apartment and making us feel right at home. It was a great week!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Love,
Kim, Missy and Lois
Friday, we had our last Christmas party with Tim and Rodica, who work with FMN, and their family. They both helped us for all of the other parties, and it was their turn to be served! Their kids were so excited as they had waited all week for this! We served them lunch and then the kids did the drama for them. Tim read from the bible the story of the birth of Christ which he had done at all the other parties, in the Gypsy language. They loved it! They loved it even more when Santa showed up! He brought lots of presents which is always fun.
After the party, we went to take them back to their home in Tinca. We were able to deliver a few of the family portraits we had done at the parties. It was such a blessing to see them open up their gift, and have so much pride with their family portrait. More than likely, they've never had a formal portrait, and for them, this is a special gift. When Maria's grandfather saw their family portrait for the first time, he kissed it several times and then put it up to the wall to see how it would look when it was hung. When Anna, her husband and son saw their family portrait, they too seemed to be so proud of their family and their portrait. Kim and I both noticed that Anna had softened in her looks and in her actions since the last time we saw her last January and last November, and that has come from the love and support that she and her family have been shown by Rachel, FMN and many teams. Rachel had told us that when they showed the Jesus film right out in the middle of the village in the summer, Anna was in her car with her and she told Rachel that they hear a lot about Jesus, but watching Rachel and the team that was there the week they showed the film, Anna said she and her neighbors talked and they think this is what Jesus was talking about. She gets it! She wants it! But life in this culture beats them down, but through continued love and support, she has changed so much, and we pray that she and many others will accept Christ, and learn a different way of life, a life in Christ.
For the children and families in Tinca, life is hard. The poverty is unimaginable for most to even understand. The abuse, neglect and abandonment effects almost every family in the village, and this life is all they know as generation after generation have lived this way. Because of the former communist rule and the prejudice against the Roma (Gypsy) people, they merely survive and are considered outcasts, unworthy of love, and even some say they have no souls. It is hard to find work, even if there is a job opening because of the prejudice that exists. In these conditions, how can they even see a ray of hope for change? It is only through love, humanitarian efforts, encouragement and example that this can happen.
We are so thankful for Rachel's heart for the Roma people. She shines His light with all she meets, and it is obvious that God's will for Rachel is to be right where she's at, to love these people, where they are and as they are. Family sponsorship helps to provide the basic necessities for the families, and also allows an open door for Rachel to minister to them. Through the Isaiah Center, child sponsorship provides food, shelter, clothing and medicine for the children in the center. Rachel, Tim, Rodica, and many teams allow these children to see and feel the love they deserve, from us, and from their Father in Heaven. It is through the love and support that they receive, we hope and pray, that they will be the start of a new generation, one with faith and hope, that will be the turning point of a positive change in this culture. We pray too, that as they grow, they will be shining for Jesus in their village, and ministering to others, just as they have been loved and ministered to through FMN and the Isaiah Center.
After our time in the village, we went back to the center and put up the Christmas tree! The kids loved it, and Rachel was just like one of those little kids. She is so excited about their first Christmas at the center. The kids helped to decorate the tree and were in awe when we turned out the lights to see the twinkling white lights on the tree. Abel said to Rachel, "all we need is snow." What a blessing to share this day and the week with all of them!
Through the group fund raising we did for our trip, through many who "adopted" a child for Christmas purchasing gifts or donating money to purchase gifts, and by many who made monetary donations so we could come to Romania, we were not only able to give the gift of the Christmas tree and decorations, but we were able to leave a monetary donation that will provide Christmas for the kids at the center, a refrigerator for Tim and Rodica as they have five children and no refrigerator! It will be a great Christmas gift. Some of the floors are being redone at the center and the money will help to purchase some of the flooring as well. The monetary donation will also be used to purchase reprints of the family portraits and the pictures of the kids with Santa for all of the families we celebrated with.
Please continue to pray for Rachel, for FMN, and for God to send others to work with FMN. A prayer request is for a Romanian social worker to be found and hired to work with FMN, to work with the children and families, and also one that will know the ins and outs of the laws in Romania, as they can be confusing and can be misinterpreted. This is an important position that needs to be filled, so please join us in praying for God to send the one He has for this job.
Please consider partnering with FMN through family and/or child sponsorship, or by a monthly donation to fund the ministry.
The Isaiah Center is in need of socks, for boys and girls, for 9 months and up. In Romania, you can only buy a pair at a time, not in packages like we have here. When the kids are brought to the center in the morning, the first thing that happens is they are bathed and dressed in clean clothes. The clothes them come to the center in are kept separately because of the possibility of lice, which is very typical to have in their living conditions. When it's time to go home for the night, they are dressed in clean, but not as nice of clothes, because the clothes never make it back to the center. As it gets colder, the kids need socks to go home in, and also for when they are at the center. Please consider donating packages of socks that can be taken over by mission teams traveling to Romania. Call or email and we can pick them up (Lois' cell 502/291-7718, or email to lois.wadsworth@yahoo.com)
Rachel would like to build on to the center, an area for storage of the donations of clothes and medical items she receives. For now, space is limited for donations, and the add on storage room will help to keep things more organized and more easily accessible when needed. Consider making a monetary donation towards the building of the storage room.
We'll close for now, and again thank you all for your love, support and prayers. We thank Rachel and Iza for letting us stay with them in their apartment and making us feel right at home. It was a great week!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Love,
Kim, Missy and Lois
Saturday, November 22, 2008
We're home.....updates and more pictures to come!
It's great to be home tonight with our families! Travel was long but on time with no problems.
The internet was still down at Rachel's apartment so we didn't get to update the blog but plan to do so tomorrow or Monday. You won't want to miss the updates or the pictures, and cute video clips so check the blog when you can.
Thanks for your love, prayers and support!
Love,
Kim, Missy & Lois
The internet was still down at Rachel's apartment so we didn't get to update the blog but plan to do so tomorrow or Monday. You won't want to miss the updates or the pictures, and cute video clips so check the blog when you can.
Thanks for your love, prayers and support!
Love,
Kim, Missy & Lois
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Christmas At The Isaiah Center
Hello again from Romania! Yesterday we started out our morning by going to get a few things at Selgros which is very similar to Sam's where things are sold in bulk. Rachel has been looking at this one particular Christmas tree every year for the past three years, a very tall one that wouldn't work in her apartment, but that would be perfect to have at the Isaiah Center as it has high ceilings. We wanted to purchase a gift for the center, and because this will be the first Christmas at the Isaiah Center, this was the perfect gift. When we looked at the tree and asked about the price, and we told her it was hers, she was like a little kid at Christmas! She was so excited and just went on to say that she wants the kids to have a special Christmas at the center, and knows that the tree will make it more special, and just like a "family" Christmas that these kids have never had. Her response made it worth every penny! We bought ornaments, tree topper and tree skirt along with some garland. This is a gift that will last for years!
We then went to the center and cared for the kids, and then cooked in the afternoon for another Christmas party. Abel and Samuel's family were the guest of honor. It was so amazing to see how excited Abel and Samuel were to have their families at the party. They seemed to enjoy dinner and were happy to be at the center. It is sad to say, but these two boys have had a very hard life, abandoned by their mother, and while the grandparents are raising them, they believe them to be cursed and they live in a separate hut, and stay there alone at night. They are sweet boys, Abel with scars from head to toe, and they love it at the center. As the kids did the drama of the birth of Christ, Abel kept looking and smiling at his grandparents waiting on that reassurance that they thought he was doing a good job. They did seem proud of the boys and had a great time. Santa came too, and of course there were lots of presents.
Today we went back to the center and worked on a storage room, organizing the donations of clothes, medicine, etc. We were able to go through winter clothes so the kids will be ready for the cold weather. The weather this week has been perfect, not too cold, and with sunshine most of the week. We got to play with the kids too, and then prepared the meal for tonight's party. This party was for Alex's family. Unfortunately, he is very sick and still in the hospital and won't be out until next week if all goes well, but his family came to celebrate with us. They enjoyed the meal, the drama was a hit, as it was on the other nights, and of course Santa was the man of the night!
We got to be with Dave today, who is here from England and has been working with the kids at Caminul Felix. He has also been helping Rachel in Tinca a couple of days a week. He is a great guy, learning Romanian, with his Brittish accent, and the kids love him! He is a great encouragement for Tim, who works at the center, and they have been tiling one of the apartments behind the center. They work together on projects and he helps to do whatever is needed at the center. We enjoyed our time with him, and will be with him again tomorrow.
We are so blessed and happy to be here to celebrate Christmas with the kids at the center and their families. We have not walked through the village of Tinca, only have driven through to pick up the kids to take them to the center, and to take them back home at night. We hope to deliver the family pictures that were taken each night at the parties and see the families in their homes, along with the others in the village.
Tomorrow is our last day here in Romania, and we are very grateful for all of the blessings that God has given us this week, and we feel that all of these families have felt the love of Christ as we have loved them, served them and celebrated Christ's birth.
The internet is still down at the apartment, but if all goes well and it's on tomorrow, we'll update again, and if not, we'll post something after we get home. We will be home on Saturday night. Please keep us in your prayers for safe and on time travels, and that we can all get back into the swing of things with the time difference, as it is seven hours ahead here from home.
Thanks for being part of our team!
Love,
Rachel, Iza, Missy, Kim and Lois
We then went to the center and cared for the kids, and then cooked in the afternoon for another Christmas party. Abel and Samuel's family were the guest of honor. It was so amazing to see how excited Abel and Samuel were to have their families at the party. They seemed to enjoy dinner and were happy to be at the center. It is sad to say, but these two boys have had a very hard life, abandoned by their mother, and while the grandparents are raising them, they believe them to be cursed and they live in a separate hut, and stay there alone at night. They are sweet boys, Abel with scars from head to toe, and they love it at the center. As the kids did the drama of the birth of Christ, Abel kept looking and smiling at his grandparents waiting on that reassurance that they thought he was doing a good job. They did seem proud of the boys and had a great time. Santa came too, and of course there were lots of presents.
Today we went back to the center and worked on a storage room, organizing the donations of clothes, medicine, etc. We were able to go through winter clothes so the kids will be ready for the cold weather. The weather this week has been perfect, not too cold, and with sunshine most of the week. We got to play with the kids too, and then prepared the meal for tonight's party. This party was for Alex's family. Unfortunately, he is very sick and still in the hospital and won't be out until next week if all goes well, but his family came to celebrate with us. They enjoyed the meal, the drama was a hit, as it was on the other nights, and of course Santa was the man of the night!
We got to be with Dave today, who is here from England and has been working with the kids at Caminul Felix. He has also been helping Rachel in Tinca a couple of days a week. He is a great guy, learning Romanian, with his Brittish accent, and the kids love him! He is a great encouragement for Tim, who works at the center, and they have been tiling one of the apartments behind the center. They work together on projects and he helps to do whatever is needed at the center. We enjoyed our time with him, and will be with him again tomorrow.
We are so blessed and happy to be here to celebrate Christmas with the kids at the center and their families. We have not walked through the village of Tinca, only have driven through to pick up the kids to take them to the center, and to take them back home at night. We hope to deliver the family pictures that were taken each night at the parties and see the families in their homes, along with the others in the village.
Tomorrow is our last day here in Romania, and we are very grateful for all of the blessings that God has given us this week, and we feel that all of these families have felt the love of Christ as we have loved them, served them and celebrated Christ's birth.
The internet is still down at the apartment, but if all goes well and it's on tomorrow, we'll update again, and if not, we'll post something after we get home. We will be home on Saturday night. Please keep us in your prayers for safe and on time travels, and that we can all get back into the swing of things with the time difference, as it is seven hours ahead here from home.
Thanks for being part of our team!
Love,
Rachel, Iza, Missy, Kim and Lois
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
First Christmas Dinner Party A Blessing For All
Thank you for your comments and your prayers. There are so many of you that are part of this celebration, through your love, prayers, gifts and financial support. We feel abundantly blessed to be here and thank you all.
The internet at the apartment is still down so we will update every chance we get here at the center.
We do have a special prayer request, and that is for Ronelle Vandgrift and her family. Ronelle was planning to travel with us on her first mission trip but had to cancel because her sister was in the hospital about a week before we left. We are sad to say that she passed away and Ronelle and her family are in our thoughts and in our prayers.
We also ask for your prayers for Donnie, Peggy and Jerry as they too were scheduled to come on this trip and have been here before. Donnie's father had a stroke a couple of weeks before leaving for Romania and Jerry had surgery with complications of infections and several hospitalizations. They are part of this team as we all worked together on group fund raising and gaining sponsorship to pay for trip expenses and for extras for the kids. Donnie, Peggy and Jerry, we miss you and love you and pray fir God's healing and speedy recoveries.
The first Christmas dinner party was last night and it was great! We had another one tonight. Each night we have dinner, and Tim who works at the center, read from the Bible about the birth of Christ. The kids at the center dressed in costumes that we brought to play out the story. It was sooooooo cute and fun! The kids loved it, and the parents were so proud! They laughed and smiled and really got the message.
When we planned the dinner parties before we even left for Romania, we wanted to make sure that it was more than a Christmas party, but one that would leave an impact. Most of the families of the kids at the center are not Christian, but have been shown the love of Christ in so many ways by Rachel, FMN, and by many teams that have come to work with the children, the families and in the village of Tinca. Both nights, the families seemed to enjoy the meal. The Roma (Gypsy) culture is one that is not accepted and they are never, or hardly ever, even invited or accepted in society, much less invited to a party that was planned especially for them. They dressed in the very best as we planned to do family portraits. We served them the meal which was a blessing to us, and for them too. Everyone received Christmas presents and food. We felt the impact was made.
After we left the center last night, it was so amazing to hear Rachel talk about the ride home when she took the parents back to the village. They were very grateful and felt our love, and the love of Christ. Rachel said that she and others have been encouraging Tim to allow God to use him to preach to others in his village. He had already opened up a prayer meeting in his home and has been ministering to different families in the village. We had a script for the drama that we were going to use, but forgot it and left it at Rachel's apartment. It apparently was God's plan, as this opened up the opportunity for Him to use Tim, to read from the Bible the story of Christmas, and to share with the families of God's love for them. He also shared with them that God brought Rachel to Romania to love their children and to help them to take better care of their children through the support of FMN. She also said that this opportunity was something should wouldn't have been able to do by herself, and that it was so amazing for her to see the parents in a totally different light. In the village, it is a hard life, and the culture is raw and violent. At the center, in their best clothes, and while being served, they were different people. Rachel saw for the first time, the pride that each parent had for their children as they carried out the drama. It was amazing!
We are so blessed to be here and thank all who have made it possible. Rachel is amazing and is pure light in a very dark village. We pray that more short term mission teams will come to work with FMN and help to further the work that is being done. We also pray that God will bring others to serve long term alongside Rachel and FMN.
We are at Caminul Felix and had a great night spending some time with the teens that are 16 years and older. We did an ice breaker that was fun, and we started to lose them because there were so many, and because of the translation process. We had an activity planned but felt God leading us into open conversation instead. Our intention was to love them and encourage them as life in Romania is hard. From some of the responses we got after our time with them, we feel that God was in that room and even if one life was touched or encouraged, for Him, that it was worth the time. We have watched many of these kids grow up.
We have to go for now........it's been a long, but blessed day, and now after 10:00 p.m., we will go back to Rachel's apartment, eat some dinner and get some rest for another big day tomorrow. We will be at the center again, and will have another Christmas party with the biggest family, Alex's family, the little boy with Down's Syndrome in the Isaiah Center. Please pray for Alex as he has been in the hospital, and is supposed to get out tomorrow. We want to be able to see him and love on him. We were here in January, and we know that he has changed very much since coming to the center through the work of physical therapists, and the extra love from Rachel and others from FMN.
We are so thankful for Rachel and her heart. We are so thankful that she has given up her life for the will of God as it is obvious that He has called her to Romania to show His love and bring others to know Him. We are also thankful for Iza, as she lights up any room she comes into. She loves God, she loves people and she definitely loves the kids at the center. She is a doll! She's so much fun and we love being here with her and Rachel.
Love,
Rachel, Iza, Kim, Missy & Lois
The internet at the apartment is still down so we will update every chance we get here at the center.
We do have a special prayer request, and that is for Ronelle Vandgrift and her family. Ronelle was planning to travel with us on her first mission trip but had to cancel because her sister was in the hospital about a week before we left. We are sad to say that she passed away and Ronelle and her family are in our thoughts and in our prayers.
We also ask for your prayers for Donnie, Peggy and Jerry as they too were scheduled to come on this trip and have been here before. Donnie's father had a stroke a couple of weeks before leaving for Romania and Jerry had surgery with complications of infections and several hospitalizations. They are part of this team as we all worked together on group fund raising and gaining sponsorship to pay for trip expenses and for extras for the kids. Donnie, Peggy and Jerry, we miss you and love you and pray fir God's healing and speedy recoveries.
The first Christmas dinner party was last night and it was great! We had another one tonight. Each night we have dinner, and Tim who works at the center, read from the Bible about the birth of Christ. The kids at the center dressed in costumes that we brought to play out the story. It was sooooooo cute and fun! The kids loved it, and the parents were so proud! They laughed and smiled and really got the message.
When we planned the dinner parties before we even left for Romania, we wanted to make sure that it was more than a Christmas party, but one that would leave an impact. Most of the families of the kids at the center are not Christian, but have been shown the love of Christ in so many ways by Rachel, FMN, and by many teams that have come to work with the children, the families and in the village of Tinca. Both nights, the families seemed to enjoy the meal. The Roma (Gypsy) culture is one that is not accepted and they are never, or hardly ever, even invited or accepted in society, much less invited to a party that was planned especially for them. They dressed in the very best as we planned to do family portraits. We served them the meal which was a blessing to us, and for them too. Everyone received Christmas presents and food. We felt the impact was made.
After we left the center last night, it was so amazing to hear Rachel talk about the ride home when she took the parents back to the village. They were very grateful and felt our love, and the love of Christ. Rachel said that she and others have been encouraging Tim to allow God to use him to preach to others in his village. He had already opened up a prayer meeting in his home and has been ministering to different families in the village. We had a script for the drama that we were going to use, but forgot it and left it at Rachel's apartment. It apparently was God's plan, as this opened up the opportunity for Him to use Tim, to read from the Bible the story of Christmas, and to share with the families of God's love for them. He also shared with them that God brought Rachel to Romania to love their children and to help them to take better care of their children through the support of FMN. She also said that this opportunity was something should wouldn't have been able to do by herself, and that it was so amazing for her to see the parents in a totally different light. In the village, it is a hard life, and the culture is raw and violent. At the center, in their best clothes, and while being served, they were different people. Rachel saw for the first time, the pride that each parent had for their children as they carried out the drama. It was amazing!
We are so blessed to be here and thank all who have made it possible. Rachel is amazing and is pure light in a very dark village. We pray that more short term mission teams will come to work with FMN and help to further the work that is being done. We also pray that God will bring others to serve long term alongside Rachel and FMN.
We are at Caminul Felix and had a great night spending some time with the teens that are 16 years and older. We did an ice breaker that was fun, and we started to lose them because there were so many, and because of the translation process. We had an activity planned but felt God leading us into open conversation instead. Our intention was to love them and encourage them as life in Romania is hard. From some of the responses we got after our time with them, we feel that God was in that room and even if one life was touched or encouraged, for Him, that it was worth the time. We have watched many of these kids grow up.
We have to go for now........it's been a long, but blessed day, and now after 10:00 p.m., we will go back to Rachel's apartment, eat some dinner and get some rest for another big day tomorrow. We will be at the center again, and will have another Christmas party with the biggest family, Alex's family, the little boy with Down's Syndrome in the Isaiah Center. Please pray for Alex as he has been in the hospital, and is supposed to get out tomorrow. We want to be able to see him and love on him. We were here in January, and we know that he has changed very much since coming to the center through the work of physical therapists, and the extra love from Rachel and others from FMN.
We are so thankful for Rachel and her heart. We are so thankful that she has given up her life for the will of God as it is obvious that He has called her to Romania to show His love and bring others to know Him. We are also thankful for Iza, as she lights up any room she comes into. She loves God, she loves people and she definitely loves the kids at the center. She is a doll! She's so much fun and we love being here with her and Rachel.
Love,
Rachel, Iza, Kim, Missy & Lois
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