Rachel has shared from her perspective what Christmas in Romania meant to her and to the children and families cared for through the FMN Isaiah Center below. More pictures and afterthoughts to come soon!
What an incredible blessing it is to have the children, families, employees, and village that you are working with be blessed with firewood for the winter, Christmas presents for all of their children, Christmas gifts for each of our children at the Isaiah Center, a new playroom for our kids, gifts for our incredible staff, spa treatment for the ladies on staff, new cooking pots for our families living in mud huts in the village, and food packages!
These are all things that we would not have been able to provide for them without the donations and dedication of Kim, Lois, Missy, First Baptist Church, and their friends and families. Thank you to ALL who allowed these special events to happen and made Christmas come early to Tinca, Romania bringing with it hope, smiles, and touching many hearts!
It is such a special time of year to celebrate together the birth of Christ, encourage one another, witness to our families, love on them (as they live very stressful lives...always in survival mode), and remind them why we are here lovingly guiding their children to know Christ's love and to walk in it daily.
It was so exciting to see the children's precious faces light up when their name would be called to go and receive a present. It was funny to see Alex light up when the special party food was brought out and grab hand fulls, so that he would have plenty on his walker. It was sweet watching Simona get so scared of
Santa (poor thing), but then have her hide behind me and clench on, making me praise God that this beautiful little child of His trusts me, and seeing how He is healing her heart even after enduring so much abuse from her family. Smiling as I watched Mariana giggle forever about her new Barbie doll and then saw her lovingly give it to her younger sister who was upset that she did not get the same one as well. Feeling so proud of Abel and Samuel as they were excited to recite their lines in the program for their family, and to show them all that they had learned. Feeling blessed as I watched our little Calina hug and kiss on Missy and Kim....seeing how she felt loved and special to these amazing women who continue to come and pour into our kids each year. Watching Florica and Maria both get so excited about the new dresses that the ladies brought over for them...excited to dress up and show their families. Proud as I watched Izabella patiently wait for her turn to receive a gift and then watch her enjoy it and play with all the other kids. Lastly, it was a special feeling to watch David and Naomi (this is their first Christmas with us) and the uncertainty and doubt on their faces as they weren't quite sure they would be receiving as well...but then the light and joy in their eyes when it was finally their turns.
I loved getting to help Lois do a special spa morning with the ladies on staff who help keep the Isaiah Center running each day. It was something they were a little uneasy with at first, but ended up loving every minute of. Lois did an awesome job of making them all feel pampered, loved, and encouraged.
I, personally, always enjoy Kim, Missy, and Lois' visits over to Romania, because they encourage us in all that God is doing through us. Sometimes it can get very weary working with people who often know no other way than to take advantage of you, beg, steal, and struggle to survive. However, it is a breath
of fresh air to be able to be surrounded by people who believe in you, believe in what God is doing here, love on you, and laugh with. I am so thankful for these ladies and for all that have made their trip possible! It was another HUGE success and one that we, our children, and our families will be talking about
for a long time!
Thank you again! You are a blessing!!!
Much love,
Rachel
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. ~ Psalm 105:1
We arrived in Louisville late Tuesday night. God blessed us more than we could have ever imagined, and feel that He blessed the children and families in Romania, and those here at home who gave so generously to provide Christmas in Romania. He gave us a huge blessing, thanks to Missy who is a flight attendant and provided us with Buddy Passes, which cut the cost of the airline tickets and put is in Business Class on the flight home from Amsterdam! How much better can it get? We served and then were served. Thanks again Missy!
We'll update in a few days with comments and thoughts from Rachel from her perspective on what it means to her and the families that we share this special time with them.
We are more thankful than ever, and wish each one of you a Happy Thanksgiving!
Love,
Kim, Missy & Lois
We'll update in a few days with comments and thoughts from Rachel from her perspective on what it means to her and the families that we share this special time with them.
We are more thankful than ever, and wish each one of you a Happy Thanksgiving!
Love,
Kim, Missy & Lois
Monday, November 22, 2010
God Has Blessed Our Time in Romania
Our time in Romania is ending and we leave at 2 a.m. for Budapest. We will be home with our families tomorrow evening.
It has been an amazing week and we accomplished everything and more than we planned and have been so blessed. Today the playroom was finished. We had a mini-spa for the ladies who work at the center which was a blast and they absolutely loved it! The spa music was playing, spa products used, and it was a time of love and encouragement. We were able to pray with them too and thank them for all that they do for FMN and the kids at the center. We shared with them that we had been praying for God to bring those here in Romania on the field to serve with Rachel, and as always, God answers prayers and He has brought four amazing women to be part of the FMN team. Rachel said the spa was one of her favorite parts of the week, to spoil these ladies and pamper them because she absolutely LOVES them and is so thankful for all that they do.
David and Naomi's family came for their party and it was a great time. This was their first Christmas at the center. We were so excited that their mother was able to make it, paralyzed from the waist down that came on when David was three or four months old. She does have a wheelchair but doesn't get out much. They loved watching the kids do their program, had some great food and Santa blessed all of the kids with outfits and toys.
We have had so much fun with Rachel, Iza, Dave and all of the others at the Isaiah Center, and the kids have kept us hopping and we've received lots of hugs and kisses. The kids have learned some English that's fun to hear. Dave is doing an amazing job, is always moving and can do just about anything. The kids love him, and we teased him about every time we'd go to the village, it's like he's the mayor or something! Everybody is waving and calling his name. He is really pouring into the men and boys in the village, loving them and encouraging them and is also a great role model for the kids. Mihai goes all the time as well, helps with getting the kids to and from the center and works with Dave on different projects.
We thank you Rachel, for welcoming us in your home for the third year in a row. We love coming with our small team, but feel absolutely blessed that we are able to accomplish so much and at the same time, spend personal time with you and Iza. We LOVE you, we thank you, we pray for God to bless you and FMN, and know that He has so much more to come for this ministry. Your heart is pure, your vision is amazing, and your laugh is contagious! Thank you for everything!
Please pray for us for safe and on time travels to get us home to be with our families. As we said in our post from yesterday, we have more than ever to be thankful for........for great families, good health, stability and security, kids who have endless opportunities for a bright future. For the kids at the Isaiah Center and many others in the Roma Gypsy culture, this is not the case. With the cycle of abandonment, the poverty, abuse, incest, neglect, and alcoholism, it is hard for them to see that there is any other way of life as this has gone on for generations. Through the work of FMN, these kids have the opportunity to see that there is a different way of life, one in Christ, and one in love, that gives them and their families hope for change in the future. We ask that you pray for Forget Me Not Ministries, for God to bring more here in Romania to work on the field, and for mission teams to come to Romania to help with projects to continue to build into this ministry. As we shared with the ladies at the spa today, God brought them here for the reason, us and many others, and that is to be part of His team to further the Kingdom of God. He "connects the dots" with individuals to accomplish the work that He has planned and how blessed we are to be part of it!
Thanks again for the love, support and prayers. We'll update once we get home.
Love,
Kim, Missy & Lois
It has been an amazing week and we accomplished everything and more than we planned and have been so blessed. Today the playroom was finished. We had a mini-spa for the ladies who work at the center which was a blast and they absolutely loved it! The spa music was playing, spa products used, and it was a time of love and encouragement. We were able to pray with them too and thank them for all that they do for FMN and the kids at the center. We shared with them that we had been praying for God to bring those here in Romania on the field to serve with Rachel, and as always, God answers prayers and He has brought four amazing women to be part of the FMN team. Rachel said the spa was one of her favorite parts of the week, to spoil these ladies and pamper them because she absolutely LOVES them and is so thankful for all that they do.
David and Naomi's family came for their party and it was a great time. This was their first Christmas at the center. We were so excited that their mother was able to make it, paralyzed from the waist down that came on when David was three or four months old. She does have a wheelchair but doesn't get out much. They loved watching the kids do their program, had some great food and Santa blessed all of the kids with outfits and toys.
We have had so much fun with Rachel, Iza, Dave and all of the others at the Isaiah Center, and the kids have kept us hopping and we've received lots of hugs and kisses. The kids have learned some English that's fun to hear. Dave is doing an amazing job, is always moving and can do just about anything. The kids love him, and we teased him about every time we'd go to the village, it's like he's the mayor or something! Everybody is waving and calling his name. He is really pouring into the men and boys in the village, loving them and encouraging them and is also a great role model for the kids. Mihai goes all the time as well, helps with getting the kids to and from the center and works with Dave on different projects.
We thank you Rachel, for welcoming us in your home for the third year in a row. We love coming with our small team, but feel absolutely blessed that we are able to accomplish so much and at the same time, spend personal time with you and Iza. We LOVE you, we thank you, we pray for God to bless you and FMN, and know that He has so much more to come for this ministry. Your heart is pure, your vision is amazing, and your laugh is contagious! Thank you for everything!
Please pray for us for safe and on time travels to get us home to be with our families. As we said in our post from yesterday, we have more than ever to be thankful for........for great families, good health, stability and security, kids who have endless opportunities for a bright future. For the kids at the Isaiah Center and many others in the Roma Gypsy culture, this is not the case. With the cycle of abandonment, the poverty, abuse, incest, neglect, and alcoholism, it is hard for them to see that there is any other way of life as this has gone on for generations. Through the work of FMN, these kids have the opportunity to see that there is a different way of life, one in Christ, and one in love, that gives them and their families hope for change in the future. We ask that you pray for Forget Me Not Ministries, for God to bring more here in Romania to work on the field, and for mission teams to come to Romania to help with projects to continue to build into this ministry. As we shared with the ladies at the spa today, God brought them here for the reason, us and many others, and that is to be part of His team to further the Kingdom of God. He "connects the dots" with individuals to accomplish the work that He has planned and how blessed we are to be part of it!
Thanks again for the love, support and prayers. We'll update once we get home.
Love,
Kim, Missy & Lois
Playroom Dedication in Loving Memory of Jerry Ashabranner
One of our goals while in Romania was to finish the playroom for the kids. With 11 kids and cold weather coming, the kids needed a place to release some energy. Rachel picked out several items for the playroom including a bounce house that almost fills the room, a tent, tunnel, and some other fun stuff for the kids. When we heard that Rachel wanted to do a playroom at the Isaiah Center, our first thought was to do this playroom in loving honor and memory of Jerry Ashabranner. Jerry and his wife Peggy traveled to Romania in 2007 with a team from First Baptist Church of Jeffersonville. Anybody that knows Jerry knows all about the kids and families in Tinca because he loved to share his experiences. His (and Peggy's) life was forever changed after spending time in Romania. Jerry's health deteriorated in the last two years, and it was the thought of coming back to Romania that he held on to, that kept him going through this time.
Jerry has gone home to be with the Lord, and what better way to pay tribute to him, his heart and his inspiration to many than to dedicate the playroom in his honor and memory. There are pictures of Jerry and some of the kids who's lives were touched by Jerry that will hang in the playroom as a reminder of his and Peggy's love and support. This playroom is another gift from all of those who were part of Christmas in Romania, and from those who gave money in memory of Jerry.
Peggy, we love you!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
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