tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86107265903709414552024-03-05T03:51:42.989-08:00Pathway to Joy MinistriesPathway to Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17474181606193029934noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610726590370941455.post-12240561608839750182009-12-21T09:32:00.001-08:002009-12-21T09:43:36.580-08:00Donate today, your gift will be doubled!<div align="center">An extraordinary opportunity is at hand for Pathway to Joy Ministries!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#cc0000;"><strong>If we raise $50,000 by January 15, 2010,<br />we’ll receive an additional $50,000 from the<br />Carole Mastroddi Foundation.</strong></span><br /><br /></div><td width="500" bgcolor="#ffffff" valign="top"><p align="center"><a href="http://www.pathwaytojoy.org/what_safeplace.htm"><img height="625" alt="MATCHING GIFT CHALLENGE" src="http://pathwaytojoy.org/images/enews_eoy.jpg" width="500" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><br /><td class="body" bgcolor="#ffffff" valign="top"><p class="main"><p class="main">How can you help? Make a donation in any amount before January 15th. Your special donation will be used to purchase "Safe PLACE." This emergency placement home will provide temporary protective housing for up to 10 orphaned children at a time while we raise up foster and adoptive families to receive these children into their families — to love, nurture, and prepare them for a secure and promising future. And you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you helped give an abandoned child a home!</p><p></p>Please help us reach our goal by <a href="http://www.pathwaytojoy.org/what_safeplace.htm"><strong><span style="color:#006600;">visiting our site</span></strong></a> and making a donation today.<br /><br /><br /><p class="main">Remember, any amount you can give will make a difference because it will be doubled. Thank you for helping us to rise to this unique challenge with the 2009 Safe PLACE Matching Gift Fund.</p>Sincerely,<br /><img height="32" alt="Cornel & Karen Bucur" src="http://www.pathwaytojoy.org/images/sig.gif" width="151" /><br />Cornel & Karen Bucur<br />Founders, Pathway to Joy Ministries<br /><br />P.S. Remember, your gift must be received by January 15th, so please <u><a href="http://www.pathwaytojoy.org/what_safeplace.htm"><strong><span style="color:#006600;">act now</span></strong></a></u>.<br /></td></tr></tbody><br /></td><br /></tr><br /><br /><br /></tbody></td><br /></tr><br /></tbody>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610726590370941455.post-48129072901844441682009-09-30T04:10:00.000-07:002009-09-30T04:18:05.003-07:00Why do they keep coming back?<span style="font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFqcfWR29JcYCvUBJeit2hxqVvfE3c1PqRZutZG_WxJJuD58vuQJss5-V5DJN9fG9aQk46k1jwIOQmd3cWPzj6SIutr4FZAfwCXQEpW3dR4cnbul-UGIF6H3jlXX8D9sRD9_5yyDvXdJq/s1600-h/Irene+and+Kevin.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 172px;" 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style="'mso-element:field-end'"></span></span><![endif]--><span style="font-size:130%;">On this our third trip to Romania, I wondered how my heart would be taken. With Kevin (age 2, looking like 9 months) in my arms our last day in the hospital, I knew it happened again. Barely skin and bones, he groaned with pain from his bloated stomach and his gastrointestinal difficulties. He seemed able to relax with a bit of calm as I gently stroked his back and abdomen. I wonder every day, <i>is Kevin still there? Will someone claim his body when he dies?</i></span></p><p style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMbvt1Va4KWNd0lXMeHntsiF5c6tdZQORoTuMfBbfu4mhIOu4oS11QQnJy3GoTcokGluQYhj4auJbVRXA3aNvxEn2lX3Kmpnsiv-7Inwu4U6ePeIYm1LwTXk4UXWJD26sHQxGXYRpGAF_/s1600-h/Irene+and+Terezia.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 130px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMbvt1Va4KWNd0lXMeHntsiF5c6tdZQORoTuMfBbfu4mhIOu4oS11QQnJy3GoTcokGluQYhj4auJbVRXA3aNvxEn2lX3Kmpnsiv-7Inwu4U6ePeIYm1LwTXk4UXWJD26sHQxGXYRpGAF_/s200/Irene+and+Terezia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387217079785971122" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;">At the other end of the spectrum, my heart was claimed by Teresa, a young adult orphan resident at CP2. She’s a bright young lady who speaks Romanian, Hungarian, and English, and who is very interested in a car</span><span style="font-size:130%;">eer in the business world. I long for her to know Jesus intimately in her heart. Did I add any seeds to this possibility? My prayer is that she will open her heart wide and let herself be completely bathed in love by our Creator God.</span></p><p style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;">Irene Byers</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg Missions Team.</span><br /><span style="font-size:12;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610726590370941455.post-11209582245369555942009-01-05T09:16:00.000-08:002009-01-05T09:26:05.409-08:00Hope at LastThis is a wonderful story write by Irene Byers from Calvary Chapel St. Peteburgh. You might want to view the PDF to see their faces. <a href="http://www.pathwaytojoy.org/docs/hope_at_last_article.pdf"> PDF article</a> Hope you enjoy it.<br /><br />In our 2007 visit to Romania’s Sabolciu village at Oradea, our hearts were ripped<br />apart with Alexandra’s empty, sad expression. Dirt covered her face. She had no<br />response to Sarah Christopher’s gentle swabbing. Months later we learned Alex and<br />her sister Alina (ages 2 and 6) were living alone in a 5x7 foot unheated hut with no<br />adults. Sabolciu is the poorest of two Roma (gypsy) villages we visited. Neither<br />have running water or heat in their homes today yet.<br /><br />Fearing these girls would die in the harsh winter, Pathway to Joy Ministries entreated the government to let them place the girls in foster care. This battle went on seven months. Finally, Pathway risked losing their license when they physically took the girls, with their grandma’s permission, and placed them in a foster home, a loving rescue done just in time. Alex and Alina were both sick, suffering from frostbite, and shaking with fear. Embedded lice meant the complete shaving of their heads was necessary.<br /><br />Pathway then discovered that Alina had never been issued a birth certificate. The date believed to be nearest her day of birth is January 30. She will celebrate for the first time in 2009 with the caring Christian family God has provided. Alex and Alina now have two sisters, a mommy and a daddy.<br /><br />When Jim and I understood their demise and the sponsorship needed for a foster home, we knew we were to give. Our life group, led by Jeff and Shelly Kellogg, now adds enough to cover a larger percentage of their monthly foster care expense.<br /><br />In October this year, we (and Angie Banks) were privileged to spend a Sunday afternoon with Alina and Alexandra in their foster home. What a miracle of God we witnessed before us – two joyful sisters laughing, having fun, and enjoying their “mommy,” Simona.<br /><br />“Seeing the girls now,” stated Angie, “ and knowing the gravity of their situation, the transformation in their lives can only be explained by the Lord intervening through Pathway to Joy. The sounds of their sweet laughter brought tears to my eyes. I loved seeing the hugs and love they had for Simona and the love she had for them. This experience alone would convict me to support Pathway to Joy, when you see the fruit of their labor in front of you.”<br /><br />When Chicagoan Bud Nidey in our group observed Alina and Alex a couple days later, he was taken in with their exuberance. “I recall at one point the youngest was laughing so hard she was even covering her mouth. These children bore no resemblance to the sad children I had heard about.”<br /><br />Alina and Alexandra – two sisters miraculously rescued from an all-alone life with death crouching at the door. Just one case in which the Holy Spirit prompted Pathway to Joy to bring hope that lasts. It’s their mission – to offer protection, provision, and permanent solutions for the many abandoned and orphaned children in Romania. “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans...in their distress.” James 1:27a NIV.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610726590370941455.post-61687953703802714912008-04-17T03:59:00.001-07:002008-04-17T04:02:49.475-07:00UPDATE: Orphans in Sabolciu<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2031/2076253542_ca6c65281b.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 231px; height: 173px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2031/2076253542_ca6c65281b.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>Great news from our foster care staff! Back in October I blogged about a prayer request for a pair of semi orphans that were living in the gypsy village of Sabolciu (read about them <a href="http://ptjm.blogspot.com/2007/10/prayer-requests-orphans-in-sabolciu.html">here</a>). And pretty much everyone who went to the construction site with STS saw them. It was that week that our foster care staff finally worked out to get them in a home. It was very difficult because of different laws and because the mother, who was living in another village, would not let us place the kids. But finally we worked through it and God provided a family that was willing to take both of them in. The pictures here are from before and after they were placed. I have been out to Sabolciu a ton these last couple of months and honestly I think in this picture is the first time I have seen Rodica (the little one) smile. This literally will make all the difference in these kids lives. Now that Alina (the older one) does not have to provide for her little sister they can play and live like kids are supposed to and grow up in a good household with loving parents teaching <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2123/2419943633_e0b2150fd8.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2123/2419943633_e0b2150fd8.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>them the word of God. Its not every day you get to see fruit like this in ministry so we are all very excited. Continue to pray for them as they integrate into their new homes.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610726590370941455.post-2889530085449220342008-04-15T02:22:00.000-07:002008-04-17T23:55:04.319-07:00STS Team: Jenny<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2415/2416037584_6cefea08b8_m.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 193px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2415/2416037584_6cefea08b8_m.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-style: italic;">Every spring break a youth </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-style: italic;">group from </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-style: italic;">Church of the Apostles in A</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-style: italic;">tla</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-style: italic;">nta Georgia sends a team of high school students to work with us. This is an account of one </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-style: italic;">of those students.</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">This was my third time on a mission trip to</span><span lang="EN-US"> <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Romania</st1:place></st1:country-region> and by far the most meaningful. After experiencing many of the activities for the third time, I have seen a lot of growth in many different areas of our mission field. This has been extremely encou</span><span lang="EN-US">raging to see how God has truly worked in the hearts of so many Romanians. Through these, God has truly changed my heart and perspective. This was my second visit to the teenage orphanage. During my first visit, I remember being so uncomfortable </span><span lang="EN-US">because of the apparent darkness in the building. I remember talking to a girl named Dana who claim</span><span lang="EN-US">ed that she was a stout atheist. This year, I was so encouraged to see that God had transformed her life and now she had become a beautiful sixteen year old with God so apparent in her life. On the other hand, sadly, I recognized a few babies in the</span><span lang="EN-US"> hospital I have seen since my freshman year in high school. I realized that this may be the last time I will ever see some of these precious babies. I have so much appreciation for the beautiful nurses who sacrifice everyday to be with those babies. My few hours of discomfort were nothing compared to all the other people who sacrifice everyday </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2256/2422067389_548b421b43.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2256/2422067389_548b421b43.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><span lang="EN-US">of their l</span><span lang="EN-US">ife to serve God in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Romania</st1:place></st1:country-region>. I was so privileged to be a part of this trip for a third time and I hope that I will have many more opportunities down the road to continue to serve in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Romania</st1:place></st1:country-region>.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610726590370941455.post-77896290699307258712008-04-15T02:04:00.000-07:002008-04-15T03:21:58.605-07:00STS Team: Elizabeth<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-style: italic;">Every spring break a youth group from Church of the Apostles in Atlanta Georgia sends a team of high school students to work with us. This is an account of one of those students.<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">This is my first trip to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Romania</st1:place></st1:country-region>, but I never expected that this week would be as meaningful as it already has been.<span style=""> </span>So much of what we’ve seen has been both emotionally </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3190/2416036960_0d3bbb0957_m.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 274px; height: 205px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3190/2416036960_0d3bbb0957_m.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span lang="EN-US">and spiritually challenging – in the best way – but I think the most significant was the series </span><span lang="EN-US">of interactions I’ve had with children here.<span style=""> </span>We have visited a few gypsy villages, and each ti</span><span lang="EN-US">me I</span><span lang="EN-US">’ve been met with a slew of dirty, smiling children.<span style=""> </span>They were all so eager to play and show off b</span><span lang="EN-US">utchered English phrases they’d learned.<span style=""> </span>Everyone was especially touched when they yelled “Christians!<span style=""> </span>Christians!<span style=""> </span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Americ</st1:place></st1:country-region></span><span lang="EN-US"><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">a</st1:place></st1:country-region>!”<span style=""> </span>We are all really inspired by the new church and the Christian kindergarten being built </span><span lang="EN-US">in one of the villages, Sabolciu.<span style=""> </span>This morning my group visited the government hospital and I spent the entire time on a floor specifically reserved for sick infants with special needs.<span style=""> </span>I petted a toddler with “water in the brain” so severe that he couldn’t leave his crib, and rocked a </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2269/2415215399_333d9c617d.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 225px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2269/2415215399_333d9c617d.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><span lang="EN-US">crippled four-year-old that didn’t show any outward signs of recognizing me.<span style=""> </span>I had a </span><span lang="EN-US">feeli</span><span lang="EN-US">ng that just being there made a difference, however small.<span style=""> </span>Many of them had just been abandone</span><span lang="EN-US">d t</span><span lang="EN-US">here by parents that didn’t want to deal with them.<span style=""> </span>The morning was emotionally draining, </span><span lang="EN-US">but I left the hospital praising God and praying for the sweet nurses who stayed with these babies day and night.<span style=""> </span>We only have a few days left here, but I’ve already been so moved and inspired.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610726590370941455.post-84104668746217476402007-11-09T01:23:00.000-08:002008-12-09T11:30:25.787-08:00It's Raining Shoes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Fe9T9SSafdk/RzQaZPA2T_I/AAAAAAAAACA/mkCjvnUZhfc/s1600-h/DSC02172.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 215px; height: 162px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Fe9T9SSafdk/RzQaZPA2T_I/AAAAAAAAACA/mkCjvnUZhfc/s320/DSC02172.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130754896310980594" border="0" /></a><br />On Tuesday, Diteo and I drove down to the city of Targu Mures. Buckner Ministries has a mission center there. They are based in Dallas, Texas and one of their big outreaches is a program called Shoes for Orphans. We picked up a load of around 750 pairs of shoes to bless the kids in our ministry. I dont know if you have any idea what that many pairs of shoes look like but we filled our van to the brim. I had shoes on my lap for the return trip. It is really going to be a blessing to a lot of the gypsies especially but certainly the orphans as well to have these shoes for them. And even better, Buckner is coming here in a few weeks to bless us with even more shoes! By the time we get them all distributed, everyone who is in any of our programs will have new shoes for <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Fe9T9SSafdk/RzQbJ_A2UAI/AAAAAAAAACI/GZ1TuKGrZZ8/s1600-h/DSC02186.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 162px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Fe9T9SSafdk/RzQbJ_A2UAI/AAAAAAAAACI/GZ1TuKGrZZ8/s320/DSC02186.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130755733829603330" border="0" /></a>the winter. God really provided and it is really cool to be his hands and feet in getting these shoes to those who really need them most. Check out my flickr site for more pictures of the unloading extravaganza. Hopefully I'll be able to grab some shots of the distribution and I'll get those up soon. [<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7752244@N08/sets/72157603030594235/">Pictures</a>]Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610726590370941455.post-25431194302160571702007-10-29T02:46:00.001-07:002007-10-29T02:46:45.402-07:00Prayer Requests: Orphans in SabolciuThe other day when Cornel was coming out to Sabolciu to check on the progress of our church plant, he saw two children on the side of the road. He stopped to talk to them and it turns out the four year old was taking care of her two year old sister because their grandmother had died and left them with no family. We checked out where they were staying. It was nothing short of appalling. It was a room no bigger than a broom closet with about a foot of trash on the floor. We need to be praying that Child Protective Services will step in and do their job. Once they have gotten through the legal work then we can step in as a ministry and help find them a foster home. They are very vulnerable right now and beg for all of their food. Pray that God will protect them and find them a place to live as fast as possible. Thank you for your prayers.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610726590370941455.post-44005917154322733782007-10-08T08:41:00.000-07:002007-10-14T12:52:34.104-07:00We Won!<span style="color:#000066;">This weekend CP2 hosted a fotbal (soccer) tournament. The Director invited some of the other placement centers in the surrounding city to participate. There were 8 teams total. WE WON! The Boys really played well and they played as a team. Their attitudes and temperaments were great. They really impressed me!...so of course we had to take them out to celebrate. </span><br /><span style="color:#000066;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000066;">Sue Volpe</span><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://www.thesue.com/blog/pics/print2.jpg"><img height="98" src="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/print2.jpg" /><width="126" align="left"></span></a><a href="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/print3.jpg"><img height="98" src="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/print3.jpg" /><width="126" align="left"></span></a><a href="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/print4.jpg"><img height="98" src="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/print4.jpg" /><width="126" align="left"></span></a><br /><a href="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/print5.jpg"><img height="98" src="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/print5.jpg" /><width="126" align="left"></span></a><a href="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/print6.jpg"><img height="98" src="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/print6.jpg" /><width="126" align="left"></span></a><a href="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/print7.jpg"><img height="98" src="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/print7.jpg" /><width="126" align="left"></span></a><br /><a href="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/IMG_1385.jpg"><img height="98" src="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/IMG_1385.jpg" /><width="126" align="left"></span></a><a href="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/IMG_1386.jpg"><img height="98" src="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/IMG_1386.jpg" /><width="126" align="left"></span></a><a href="http://www.thesue.com/blog/pics/IMG_1415.jpg"><img height="98" src="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/IMG_1415.jpg" /><width="126" align="left"></span></a><br /><a href="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/IMG_1416.jpg"><img height="98" src="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/IMG_1416.jpg" /><width="126" align="left"></span></a><a href="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/IMG_1417.jpg"><img height="98" src="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/IMG_1417.jpg" /><width="126" align="left"></span></a><a href="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/IMG_1328withme.jpg"><img height="98" src="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/IMG_1328withme.jpg" /><width="126" align="left"></span></a><br /><br /><span style="color:#000066;"></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610726590370941455.post-60508174997788942242007-09-18T08:38:00.000-07:002007-10-14T12:33:40.912-07:00Unforgetable<div align="center"><a href="http://www.thesue.com/blog/pics/b6.jpg"><img height="98" src="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/b6.jpg" /><width="126" align="left"></span></a><a href="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/b17.jpg"><img height="98" src="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/b1.jpg" /><width="126" align="left"></span></a><a href="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/b2.jpg"><img height="98" src="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/b2.jpg" /><width="126" align="left"></span></a><br /><a href="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/b3.jpg"><img height="98" src="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/b3.jpg" /><width="126" align="left"></span></a><a href="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/b4.jpg"><img height="98" src="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/b4.jpg" /><width="126" align="left"></span></a><a href="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/b5.jpg"><img height="98" src="http://www.thesue.com/blog/PICS/b5.jpg" /><width="126" align="left"></span></a><br /><span style="color:#000066;"></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div align="left"><span style="color:#000066;">Ok, so I told you about the team last week, but I want to express to you a personal experience while working with the team in the Gypsy village of Sabolciu. Up until this point I had not done much work in the villages, mostly because I would do office work in the morning and hang with the kids at the orphanage in the afternoons. Cornel (My Pastor) asked me to go to the Villages with the teams to assist with the VBS. I have to say I was very hesitant. It makes for a very long day. So anyway, Sabolciu is the poorest of the villages we work with; there are a lot of single mothers with very small children. Most of their husbands left the country for work with promises to send money back, which never came, and neither did the husbands. This VBS was special because the team brought love bears for the children. Everyone made a bear, and we wrote their names on them. It was really wonderful, and the kids loved them. After we fed them and were sending them home, one of the Ladies in the team (Sarah) & I heard these two little sisters screaming. One of the older boys who had his own bear was trying to steal their bears from them, so we shooed him away and walked the girls home. As we were walking back up the hill to the van, we heard them screaming again and could see the boy running off with the bears. We could do nothing. It was very heart breaking. Sarah and I decided that we had to get these girls new bears, so the next day I went to their home with Mirabella (a co-laborer). We met their grandmother who said that the girls had come home crying. She also told us that their mother was crazy and unable to take care of them (I have to say I agreed…their clothes were filthy, the little one didn’t have pants or underwear on, they looked like they hadn’t been bathed in months, and their hair was so matted I don’t think you could comb it out.) When we gave the girls the bears they were so full of joy that their faces will be burned in my heart forever. I am excited to have more opportunities to bless this family, and I plan to go back next week with food and clothes for the girls.<br /><br />Sue Volpe<br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0