Hope at Last

This is a wonderful story write by Irene Byers from Calvary Chapel St. Peteburgh. You might want to view the PDF to see their faces. PDF article Hope you enjoy it.

In our 2007 visit to Romania’s Sabolciu village at Oradea, our hearts were ripped
apart with Alexandra’s empty, sad expression. Dirt covered her face. She had no
response to Sarah Christopher’s gentle swabbing. Months later we learned Alex and
her sister Alina (ages 2 and 6) were living alone in a 5x7 foot unheated hut with no
adults. Sabolciu is the poorest of two Roma (gypsy) villages we visited. Neither
have running water or heat in their homes today yet.

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.

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.

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.

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.

“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.”

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.”

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.

UPDATE: Orphans in Sabolciu

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 here). 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 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.

STS Team: Jenny

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.

This was my third time on a mission trip to Romania 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 encouraging 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 because of the apparent darkness in the building. I remember talking to a girl named Dana who claimed 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 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 of their life to serve God in Romania. 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 Romania.

STS Team: Elizabeth

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.

This is my first trip to Romania, but I never expected that this week would be as meaningful as it already has been. So much of what we’ve seen has been both emotionally and spiritually challenging – in the best way – but I think the most significant was the series of interactions I’ve had with children here. We have visited a few gypsy villages, and each time I’ve been met with a slew of dirty, smiling children. They were all so eager to play and show off butchered English phrases they’d learned. Everyone was especially touched when they yelled “Christians! Christians! America!” We are all really inspired by the new church and the Christian kindergarten being built in one of the villages, Sabolciu. 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. I petted a toddler with “water in the brain” so severe that he couldn’t leave his crib, and rocked a crippled four-year-old that didn’t show any outward signs of recognizing me. I had a feeling that just being there made a difference, however small. Many of them had just been abandoned there by parents that didn’t want to deal with them. The morning was emotionally draining, but I left the hospital praising God and praying for the sweet nurses who stayed with these babies day and night. We only have a few days left here, but I’ve already been so moved and inspired.

It's Raining Shoes

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 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. [Pictures]