Friday, May 29, 2009

The Annual Livada Family Picnic...

Every year right before summer begins we bring all the staff & kids of Livada together for a big annual family picnic! Everyone enjoys a meal together, the staff enjoys the cooking contest and everyone enjoys the fun prize giveaway! We also take the opportunity of having everyone gathered to update our family photo album...

Casa Rebeca

Casa Ana

Casa Nadia

Our Foster Care families who are caring for Madalin & Daniel were also able to join us for the picnic this year...


With the Mentor Program it is a little harder to tell who are the kids and who are the adults as they are all growing up so much. Kati & Ani from the Mentor Program will graduate the summer and several more of our older teens will be moving up from the houses to the apartments in the months to come.



We are so thankful for our Follow Up Staff who spend so much time investing in the over 400 children & teens that we work with in state care. They do weekly programs with the children, help provide dental care and meet other needs and are currently getting geared up for our summer camps which begin in less than a month!

We are thankful for a new addition to this team... Sarah Meszaros moved to Romania in May and will serve on our follow up staff and as the Camp Administrator for the coming year. Please pray for her time of adjustment as she adapts to a new culture and jumps into camp all at once.


And last, but not least, all those on our administrative staff who help keep the ministry of Livada going here in Romania. We are so thankful for each of them.


Thank you for being a part of this amazing family by partnering with us in prayer and through your giving. We are blessed to be a part of what God is doing in the lives of so many here in Romania.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Life Skills and Fun... all rolled into one!

Each week the young adults in our mentor program get together on Thursday evening. Sometimes it is just for games or a movie, but other times they have the chance to put what they are learning into action. This past Thursday was one of those nights.



The mentor apartment teens were partnered with the older kids from the houses who are preparing to move into the apartments in the next year. They were given 50 lei, which is a little under $20 and each team had to think through their food needs for a week and purchase all that they thought they would need with the money they were given.



Some thought through each meal and tried to make things that would last for the week. Others were enjoying the freedom of making their own choices and chose some "real" food items and then added soda, ice cream, gum, etc. The teams worked together well and enjoyed their time trying to complete their task.



In the end, a few teams had to put some items back at the register because they hadn't calculated their total ahead of time... others were right on the money and so proud. The kids were able to keep the items they had purchased for their apartments. The only catch was that the winning team received all the groceries purchased by the last place team.



Please continue to pray for the two young ladies, Kati & Ani, who will graduate from the program this summer and for several of our older "kids" who will move into the apartments soon.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

The NGO Expo...


Earlier this month our city of Targu Mures in Romania held their 7th annual NGO Expo! It was two days of booths set up throughout the Center of town, meetings with area leaders and even a parade!


We found out about the Expo only a few days before it was set to take place, so the staff all worked together to prepare a booth filled with pictures, information, new brochures and more. The kids had a great time marching through town in the parade along with other Non-Governmental Organizations who help in the area in all kinds of different ways.


We were thankful for the opportunity to share "Fundatia LOC" with others in our community. Although we are very involved in their community with the orphaned and abandoned children, many had not heard of us and were interested to learn more. There were opportunities for them to volunteer with us and to join us through giving. This is still a growing concept in Romania and we are thankful that the leaders in the community are encouraging awareness of the work of NGO's in our area. We look forward to all that God is going to continue to do through us in Targu Mures and all of Mures County for years to come!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

The First Walk Outside!


Since spring has arrived the hospital staff is allowing me to bring the babies outside in the park. I was amazed by the many different reactions that the babies showed in their time outside.



A few the babies forgot their last experience outside which was last fall. Olimpiu (3 years old), Oliviu (2 years old) and Sebi (18 months) have only experienced cement floor under their little feet so when I brought them to the park they were actually afraid to walk on the grass. The grass was not the only thing that they were afraid of, Oliviu Started crying when a small bird came close to us.



During their time outside the babies (Oliviu in particular) were shocked by the outside sounds of the passing cars and the daily noises and kept trying to understand what was going on. They live all their days in one room and when I left the hospital door with Florin he started crying. After we arrived in the park he settled down but he was so scared of the outside that he did not want to leave my arms, the entire time. Most of the little ones that I took outside fell asleep really fast and they enjoyed a nice nap in my arms.



A new baby girl has been brought to the hospital directly from the maternity ward last week. Her name is Adela and she is a precious four week old baby girl. The reason why she was left at the hospital and not taken home with her mother is that she is sick and needs treatment that the mother cannot provide having a really poor financial situation. I do not know how long she will remain in the hospital or if she will be healthy again or even if her mother can find the help she needs to take her home. All I know is that she needs our prayers and I ask you to join me and pray for Adela and all the other babies abandoned in the Ludus hospital.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

One Last Time...

Most, if not all, of what everyone ever hears and has heard about Ludus is how horrific it was. The abuse, the neglect, and the hurt that took place there have broken our hearts throughout the years. As the doors of Ludus were finally closed last year, everyone rejoiced and praised God that the day had finally come.


Almost everyone, that is. The story many of you probably did not hear is heartbreaking in a very different way. This is the story of the last 30 teenagers to leave Ludus. The majority of these teenagers had lived in Ludus for all of their lives. They endured the abuse and they survived the hurt, and as the doors of Ludus closed, it was a very bittersweet thing for most of them. How could something so great be so hard for those remaining teenagers? To most of them, Ludus was the only home they ever knew; the only “family” they ever had. As dysfunctional as it looked from the outside, that was everything they knew being torn away from them. To them, the only life they ever knew was changing drastically, and change without God and family to walk beside you is something most of us cannot even imagine. Not only was Ludus closing its doors, but they were being separated from each other for the first time. They were sad, angry, and fearful as they stepped into the unknown.


As more than a year has now passed since their move into group homes and apartments, most of them can now see the very positive change that has taken place since they left Ludus. While they can see the good in this change, they still talk about Ludus as if it was their first home and their first family. They discuss their memories, good and bad, openly, and they have grown and matured immensely since this huge change took place in their lives. We have seen big changes in several lives and a strong interest to learn and know more about God. Some of them have started attending church, continue coming to the different programs we have for them, and have shown interest in taking part in a small group where they can continue to learn more about having a personal relationship with God. As the fear of the unknown overwhelmed them, many of them began seeking comfort but didn’t know where to look and what they would find. It has been awesome to watch as, one by one, they are realizing that the love and safety they desire can be found in Christ alone.


As we finished up follow up for the year, we tried to do something special for each group of kids with whom we meet. For this group of teenagers, we decided to take one last trip to Ludus. We piled on buses and took the familiar trip in hopes to bring even more closure for each of them. As we arrived, many had tears in their eyes and many couldn’t stop smiling. They all appreciated the visit, and it was the perfect opportunity to leave the past behind and step away together.

Please pray with us that God will continue to reveal Himself to these teenagers. Pray that in the uncertainty of the future, they will continue to turn to Him, as He is the only One who will never abandon them and will always love them. Praise God with us that HE is changing lives! And please continue to pray for the many who are still lost and fighting change.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Highlight... Geza Musta


Geza and his brother Bella entered "state care" at a young age. Geza has always been a special boy. He is not extremely social with children his own age, but has always had a gift for interacting with adults and is very open and verbal with them. He especially loves trying out his talent with English with anyone! Geza loves to know how things work and if often found taking things apart and making new things from the parts.


Geza lives in his own world a lot of the time and doesn't like change very much, but one change that he speaks of often as being very good was when he left the orphanage at Ludus and came into the care of Livada. He suffered a lot in the orphanage at the hands of other children and tells the story that he prayed that God would take him from there and of how we came to get him and brought he and his brother to Casa Rebeca which is now his home where they are safe and loved.


Geza is a very talented young man. Through his gifted drawings he is able to express what is inside in an amazing way. Whether he is drawing life experiences, incredibly detailed trucks and cars or other things his talent shines through.

Geza also loves music... listening to music, singing and most recently he has started taking guitar lessons and loves it!


Last, but not least, Geza loves to laugh! He really enjoys funny movies and will re-enact scenes that he loves with amazing attention to details, voices and even actions. He is open hearted, cheerful and full of hope for the future now.

Geza is turning fifteen this fall and is the oldest boy at Casa Rebeca. Pray that he will be a good leader for the other boys and that God will continue to mold him and work in his tender heart. Pray that he will continue to develop his talents in music and drawing and be able to attend the art high school in a few years. Pray that he will continue to overcome his fears and hurts from the past and live the new life God has given him to the fullest.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

We Like to Party!

The time has quickly come for us to wrap up our follow up programs for the year and to begin planning for our 7 weeks of summer camp! Last week and this week are our last two weeks of follow up, and we have been and will continue to have lots of fun parties!




With some of the kids we went bowling, with some we went to the zoo, with others we walked into to town for an ice cream party and with others we went to a pizza restaurant for a pizza party.





Whatever it was that we did with the kids, they have had a great time and have been so thankful! And now, they are anxiously awaiting the arrival of camp!





Please pray for God to continue preparing the hearts of the 400+ kids and teenagers who will be attending our camps this summer as well as the many American and Irish teams, American interns, Romanian volunteers and American and Romanian staff who will be helping to run camp this summer! Also, please pray that the follow up/camp staff will make a smooth transition from daily follow up clubs to camp preparation and that everything will be done before our camps start on June 22!

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Friends & Fun Days...

May first is Labor Day in Romania and all the schools are closed. Each year we take this opportunity to have fun outdoors with a big picnic! We fire up the grill, break out the balls, games and cards and enjoy the day together.









To add to the fun this year, we have had two of our former interns and friends visiting who were able to spend the day with us as well. Sarah & Meggie have both been to Romania several times, but neither have been here since Casa Ana & Nadia opened... it has been an added bonus for them to get to know all of those children better and to participate in the final weeks of Follow Up before the summer!