Highlight... Emese Ionas

When the first group of kids moved from Ludus and into Casa Rebeca five years ago, Emese was the youngest girl in the house. She was the princess of the house! Over the past year, we have had the privilege of watching Emese grow and mature from a little girl into a beautiful, young woman inside and out.


In Casa Rebeca, Emese has shown many improvements in her behavior. She has become a better listener, is more organized, and has grown to appreciate things and people much more. It has been great to watch her relationships with the other kids and staff in the house develop and deepen. Emese has also become more interested in being involved in the different programs and activities that we do within the house. One of the major issues she struggles in within the house is controlling her frustration. She is often easily provoked and says things that she shouldn’t. Please pray for Emese that she will learn to better control her frustration, anger, and the words she says.


At school, Emese has also shown great improvements in many areas. She has become much more sociable, and has begun making good friends in her class. Her two best friends from school, Raluca and Denisa, have been to visit her at home, and she has also been to visit them. When her educator went to talk to her teachers, her teachers praised her and said that she seems to have developed a greater self-esteem and courage in herself. She has begun to participate much more and is much more active in the classroom. Emese is very dedicated to succeeding in school. One of the most positive and admirable traits Emese has is that she is a very hard worker when it comes to school. What she lacks in scholastic capability, she works extra hard to compensate for because she is very motivated by grades and success. Please pray for Emese that God will reward her for her diligence in school and that He will deepen her relationships that she has developed in her class.


Before the end of the year Emese will have an operation on each of her knees. She will need a great deal of encouragement during this time and during her recovery. It will be an extremely difficult time for her as she will not only need to rebuild her strength in both of her legs, but she will also miss at least six weeks of school. She will need to keep up with her classmates so that she won’t have to repeat the whole year. Please continue to pray for Emese that her issues with her knees will be resolved with these surgeries. Pray that she will finally have relief from the pain and embarrassment she has felt for years because of her knees. Pray that God will provide people in her life to encourage her in this time, and that she will continue to be diligent in her studies so that she will not fall behind!



Thank you so much for your prayers and love for Emese. We are so proud of the young lady she has become, and we appreciate your prayers as she is entering her adolescent years. Pray that we will have wisdom in how to best encourage her and that she will realize how deeply loved she is by the staff at Casa Rebeca and most importantly by her Heavenly Father!