Let's Get Messy...

The follow up clubs have begun again for the spring after a few weeks off for the Christmas and New Year’s holiday. As was the case in the fall, we continue to try to come up with programs that are very straightforward in presenting the gospel to the kids in a new and exciting way every opportunity we have to meet with them. We also LOVE to have fun!



This week we had the opportunity to play messy games with the kids from the three group homes in Tarnaveni where we go every Tuesday night. Every once in awhile, we like to do something unexpected, in hopes of keeping things exciting and fun for them. This week was one of those extra special fun-filled game weeks! Each of the children was able to participate in one or two of the messy challenges in hopes of winning points for their teams.



We had them compete in categories to prove who was the thirstiest, smartest, hungriest, sweetest, cleanest, and messiest. This had them chugging soda, eating doughnuts off of a string, feeding one another yogurt while both being blindfolded, searching through a mound of whipped cream with their mouths to find (and eat) a piece of chocolate which was hidden at the bottom, putting a cut up banana pack together again, and searching for candies in water and flour which made a sticky combination. The kids absolutely loved the opportunity to play some games they had never played and to get their hands dirty (literally!) to prove their commitment to winning as a team!



Please continue to pray for the follow up staff and volunteers to have wisdom in planning the curriculum for this spring that will have a great impact on the lives of all the kids we work with. Also, please pray that God would continue to open the ears, minds, and hearts of each child to hear, understand, and accept the gift He is offering them!

A Day in the Mountains...

Last week we took the young adults in our mentor program as well as a few graduates and a few of the older kids from the houses on an outing to the mountains near Brasov. The purpose of this outing as you can see was to teach the kids to snowboard. We were very thankful to have along with us Sarah Burgess, who was visiting for the week and is a competitive snowboarder in the States.


Sarah was a great teacher even with the language barrier and by the end of the day, most of the kids were making it down the hill with few falls. It was a great time together learning something new, having good conversations and just enjoying a day away.







Later that evening we were able to meet a couple from Brasov for dinner who shared with these young adults the importance of surrounding yourself with Christians who are a good influence on you and with whom you can grow in your faith. Their lessons of discipleship and how it had impacted their lives and the lives of others around them was a perfect way to end the day!

Encouraging...

We wanted to share a little story of one of our graduates that is encouraging and ongoing... Jeno was part of the mentor program for several years and had his ups and downs, but always had a way with people and always dreamed of more. A little over a year ago Jeno moved to Cyprus to live and work. He took the chance seriously and has moved up to being a manager of others at the restaurant where he works. Since moving he has helped two other graduates of our program also receive jobs in Cyprus and has taken them under his wing, helping them to get established.


Jeno is back for a visit right now in Targu Mures and will return home to Cyprus with another of our LOC mentor program participants under his wing. Marcel has been in the program for several years. He is a sweet young man, but struggles with choosing the right friends and always making good choices. He has struggled finding a job since finishing school and Jeno has offered to help him get a job at his restaurant. Marcel will be leaving for Cyprus next week and we are hoping to hear more encouraging stories in the coming months.


Please pray for Marcel as he makes this transition. Pray that he will make good choices, work hard and be responsible. Pray that those who have gone before him from our care... Jeno, Andrei and Erno will be good influences on him. Pray for these and all of our other graduates as they make their way and work to become more than so many believed that they could be. Thank you for joining us in having faith in them!

We LOVE our new computer lab!

Once again we are so thankful for our visitors from Stichting Livada in Holland... Rudolf, Annejet and Julie have been with us this week and have been working for months before hand to raise funds for our needs and those of the children. One of the projects that the kids are overjoyed about is a computer lab for them! This will be used for the ever increasing need for internet access for schoolwork as well as for them to be able to keep in touch with friends.



First, there was a party to celebrate and then the official ribbon cutting and exciting first visit inside!



The children and staff alike are excited about the opportunity to use this new technology and we are very grateful to have it! We are also thankful that having this special location allows the children the access they need and want, while also allowing it to always be supervised to keep them using the internet safely.




A big thank you to our visitors this week and all those back in Holland who contributed to make such an impact on our kids and the kids in state care through the computer lab, the new shoes, visits to the eye doctor and an opportunity for all who need them to have glasses, encouragement for the staff and so much more!

Thank You Stichting Livada for our Shoes...

The children in the care of Livada were able to go to the big shoe store in town this week and pick out a pair of tennis shoes and a pair of dressy shoes for this spring. It is not spring yet, but our friends from Holland continued to be a blessing this week, by taking the kids shopping.



The kids had a wonderful time looking around and finding the shoes that will take them through the spring and summer. Keeping 34 kids and teens in shoes is not a small expense and we are so blessed to once again this year have this need met by Stichting Livada.

A Visit from the Eye Doctor...

This week we have had the pleasure of having several visitors from Holland with us here in Romania. These visitors are part of Stichting Livada, a foundation in Holland which is helping with funding and needs of Fundatia LOC in Romania.


Dr. George de Jong and his colleague are providing eye exams for our staff, our kids, and over 300 children and teens that we work with through follow up. They will also be meeting with a ministry of a local church to gypsies. Eye exams are being provided and then anyone who needs glasses will have glasses made and mailed back to us here to distribute. What a blessing!



Many of these children and teens in state care have never had an eye exam and many of them have needed glasses for years. The doctor has spent time with them and helped them to pick the best glasses for them. We are thankful for this service to these young people and the blessing that it is to them to be able to read better, have less headaches and many other blessings that these glasses will provide.



More to come on the other exciting things that our partners from Holland are helping with in the coming days!

A Merry Christmas Video...