ROMANIA UPDATE
The newsletter of Romania Care, registered charity no. 1012759

September 2001

British Ambassador endorses our work in Romania

On Friday 27th July, His Excellency Richard Ralph, British Ambassador to Romania, spent a day in Suceava County visiting our projects. At the end of his visit he said:

"I've been impressed and uplifted by what I have seen today. Having seen the charity hospital in Fintinele, one finds it hard to believe the pictures of conditions just five years ago. This, combined with the plans for the new respite care home, strike me as a wonderful example of partnership between individuals and charitable organisations in our two countries, which add a whole new dimension to the links between Britain and Romania. I'm proud of my compatriots in Britain who have given so much of their time, and indeed their goods, to help people less fortunate than themselves. This speaks eloquently of a vibrant and caring society in our country, and will be a shining example for Romanians in their efforts to recreate a civilised and compassionate society of their own after the aberration of the last fifty years."

At the end of his visit, the Ambassador invited us to visit the Embassy in Bucharest later this year to present our projects to senior management of British companies working in Romania. This will be a tremendous opportunity and we would appreciate your prayers for it.

Shoebox appeal 2001

If you haven't already signed up for our 'family' shoebox appeal, and feel that this is an area in which your group might be able to help, please make contact with us a soon as possible. Can we emphasize again that the boxes must be in our possession by 31st October to enable them to get to Romania for Christmas?

Reflections from the summer teams

Makes you think - What would Jesus do?

I was on my way home on the underground from Heathrow when the interconnecting door opened, from the next carriage, and in came a young lady with a baby - she was begging. At the time I had a Romanian lady with me who I was taking to Suffolk - she asked the beggar, in Romanian, where she was from. Yes she was an illegal Romanian immigrant, giving the very people we have spent the last 10 years trying to help a bad name.
Peter Halden

This was our first visit to Romania and to Moldova. We had an idea of what to expect, but in some ways the living conditions were not as bad as we had thought they might be. However in the rural areas of both Romania and Moldova it became obvious that there were many very poor people. Maybe one word that summed up the situation, is "contrast" - rich and poor living next to each other, the well off having, it seemed, little or no concern for their poor neighbours. The children's Holiday Bible clubs were great fun, but we felt that the children of the poorest families had not come to these, because of real divides within the village communities. We were very glad we went, for the experience of a such different country, and for the friends we had made. We hope to go again.
Frank & Bryony Marsden (father & daughter)

My visit to Romania this summer proved to be a truly spiritual experience. I believe that God was in control of the work in hand and as a result prevented frustration getting the better of me when things did not turn out as expected! In Fântânele the Hospital Manager, Vasile, gave us some honey that he had collected himself to say thank you for the work we had done during our visit. This was a gesture from his heart. One of the team remarked that the hospital in Fântânele was a very peaceful and welcoming place with a loving and caring staff.

Ilisesti was in many ways quite different to Fântânele. With forests close by, the houses were constructed of wood, some with intricately carved finishes. Here we experienced a wide range of situations and emotions as a team. Up to 100 children attended the holiday club, but many were kept away by families living in terrible conditions (as revealed during our survey) as they said they needed food and work not stories and face painting. This we could not argue with, but presents a huge challenge and task to address.

Highlights for me were speaking to the congregation of Suceava Baptist Church in Romanian, and drawing closer to new and old friends and experiencing the love of God in a beautiful country. The challenge is to seek God's will for the future in how to continue his work.
Carl Slater

Ilisesti Nursing & Respite Care Home

Work started on the building at Ilisesti, on 13th August.

The week before we had put the work to build the ground floor out to tender, examined the quotes, accepted the most suitable and arranged for commencement of an eight week contract, all in the space of 6 days!! This was a very big answer to prayer.

If you would like to follow the progress of the project please visit the web site at www.RomaniaCare.com where a new picture is added each week while work is being undertaken on site.

The weather recently has been very wet in Romania, which has delayed construction work. The winter is also fast approaching, when building work cannot be undertaken due to the very cold temperatures. Please pray for good weather to enable the ground floor to be completed this year.

Looking to next year, we still have significant funds to raise. Our current estimate of the amount we need next year is about Ł70,000. Please join with us in praying that this finance will be forthcoming.

Perhaps when praying about your churches mission giving, you could consider this project? We would be delighted to help with any publicity involved.

You might also like to consider whether you could do some fundraising for the project - garden parties, dinner dances, concerts, car washes etc. A number of employers operate matched giving schemes whereby what ever your raise for charity they will match.

Next year we will also be looking for skilled people to spend a week or two in Romania helping with the project. We anticipate needing builders, plumbers, electricians and heating engineers. If you might be interested, please contact the office.

Would you like any more information?

Please visit our website at www.RomaniaCare.com. If that hasn't got the information you need please do contact our office on 01438 822007

Romania Care
Registered Charity No 1012759
Office: 4 Bury Lane, Codicote, Herts., SG4 8XT
Phone/Fax: 01438 - 822007.
Email: info@RomaniaCare.com
...Love and care from here to there...