The shoe box operation begins in Romania!

Slept like a log and up at 7 for a shower and my quiet time with the Lord.  Isaiah 58 speaking to me today.  Good to have fellowship time with the other missionaries, the Lucas and Jackie who popped over for breakfast.  Then it was off to Jackie's house for a full days' work.  After all the busyness in Wales throughout the year with the Christmas Appeal, it was time to get started here in sorting out all the 82 boxes of items delivered from Wales.  I give thanks for my friend Vio, who year after year has been helping me with these consignments.  Also Jackie's grandaughters were on hand with assistance.  Vio's little boy, age 3 was also running around  We emptied and sorted our boxes and found an additional 10  that had been delivered in error.  After contacting the transport company I was told that we could keep them for our ministries - God is good!!

We took over the whole of Jackie's back bedroom and her bathroom - quite an operation but with much laughter. Jackie cooked us a delicious lunch - it was good to spend value time together and to share more about her experiences over the past year.  She is an incredible mentor to many and an inspiration to everyone in the way she walks daily in faith and relies on God for all her provision.

Given a lift back by Bogdan who runs the Youth Ministries. We brought over a large quantity of medication to be split between the Baptist Clinic in Arad (who helps many people in need who have no funds to cover their prescriptions) and a doctor that Vlad is working with to help some of our dear ladies on the Widows Project.   Home by 9.30 pm just before the other missionaries who have been out in the field visiting poor families.  We are all quite tired but enjoyed a joyous meal with the family sharing our experiences of life in Romania.  Then the conversation took on a more serious note as we discussed the harsh reality of further cutbacks here and trying to get adequate health care.  The hospitals have so few drugs due to lack of funds that often patients's families are having to run to pharmacies to buy them to hand over to staff at the hospital to administer.  I heard one story of a nurse rushing out in the middle of an operation to ask family to go out and purchase a drug so they could continue the operation. Sadly,   this is the harsh reality of life here. I admit to getting quite upset when people presume that everything is much improved since Romania joined the EU in 2007.   Despite paying, after an operation that went totally wrong  in March this year, our host's  life was only saved after his family at considerable expense transferred him to Hungary themselves for further surgery.  He is still recovering - we give thanks for answered prayer.

While Jody and Kathleen stay til Tuesday, Missionary Matt is leaving early tomorrow morning - it was a joy to meet him.    

Also some other good news - our printers in Wales were touched by God's work here and decided that they would not charge for our latest newsletter.  What an answer to prayer - our transportation costs have trebbled this year due to a change in arrangements but God knows our situation and is meeting our needs financially.  He is our provision - all we have to do is trust.

Its now gone midnight and I have been trying for the past hour to download pictures from my camera with no success - never had a problem like this before!  Well I give up tonight and need some rest.

I'm Back!!

After spending last night in Luton Airport (it was a bit nippy!) and a delay on the flight this morning I finally arrived on Romanian soil at lunch time. I was amazed to see the sun shining - it was much colder in Luton than in Timisoara - although I am told that we can expect changes in the temperature in the next few days.

There was no doubt it was Romania because there was no lock on the toilet door and I failed to raise a smile from the lady on the Boarding Gate when I wished her good day in Romanian!. These sort of people tend to be very authoratitive.   However there is always excitement and love in my heart when I arrive here.  Our friend Peter kindly picked me up and we set off on the new dual carriageway almost all of the way from Timisoara to Arad.  I was giving thanks because the old single carriageway was so...o dangerous with everyone overtaking - a death trap.   Funding from Europe is being spent on improvement of main roads and creating pretty fountains in the main cities - even shopping malls are starting to creap in but the scale of the poverty is alarming.

It was so warming to be back among my hosts, the Luca family (above) and to find Jackie and grandaughter, Elizabeth there to greet me.  Mama Maria is a wiz in the Romanian food department and had a delicious meal waiting for us of soup, chicken and rice and some beautiful home made cake.  After the meal, Jackie, Adina; I had a meeting about the projects and drew up a timetable for the following 3 weeks - there was much catching up to do.  Also staying at the apartment til next week are 3 other English Missionaries, two of which are friends of mine - Kathleen from Bristol and Jodie from Nottingham.  We have worked together in the past with abandoned babies at the city hospital.  Great to catch up with them plus their friend, Matt. They are here for 10 days.  Below is the view from my room.

Jackie confirmed that our consignment of 92 huge boxes (500 shoe boxes and much more) arrived on Tuesday on a huge Romanian truck- so we give thanks for answered prayer.   It takes us almost a year in Wales to prepare the consignment and tomorrow the first stage of operation begins here when I go out to Jackie's home in the village of Sofronea to work on opening and sorting all the boxes.    Firstly we will sort and drop into containers all the many items which have been packed into any odd spaces not filled by shoe boxes - eg medication, knitwear, slippers and much more. Then we sort the widows and babies boxes and finally all the other age groups into gender and age groups.  I give thanks for a lovely Romanian friend called Vio who always helps me with the shoe box operation.  Once they are in piles we simply pick out what is required from our lists for for each distribution.

I admit to being tired tonight - so I'm hitting the sack now but not before I get rid of this mosquito buzzing around even at this time of year.

An update on our fund raising events and activities

Well I am down to my last few days in Wales and am getting excited about being back in Romania doing God's work.  Please pray for safe journey and no technical hitches so I can keep you updated.

Today I said goodbye to my Little Lambs Mother & Toddler Group - the team, children, parents, grandparents are so lovely.  We have been preparing our Christmas Programme with much excitement in our hearts.  I am so sorry to have to miss it again this year but I know it will be blessed and I look forward to the photographs - however I am being called elsewhere where there are such needs. 

An update on fund raising.  Our beautiful little lambs raised a total of £337 from their "Little Lambs Are Leaping" Event in July.  Unfortunately it rained and so our walk took place indoors in the main church building and we had a smashing Teddy Bear's picnic to finish off the morning.    Wayne and I also did a stall at the Anglican Church Fete in Hirwaun and raised £100. 

We have a beautiful sunny for the sponsored walk on 29th September and Praise God raised over £1,000.  It was a day of great fellowship.  Wayne also successfully finished the Cardiff Half Marathon on 14th October.  He took half an hour off his finishing time compared with last year - not bad for someone with emphysema - and as always he came across the finishing line full of joy!!!  He raised over £700!!

The past few weeks have been hectic with preparing our consignment of 550 shoe box gifts, medication, blankets slippers, woollens and much more for Romania.  It will arrive in Arad tomorrow or Wednesday in time for my arrival on Thursday.  Then the operation in Romania begins.  Our transportation costs have soared this year due to a change in transportation arrangements following the retirement of Support for Romanian drivers last year.  Thank you to everyone who has helped financially.

A huge thank you to all who have supported the Christmas Appeal in anyway - too numerous to mention by name.  Be blessed in being a blessing.