Our last Sabboth in Romania and Monday at Mocrea

Extracts from Wayne's diary for Sunday 15th and Monday 16th December...

"Frosty morning and a bitterly cold day.  We went to our final Church service of the trip at Vinga - always sad to say goodbye to dear friends.  Leontin opened in prayer and spoke about God's house,  teachings and the Birth of Jesus who came to save sinners.  Pastor Jackie shared on the Advent Candles and our missionary friend Mark closed in prayer.  Light snow tonight but we give thanks for no heavy falls to date.

Awoke to more frost on Monday morning. Out to change money and to buy groceries for the house.  As we have such a tight timetable Christine and I are having to fulfil different commitments today.  She is going with Pastor Jackie to the Osana Children's Home in Timisoara (accommodating 9 girls) to distribute gifts.   I am going to the Detention Centre in the city with Bogdan and Spencer who minister there every week.  They spend value time with the children and this week we are playing card games. Usually at Christmas Irene brings along Christmas crafts which they enjoy. We again supplied Pizzas as a treat for the children and staff. Soon they were opening their Christmas boxes.  It never ceases to amaze me - seeing the delight on the children's faces when they receive their gifts.  It makes the whole operation so worthwhile.  They are always reminded that this is God's provision of love for them.

I was so pleased to bump into a young girl that Irene and I had previously supported in a Children's Home. Sadly she has had some health problems and is struggling.  I reminded her that God loves her and we do too.  She responded with "Tell Irene I love her and wish her a Happy Christmas",  We pray that Jesus will hold her and everyone in the Centre in the palm of His hand".  We respect the privacy of all the children in not providing any pictures of our visits."

Vinga Church and San Nicolau Mic Club

Extract from Wayne's diary of Saturday, 14th December.

"A day of excitement with 2 programmes and parties ahead of us - Vinga Church and SNM.  We have lots of helpers and vehicles to transport everything we need.  We arrived at Jackie's Church in Vinga (about 15 miles outside the city) at around 10 am.  It is a poor area - very few people have running water in their homes.   Next door to the Church  Leontin (one of the elders) has killed a pig ready  for Christmas.  

The Church was packed with children - mostly age 10 and under - the Youth had already received their gifts during their programme the previous night.  Under the leadership of the Sunday School team, Vlad and Alina, Delia and Bogdan there was lots of singing and other worship.  After the programme ended we brought in Bibles, food, sweets, drinks, bananas and drinks.  It took an hour to distribute the shoe box gifts which were loved by all.  Thank you God for your provision and for everyone who helps Irene  ensure that the boxes are full of not only essential items but also other beautiful gifts for children who have so little.  Irene also made up gifts for the team.

Part II of the day's schedule was the Christmas Programme & Party at the San Nicolau Mic Kids Club and Music School - I believe it is now called "Jesus Generation".  What a welcome from leader Marius,  his new wife, Elena, the team and all the children.  The programme started with singing and worship.  The children were alive and excited - Marius is blessed with a beautiful wife who shares his vision for the Club and works alongside him.  The praise was followed by a musical competition - 17 contestants- playing keyboard, guitar, wind instruments and drums with Christine and I as judges (Irene sent over prizes in addition to gifts for the team). With the competition over Pastor Jackie arrived with the pizzas.  This a treat that we provide each year and there was much joy and laughter. Shoe box distribution followed much to the delight of everyone even the team.  The evening finished with more carols and a prayer.  Another special day Lord - wish Irene was here to share it - will ring her to tell her how much she is missed and loved".

The beautiful widows and widower in the city of Arad

Extracts of Wayne's journal of 13th December:

"Nothing could prepare me for the  day ahead - a humbling time full of God's blessings in visiting widows and the one widower in the city to deliver food parcels, Christmas boxes and slippers. Everyone has a home but very little money to live since being widowed.  We miss Irene but I give thanks for Christine,a woman of might in action  who is helping me carry everything.  She is a great Trustee and a woman of many strengths.  We are grateful to have such people of God working with us on the front line of ministry work. It was touching to see how God is moving in people's lives - bringing hope and love and transforming situations.  We felt the mighty spirit of the Lord in and around us as we saw people being lifted up as we prayed with them.  I am moved to tears seeing so much love and happiness in people  They were all giving thanks - what a humbling experience it is being His servant.  Each one is precious in His and our sight.  Prayers are required for Pastor Jackie who is struggling today health wise.    She may be finding it hard  physically but her spiritual faith is awesome!  She is still working with passion and zeal and teaches us so much.

First stop Vicuta and Ecaterina who live in small apartments in a tower block on the 6th floor - bit a a struggle getting all the items up there.  Greeted with love and warmth by V who is a prayer warrior  She is unable to go out due to her arthritis and osteoporosis.   She lives in considerable pain.  E's health is failing and she requires prayer.  We give thanks that they are company for one another.

Next stop Anton, widower of Maria who last year sadly left us to be with the Lord.  He still misses her terribly but was so pleased  to see us and  grateful for prayers and gifts.  We give thanks that he and Maria were both saved after joining the programme.  They were neighbours of Irene when she first moved to Arad.  She and Jackie met Maria when she used to regularly go through Irene's rubbish bin looking for food. It is through this meeting that they were put on the programme.

Next visit Zina (see here with Pastor Jackie), a lady crippled with arthritis who was added to the programme earlier in the year.  She came out to meet us with a lovely smile and such warmth.  We had a time of fellowship and she was so grateful for her food, gift and slippers.  Everyone on the programme loves their slippers - we take out a huge bag of various sizes and ensure they all get the right size - God knows what they need and uses us to provide it -all Spirit led.

Onto Elizabeta, who was sound asleep and we startled her.  She was so grateful for our prayers and gifts but because she was so weary we did not prolong the visit allowing her to rest some more.Our last  stop was to Ileana - a lady of Hungarian backround who is full of spirit.  She is a Charismatic lady with a fire in her - she and Irene are close.  She loved her gifts but was a bit doubtful about the size and colour of the slippers.  We soon came up with exactly what was required and a huge smile appeared!

What a day - I am crying tonight as I write this just seeing and experiencing a Living God at work by His Spirit"



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Around the ministries with Adina

From Wayne's diary - 12th December.

"Chris &
 I spent a full day with our good friend Adina around her ministries.  First stop Sofronea to pick up and label appropriate shoe box gifts.  Adina's car is more than overloaded - not sure how Chris and I managed to get in but God made a way!!  More shopping for food parcels for some of the families we are visiting.

First stop the village of Vladimirescu to visit Leontina (who has dwarf syndrome) and her husband, who is a shepherd to just 5 sheep.  18 months ago they sadly lost their 2 year old disabled daughter, Rebecca  They are very poor and we love them dearly.  We give thanks that they know the Lord.    The couple live in one room attached to Leontina's mam's house.  The yard was covered in blood following the slaughter of a pig - a practice you will come across often in Romania at this time of the year - even in the city.  Irene always feels on her heart to make up lovely shoe box gift for Leontina and her husband and we always take along a food parcel for Christmas.  They were so so thankful.  Leontina loves to knit and so Irene has also been paying her to knit socks for the Widows Mite Project.

Second stop a family that Irene and Adina have been involved with for several years.  They have had a difficult time - the family now consists of just mum and 2 daughters.  Dad is a patient in a mental hospital and both gran and great gran who also resided in the home both died within the past year. Mum has a job in a clothing factory but it is a real struggle to live on just her minimal wage.  Again we delivered a food parcel plus shoe box gifts for the girls.  Irene had felt it on her heart to make up a special gift for mum who is a rock.  They are a wonderful Christian family and we are blessed to be a little part of God's provision.

Later we visited several other families known to Irene but whom Chris and I had not met before. They all lived in very poor conditions - some with no running water.   Both received fruit, blankets and boxes of aid carefully packed by Irene.  Their shoe box gifts will be delivered later by Adina.

After a delicious lunch prepared by Adina's mam, Maria  it was time to visit a beautiful little girl called Iasmina and her mum Andrea, who are both very special to Irene, who had made up special boot box gifts for them both.    Iasmina, whom Irene has wrote about in our latest newsletter was born with spina bifida and many other serious medical conditions.  She and her mum spend much of their time in and out of hospitals incurring extortionate medical bills.  They are an inspiration to us all in the way they walk in faith with so much joy!!!  What courage - Thank you God.  Meeting them both was a life changing moment for me and Christine.  I know Jesus has a plan for their lives!  We are blessed to be a part of their support.

We later met up with Pastor Jackie at Club 7 which is a Christian Club run by Adina, with the support of her parents, Maria and Ioan, brother Danny,sister-in-law Lavi and their 2 children, Patricia and Marc.  What a family they are - we love them dearly and it is a joy to see their new venture (after lots of work) being truly blessed with God's vision.  The place was beautifully decorated, had sofas,



 Christian music and a big screen plus lots of games - a great meeting place for fellowship.  All the children from the Tabita and Felice Children's Home arrived to food laid on by the Lucas.  This was followed by our shoe box distribution which they all enjoyed.  I was overjoyed to see the children, many of whom I had spent value time with, during our time of living full-time in Romania.  All were asking about Irene and they presented me with a beautiful gift for her of a Christmas tree made from coloured pasta shells and buttons.  She will be overjoyed!!!.  Home late - what a day - God is good!!".

Shopping for the Ministries and loading boxes for distribution

From Wayne's diary - 11th December.

"Picked up early by our friend, Pastor Vlad and taken to Jackie's home (about 5 miles out of the city towards the Hungarian border).  Spent most of day emptying the boxes from Wales, sorting and writing names on individual boxes ready for Vinga Church and San Nicolau Centre programmes and parties on Saturday.

Pastor Jackie heats her home with wood fires and I was pleased to be able to get in all the logs for her wood stores in the house.  Jackie also has animals and we put fresh straw in the dog kennels and fed  and watered the rabbits and the sheep.  Then we were off to Arad with Jackie for 2 and half hours of food shopping for the ministries for Christmas - Phew - only Pastor Jackie can shop like that!!! Finished the day with a Bible Study  It was a joy to meet up with old and some new missionary friends.  It is so important to keep ourselves spiritual fresh and filled up whilst
doing His Work",

The joy of returning to Mocrea Psychiatric Hospital

From Wayne's diary for 11th December.  "Cold day but sun out.  Chris & I are excited to be joining Pastor Jackie and our friend, Traian (a former patient of Mocrea who has made a new life since being given a chance by our dear deceased friend, Peter).  The journey takes about an hour and we pass a lot of trucks and carts loaded with winter wood on route.  

About 60 of the 180 patients of mixed gender arrive to do Christmas crafts but firstly there are refreshments of coffee,  fizzy pop and snacks to be served.  Today the patients are painting and decorating  paper bags which will later be filled with Christmas gifts   Many of the patients weekly
creations are displayed.  The session always ends with prayer which the patients love to participate in.  It is a joy to bring the love and light of Jesus into the lives of these forgotten people.  They are all precious in God's eyes".

"Faith without Deeds is dead"

From Wayne's Diary - 9th December.

"Today the work really begins with the consignment of shoe boxes and many other much needed items arriving from Wales via our friends "Support for Romania" from Cardiff. After a good breakfast and a few painkillers for my bad back we were off out to Pastor Jackie's home in Sofronea (a village about 5 miles away).  Praise God for helpers to offload our 84 large boxes into Jackie's back bedroom - Thank you to the drivers, Mark, Ianci and Vio who helped Chris and I unload.

After all the filling, sorting, packing and labelling in Wales now the work really begins in Romania.  First the boxes are separated into categories - Babies, Widows and Children plus all the extras.  Then they are opened up and the air pocket fillers (eg slippers, soft toys, blankets, other knitwear, medication etc) are all sorted for various projects,  Then the children's shoe box gifts are all sorted into age groups and genders.   In preparation for distributions (working from a list) suitable boxes can then be picked out and names written on them before being packed in boxes again ready to take out on appropriate days.   There is a lot of organising and manual work that goes on in Wales and Romania. We miss Irene but Christine is a rock.  It is all worth it when we see the JOY that these gifts bring to people who have so little.  It is all for God's Glory.  Please pray for more harvest hands for Pastor Jackie".