Mia's Children Foundation, Inc.

As you know, one of my main goals for the trip was to check and look for places for the kids to live. At the time we thought that we were going to have to be out of Ariadna’s home the first of April or May. Ariadna and her family have moved to the United States with her husband’s job and would be here for 2 years. Ariadna called Mia on the day after we arrived and told me that the mission could use the home for another year. By then they would be ready to buy a house in the States. This was a great blessing. It gave us time to look and search and pray for a proper place for the children that met with the government of Romania’s requirements, I.e. number of bathrooms, living quarters, etc.

While we were there, we had 3 opportunities come along. Some members of the Bucharest Rotary had come in contact with an organization from Europe that had a home in Domnesti where 2 monks lived with 8 boys who were moving to “transition” apartments in Bucharest. The house had been there for several years. It has 8 rooms including an office, a living room, a kitchen, 5 large bedrooms, and 3 baths plus a cellar under the garage. It has approximately 3 acres of land with an orchard and a vineyard, as well as a small barn. Just happened that one of the officers of the organization was in Domnesti on the day we went to look at the house. We had much discussion. I asked about purchasing the house and land, the answer was no. I asked about rental of the property for an extended period of time. The answer was no to rent. If it is decided by their board meeting in May for us to have the house, then we will be given the house, free of charge, for a period of time. There would be many deta ils to be worked out, but this would definitely be an option.

We looked at a piece of property, 10,000 sq feet. The owner wanted $225,000 for it with no house. We looked at another house with a little land that was $65,000 but the house which was refurbished was only 800 sq feet. No way our kids could fit in there.

The Rotary also heard of a government building, very large and in need of much repair that was being offered on a 50 year lease with very low payments. Mia and Costel and some of the Rotary members went to look at it. They have talked with the Mayor of that village about qualifying for the building. The Rotary will play a large part in whatever we choose.

The real estate in Bucharest area is astronomical. This is a very big area of concern for us. Please be in prayer for the location of a place for the kids.

I know this is lengthy but this second portion of my letter is truly the most important. I realized while in Bucharest how much the groceries and living expenses have gone up. When we began feeding the children, it was with the thought of one hot meal a day, which was generally all the kids got for the day. Now we are faced with feeding 17 children 3 meals a day, as well as snacks. They all have baths and teeth to brush, normal family stuff, but 17 times. This does not include the expenses at the mission flat where we have 6 older children living. Mia and Costel make their money go as far as possible but like most parents, worry about the end of the month with not enough money.

We are going to grow a garden and that will help. The kids will reap the benefits of fresh veggies they have grown themselves. Mia is under much stress trying to make ends meet. I sent Joan an email while I was there saying we needed at least $2000 per month more than we are sending.

Here is my proposal. I would like to ask each one of you to commit to $10 above your normal donation per month. If you are not giving at all, now would be a good time to start. We all blow $10 a month easily. This would equal $1500 per month, or individually $120 per year. Please take that money and feed a child. Mia’s Children is willing to prepare your addressed envelopes and send them to you. It will be easy each month to write that check. And it is tax deductible.

Please pray about it. Send your check to Mia’s Children Foundation, 9245 Poplar Avenue, Ste. 8, #380, Germantown, TN 38138

During March, Patsy Vick (VP of Mia’s Children), Kirsten Winberg, and Ann Robison went to Bucharest to work with Mia’s Children. The following is a report on their trip. On behalf of Mia’s Children Foundation, Inc. I want to thank them for their trip and for taking care of so much of the Foundation’s business while there. Many contacts were made and this year should be easier due to the groundwork they laid.
It is my hope to post many of the pictures from their trip within the next few weeks. That is something to look forward to! Now for their report…

Our trip to see Mia and the children was awesome. Many things are different at the mission now. It is like a reversal of children. Our teenagers are almost grown and we have the next generation coming on. When we arrived at the home that was given to us to use for a period of time, we found 17 children and 4 adults living there full times. There are 12 kids under 10 and 5 teens living with Mia and Costel full time, 24/7. What a group!

At the house there was only 1 bathroom and 24 people (including the 3 of us). There is a sign on the bathroom door that says “Occupied” and “Open” in Romanian. Of course, frequently the sign was ignored and a little one would wander in to go to the potty. No sitting and reading in the john at that home. So the first project that was begun was to install a 2nd bathroom. A small room on the first floor had been plumbed but not finished. After the room was painted, we had a toilet and lavatory installed along with shelving for storage. The washer was to be moved to that room along with a new dryer that the Rotary Club had purchased. For the finishing touch a door was added. What excitement a new bathroom can be!!!!

The yard is fenced with a play area in the front and a garden area in the back. We worked in the yard and bought seed and flowers to plant as soon as the last cool spell was over. The kids love raising vegetables to eat.

We have a lady named Luminita living with us. She was brought to us by a pastor. Her husband had left her and 4 small children – Andrei, Be-Be, Monika, and Coca, all under 5 years old. Luminita has been a marvelous addition to the mission. She cleans and washes clothes, helping Mia in anyway needed. She is a very special lady. During some of our Easter services, she accepted Christ into her heart. We said the “sinner’s prayer” with her. It was such a blessing.

During Easter week, we read from the Scriptures, beginning with the entry into Jerusalem and ending with the Resurrection. Each night, Kirsten, Ann or I would give a lesson. Afterwards we would talk, answer questions and sing. What a joyful noise we made unto the Lord. Ann taught them to sing “Jesus Loves Me” in English with sign language. The kids loved it. On the night of the last supper, I explained about Jesus giving his life for our sins and explained the symbol of bread and wine. We shared Communion with them, breaking bread and blessing it. God was so with us in that room. We talked about how hard it is to live as Jesus would have us live in our world. Even as little children, they comprehended what we were saying and talking about. Mia has truly shown our little ones the face of God.

The next night we gave out Romanian Bibles for Children. They were bought with change saved by the kids at my church. Each one that did not receive a Bible last year got one this year. We passed out 10 Childrens Bibles and gave an adult Bible to Luminita. They were so proud of their Bibles.

Again this year each child got a new pair of shoes, some socks and underwear. I guess this is my grandmother nature. We purchased 38 pair of shoes. We measured feet and took 3 of the older kids with us. They shopped and shopped. We ended up with only 1 pair that needed to be exchanged. Ann and I were pooped.

On Easter Sunday we had about 32 or 33 for lunch. All the teens that could come and all the little ones had a feast. The night before we had colored Easter eggs and we had them displayed on the table. After lunch we did the “traditional” egg hunt. It is traditional for us Americans but very foreign for the Romanians. The older kids remembered an egg hunt we had years ago. The little ones had a treat in store. The teens hid over 125 plastic eggs filled with jelly beans in a field near the house. The little ones swarmed like piranhas, shouting with joy as they located an egg. It was super.

Sunday evening, Kirsten who is only 25 herself took all the teens to the back porch and talked with them about sexual purity and what God expects of His children. She said the young people were very attentive and asked a lot of questions. I was so impressed with her willingness and godliness.

We made some good contacts while we were there. Did some business and real estate looking, all these I will include in another letter. The only sad thing that happened was Costel’s illness. He has a severe liver infection that will require a special diet, medication, and lots of rest, 16 hours a day. This will be like tying a bear to a tree. Please keep Costel, Mia and all the rest of the family in your prayers.

After Patsy Vick’s return tothe U.S., Costel went to see a specialist about his health – particularly his liver. He has been hospitalized for about a week and today we found out that instead of Hepititis or liver disease, it is an infected liver. He is responding well to the medicine and will be in the hospital for a few more days. When he goes home, he will need 16 hours of rest a day and a a better diet including more protein.

We thank God for this news and we need you all to pray for Costel and Mia as they begin a new phase in their lives — eating properly. In addition to prayer, we need to find additional donors around the U.S. as we need approximately $2,000 more dollars a month to provide proper food for the kids. Patsy Vick and I will be meeting this week to go over all the information from her recent trip to Mia’s Children and I will post the highligts. Until then, please think about names that you might be able to contact or be willing to give us so that we can start speaking in churches and with civic organizations about monthly donations. Small groups of friends (4 or 5 who you can host in your livingroom) is a great way to share about Mia. We will speak to one person or 5,000. Please give this prayerful consideration.
Mia’s Children is made up of a lot of people giving what they can.

On a final note, we are also in the middle of a search for permanent housing for the mission. We will keep you updated on our progress. I thank God in advance for what he is going to do in this situation.

If you would like to send Costel a get well card, feel free to send it to Mia’s Children, 9245 Poplar Avenue, Suite 8,#380, Germantown, TN 38138. I will collect them and send them in one package on Wednesday, April 9th.

Thank you for your generosity and your prayers!

Joan Castle