Trip to Bucharest – Part 1
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.