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God has blessed us again this month with His grace, peace, love, but also with many trials. In everything we bring Him glory.

February went very fast. The children were extremely busy with their everyday school work for the second semester. They all have good results, but we have a lot of work to do with Maria and Dan. Because you don’t know their story, let‘s turn a life page and
tell you about them.

They are coming from a family with 4 children. Right now,the parents do not have a job. In fact, the father was only an occasional worker all his life because he has no education; the mother worked for a time as seller in a market, but lost her job like many other people. The kids are related with the Ilie family, and they were part from Mia’s Children from a long time ago. But as the family could not support them anymore, the mother begged us to take them in, especially as the parents were about to divorce.

The worst part was that the children were about to abandon the school, as their older sister did. Their educational level was extremely below expectations, then Maria failed three subjects after the first semester and poor Dan hardly can write and read. Maria is in the six grade and Dan in the third grade. We were so amazed to discover that they lacked basic knowledge. In spite of this, they came to us with a great desire to be accepted feeling that the mission is their only hope. They had abandoned school and had no hope of returning.

In spite of momentary difficulties, we could not let these two souls to be lost. So, we took them in. We fought very hard for and with them and eventually they are beginning to adjust and show a real desire for learning. Their teachers from the new school were skeptical initially, but are now beginning to appreciate their potential. We are working very hard with them and child support group is helping, so that they can succeed in this school year.

Little Maria confessed to our psychologist, Maria D., that she had to learn by candle light in the least stimulating setting and now she has received her first A in Romanian Language and Literature after she worked with Mia. She was so happy that she cried. This is the story of our new children.

The Child Protection Agency would like to place several more children with us including another sibling of Maria and Dan, but this is beyond our means at the moment.

This reflects the worsening situation in the country as well as the need that the work that we do be sustained by your help in every and each way, like a great team as we are in helping children to find The Truth, the life, the Love, the heavenly Peace.

Our hopes for a stable home are growing everyday. A lady promised she will give us a piece of land not far from here, and we pray and hope that with God’s grace and your collective help we will be building a wonderful, godly permanent home for our children! Praise the Lord!

Carol came here with her pastor and we had a special time to worship the Lord.

We want to ask you to pray for :
-Everyday bread, milk, medicine, bills–as the costs are so high that we hardly can cover them;
-Our health and our childrens’security in health, school, needs;
-The wellbeing of our sponsors, supporters, friends, co –prayers;
-For the dream of the house to become real and God to bless all those involved;
-For all the kids who need special care and attention to receive it;
– For the world crisis to end and for a new revival to cover the world and to bring everybody to a spiritual level and to such a prosperity to resolve all conflicts and misunderstandings.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Mia’s Children

Romania’s prime minister is living in a rented apartment two months
after starting work because the state can’t find permanent housing for him.
Romania has no official residence for the prime minister or
president. And the government says former public officials aren’t moving out of the few high-quality state-owned homes and apartments in downtown Bucharest, the capital. They are required to leave two months after their terms end.
State Secretary Daniela Andreescu said Friday that she hopes to avoid taking legal action to remove a former dignitary from the state-owned home where Premier Emil Boc wants to live. She did not identify the official.
Meanwhile Boc, a former mayor in Transylvania, is living in a rented apartment not far from the government offices.

The original article can be found on SFGate.com here:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgibin/article.cgifile=/n/a/2009/02/20/
international/i04 4456S94.DTL

Dear Friends:

In times when the whole world is affected by the current crisis, your country has celebrated a new beginning, which we followed with great interest; it provided our children a great lesson in civics and history. We hope and pray that this historic moment will bring you and the rest of the world peace and renewal. May God continue to bless America and to bring to the world a renewed sense of grace!

As you probably know, Romania is also suffering the effects of this world crisis; many, many people have lost their jobs, businesses have closed down. Meanwhile, the cost of living continues to increase.

In spite of all of this, we continue in our efforts to better the lives of the children in our care, and strive towards the goal of raising them as moral, caring human beings, responsible little citizens, and motivated learners.

The holiday season brought us many joys and gifts from many different people and organizations, for which we are forever grateful. We appreciate the generosity of all of our friends and people of goodwill for the way in which they offered our children joy and hope, besides all the gifts.

This month saw the arrival of two new children, who had been living underground, and were at great risk of school abandonment. They are Maria, age 12, and her brother Dan, age 10. Due to the special care given to them by us as well as by the community of children, they have integrated smoothly, and are making excellent progress, showing great motivation for school and catching up rapidly their former educational delays.

We try to manage many troubles who are coming in every day life . This was our electric water pump , who needed to be changed and replace . It’s just an example to let you know that the life here ,like everywhere it’s not just joy , songs and paintings , but real life .

Other recent events: Nicoleta underwent surgery for her knee. She is now recuperating at home and continuing with her school work.

Coca, our 3 year old, was also re-evaluated for her eye problem, and surgery is possible in 2 or 3 months.

Many children were affected by the flu and colds, but now, after proper treatment, they are all well.

Prayer request:
*Pray for the lady who promised to give us a piece of land to start building our own home.
*May God provide us with a safe home for our children
*Pray for the recovery of Nicoleta, and for Coca and Costel’s health.
*Pray for the end of the economic crisis and for those affected by it.
*Pray that the American and Romanian leaderships be guided by God to value people’s lives.

We love you and thank you as always. God bless you

Two new young school-age kids at Mia’s and again she is so good at nurturing them, bringing them up out of defeat and hopelessness into vital little souls with potential for doing well. Mia is tired but otherwise doing well, and Costel, since his check-up is on medication and strict diet and looks healthier than he has for some time. We had a good visit last week.
From Carol Schulz, missionary in Bucharest

Hello from all of us !
Nico is doing well , she’s so brave and in this night Claudia will stay with her in hospital .I’m doing better and Costel also ,so we try to make everything to be Okay .Carol will go at hospital tomorrow morning , too. She’s so precious , a truly sister , a blessing for us .Maria went to hospital with some soup . Everybody is so nice .I wish you’d be around .
Love, Mia & All

Upon discharge, I will take her to my apt., bec it’s close to the hosp., & she will have to go there every day/2days for checkups, changes of dressings, etc. She seemed quite happy w/ the arrangement, I have to speak to Meda so she can arrange it w/ the Dr. to approve it. I have presented myself in my best finery & most respectful but haughty attitude as THE American MD,and payed off all the nurses, as is the custom (Mia evidently can’t afford to do that).
Maria

Costel has been feeling ill again. Tests were run again on his liver & diabetes. I am happy to report that Costel went to the Dr. yesterday, his test results are OK w/ in the context, so his illness is stationary, thank God. He will need to take his medications, which he has trouble finding the funds to purchase. He also needs to eat a strict diet, which he will not do because he wants the children to have the food. And also to get a lot of rest, right with 17 kids and teens around 24/7.

Nicoleta’s knee surgery could not take place yesterday, because, guess what? the washing machine (the ONLY one??? in that HUGE hosp?) broke down, so they could not wash the sheets for the OR!!!!!!!!! Only in Romania! Also, she was kept w/o any food for 24hrs, because on the 1st day patients are not on the food census! There is a new volunteer helping in Bucharest that is taking her food and things to keep her busy. She is quite bored. Hopefully Thursday or Friday the surgery will take place, if the washing machine gets fixed!

Bucharest, December , 2008

Dear friends and precious supporters:

May The Love , The Peace , The Hope who come into the world in this Christmas Night to cheer up your souls , to delight your spirits , to fill your life !

Mia’s Children want to take the opportunity of the holidays to thank you all for your help, and to wish you a wonderful season, good health, peace and love , safety life , and a New Year in which the sun will always shine on you!

The children are doing well, getting ready for the winter break, and in the meanwhile enjoying their presents, the various parties they have been invited to, and preparing their shows for each party. The fall term is ending well in kindergarten and in school; they have been applying themselves quite diligently, with visibly good results.

Again, many thanks and our best wishes to you all!

Mia’s Children

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In November, Dana Moldovan introduced to us Dr. Maria Derevenco, a Romanian-American psychologist, who became a volunteer for our Association. Following are a few words from her.

“On behalf of Mia’s Children, I feel compelled to offer an introductory opinion.

I am a US-trained Doctor of Psychology, and an Assistant Professor at Columbia University. I have worked with my share of underprivileged children, and have tried to implement policies for this population. The only successful ones were family and home-based interventions. This is exactly what Mia’s Children has managed to implement, against all odds.

What Mia & Costel Scarlat, the hearts of the program, have brought to life is truly extraordinary and unprecedented, to my knowledge, in Romania.

In my professional opinion, what has been accomplished so far with regard to the social integration of these children, their participation in education, discovery and cultivation of their special abilities (music, art), assumption of responsibility for self and for others, respect and gratitude for their “parents” & for all who take part in their care, is beyond outstanding.
What has impressed me to the core of my soul is how these kids have been taught to love, to express their love, and to ask, uninhibitedly, to be loved back.

Respectfully, with best regards,
Dr. Maria Derevenco
e-mail: mrd3@columbia.edu

To all our friends and supporters:
We first want to thank God for the help and love you have directed at us.

Even as the entire world is wreaked by a period of crisis and turmoil, our daily lives prove that even at such hard times, God allows people to maintain hope and to create bridges among each other, spreading love, light and compassion, and to support our needy children.

We have to say that, even in Romania, in the spirit of Christmas, more and more people have opened their hearts to us, and started to pay more attention to the work we do. As a result, our children have had a safe and joyous time, and have received not only a lot of love, but also much needed presents, such as food, clothing, books,: they also went to a skating rink for the first time, and to see a first-run movie. The photos attached will show you how much happiness and joy our children experienced on each occasion during the last three months.

This fall has been fruitful for us. To begin with, we have about 20 children who started school, Gabriele and Mihaela for the first time. We want to send special thanks to Miriam Gianasso from Switzerland and to her school, as well as to the ING Foundation and to the Rotary Club, for sending us much-needed help in proving books and school supplies for all the children. It was great to see all the children being ready for school!

We also want to thank Princess Margareta of Romania Foundation, who sponsors five of our kindergarten kids and some of the adolescents from the Vocational Highschool.

Dana Moldovan also deserves special thanks for sponsoring another two children as does Olivia Casscadden.

It is a great joy for us to see how young men such as Bogdan, Costi and Marius have entered college, while also working part-time; Mihaela, Tabita, Marinela and Marian also try to work while continuing their studies. Bigo and Gigi started to work, and are now self-sufficient, and able to help their needy families.

This fall also saw the opening of the movie “Money Exchange”, featuring Gabriela. Her spontaneity and expressiveness impressed everyone. She has become a symbol of what can be accomplished through our work, as well as to the power of all those who support Mia’s Children to change a life. This is a living example of how we live our motto,”Invest in a child today, rather than in a prison tomorrow.”

Another fruit of our work has been the admission of four of our children to the Choir of the Romanian Radio, for a total of eight participants to the best ensemble in the country, which is also famous throughout the world.

Among others, we mention our participation in the painting exhibit at the Princess Margareta of Romania Foundation; our participation to the Intergeneration Meeting of this foundation, during which our children sang and danced for the elders, and presented them with hand-made gifts; we presented a singing and dancing show for the First Lady of Senegal.

Among many other activities, the children completed 130 paintings for the Princess Margareta of Romania Foundation; besides the happiness of putting their creativity to use, the children learned an important lesson about the virtues of honest work and of helping others.

Many friends of Mia’s Children from the Rotary Club and others have spoken about our kids, thus bringing us visibility and further help. Although these friends are too numerous to mention, we extend our deepest thanks to them.

Our biggest help has been our mother Foundation, from which we derive the largest portion of our spiritual support, love and encouragement and most of our funding. We could never express enough our gratitude!

Our thanks and prayers go to Ariadna , Mihai, and their children, who have so generously put a roof over our heads.

Prayer requests:
*for the current world crisis to end
*for the new leaders of the US and of Romania to exercise wisdom and respect for God and humankind
*to continue praying for a stable home for our children
*for sponsors and new opportunities
*for good health for our children, ourselves and our supporters

May God bless you all this Christmas and in the coming year! We love you and thank you all!

Mia’s Children Association