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Please excuse the delay in the news from Mia’s Children. There was an illness going around among the children and Mia with high fevers. But they seemed to be feeling much better now.

I spoke with Mia today by phone. She was really upbeat about the good things going on for the mission. One of the most important is the commission to paint for the Princess Margareta Foundation. The kids have been asked to paint 130 different winter and Christmas scenes. They used acrylic paint, wood boards, and 2 different types of canvas. In return the mission will be paid a small amount but it is such a blessing that they are learning to earn money thru their talents. It also builds their self esteem and confidence.

The Rotarians are continuing to mentor the older children as they become young adults. Thanks to the Rotary Clubs here and in Bucharest that are helping with food also.

A lady from the States who is a Romanian citizen has come into contact with our mission and the children and has fallen in love with them. She has made a commitment to help Mia. Everything is in the planning stages now, but thank the Lord for more help.

Another person is trying to find a way to help with the purchase or building of a new home for the kids. Again this is just in the beginning.

Mia has been asked to teach painting to the elderly and some younger children about 2 hours a week. In turn the sponsoring organization will feed our 30 kids a complete meal. Mia has more work than you can imagine with all our kids, but she is going to attempt this task also.

One of our sponsors has donated monies for Christmas which is rapidly coming. There is always needs for help from others for the children. If you can send a donation at this time of the year, please do. The address is Mia’s Children Foundation, 9245 Poplar, Ste 8, #380, Germantown, TN 38138. All donations are tax exempt.

I just recently found the following article in a Romanian newspaper. It talks about the problems with students finishing school and getting an education in Romania.

I am so proud that all 30 or so children from 5 thru 19 at the mission have a craving for learning. When we started, basically education was one of the dreams that we had for the kids. With the school system in Bucharest, we didn’t know where that would lead. Our kids had to be accepted into the schools, many did not have the proper documents necessary. School supplies and books had to be bought. In Romania books are not provided to the students. Much legwork, as well as study work, had to be done by Mia and Costel to ensure enrollment of our kids. But they did not give up. With the help of the Lord, they got the kids in school.

Now look, our kids are articulate, intelligent, educated young people and children, interested in art and music as well. We have 2 at the University of Bucharest, 6 or more in Skill Schools, all the younger ones in classes. What an awesome work God has done. Thank you for your support and prayers for Mia’s Children.

NINE O’CLOCK, THE WEB EDITION
20 pc of pupils abandon school
Almost half of the high school graduates do not have a baccalaureate diploma, while 16 per cent of the fourth grade pupils do not understand a written text. These are the conclusions of the report of the Ministry of Education regarding the state of the Ro
published in issue 4294 page 6 at 2008-10-21
The report shows that 49 per cent of the high school graduates do not have a baccalaureate diploma, while 22 per cent of the kids do not go to kindergarten, and 16 per cent of the fourth grade pupils are unable to understand a written text. School dropping is by far the most serious problem with which the Romanian educational system is confronted. The past year alone, almost 20 per cent of the pupils abandoned school, although the European Union average is almost 15 per cent.

The rate of participation of the population aged 5-29 to all the levels of education continues to place Romania on the last place compared to the other European countries, except for Bulgaria. The average school frequency duration increased by 1.7 years in 2000-2007 and by 0.3 years in 2007 compared to 2006, rising to 16.3 years. The graduation rate is not better either. According to the data of the Ministry of Education from two years ago, only 61 per cent of the Romanian eighth grade pupils have graduated school.

The number of pupils is rising. The teaching staff decreases.

We have some news: Four from our girls: Gabriela, Mihaela Ilie, Andreea Ilie, Nicoleta Ilie passed over the exams at Romanian Radio Chorus!!! We have four gifted girls entered in such high level! And John took 3 medals at International Marathon! He was at TV!
Friday we’ll have the ball with Rotary Club. We’ll have to show some paintings and some songs and a dance, a waltz. We created the dance together after the melody: “these are some of my favourite things “performed by Julie Andrews.

Today we had the meeting with Princess Margareta of Romania ‘s Foundation. It was a project where people from different generation could be together. There were theatre, music, paintings, an open door to the old people to be around young people and to young people to interact with the old people. There were many children sponsored by them, with different gifts. We were asked to welcome Her majesty. All the children were so special but our children were so sweet, clean, smart, well educated, full of a special light, the blessings of Lord upon them! the Princess was so touch by the way we welcomed Her. Then we performed in front of Her and over 100 of people. She loved it! I told her some words and the kids thank Her. When we went out from the hall, she told me “Congratulation! you are doing a wonderful work!” Then, she saw the part from the exhibit where our children had the paintings. She stopped and asked who did them? She said “These are so beautiful and special!” When she found are made by the same nice children who just sing she smiled so nicely. Again she told me that what we do is so nice, so well done and congratulated us! They have two daily centers, but with many volunteers, a lot of workers, many teachers and people are involved. We never though we might be at the same level with them, but look, we have such a confirmation that the work we do it’s a good one! Praise God!
Marius will be sponsored by their foundation for one year study at a special Art Academy, to be prepared for a next exam. Bogdan started the university, in a program where we need not to pay for first year. He works and learn in same time. Costy is doing the same thing, but he has to pay the first year.
Gabriela and Mihaela are so sweet and they want to learn so much. They over work to show their love for school, that they almost finished as much as for several months of school! they are so funny!
The five boys at kindergarten are so funny, too. They love it and everybody love them, tell that they are the most well-behaved, educated children they ever met!

Dear Friends ,

Last weeks we had so much going on. It’s a blessing that our activity goes so intense, but this doesn’t give us too much free time to write you. We realize that to have a good communication it’s very important, but we are so limited and so few.

Let me tell you that the camp was a very special time for all the kids. We worked hard to cook, as we didn’t have a cook, but Gigi and Gelu helped us to cook. Peter gave a hand of help, too. In this way, he confess that he’d like to be a cook, too. We made a report about the camp, with pictures, paintings, literature report and financial report to the Princess Margareta’s Foundation and we gave them right today all the official papers to evaluate how we worked with the donation we received from them.

Then, we had to be ready for the new school year. We had to take most of the kids for first grade to the doctor and the kids for kindergarten. We made tests,special tests who are require according with the rules for kindergarten. The same foundation will sponsor the costs of education for 5 from our children: Bebe, Mathew, Adrian, Andrei and Michael Patrick. Isn’t this wonderful? They will receive education in a private kindergarten, just made in the same school where the kids from training school go, UCECOM. The bad part it’s that Costel has to drive more everyday. We cannot transport all 13 children once and I also have to be with him when he takes the little one to their school. They love to go to the school and seems to feel very well. It’s a new step for them and for us, too.

Gabriela and Mihaela started the first grade. They look to be the smallest from all, but they are so happy and love so much to go to school.

The bad part of all it’s that all the prices are going up so fast and so much. Some of the kids don’t have shoes. The cool time came too soon. Most of the school supplies we took with the help from Miriam, a Romanian girl who live in Swiss with her family, friends with Mr and Mrs Grumbach. Adriana gave us some school supplieses, too. We need to buy, right now many books for all the kids, for the little one for learning and practizing to write and read. Each school, each teacher has the right to pick up the books they want, that’s why we cannot use the same book more years for students. But,ING, a company for life insurence will also help us to get what’s necessary. In this way, all our students will have all what they need!

Soon, we’ll try to send you pictures from the first school days.
Bogdan will start the university, together the work he does. Marinela started her after high school training. For her studies is paying the same foundation. Also for Tabita and Daniela. And, of course for Peter. He loves to study to be a cook. Isn’t this so special?

Well, we try to manage everything as we can. It’s difficult and the money are day by day less, just because all the things go so high over the night.

Nicoleta will have the surgery next Wensday, so we need for her support and prayers.
Blessings,
Mia and all

Dear family ,
Hello from Mia’s Children! Hope and pray that everything it’s Okay, under the covering of God, His total protection and love! We pray for each of you, for your steps and for blessings, especially for the ellections!

Here it’s so hot , but the kids have fun in the blue small swimming pool. Our garden keeps growing; the cabages are so beautiful and we have 3 pumpkins in front garden . Patsy and her friends planted there. The plants are growing and invaded our garden. In the nights, we stay there and the kids love to listen stories, to sing Christians songs, to pray .

Tuesday, we had the visit of a group of Margareta, Princess of Romania Foundation. They will sponsor Marinela for 2 years for Stilist school. They are very impressed by the special results we have with our children. They want to help us to have a camp! So, Monday they asked us to go and sign a Contract/Agreement with them and they asked us to make a project for summer camp. They’ll give, at least, 80% from the total costs, for 10 days, for 31-32 people in a camp; we’ll have to cook, to do all by ourself, as usually, to keep the cost as low as it’s possible God is so, so good!

We’ll go with most of the smaller kids, because many of the older are working. I’ll have to cook, but the kids will have a special time, just before the school. The school will start on the 15th of September. Gabriela and Mihaela will be in the first grade! We need to make ready everybody for school year. We’ll be in the camp, with God’s grace, between 28 of August and 7 of September. The kids are so happy !

Marius will enter at the Art Academy, with no money, because he has the Diploma, for Olympics contest! This it’s such a blessing! We need to help him for art supplies, but we’ll not pay the school taxes!

It might be possible that the same Foundation to sponsor 3, maybe 4 children for kindergarten! They are very touch by our work; they have a day center in some places from Romania, and it’s possible to go and visit one, after school starts .

Your with all my love and appreciation ,
Mia and all

Beloved Friends of Mia’s Children ,

We give thanks to the Lord for the wonderful month of July .We remembered 10 years ago when we first time started to work with underprivileged children , in front of our block of flats .
Like now , it was so hot , but a lot of darkness around , many hostile people.
A small group of dirty children , wild , frighten , finding for the first time a special type of love , Agapae love , coming from our Saviour . The first meeting under the free sky , first toys , lessons , first time when they found the Love , the Peace , the Light , the Care , the Prayer , the Hope , the Faith and so many others ;they found You ,and 10 years of changed life . What a blessing for each of them and for each of us !To serve the Lord through the little ones , to meet His godly commands , to be part from such a wonderful story of real life , to walk through Faith with God making His will , what else can be more important in our life ?
We are so , so grateful for every moment , for each step, for every person God allowed to meet in our travel , changing and turning life from darkness to the light . All the glory , gratefulness , all the praises be to The Lord for all and everything , for 10 years of Life !
Right now , we cannot be so much afraid by the many difficulties we have in our lives , because , looking back we can appreciate so many victories !
Even the life it’s so hard , the economy it’s so much under the standards and many people and children are living in poverty , even the costs are too high for what we have and what we need , we keep going with so many children ,feeding them , trying to make them a future . We have the first fruits , already :all the teenagers found a place to work over the summer and Marian , Mihaela , Gigi , Bigo , Claudia , Costy have a stable place to work in . They will continue to study , as much as they can , but there are some of the children we took care across the ten years !
I wish , one day we’ll write the story of each of them ;it might be possible to encourage other children , other people from other parts of the world . letting them to know how children from a country like Romania could find life with the help and care of Americans !
In time when all our older children are working , we cook together the little ones ,take care by the vegetables from our garden , clean the house . It’s a lot of work to do , it’s a lot of joy here , but we are tired and really need helpers .Luminita , the mother of 4 children is helping a lot , but even so , we really need helpers . When the school year will start , we’ll have to focus on the children going in the first grade , Mihaela and Gabriela , plus on the kindergarten children , besides of the older children .
We had a small party with pastor Dwight and the young people from the church where our children said psalms , sang Christian songs . It was a blessed time of prayer , too .
Our prayer request :
-As we don’t have any new about the place , the home where we’ll have to go . Please ,pray that God will show us His will and we’ll have a home for the kids ;
-pray for Joan and Darrell and their journey through the politic circumstances ;may God make His will in all the time and protect them , close them with the holly wisdom and vision for America ;
-pray for Costel’s health and mine as well ;
pray for Nicoleta’s and Coca’s surgeries;
-pray for the power of dollars versus euro;
-pray for sponsors and for our friends who help us herein Romania or in USA
-pray that if will be God’s will to have a time of refreshing in a small camp , even for 3 days with the little ones , as this year we don’t have any sponsor for a camp.
-pray for our finance and for workers with us , for a cook .
-pray that the older children will cover the new situations in their jobs.
We thank you to all for your donations , for support , for help , for your prayers and special friendship we have through you .
Blessings ,
Mia’s

We have a warm summer. The older kids are working in different parts. The younger kids are having the summer school at Rosu with us. This summer, we don’t have any camp, even we are still praying about. It is a lot of work: to clean, to cook, to teach, to wash, to keep the cabbages up in the garden. But, the kids have a lot of joy. We had a programe at the church with Pastor Dwight’s group and his pastor from USA’s church.

Yesturday we had a very special visit from Margareta Principess Foundation. This is our king’s daughter, They want to sponsor Marinela for the skill school after the high school. Also, we try to find a sponsor for Marius for Art Academy. They also will try to sponsor for kindergarden 2 children. They were very touch by the work we do, very appreciative, which mean a lot! They are looking after kids with good results and they consider our association to be very special!

The weather has been pleasant in Bucharest, mid-high 80’s. The children are enjoying the summer, playing outside and in their small pool. Mia is beginning to feel better, as is Costel. Things are coming back to normal.

We are still looking for a house to move into. Things are still not settled about the one in Domnesti. There are many good things about this house and a few not so good things. The main thing is the distance from the schools where the children are going now. Mia knows their teachers here and is very comfortable with the quality of teaching. There is a bus system that goes from Bucharest to Domnesti which is a plus. The house has it’s own water system, an orchard, a vineyard, a place to garden, and a little barn for maybe chickens and a cow. Of course, all of the kids would have to learn to farm. That will be different. At present this is our only prospect.

One of the women who went to Bucharest this past March is running in a ½ marathon in September to raise monies for little Coca to have eye surgery. Her eyes are extremely crossed.

Please keep Mia, Costel, and the children in your prayers. The economic situation in Bucharest is getting worse as the prices go up and the U.S. dollar goes down.