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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.

Beloved Friends, faithful Supporters, preciousness Sponsors,

It’s such a privilege for me to can write you again . I’m grateful to God for each of you and for the opportunity to be in touch with you again. As you know, we went through a difficult time, in the same time with different challenges for our work .We praise God for giving us the inspiration, the peace, the joy to stand for Mia’s Children’ goals .
We appreciate so much all the help we received in June , the month of great trials, provocations from our special Friends. Each of the you who pray for us, send your gifts to our children, good thoughts, money, food, all type of goods, who visited us here or at the hospital, who asked and just remember us and the work we do mean so, so much for us. If we survive, it’s because God knows how important are our children and each of You! Thank you so much! You are the Hope and the Future of Our world! Because of You, our children can smile, can dream, can learn, can have a changed life! thank you!

I had an extraordinary experiences with God all the time spend in hospital, before and after facing the pains and all the experience during the surgery and then. I’ll speak about only after a while. But, what’s most important it’s the fact that around the world, many people, many Christians prayed for our mission. Believe me that all of us could feel the special blessings and the protection came through your prayers and friendship from our God.

Even going through pain, the children could ALL graduated the school with good and very good results. Three finished the skill school, they have Diploma for cooking. Marinela, Marius and Costy finished the high school. Gelu took the exams for his 10th grade at chef school. Many awards were taken by our children, but the most surprised us Roxana’s first award. As you remember she’s with us from last winter, came from a village, a poor gypsy girl, with her father who have a severe handicap, a girl which hardly could read. Her change it’s so great the surprised everybody, even the board of the school. Praise God, for so many changes in our children’s life!

We just finished the art exhibit at the International Movie Festival . For 7 days , the art of our children was admired by many people and many questioned about our work and appreciated it! We also had an art exhibit at Hilton Hotel.

As we know, like our economy, your economy is passing through a difficult time. Everywhere the world has to adjust the life at the times. So, we established together some friends from Rotary Club that it’s time when our teenagers can find places to work in, as the summer school has just started here. So, many of them will start the work during the summer and in this way, we hope that we’ll manage better the situation here. The costs of food, gas, gasoline, electricity, everything goes so crazy, but we need to keep going as the association has all these little children .

Please , pray for :
Mrs. Ileana Grumbach health
Nicoleta’s surgery in July
Coca’s eyes surgery in October
House for Mia’s Children, if this is God’s will, the house from Domnesti would be perfect
Health and good reports for Founders of Mia’s Children, for Darrell and Joan’s activity in the field of a new life for America ;
For older children’s life as they will start to work and earn their living.
Costel and Mia’s health
For everyday food and for a better economy for both of our countries.
May God bless America and all the world!
Thank you again for all your interest and help to Mia’s Children!
We all need you and thank you!
Mia’s Children

MIA’S CHILDREN SENDS HAPPY JULY 4TH WISHES

I spoke with Mia yesterday, She and the children send their blessings to the U.S. for a happy July 4th.

This past week there was an International Film Gala, sponsored by Hertz Car Rentals & others, at one of the downtown hotels. With Mr. Grumbach’s help, our children were allowed to have an area to display their paintings. Four large paintings were done and presented to the 4 first place winners of the films by Gabriella, who has a special knack for talking with others and acting. Ten children were allowed to stay at the booth and talk about the paintings and Mia’s Children. How much fun they had!!!

The summer is hot there with no air conditioning. The kids enjoy playing in the yard, just being outdoors. They have a wading pool they love to enjoy the cool water in. The garden is growing and vegetables are beginning to come in.

Several of the older children have part time jobs at different places found by Rotarian members. They are enjoying working and becoming young adults. Thanks to the Rotarians for all their help.

Please be in pray for the following:
1. Mia and Costel’s health. Mia will go to the doctor on July 7TH and find out the results of the tumor taken from her face. As always with tumors, there is the chance of cancer. If so, procedures will begin for that. Costel is still receiving treatments for his liver problem. His condition is no worse, but not much better. They both have many responsibilities with so many children to care for.

2. Nicoleta is needing a test on her knee before surgery can be done. The cost of the tests is approx $120 U.S. dollars, if anyone would like to help.

3. We are still needing a place to move our mission. There has been no word from any of the places we have checked on. The Rotary members in Bucharest are continuing their search for us. I have had correspondence from one organization with promises of more discussions to come.

4. There is a need for more donors and donations. We have been running short each month. We are so very thankful for all your help each month. Just always remember that these kids depend on you and you and you and me to live.

Thanks for your love and concern.

I spoke with Mia last night. She was full of news about the children.

We have three finishing the 12th grade – Marinela, Costy, and Marius.

We have three finishing Skill School – Bigo, Gigi, and Tabita are all taking their final tests at Chef School. Thanks go to Skills for Life, sponsored by Dana Moldovan, a Romanian living in the U.S. and working with the Rotary Club in California. Without their funding,this would not have happened.

Bogdan is now working as a cook in a Mexican Restaurant in downtown
Bucharest. Another Rotarian helped him get the job and he is doing great.

Mihaela is working in a beauty salon due to her training in cosmetology school. The owners really feel she is a wonderful person and are pleased with her.
Again, thanks to Skills for Life.

Gelu is taking his tests to go to the 11th grade. I remember Gelu when he was in the first or second grade, struggling with reading and writing, making mistakes,then erasing holes in the paper when trying to correct them.

All the other children had excellent grades and passed on to the next level. One of our younger kids, Roxana came to live with us last fall. Her father brought her to the mission to live. She was very shy, quiet, and a little fearful. It is an honor to say that she was 1st place overall in her class. Yeah, Roxana!

Hertz and some other businesses were sponsoring an International Festival in Bucharest this last week. Our kids painted 100 wooden spoons and 120 pictures to be exhibited and sold there. They
worked two booths and spoke about Mia’s Children. You can’t imagine what pride that must have brought to the children.

Our garden is growing. There are onions, garlic, tomatoes, and a variety of vegetables.

The younger children and the preschoolers have had the luxury of a blow up pool to spend hot days in. Mia is using it as a bribe to make sure all the chores get done. Then all 17 play in the water and the pool, as well as run in the yard. What a way to spend the summer days!

Costel is still not feeling well. He needs to get more rest which is just so hard to do with a family of 17 under one roof and another 10 or 12 older ones depending on him for guidance. Mia is recovering from her surgery. The incision was across her cheek as well as down her throat with 28 stitches. She has had a lot of pain due to the fact that she is unable to take pain medication due to previous illnesses. She does have some numbness in her face and lip, as well as her eye droops some when she is tired. July 1st is the day she goes to the doctor to see if there was any cancer in the tumor. Of course she never has time to rest.

PRAYER CONCERNS

Nicoleta is supposed to have surgery on her knee in July. All this hinges on money for the surgery.

Coca’s eyes – Coca is about 2 years old and wearing glasses for the next 3 months. In October the doctor wants to do eye surgery.

Mia and Costel need all your prayers for health and strength. Without them we have no one to care for our children.

Funding is also needed. As you know when I came back in April, I appealed for an extra $2000 per month. It hasn’t happened. Now we need to pray for God to increase our funding just as Jabez asked for an increase in his territory (1 Chronicles 4:9-10) in order to grow for God.

Thank you all for your love and concern.