21 October, 2012
Greetings!
I hope you all are well and enjoying the things of autumn. Here, for ‘toamna’ they do a lot of work: harvesting in the fields, preparing foods for winter, buying wood, and they also eat a lot of apples, pears, and nuts from the English walnut tree out front. I made a pear pie in the traditional American way, and it was different for them because Romanian pastries are more cake-y. I told them we make this every toamna, sometimes with pears and sometimes with apples. They liked the cinnamon in the pears and the flaky crust of the pie.
In my personal devotionals, I have been switching between “My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers and “Ordinary People, Extraordinary Faith” by Joni Eareckson Tada which both have great reminders of the faith. When I like something deeper, I go for the Chambers book, and when I need something a little more light-hearted, I’ll read the Joni book. I also have been reading in the Ezra/Nehemiah time period in the Bible and have been eager to learn about this part of Israel’s history. It is remarkable how God kept a remnant faithful all throughout history. It is sometimes difficult to find time to read, but this is something I must work on.
Life here in the orphanage is plugging away. The kids are now in the swing of school, and I am getting to know which are good students and which ones need more help. We have 4 new children, ages 8, 9, 9, and 11, and after losing 3 this year through various circumstances, our total comes to 22. Pray for them as the new kids learn to fit in here and that the Lord would minimize spats. I am also getting to know the other orphanage workers and finding where I can fit in to help. Some days are filled with cleaning with Anitza, some with helping Mama, Tanta (aunt) Orrica and Tanta Tatiana to prepare foods, and sometimes I help with homework. I am learning a good bit of the Romanian language and have borrowed books from the library (I have a pass) to learn more about the verbs and conversational Romanian.
I have been getting along well with the older girls, who like to speak English with me. They learn English in the schools here, starting in gradeschool. We have talks sometimes, and we like to see what each other did in their day. We make pastries and listen to praise music, and that sparks good conversation. With the 8th graders on up, I have been having impromptu English lessons on Sunday afternoons. We gather and I have them write vocab words on a sheet of paper with the Romanian translation, and the way to pronounce them, and we have started to work on having conversations. It is good practice for them.
There is a predicament the orphanage faces. At the end of the summer, 1/3 of their funding fell away. Casa Ray is privately owned and receives minimal support from the Romanian government, so they receive the majority of their support from sponsors. There are 3 main groups that support the orphanage: a German group, a British group, and the American group headed by Greg and Anne Heisey. The British group decided to support needier people groups in Africa who don’t have schools or churches with their mission funds. Here, the kids are provided with a lot and eat three square meals a day and there are other kids that are in need. At the orphanage, what was lost was specifically designated to pay the workers salaries. So, we are asking God to provide what was lost so the orphanage can continue to run. Please keep this in your family’s prayer list, that the orphanage will be provided for.
Prayer requests answered!
– I now have a Romanian/English parallel New Testament! I received this from a girl at church who speaks English and has become my friend. It will help greatly in my understanding of the sermons and my learning the language.
– I have received my visa! It allows me to stay for the year. I started the process in the beginning of September and received it the 17th of October. It took a lot of time and preparation, and a lot of questions were asked to the people I am staying with, but I am grateful to have seen the business side of Romania, and grateful to certain persons at the orphanage who were instrumental in helping me get around town, translate, and explain to me what to do.
-Filip, Mama and Tata’s grandson, has come home from the hospital in Germany after a lengthy stay to recuperate! He is learning how to walk better now that the doctors fixed his hip. He swims and has physical therapy along with school. Pray this continues to aid in the healing.
Prayer requests:
– Casa Ray to be provided for monetarily and the Lord’s spirit to direct each day.
-The children as they continue in school. It is becoming particularly challenging and the kids each have their own pace of learning, so pray for perseverance.
-My health to remain steadfast as I am seeking how to reconcile myself to being surrounded by a lot of noise and energy. I want to be here for the kids and have fun, but I am learning my limits.
To send cards or flat items to me, here is my address:
Rebecca Strock
Casa de copii “Ray”
str. Manastirea Horaita
nr. 235
com. Dobreni
judet. Neamt
cod. 617155
România
To donate to the orphanage, make checks payable to:
Reach Ministries
2479 Impala Dr.
Ronks, PA 17572
Blessings to you and yours,
Becca Strock
Nu te teme caci Eu sunt cu tine, nu te uita cu ingrijorare, caci Eu sunt Dumnezeul Tau. Eu te interesc tot Eu it vin in ajutor, Eu te sprijinesc cu dreapta mea biroitoare. Isa 41:10
adventuresinromania 