December 2016 – adventuresinromania

Merry Christmas!!
We have had a busy season, like every Christmas, complete with a village Christmas program, 3 days of caroling with the youth group, and dinner for some kids in the orphanage on Christmas day!

In Garcina, the village where we have a kids club, we had a Evangelism Christmas program the Sunday before Christmas, with a program from our church’s choir, songs from the kids, shoebox presents, and an Agape meal afterwards. There were 40 kids who showed up for the event, which is double what we get on one of our usual weekly meetings. We were thrilled! And had enough boxes along with us to give to each one. The message was about celebrations and what they mean, a renewed thankfulness in our hearts. The choir’s songs filled the church’s hall and the attendees’ hearts. Thank you for your involvement!

The Christmas program in Garcina. With the kids sitting in the back! 😉

The boys from the Elena Doamna Orphanage who were at our
house on Christmas Day for dinner & shoebox gifts.

Statistics

In Romania in the year 2000, there were: 87,753 orphans/abandoned children.

In the year 2010, there were: 62,000 orphans/abandoned children.
(To read more about why there are orphans: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanian_orphans)

While numbers are going down, there is still a large group, with a high concentration in institutional orphanages in the Eastern part of the country. To effectively serve this marginalized group, there is a need for compassionate individuals to be willing to do life with them: support during the school year, providing extracurricular activities, and offering possibilities for them to grow.

Romania Pop. 20,121,641 people (2011 Census).
Piatra Neamt, Romania Pop. (our town) 58,000 people.

Num. of children at Casa Ray Orphanage (private) : 20

Num. of children at Elena Doamna Orphanage (state) : 116

Num. of children at Ion Creanga Orphange (state): 74

Country's Induction in the EU: 1 Jan, 2007.
Conditions of orphanages have greatly improved with the country’s induction in the European Union, and grants have been given to certain orphanages and infrastructure to make renovations.

Psalm 68: 5-6

" El este Tatăl orfanilor, Apărătorul văduvelor, El, Dumnezeu, care locuieşte în locaşul Lui cel sfânt. Dumnezeu dă o familie celor părăsiţi, El izbăveşte pe prinşii de război şi-i face fericiţi; numai cei răzvrătiţi locuiesc în locuri uscate. "

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

" A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. "

Month: December 2016

Village Christmas Program!

Year-end letter 2016!