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Romania’s Changing: Romania is going through some drastic changes this year due to the result of the European Union Parliament voting for Romania to officially be a part of the European Union in 2007. Everything is changing! Stiff requirements are being placed upon every business, employer, foundation, etc. You name it. True the conditions are set to improve the standard of living here, but what Romania is becoming is another European country and the character of the country of Romania is rapidly disappearing. New laws and procedures are being put into effect for all governmental offices and organizations. These laws have affected us tremendously. Becoming a part of the European Union means that Romania has to become a country that is self-sufficient no longer receiving humanitarian help but rather sending aid elsewhere. Personally, I cannot see how this is going to happen in just 2 years. In fact, there are still dire needs for food, clothing and medical assistance all across this country. Medical needs right now are becoming more critical. The Romanian government doesn’t have funds to cover the costs of medical care and many people especially in the rural areas, the elderly, the poor, are being left without medical care or the medication they desperately need. Recently, I spoke with a doctor I have known for several years that was assigned to a hospital in an area to the south of Cluj. This doctor told me that she had to oftentimes purchase the medicine herself to give to her patients because they did not have the money to do so. Change is good, but not at the expense of the elderly and poor. In the process of all this change our foundation has been informed that we have until August to submit to Bucharest all our “Internal Regulations” that must be approved by the government before we will be re-approved as a humanitarian organization. Even though the Romanian government has already approved us as a humanitarian foundation we must now have every area and every activity of the work we do through the foundation re-approved. For instance: These are just a few of the changes we are being faced with. Then there are the mountains of documents specifying all the legal rights and obligations of the foundation as well as the rights and obligations of each volunteer, employee and any children that are here. Of course, these new approvals are not without a price. We have been told to expect to pay a fee for each step. You would think that having been approved once by the courts (which cost a great deal) would be enough and that there would be no charge for these re-approvals especially since we are doing humanitarian work. But not the case here! Along with the added costs of all these approvals (which are mind boggling), everything in Romania has skyrocketed in cost. Yet, Romanian salaries of the normal famliy have not increased. I discovered this after inquiring if I would need to give paid staff a cost of living raise this year. How does an average Romania family make it today? Beats me! Looking back over the past year’s monthly financial reports, a year ago we could skim by on $1,450.00 a month for the normal monthly bills. However, this year with the Euro increase and the dollar drop the same bills (just normal monthly spending) are up to around $2,300.00. Why such an increase? Because everything is now priced according to the Euro, and the Euro keeps going up! The price of gasoline here is now roughly $5.00 a gallon and utilities increase every month. And the dollar seems to keep dropping every week instead of increasing in value. It saddens me to think that Romania may be putting themselves into a financial crisis if they are not careful. It also saddens my heart to think that the common people are suffering because there is such a push for Romania to become a European nation and that the humanitarian organizations have to undergo such severe changes in order to continue to serve the needs of the people of this country. One thing we have learned during all this change is that Romania needs to be covered in more prayer. We are hard-pressed to continue to go forward in the call that God has placed us in and to pursue with all our hearts the course before us. God is still upon the throne and HE is still more than able to supply our every need according to His riches in glory. He is able to bring the financial increase that is needed to pay the monthly bills if only we continue to put our trust in Him. Our prayer is that you will pray with us that God will bring the needed increase as we continue to serve HIM in Romania. Alex, Manny, and Sarah: Alex, Manny, and Sarah seem to be growing in leaps and
bounds. It amazes me how quick they learn. At four years old Alex and Man Thank You: Once again we want to say thank you all for your willingness to help us carry the Gospel here in Romania. In many different ways God has allowed us to minister one on one with the people here. Each year the demands seem to get greater and greater as we go into more villages; and without your help, as you financially support us, we could not “GO.” Nor could we continue without your prayerful support for the ministry. We thank each and every one of you for your continued support over the last 8 years. You have been faithful with your help each month and you are greatly appreciated. God has used you to raise up this ministry that once was small but now receives more requests than we can possibly meet. You have been the vessels that God has chosen to plant seeds of encouragement into the hearts of many of Romania’s hurting. You are the vessels that have carried the food packets house to house and you will be the vessels that will benefit from the multitude of blessings that we daily ask God to bless you with. Thank you for your willingness to serve God through your giving. We pray for your continued increase. Yours in Christ, Freddy and Rita |
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have a vocabulary that sometimes shakes the socks off your feet to hear such a
small child using such intelligent words and minutes later you find them
reverting back to baby talk. Life around here radically changes when all three
get together. Alex and Sarah (who is only 3) will be finishing their 2nd
year in kindergarten and Manny will finish her 1st year. All three of
the girls know both English and Romanian fluently which sometimes gets to be a
bit scary, especially when they start talking in Romanian while looking straight
at you and you have no idea what they are saying. Manny now translates for us
when she thinks that we don’t understand and she also finishes many of Ms. Lyn’s
sentences for her in English because Lyn can’t seem to finish them herself. They
all three have their own minds as to what they like or dislike and will indeed
let you know even if it winds up getting them in trouble. And under the new law,
freedom of expression is a right for Romanian children (Now, do you see why this
country needs prayer!). Many times we have to override their gypsy freedom of
expression and take charge and put the “gypsy” expression back in order.
However, with all the new laws and changes you cannot help to wonder what will
happen to these three girls or even the rest of Romania’s children. Man’s law is
replacing God’s law. There was a time when Alex and Sarah were so close to being
adopted and now it seems so far away. International adoptions have been banned
and the government has cracked down on foreigners even having Romanian children
in their care. If it had not been that we (a Romanian foundation) had not
already been approved for foster care, Alex and Sarah would not be with us
today. Thank God that He knows all things before they happen and directs our
steps to take on a new task long before we truly know the fullness of that
project. Years ago God knew that these children would need the protection of
this foundation so HE ordered our steps for the “Center for Chosen
Children.” Glory to God! This is indeed a working center and we
are in need at this time of your prayers for these 3 girls who God has entrusted
into our care. Who knows what God is raising these girls up to accomplish. I am
reminded of Moses who was raised under the care of the leaders of Egypt for such
a time that he would be used of God to be the deliverer of the Hebrew people.
Our prayer each day is that God raise these three girls up to be vessels of
deliverance for their people.