Hope for the Nations - Romania
Extending Our Hand to Children by Mark Biech
What if your child was in the care of the state and it simply decided to shut down facilities for children? What if society made it acceptable to abandon children simply because the parents are facing financial and personal challenges? What if your child laid in a crib without any physical contact unless it was for diaper change or feeding? Think about the number of times in a day that you hug, smile, and laugh with your children. What would their life be like without that?
In 2005, children in Romania felt this pain and continue to do so today. The orphanages in Romania were officially closed in preparation for joining the European Union. The Romanian government has had the task of placing over 80,000 children in governmental and nongovernmental homes. These homes consist of approximately 10 children each and have created a more family-oriented environment over institutionalization. A lot of good work has been done with so many children needing placement that the homes have quickly filled.
Unfortunately, there haven't been any programs instituted to date to help change the mentality of parents or to educate those who would leave their children in an orphanage as a means of coping. Most children in the Romanian orphanage system are not true orphans, but abandoned children. A mentality left over from the Ceausescu régime reinforces that it is acceptable to leave a child in the care of the state until home circumstances and finances get better in order to bring the child home. This could mean months, years, or never.
As a result, the hospitals are now filled with infants and children who have been abandoned. Since there aren't any orphanages available to place these children, and the current placement homes are at maximum capacity, the hospital wards are facing a dilemma.
The hospital are overcrowded and understaffed; children are left to languish in their cribs without the personal touch of a mother or father. The nurses work at full speed, but the ratio makes it impossible for them to give the care that a child needs. They are also short of supplies so the children are left unchanged for long periods of time and are dressed in rags. This has lead to rashes, infections, and general discomfort for the children along with mental and emotional distress.
Hope for the Nations - Romania heard the cry of the children and has stepped in to be of help to the Children's Hospital of Brasov. At this point, we have enough diapers to change the children on three floors of the hospital four times a day. With the help of our growing volunteer program, we are able to provide physical stimulation for the children who are now held. We are also developing a social program that will help to return children to their homes. It is often the case that parents abandon a child at the hospital because they simply don't have money for transportation from the village to the city, or that they don't have money to even buy milk.
Romania has not been fortunate with a fast economic recovery to its lower income population, which is the majority. Middle class is almost non existent. Hope for the Nations - Romania will be here extending our hand to children at risk but cannot do this work without the help of our supporters. We know we can make a difference even if it's one child at a time!
As the young boy wandered through the jungle on a hot African day, his bare feet grew sore and his stomach rumbled. Hunger had driven Freegate in search of fruits, even though it was not the season for finding fruit on trees. Suddenly, the frantic voice of another boy interrupted his search: "Hide quickly - two men have come to capture you and sell you as a slave!" The thought struck young Freegate with fear. In terror, he fled deeper into the jungle to evade his alleged captors.
In many ways, Freegate Zormelo is a typical child in rural Ghana. The youngest of three siblings, he was born into a remote village called Lotakor in the southeastern part of Ghana. Lotakor is a desperately poor community consisting of mud huts with thatched roofs scattered throughout clearings in the jungle. Freegate's community has no electricity and no potable water. The people take water from pools in the marshy surroundings - pools shared with the local animals. There are no schools in the area, and Freegate spent his days trying to survive by scavenging for food.
There was something that set Freegate apart from the other children in Lotakor: he was an orphan. Freegate lost his father when he was two years old, and his mother just a year later. Not only did he have to contend with grinding poverty, but he had to do it all alone.
He had no idea the workers from Agape Children's Home, the very people he was hiding from, were trying to rescue him from his hopeless situation. But that is to be expected - why would he imagine anything good would happen when his entire life has been marked by fear and superstition? Witchcraft, known as Black Magic or Juju, is commonplace in Freegate's village. All the children in his community have incisions on their stomachs, including Freegate - this is supposed to protect them from snake bites. The people make sacrifices to idols daily to try to appease their gods. There is no church within reach of Lotakor.
Freegate's future seemed bleak. But God had a plan from the beginning to redeem him from the darkness. Even his name foreshadowed God's plan for him - the plan to bring him into the "free gate" of Jesus Christ.
After just a few days of being in the Agape Children's Home, Freegate's fear turned into joy. He slept on a mattress for the first time, and was surprised to be fed three meals in one day. Freegate was relieved to discover himself in a place of love and acceptance. He is learning to read and write, and most importantly he is learning about the love of Jesus Christ. Freegate had never even heard the name of Jesus before coming to the Agape Children's Home. Freegate is now one of the happiest boys in the home. He looks to the future with hope, and he has truly found freedom in Christ.
Many more children like Freegate are sitting in darkness waiting to be liberated. God is calling His people to be a voice for the voiceless; to spend ourselves in behalf of the oppressed. You can become a vital part of what God is doing to rescue orphans in Africa by sponsoring a child. This money will go directly to the feeding, housing, schooling, and medical care of orphaned children. Your gracious donation will allow children like Freegate who are waiting in villages to be brought into the Agape Children's Home.
A Future Olympian from Swaziland? by Elizabeth Hynd
Noah Abraham is eleven years old and came to us when his father was dying of AIDS. Noah's mother had died a few years ago and his father was caring for him and his brother, Jesse. Eventually, his father got seriously ill, and Noah and Jesse were left totally alone in the slums with no adult care. They lived in their father's rented mud hut and ate frogs, cockroaches, and grasshoppers to survive. The children were very malnourished, had ringworm, and were visibly ill. Noah's father heard about New Hope Children's Home and contacted the police to collect the children and bring them here. We now had two new family members at New Hope.
Shortly after the boy's arrival, the Swaziland Olympics committee came to visit and offered to train four of our staff as coaches for swimming classes. They also arranged for us to use a pool at a nearby resort for practice. Noah and six other children started swimming lessons. Ironically, the coaches didn't know how to swim until they got lessons from the Olympic committee. The kids then qualified to enter the national swim gala and Noah proved to be a rising star. In a few days, he will be going with forty other children from Swaziland to South Africa in Mphumalanga for the regional swim gala. Last year, he represented Swaziland in the international Southern Africa swim galas in Johannesburg. He came home with a silver medal in the breaststroke. We pray he will come home with a medal again after this year's competition.
His dream is to be a professional swimmer or dancer as he is a natural at both. He had not been to school before coming to New Hope and has struggled to make strides with his studies. But he is making great progress in this second year. His favorite possession is a pet dog given to us by the doctor who donates his time and money for medical care for the children. Please keep Noah in your thoughts and prayers that he will be able to achieve his dreams!
Philippines Faith Mission Avoids Disaster
by Joel Alviar
Last month, we received the following letter from Joel Alviar, the director of the Philippines Faith Mission, whom many of you support through Partners In Action. A typhoon hit the Philippines this Fall and the Philippines Faith Mission suffered damage, but they believe the Lord averted disaster.
"I'm writing this letter a day after the strong typhoon, Melenyo, touched down in the Philippines. Our province, Zambales, was almost directly hit. We managed to avoid 130 kph winds, but had to battle 110 kph winds. The whole of Luzon had a massive blackout and no telephone lines were available.
"Millions of pesos worth of property have been damaged. We praise the Lord because there isn't any damage here at our mission, Jireh Home. Thank you for the strong buildings we have. We did lose a mango tree which damaged our pig shed. We also lost almost 60 chickens; however, our main concern is the rice field that we are supposed to harvest in a few weeks. Many grains fell on the ground and we are afraid that we will only be able to harvest a little rice. This will greatly affect our supply for the upcoming months.
"We do not have water because there is no electricity to run the pump. Right now, we are hand-pumping everything. Also, because we don't have electricity, the children aren't attending school. There are so many trees and electric/telephone posts that have fallen; it will take awhile to clear everything.
"Even though we sustained damage, we thank the Lord for His protection. We appreciate very much your prayers and support. In His name."
We have many donors who experience changes with their finances while they are supporting a child. We are never ceased to be amazed at the generosity and love in which they find a way to keep on giving to the children. Here is a note that we received from Mary Chico:
I've left my job at the University of Michigan and am now an administrative missionary with Iris. In this shift, my finances have become very funny, and it is with laughter that I continue to enjoy seeing the VISA charge each month for Lucy's support. I know the cost for her care has to be more than the $33, but I trust God for the overage for her - as well as for myself - He has proven Himself more faithful than we could ever imagine.
It is fun to see that 'more than enough' continues to be in my well of supply, so that there is adequate for my needs AND to share with dear Lucy.
Thank you for the opportunity to give into her life, it gives me so much joy to do so.
Blessings to you, too - big-time, and to the Campbells!
We would like thank all the people for their donation towards food.
A medical clinic is currently being put in place at Mercy Home.
For continued direction with our plans to build a school and for progress with the medical clinic.
Food, clothing, vocational training tools, school fees, medical fees.
Suubi
We praise the Lord for the good performance of our children in their midterm exams. We thank the Lord for providing them with wisdom. (Proverbs 8 and 9)
Pray for our children to stop falling sick as often as they do. If we join in prayers together, we are sure the gentle hand of the Lord will reach out to them.
(Psalms 18 and 40)
Pray for our children to perform well in the forthcoming end-of-term exams. Since it is the last term of the year, they are anxious to go to the next classes during the new year.
(Proverbs 8 and 9)
We need some shoes, sandals, bed sheets and sweaters for our children. We are now in a rainy season and it is normally cold especially in the mornings and evenings when it rains.
Children say they need a special meal every weekend.
Mojo
Praise God that all the children are healthy and go to school.
We praise God that these children have someone to assist them.
Praise God that He has blessed our donors.
People whose life and property are affected by recent flood in the country.
For commodity price to go down.
Boxes and storage lockers.
Hope for the Hopeless
We are enrolling more children in public school.
Pray for our project work and fund for our new home.
Sleeping materials, chairs and tables to sustain the orphanage's population.
Extra funds for more food.
The Shepherd's Fold
For the changed life. This is both in their daily living as their bodily needs are met and able to go to school. The weekly meetings have made a great impact in their life, especially in their connectedness to God and ethical living.
The beneficiaries thank God and PIA for the monthly provisions and weekly Bible studies.
We thank God for our kids that they are healthy and can attend school regularly.
We want to thank PIA for standing with us to help the poor.
We pray for kids in our project to have the fear of God and know Jesus personally and have success in their studies.
We are praying for PIA staff to be blessed by God.
We are praying for all poor children and orphans in our country.
School uniforms
Money for school fees
Romania
For the children and our volunteers.
Our volunteers and supporters.
We are currently at 2000 diapers per month, but need 3500.
Funds to supplement children's meals with healthy snacks, yoghurt and fruit.
Funds for educational toys.
Funds for an activity room in the hospital.
Funds for a vehicle to transport children to the villages.
Remember the Poorest
It's always a joy to see little children streaming into the school compound after the summer holidays. We thank God for enabling us to add grade 1 to our education program this academic year.
We praise God for supplying our need for a new Christian principal for our KG School to replace the previous school director who left for the States just recently.
Again, we're grateful to God for enabling us to purchase school supplies in time before the commencement of school. We praise God for two of the street children had baptized in one local church.
We are very pleased for most of the street children going to finish their vocational skills training and ready to start another phase of life of seeking jobs or other means of generating income.
Pray that we may have dedicated and exemplary teaching staff and that the school may be a vehicle for demonstrating God's love and mercy to the surrounding neighborhood.
We request your prayer support concerning the alarming inflationary trend because it's becoming virtually impossible to make any sensible price adjustments. Every two or three days there is an upward increase of commodity prices.
We ask you to stand with us in our effort to find a more conducive learning environment for our students living in the northern section of town. We need a place where they can get their tutorial lessons and some space for playing games.
We need more desks, chairs and other facilities to run the school on a more or less smooth condition. We also need more teaching personnel.
Almaz
We praise God for giving us strength and wisdom to carry on with our work and for supplying us with the resources to help the orphan children.
We are grateful to God that he has helped our donors who supports us. God bless you!
House rent increased. Please pray for us.
Please pray that God might provide more of the necessities of the orphans' needs.
That God might touch the life of many of the children in deeper spiritual experience.
Pray for us that God increase our resources more abundantly, so that we may be able to adequately meet our planned objectives.
We pray that our donors might be able to raise ample funds and meet our request.
The biggest challenge we face is price fluctuation day by day. We are struggling to purchase items necessary for the month.
Three weeks, three-thousand miles, and seventy-six hours on the road. That would be an oversimplification of our trip back to Arizona in October. The three-week journey started out with a 24-hour delay because we couldn't get the travel documents together for our new van in time.
After arriving in Show Low, AZ, late at night we spent time with family, and the kids really enjoyed having a chance to play with their grandparents. We were blessed to be able to spend time with both sets of grandparents and cousins since they all live in the same town. The time together was precious and the kids really enjoyed reacquainting themselves with everyone and really took advantage of the time together to play hard.
In all we made presentations at seven churches, one Christian school, and met with several pastors and ministry leaders individually, including an unplanned visit to Grand Canyon University, which we will write more about in a future newsletter.
People in the congregations responded very positively to the message that we brought, and we are grateful for their support and their desire to support the ministry in Mexico. Some of the response was immediate; we saw about $800 come in right away for child sponsorships, and we are looking forward to seeing many people who took child sponsorship brochures begin sponsoring a child in one of our orphanages.
We were also blessed to be able to catch up with old friends and see them and their children again. How things change after such a short time away!
We want to send out a special thank you to everyone who prayed for us and held us up during this trip, to the friends and family who were so generous with their hospitality, and to everyone in the church services who were so kind and opened their churches and their hearts to hear the stories of the children in Mexico.
Tecate, Mexico - It was such a blessing for us to spend time in Arizona in October to tell the stories of the special children we work with in Mexico. During our most recent campaign we shared a presentation called 10 Candles with the congregations that used lit and extinguished candles to illustrate the serious nature of the global problem of child abuse, neglect, and abandonment (which you can view at www.partnersinaction.org/ace).
We at PIA have the privilege to work with such a wonderful group of special children who have survived unbelievable circumstances to become an incredible testimony to the power of God to transform a life and to give value to someone whom the world has devalued and has labeled as worthless or disposable.
So often we see the images of these children living in extreme poverty, or having survived unspeakable horrors, and we begin to feel sorry for them, or we begin to feel guilty for our comfortable, blessed lives. The truth of the matter, though, is that if they could tell us one thing they would tell us not to pity them but to admire them for the strength they have found, not to feel sorry for them but be inspired by their courage. When I look in the faces of the children that we work with I am inspired every day to press on and continue to tell their stories.
Every time I watched the video that went along with the presentation from the stage or the pulpit in a church I was moved, I was encouraged, and even though I have seen the images hundreds of times, it never ceased to inspire me. I remember their struggles and I remember the pain that they have told me about, but more importantly I remember their victory, their triumph, and I would look into their eyes and see the potential that they have to become someone incredible.
Like the acorns that fall on the ground here in Mexico, they start small but they have all of the potential to become a mighty oak, given the support and nurturing they need to grow. The people in their lives are the water and soil they need to grow. The dedicated orphanage teams that work to make sure they are loved and cared for, educated to have strong minds, and counseled to heal their broken spirits - they are the soil, and you can be the water.
Their work is hard and although many of the orphanage workers work up to 12 hours a day 6 days a week with the children, many of them also work hard at secular jobs to be able to financially support their families and the children, or are going to school themselves to become better caretakers. You can help them by sponsoring a child today. You can know that your sponsorship will be used to help nurture these children to help them become the people that God has called them to be, and that your sponsorship will be used wisely.
All PIA Child Sponsorships are directed 100% to the orphanages for the care of the children, with nothing taken out for any reason.
Will you become a child sponsor today? We want to be able to sponsor each child in our programs by the end of this year. Will you be the water for these children to help us ensure that their light never goes out?
Don't forget that we are working on a special Christmas CD of music sung by the children in our programs for a special Christmas fundraiser that will be available to order December 1.
Please pray with us for the following needs in our ministries in Latin America:
Jeremy and Karen are fundraising; please consider them in prayer and consider supporting their vital ministry. For more information on supporting the Francis's, please contact Jeremy Francis at jfrancis@partnersinaction.org
Wa' Ta-Lus Kuateí is in need of a 15-passenger van, or donations to purchase one.
Rancho San Juan Bosco is in need of staff sponsorships, specifically $2200 per month to hire additional staff.
Both orphanages have many children who need sponsors. Please consider becoming a child sponsor.
What if your child was in the care of the state and it simply decided to shut down facilities for children? What if society made it acceptable to abandon children simply because the parents are facing financial and personal challenges? What if your child laid in a crib without any physical contact unless it was for diaper change or feeding? Think about the number of times in a day that you hug, smile, and laugh with your children. What would their life be like without that? 
In 2005, children in Romania felt this pain and continue to do so today. The orphanages in Romania were officially closed in preparation for joining the European Union. The Romanian government has had the task of placing over 80,000 children in governmental and nongovernmental homes. These homes consist of approximately 10 children each and have created a more family-oriented environment over institutionalization. A lot of good work has been done with so many children needing placement that the homes have quickly filled.
Unfortunately, there haven't been any programs instituted to date to help change the mentality of parents or to educate those who would leave their children in an orphanage as a means of coping. Most children in the Romanian orphanage system are not true orphans, but abandoned children. A mentality left over from the Ceausescu régime reinforces that it is acceptable to leave a child in the care of the state until home circumstances and finances get better in order to bring the child home. This could mean months, years, or never.
As a result, the hospitals are now filled with infants and children who have been abandoned. Since there aren't any orphanages available to place these children, and the current placement homes are at maximum capacity, the hospital wards are facing a dilemma.
Hope for the Nations - Romania heard the cry of the children and has stepped in to be of help to the Children's Hospital of Brasov. At this point, we have enough diapers to change the children on three floors of the hospital four times a day. With the help of our growing volunteer program, we are able to provide physical stimulation for the children who are now held. We are also developing a social program that will help to return children to their homes. It is often the case that parents abandon a child at the hospital because they simply don't have money for transportation from the village to the city, or that they don't have money to even buy milk. 
Romania has not been fortunate with a fast economic recovery to its lower income population, which is the majority. Middle class is almost non existent. Hope for the Nations - Romania will be here extending our hand to children at risk but cannot do this work without the help of our supporters. We know we can make a difference even if it's one child at a time!
As the young boy wandered through the jungle on a hot African day, his bare feet grew sore and his stomach rumbled. Hunger had driven Freegate in search of fruits, even though it was not the season for finding fruit on trees. Suddenly, the frantic voice of another boy interrupted his search: "Hide quickly - two men have come to capture you and sell you as a slave!" The thought struck young Freegate with fear. In terror, he fled deeper into the jungle to evade his alleged captors. 
There was something that set Freegate apart from the other children in Lotakor: he was an orphan. Freegate lost his father when he was two years old, and his mother just a year later. Not only did he have to contend with grinding poverty, but he had to do it all alone. 
Freegate's future seemed bleak. But God had a plan from the beginning to redeem him from the darkness. Even his name foreshadowed God's plan for him - the plan to bring him into the "free gate" of Jesus Christ.
Noah Abraham is eleven years old and came to us when his father was dying of AIDS. Noah's mother had died a few years ago and his father was caring for him and his brother, Jesse. Eventually, his father got seriously ill, and Noah and Jesse were left totally alone in the slums with no adult care. They lived in their father's rented mud hut and ate frogs, cockroaches, and grasshoppers to survive. The children were very malnourished, had ringworm, and were visibly ill. Noah's father heard about New Hope Children's Home and contacted the police to collect the children and bring them here. We now had two new family members at New Hope.
Shortly after the boy's arrival, the Swaziland Olympics committee came to visit and offered to train four of our staff as coaches for swimming classes. They also arranged for us to use a pool at a nearby resort for practice. Noah and six other children started swimming lessons. Ironically, the coaches didn't know how to swim until they got lessons from the Olympic committee. The kids then qualified to enter the national swim gala and Noah proved to be a rising star. In a few days, he will be going with forty other children from Swaziland to South Africa in Mphumalanga for the regional swim gala. Last year, he represented Swaziland in the international Southern Africa swim galas in Johannesburg. He came home with a silver medal in the breaststroke. We pray he will come home with a medal again after this year's competition.
Last month, we received the following letter from Joel Alviar, the director of the Philippines Faith Mission, whom many of you support through Partners In Action. A typhoon hit the Philippines this Fall and the Philippines Faith Mission suffered damage, but they believe the Lord averted disaster. 
We have many donors who experience changes with their finances while they are supporting a child. We are never ceased to be amazed at the generosity and love in which they find a way to keep on giving to the children. Here is a note that we received from Mary Chico:
Three weeks, three-thousand miles, and seventy-six hours on the road. That would be an oversimplification of our trip back to Arizona in October. The three-week journey started out with a 24-hour delay because we couldn't get the travel documents together for our new van in time.
Tecate, Mexico - It was such a blessing for us to spend time in Arizona in October to tell the stories of the special children we work with in Mexico. During our most recent campaign we shared a presentation called 10 Candles with the congregations that used lit and extinguished candles to illustrate the serious nature of the global problem of child abuse, neglect, and abandonment (which you can view at 
