Fall News!

September is my favorite, least favorite time of the year! Summer ministry has wrapped up and the teacher in me is ready to start a new school year. I spend a lot of time in meetings and on the phone with staff and directors trying to get all of the pieces into place. It often feels like I'm constructing a big puzzle! Sometimes I have to patiently wait on pieces to be given to me, but slowly the picture of fall ministry takes shape. This year has been a bit more challenging as we have had some location changes. Peris, one of our big orphanages that we've worked in for close to 20 years has only 7 teens still residing there. The school is still functioning with poor children from the village in addition to some of the kids from the orphanage, However the bulk of the kids have been moved to other facilities. We have been working really hard this summer and fall to visit these new facilities and develop relationships to open the door for ministry. It feels like starting back at square one in the idea that we have to build trust and credibility with the new directors and staff, but it also opens doors to new kids and potential. When we were visiting Peris last week two of the boys that had been transferred to different locations came back to visit and do hair cuts for the remaining kis. It was great to see them and see them putting things that they are learning to use.

For the second year in a row we hosted a H2H fundraiser garage sale. Garage sales are a realivly new concept here, but are gaining popularity. We had a great turnout and did better this year then last. We had people come back and said that when they heard we were doing another one they made sure they could make it. Most of you know the amount of work that a garage sale takes, but I had a great crew of helpers and volunteers from our staff, graduates and church members. I'm really pleased by the success.

The grandkids also started back to school in Sept. Plus we had Daria's 7th birthday and Ruthie's 12th. Oliver is also growing and learning to talk. So lots of fun going on in the H2H family!

We continue to have refugees staying at our house at Snagov. Karla and Kiril have become good buddies! Nadia has begun a small business of making purses to raise funds for her family (modeled by her daughter Christina).

May God bless you for all of the ways that you continue to love and support the misistry here in Romania!