Dear Family and Friends,
I have spent the better part of the last two days making up for lost time kissing babies. As I found out today, the older children can only stand so much of it. I, however, could be a professional baby kisser. In fact, maybe I will change my title to that. Pretty catchy, huh? 
New Life House has grown in many ways since my departure to the US. As I told you in yesterday’s email, we now have twins!! The are three month old, identical twin boys, Calin and Claudiu!! (Attached is a photo with me and the two precious babies!) I have also attached a close up of one of them sucking two of his fingers. Isn’t that the most precious thing you have ever seen?!?! They certainly do not lack for attention!
We also added more staff so that our maternal assistants could have more time with their families. Our maternal assistants work two days for twelve hours (a day shift and then a night shift) and then they are off for two days. They really like this program and it gives us four women for the 10 children during the day and 3 at night. We place emphasis on keeping the maternal assistant to child ratio low so that the children get plenty of one to one attention. Half of our children were abandoned so we take extra care to attend to their needs.
Zambo is starting to look like a small version of the Michelin man. Pavel decided to take Jodi’s place in caring for him so it is not uncommon to see Pavel riding in the car running errands with Zambo in the car seat! You can see from the attached photo of him standing while holding my hands that he will not be able to walk if he keeps eating!! At some point, we will back off the feedings but he is still growing and “catching up.”
Marius and Daciana are both walking. In fact, Daciana bypassed walking and went straight to running and dancing (this remind you of anyone, Mom?) I have attached a photo of Marius demonstrating his new talent.
We ask you to please pray for Maria, the baby in the hospital with a huge facial tumor. I visited her today and the tumor is bigger. I have no confirmation that any facility in the US will take her case. Please, please, pray that her suffering ends soon. It breaks my heart to see her in such a horrible condition.
The youth team and leaders from Seacoast will be arriving tomorrow to conduct a two week camp for children that are in the juvenile delinquent facility and to work at New Life House for two weeks. We ask that you please pray for their safe arrival here. We are looking forward to having them!
As many of you know, my church, Seacoast Christian Community, will be sending another shipment via the US Air Force. (There is a special humanitarian program for doing this.) If you would like to bring supplies, the following is a list of our needs:
1. diapers, diapers, diapers!
2. baby formula (both iron fortified and regular)
3. baby wipes
4. Poly Vi-Sol (the baby vitamin drops with iron…we use tons of it)
5. baby food in jars
6. baby cereal
7. rocking chairs for inside (2 more)
8. rocking chairs for outside (4)
9. diaper rash cream
10. corn starch (not talc powder)
11. Pedialyte
12. PediaCare
13. children’s and infants pain reliever
14. infant boy clothes
15. 3T clothes for boy and girl
16. a bunk bed set that has a double mattress on the bottom and a single mattress on the top (this is for my apartment when teams visit)
17. double mattress sheets
18. nice, soft American toilet paper (can you guess who this is for)
19. canned food for families that need assistance (especially canned meats)
20. baby wash, baby lotion, and other baby consumables
Please note that we do NOT need baby baths, baby bottles, pacifiers, or sippie cups.
Thank you to all of you that support this ministry with your donation of goods and money. If any of you have any ideas of organizations that may contribute to this ministry, please write me as soon as possible. We really need to get funding for beyond August.
May God richly bless you wherever you serve Him!!
Basking in the Son,
Michelle
Posted on June 29th, 2000 by Michelle
Filed under: Michelle's Journal