Dear Family and Friends,
I woke up this morning to an email message this morning telling me that our oldest foster child, Claudia, had to have an appendectomy yesterday. Neli had written me two days ago to say she was suspected to have appendicitis but I did not hear from Neli yesterday so I thought everything must be okay. Georgy wrote me this morning to say that Claudia was doing well but very weak from not having anything to eat for two days. Then Georgy wrote, “Michelle, she asked if you were coming to see her in the hospital.” I felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest. I cry each time I think of her question. (Of course I could be a professional soap opera star right now because I cry so easily.) My consoling husband helped but it was one of those times when I desperately wanted to be back in Romania and he did as well. We have had Claudia in our ministry since she was 15 months old and severely anemic because she was abandoned in the hospital. She was not even able to lift her head nor did she have any muscle tone. Now, she is a bubbly, beautiful little girl that I have had the joy of watching to grow up in foster care. Daniel has wanted us to adopt her for years but, as you know, that was never possible because of the Romanian government.
I ask you to please pray for Claudia to heal quickly so she can go home. We never want an abandoned child to have to be admitted to the hospital because the sounds and smells bring back the memories of the trauma of being abandoned. Georgy told me the foster mother, Mia, has not left Claudia’s side for the entire time but today asked a friend to come and stay with Claudia so she could go home and take a shower and change. We also praise The Lord that NOT ONE BRIBE had to be given in order for Claudia to receive the necessary surgery! Truly a miracle in that system!
I just called Claudia on her foster mother’s mobile phone and got to talk to her so I feel a bit better now. I explained that Daniel and I were very far away and could not come and visit her but that I would call her again. She was quite excited to talk to me and tell me about her surgery. She sounded really well but her foster mother said she was weak because they would not allow her to have anything but liquid still. I will send an updated photo of Claudia on Monday when Neli has returned to Oradea from her home village.
I also ask you to pray for Alina Cioara, our social worker for Education Inspiration, Agape Home, and Good Beginnings Preschool. Her grandmother passed away last week and she was very close to her. Many of you have met Alina when you came to Romania so you know what a heart she has for the work she does. If you would like to write her, her email address is a_heavenlyplace@yahoo.com and here is a photo of her so you can put a name with a face.
We ask you to join with us in celebrating Neli Pirtea’s successful completion of her degree in Social Work and her licensing exam! Neli is our social worker for New Life Foster Care, Nurture Network, and Arms of Mercy. She finally finished with flying colors on Monday and is very happy to be done. When we talked on the phone, she told me the professors asked her questions about the field work that we do that keeps parents from abandoning their children. We were amazed at how little they know because no one ever actually goes to do direct work with the families. Neli said she explained that most of the families we work with chose not to get married because the mothers then get more money from the state for being a single parent. We were amazed that they did not know this! Neli has a technical degree in social work that she got after high school but the government refused to accept any of her work from then so she had to start all over a few years ago. If you would like to congratulate her on working full-time and going to school full-time successfully, her email address is p_neli@yahoo.com
Here is a photo of Neli taken a few days ago with a new baby that she has identified for us to take into our Nurture Network project.
While Alina was driving that day, they were trying to enter a village where one of our Education Inspiration children lives but could not because the cows were going home and not a bit concerned with our car in the middle of the road. (When I was a teenager, I saw a car that had been destroyed because it hit a cow in the middle of the road. The cow ALWAYS wins with a car!) Because they both have a sense of humor, they snapped this photo because they did not want our sponsors to miss out on the fun details of life they have to experience from time to time. So, here it is, a photo to put with the phrase “til the cows come home!” Enjoy!
Basking In The Son,
Posted on June 27th, 2008 by Michelle
Filed under: Michelle's Journal