excited times!!!

We live excited times! (Matrix) This is the feeling I've been experiencing for last few weeks. I remember all the anxiety I went through at the beginning of the summer, with all the changes we are still going through. I realize that the strongest feeling that created anxiety inside me, the one I can call to be uprooted, turned out to be, after all, one that produced the fruits of joy and excitement in my life, in the life of our community (even if usually I am a person that doesn't experience life emotional). All this was due all the people coming and going to and from our community recently. Every person, worker, volunteer or child who entered our lives, and then left, they left taking with them something out of me. As is normal when facing suffering, the tendency is to close up regarding new experiences, new people, toward change, but our Father is worthy to receive all glory for He is merciful and leads us to greener and testier pastures.

All this events from this summer and all the changes that still take place bring this state of excitement and the trust that the God is the source of it. He changes lives, transforms consciences and brings a new joy! I want to thank you a lot for your support in prayers. We appreciate all you do, and we trust that Lord called us to be partners together in this ministry.

At the beginning of the summer, when the summer holiday started for the children, we had a team form Berea United Methodist that brought a fresh air through their help and the activities they done with and for our community. Part of this team was my brother, who came with two of his children, Evi and Samuel (my niece and nephew). The joy was even greater for this visit was the cause for our family reunion (I haven't saw my brother from the States for four years and his last three children I've seen only in pictures).

After this event a void appeared when many of the workers went to WMF Gathering, and David and Lenuta left for their sabbatical. So for a while, during the summer, we were just a few of us doing the summer program with the children.

Our summer camps, even if they were organized different, brought a new air into our community. I, together with seven of our teenagers took part in the youth camp organized by Emanuel Church. The teenagers sought the face of God and experienced Him in a new way. Also, we entered into relationships with other teenagers that are seeking God, and this brought new experiences, new joy. First week in September was put aside for a camp for the younger children (1st -6th grade). Even this week was organized different form last years, having fewer children, God was glorified by the intensity of our relationships, and we had a quality time together.

The start of the new school year bought, also, many changes, which brought in me that feeling of crazy excitement I was talking about!

For the last three years our community has been praying for a social worker, (that is officially acknowledged by authority, in order to function legally). Oana, our new social worker, is God's answer to those prayers. She is more than we asked for, as we can see what she brings to our community. We are open and expectant for God to surprise us even more through her.

What brings to the excitement a greater intensity and a crazy joy – after all the pressure created by sufferance and sadness experienced during the last months when some of the workers left, and others are on their way toward leaving – is that we are looking forward to have two new people working with us. Claudia, who just graduated university with a degree in social work wants to serve with us, and Bogdan, who was already involved in our community, organizing and leading the Beggars Society meetings, will take over some of Bela's administrative responsibilities (as he and his wife are preparing to move to the States).

When the school started, we welcomed to the center a group of twelve new children, fact that adds to the feeling of excitement! After our meeting to plan this new school term, we decided that we still have the needed resources – emotional, relational, and spiritual – to offer, and we were open to receive what God has to offer us through those children.

Also, a great encouragement is the fact that some of the teenagers are going to high school, and they are helping a lot with the younger children. They help them with homework, they play together - it is a great joy to see how they are investing their lives in relationships with the „little ones”.

Fani, Ana and I, together with eight teenagers participated in a regional youth conference, where the theme was TransFormat (formed beyond the limits). This event was a bless for us, for we had a chance to worship, to hear the Word of God together with many young people from this part of Romania. We are praying and hope that God is transForming our lives entirely, by bringing light, healing and restoration, fact that is already happening into the lives of some of the teenagers.

Prayer request:
• the new children– many of them have educational lacks, and they need to do extra work to come up to their current grade – to adapt to the new structure in their lives and to receive Father's love through all they hear and experience in the community center „La Vale”;
• the teenagers– to make good choices when they are under the temptations specific to their age, and under the negative pressure coming from their friends and sometimes even from their families;
• our community– to continue to grow in unity, love and relationships in the spirit of God, and even more to grow in hearing and seeing God in all we are doing every day;
• new workers– Oana, Bogdan and Claudia to continue to hear their call and to find their place from God in this work, and to feel included and encouraged;
• Bela and April – soon they will move to the States – pray for their unborn baby, to be healthy, and the same for April.
• All the activities which need to planned around Christmas; we want God to be glorified through what we do.