What Do I Do Here?

Stefan, Camelia and others began asking us to come for longer periods of time.

Part 3

Christians here began asking, “Please, can’t you arrange to come for 3 months?”  Our first reply was, “Oh, no, there’s no way we can do that.  We have to work most of the year to have enough to live on.”  To which they countered, “Well, come for 6 weeks!” However,  God opened the door for us to move here, continue training professional counselors, teaching the church members, and eventually to be the missionaries who invite Let’s Start Talking to come each year. (LST will not send teams where there is no missionary.)

After much prayer, we laid out a fleece for God to show us clearly if we were to move here. To our surprise, the answer came soon…the owner of the house we were leasing e-mailed us that she had to sell the house.  Well, we suddenly had no home in the U.S.  We had to move somewhere…and God had already opened our minds and hearts to the idea of moving here.

So, what do I do now?  I am a volunteer with the local Red Cross.  I counsel whoever they request help for.  I advise the Red Cross volunteers when they need my help.  I raise funds Stateside for the Red Cross to purchase medical equipment (crutches, walkers, wheelchairs, diabetic equipment, etc.), medicine and food for the poverty stricken families and the elderly.  I solicit good used clothing from Christians in the U.S. (30 boxes of good, used, warm clothing came last Winter to clothe the destitute.)

In addition to that, I train the psychologists and social workers in advanced counseling techniques that are not known here. I do this in formal training sessions every 2 weeks.  I also give them weekly guidance on how to help the people they are counseling.  At least once or twice a year, I conduct week long training for all the professionals in the city who help abused children. They have not heard of many of the methods that I learned in the States as long ago as back in the 70’s.

Also, using my God-given skills, I provide therapy for abused women, children, men…and help them overcome the after effects of abuse. — Anne, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and Licensed Professional Counselor, MSSW

(to be continued)

Some of the mothers who attended our Parenting School –

Continuing medical help for Roland through the Red Cross is improving the quality of his life.

Dan encouraged many fine young men through the Let’s Start Talking program.

Now I live and work in this small city where St. George daily battles the Dragon in the Center of St. Georghe, Transylvania, Romania.

The Blessings Go On and On

The Red Cross Booth at St. George Days. Ildeko, on far right, is one of the 3 paid employees at the Red Cross. All the other servants are volunteers who truly care about people in need. God's Children raises funds to help them provide medicine and medical equipment for children and adults living in poverty.

This week the manager of the lovely little 2nd hand shop, Flandia, returned from a scouting trip.  He brings in older furniture from Belgium and Holland.  I just “happened” to decide to go take a look.  My office only had a folding chair for seating, and the training room had been almost bare. There I found just what was needed.  Now there is nice furniture, and a beautiful old area carpet in each room for “very little money” as they say here…and beautiful curtains in the 3 upstairs rooms at a fraction of what they’d cost in the States.

The curtains were made by the brother in law of Aranka.  He is a gifted tailor, a gentle soul, with a kind heart.  They live in a village near here.  He did not want to accept any money for making my curtains.  He said that I am “family/friend.”  Hungarians/Romanians don’t take money for helping a friend.  I’ve run into that several times…young men that Dan mentored want to help me with things – i.e., put in my garden even though they are among the 30% here who have little work.  And, yes, yes, I can hear you and the young men saying, “But, Anne, you continue to help us for no money.  Now, it’s our turn.”  OK, OK so I did counsel nearly all day Friday…for no money.  But that’s different.  I have Social Security (it’s little money, but it’s enough.)

I can’t get ahead of these good hearts whom God has sent to me to love. — Anne

Jesus was asked, ” ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’  Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.'” – Matthew 22:36-39

2nd hand furniture looks lovely in my living room.

The wooden folding chairs have been replaced by lovely refinished chairs from Holland.. My counseling room actually looks like a professional counseling room now.

Rosemarie, Anne and Wanda celebrate their full LST schedule, and the delivery of Anne's new small Skoda Fabia in a local Hungarian Romanian favorite restaurant, Hundyi!

What Is It You Do

This year the underprivileged children at the Red Cross Camp will receive a "like new" Beanie Baby for their very own shipped to us by a kind hearted lady in Texas.

Robi’s high school graduation celebration dinner. An orphan, he now has his BA in Marketing!

Part 2

But to give some history – In 1996, Dan was asked by our son, Dean, of Saturn Road, Garland, to accompany him to inspect the work of Agape Foundation in Sfantu Gheorghe, Romania.  At the time, the Randy Dean family were doing an awesome benevolent work helping orphans.  Later, in 2000, we had been praying, “God use us as tools in your hands to glorify you.”  Then, I added the prayer of Jabez.  Actually, I thought that was rather a “trendy” thing.  But after reading the prayer of Jabez, if felt like something I wanted the Lord to help me do.

God heard our prayers.  One day, as I was going down the staircase in our home in Coppell, TX, I heard a voice say these words, “If you will sell this house and move, I will use you more in missions.” (I don’t often hear a voice that clearly.)  I ran to find Dan to tell him.  We put our house on the market; it sold; we moved to the Ft. Worth area to be near our daughter and her family.

Three weeks after we moved, Randy Dean contacted us asking us to come to Romania to teach two little congregations on Christian Parenting.  We replied, “We will pray about it.  If God wills, we will come.” Their sponsoring congregation, Saturn Road, contacted us to say, “If you will go, we will buy your plane ticket.”  There was the affirmation.  The little group asked us if we’d return the next year to teach again at their retreat.  We said, “We’ll pray about it.  If God wills, we will come.”  And…The next year, the same thing happened. Fundatia Agape invited us;  Saturn Road sent us.  Maria, a Christian Social Worker here, arranged for us to train the many professionals who work with abused children in this little city .  After that, the professionals requested that we return every year, twice a year to help them learn better ways to help the hurting.

(to be continued…)

God used us to provide training materials and supplies for the Autistic Center.

He never had crutches the right length until God's Children gave him an adjustable pair.

“In as much as you did it unto the least of these…”  — Anne

What Is It You Do?

Some new friends asked me to tell them about what God’s Children non profit org and I do over here in the Transylvanian Alps.  Maybe you will enjoy this also. Blessings,  Anne, Sfantu Gheorghe, Transylvania, Romania

Part One

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 30 years experience in Christian counseling, parent training, and therapy that brings healing to trauma victims.  I am a helper, an encourager.  My husband, Dan, was a gifted Christian Family Counselor, minister who could read New Testament Greek quite well, a true visionary who led 100’s to Christ during his lifetime.  When Dan knew that he would soon be going to his eternal Home, he gently said, “I’d like for you to return to Romania and carry on our work…if you want to.”  Smiling through my tears, I replied, “I’d like very much to do that.”

Our work…helping the hurting, the lost, the needy…that has always been our work…being “Jesus with skin on” one might say.  It was Dan’s vision to help people here to improve their lives by learning good conversational English using the Easy to Read New Testament, and, at the same time, come to understand how much God loves them.  We did that through English Bible discussions one on one, or in small groups.  It was his strong desire to help parents become better parents through the Parenting School we helped establish, to help people find peace through good counseling. With God’s help, I can carry on our work.  I basically live on my Social Security. Individual intentional followers of Jesus provide the Benevolence and Working Fund.

(to be continued)

Mentoring young people is joyful!

Popeye would love this Organic dish - Fresh, sunny side up eggs with creamed spinach! It's one of my favorites.

Triathlon National Champ of Romania, Boti, is one of Wanda's LST Readers, and one of our faithful helpers!

Dr. Katai, gifted dentist, who is bringing healing for the jaw infection that began in the U.S.

April Dawn on my mountain!

Grace = Unmerited Favor

My New Ride, me, Aranka and Guszti at Skoda Dealership

A couple who are Intentional followers of Jesus and love the work here, gifted me with this car to help me do the work God has called me here to do.  For those who really want to know more about my Skoda Fabia (made with all VW parts in Central Europe) – it is for 4 passengers, has pw str, pw brakes, 1.2 L, 60 hp, ABS, AC, CD player, 4 air bags, “hand powered” windows, no automatic opener for the door locks,  4 on the floor (no automatic gear shift in other words), with  eu 4 pollution control engine.

My first tank of gas cost $64 – nearly $6.00 a gallon…I still have to register the car which requires a hefty tax, and buy tags.  I keep reminding myself that this is an adventure…I am living in the middle of an adventure with God.  He gave me this car.  He will provide all our needs…maybe not all of our wants, but certainly all of our needs.  My mind is being flooded with Scriptures – “Cast your cares on Him, for He cares for you.”  “Are you not worth more than the birds?”  “My grace is sufficient for you.”  It’s one a.m.  I’ll look up the scripture references later today just in case you don’t know how to find these verses.  I think His grace is suggesting it’s time to go to bed!   God is good.  God is good all the time. — Anne

Robert Varga, Skoda salesman who helped us slog through the many papers required to get the car.

Friends Enrich My Life

Attila's family owns a great B & B in Prejmer!

Beautiful sitting room at the B & B

Beautiful ancient church and fortress nearby

Nearby, there's always the mountains with hiking trails, and pure mineral springs flowing from the mountainsides.

God has created a beautiful world to share with us.  I’m thankful to be living in the middle of such unspoiled nature. — Anne

“Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it; shout, O depths of the earth; break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it!….Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb:  ‘I am the Lord, who made all things, who stretched out the heaens alone, who spread out the earth — Who was with me?….I will go before you and level the mountains….I call you by your name….I am the Lord, and there is no other.  Besides me there is no God; I gird you, though you do not know me, that men may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me….I form light and create darkness….I am the Lord, who do all these things….

Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the skies rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation may sprout forth, and let it cause righteousness to spring up also; I the Lord have created it.”  — excerpts from Isaiah 45: 1- 8

Is Any Day “Typical?”

The heart is easy to see. Maybe you can see in the clouds a face with arm and hand extended? Always look up!

On this grey morning the day after spending 1 hour in the dentist chair, I’m pretty tired.  He removed the temporary crown he made, and cleaned out more infection in the roots of a tooth – caused by a poorly applied crown put on in CA last January.  The Dr. probed with med filled needles to treat the roots and my jaw bone.  The infection caused arthritis in my thumbs and forefingers.  (That means I can’t plant my garden.) It’s easy to feel sorry for myself at times.  Then this morning…

I opened my computer and saw Karen’s message…PICTURES.  I felt led to look, like it was something I needed to see…to cause me to laugh…to lift my spirits.  And, sure enough, I was filled with awe at the beauty, laughed at the humor (didn’t God have fun when He set things in motion to make all those shapes!), and was deeply inspired by the last one with the heart on the ocean…and the face with extended arm and hand in the clouds above.  (Sorry it came out so small here.)

I don’t know why I am having to endure this illness, with fatigue sometimes that makes it just too hard to think.  God will use it to His glory.  That’s all that really matters.  Meanwhile, I have a mix of lonely hours when I truly know I have no one but God, and days where there is a stream of helpers coming to my aid.

Today, I hope to go to the bank to transfer funds from a USD account to a RON account .  (Dan used to do all of that.)  I’ve been watching the exchange rate.  The USD is up.  Had I exchanged funds last week, I would have lost $.  After that I will meet with an M.D., PhD microbiologist who is part of our team for natural healing of cancer.  At 4 p.m., I have a counseling session.   At 6 p.m., Levy, a friend who is a veterinarian and a specialist in plants is coming by.  He will put together a plan for making my small front yard into flower beds – herb garden, rock garden, etc.  (We’ll see how much of the plan I can afford right now.)  And, then, at 7 p.m., the Thursday night English Bible Discussion group meets.

There will be rest times in between.  I’m praying that God will give me the strength to do all this.   And, now, the sun just came out! — Anne

God's Sculpture - What do You see?

What if you caught one this big???

Hello!

Shhhhh! Don't wake him.

What's that? Oh, "fools rush in where angels fear to tread?" : > )

Have a blessed day.  Cloudy or sunny, God is with us. — Anne