This past week has been a very busy one with many events
that have reminded us of our blessings.
As I have mentioned previously, I (Eileen) play the piano
for primary on Sundays. This is the children’s organization at church. A couple
of weeks ago I talked with one of the Moms regarding her family. She mentioned
that her son was high functioning autistic. I have observed him in primary and
have suspected that he was autistic. I told this Mom that we have a family
member who is also high functioning autistic and then proceeded to talk with
the boy about his love for computers. Last Sunday, this young man approached me
to talk after church. He spent about 15 minutes talking about school, his
favorite computer games and how many languages he speaks. This interaction made me very happy, as I know
this young man really struggles socially. I hope that he feels like I am
someone “safe” to talk with.
Monday evening we had a Family Home Evening with Elder and
Sister Swenson speaking. They are the Young Adult leaders for the Europe Area.
We heard about all the great programs available for Young Adults (ages 18-30)
in Europe.
Tuesday we left for Romania to train the Shurtleffs. They are serving as the humanitarian couple
in Bucharest. Elder and Sister Shurtleff
are from Illinois and the below freezing temperatures with significant humidity
and wind didn’t seem to faze them.
Russell and I struggled to keep warm as we moved from one appointment to
the next via metro and walking.
 |
| There has been a lot of snow lately in Bucharest |
In April 2016 Elder Patrick Kearon, who is the Europe Area
President of our church, gave a remarkable talk in General Conference. It was entitled “Refuge from the Storm” In
this talk he said “There are an estimated 60 million refugees in the world
today, which means that 1 in every 122 humans…. has been forced to flee their
homes,” and half of these are children. Shortly after this time our church
started an initiative entitled “I was a Stranger: the Call for Relief,” This
initiative invites individuals of all ages to give to service to refugees in
their neighborhoods and local communities.
After hearing Elder Kearons’ talk and reading of the refugee
initiative, President Doru (a branch president in Bucharest) determined that
his congregation needed to do something to help the refugees. He sent out calls
and emails to organizations trying to determine where assistance would be most
beneficial. After contacting Mr. Rifai a
friendship was formed and a “Christmas party” was organized at our church
building. Close to 100 people attended
this party, most of whom were not members of our church. Food was served, music was offered and gifts
given to the children, courtesy of the branch and President Ivory of the
Romania/Moldova mission.
As we talked with the representatives of this NGO we
recognized the good feelings that were created with the refugees as they
participated in this event. President
Doru wanted to know how best to help the Syrians who have left the awful events
in their homeland. These are the needs
as the representatives mentioned: 1) activities for their children so they
could experience music, art and get help with homework; 2) language classes to help
learn both Romanian and English; 3) help with skills training for some of the
adults so they could work; and 4) have future interactions with the Romanian
members of our church so that the refugees and members can have the opportunity
to get to know each other as friends, rather than as Christians and refugees.
The meeting was a real emotional and spiritual high for
me. President Doru explained our home
teaching program and the importance of having someone aware of individual needs.
He discussed the importance of families and I showed them Family Search where
my family line is traced back for hundreds of years. Mr. Rifai said that genealogy
is important in his culture also and that he knows his lineage for several
hundred of years.
 |
| Chapel in Bucharest |
 |
| Missionaries teach English and Romanian lessons |
 |
| Looking at the NGO's blog |
 |
| Discussing potential projects |
We discussed possible projects for the future. In February
there will be a movie night where members of the church and the refugees can
enjoy a movie together with some snacks.
March there will be an international night where everyone will bring a
favorite food. Attendees will be able to learn more about each other’s
cultures. In April a talent show will take place. It was amazing to see the interaction between
two groups of people from such different backgrounds working together for a
common cause, to help the refugees integrate into Romanian society. At the end of the meeting I thought about the
fact that we all believe in God, we are truly brothers and sisters. He wants us to care for each other and show
love and kindness to one another.
Here is a link for the newscast shown on the NGO's website regarding the Christmas party. Place your mouse on the link. It is rather dark, but it will take you to their website. Scroll to the bottom where it says DIMA TV, it is the 1st and 3rd video under DIMA TV.
Thursday we met two NGO partners. In the morning we went to
a “safe house” operated by the group Solwodi. We met with two lovely nuns, one
of who is an attorney and one who is a social worker, along with another woman
who is a social worker. They told us about the great work they do with
trafficked and abused women and children.
Not only do they provide a safe place for them to live, but they also
help them on a long-term basis to try and become self-reliant. They have
counseling services to help the women develop better mothering skills, and to
try and boost their self-esteem.
At one
point a young Roma girl who has been abused walked in and met us. Both Russell
and I thought she looked like one of our granddaughters.
It was quite emotional for me to think of all
that has happened to this girl in the past, and what brought her to the shelter
in the first place.
As we left the
shelter, one of the sister nuns showed us some origami greeting cards made by
the women and children of the shelter. I tried to buy some, however was told
the cards I was shown were only for display. They let me choose one that I will
give to the missionaries in Germany who just had a daughter pass away. I loved
the cards and would be glad to pay to buy some. My thoughts were if they could
produce a large quantity of these cards I would think they could really bring
some income in for the women.
Soap and
candles are also being made as a fundraiser. We appreciated the efforts of this
organization to help move the families in a direction of being self-reliant,
something that may take years to accomplish.
Website for this organization
www.solwodi.ro
 |
| Elder and Sister Shurtleff, Healy and Sister Adina |
 |
| Women are taught to bottle vegetables for the winter |
 |
| Sister Adina with craft project done by one of the women |
 |
| Origami cards are made by the women |
 |
| They sell these homemade cards for $1.50/a piece. I think they could sell for much more in the U.S. |
Thursday afternoon we met with Ian Tilling and other workers
from the NGO Casa Ioana. Ian is a retired police officer from the U.K. He came
to Romania 20 years ago to help the people here. He started out with a desire
to help the many disabled children of Romania. Now he has created a shelter for
the homeless. He has two social workers
on his staff that do counseling with the families in the shelter. Others offer
direction as they teach budgeting and life skills. Ian was thrilled about the fact that a Japanese
foundation has offered him 25,000 Euros to renovate his shelter. As we walked around the shelter I could see
that the shelter was in desperate need for renovations. Once renovated, the plans look like it will
be a warm and inviting place for the homeless to reside in. LDS Charities has provided a refrigerator and
washing machine for the shelter in the past.
Elder and Sister Shurtleff are excited about the possibility of
assisting and are already creating plans to implement a project with this group.
Website for this group-the language can be changed in the upper right hand corner.
www.casaioana.org
 |
| Ian showing us the new plans for the shelter |
 |
| A bedroom, sorely in need of renovation |
 |
| I love this "we can do it" plaque from WWII |
Friday we met with Dr. Romanescu with the Regina Maria
Foundation.
We visited a medical clinic
where services are offered for the poor and homeless in Bucharest who would not
have an option for medical care elsewhere. We were told that if someone has a
medical condition and does not have insurance often they would go to the
Emergency Room for care, as that would be covered by the government.
Unfortunately many of the homeless have conditions
that require a long-term care plan i.e.: diabetes, asthma, heart problems,
frostbite, and tuberculosis.
Dr.
Romanescu has a staff of volunteer doctors to assist with each specialty to
give medical care to recipients. His colleague who is a psychologist helps
evaluate the needs of the homeless to see where they are emotionally and if
there is a way he can help them connect with programs to meet their needs.
LDSC has offered assistance in the past by
donating equipment for this organization.
Again we were very impressed with the work that is being done to help
the truly needy of Romania.
 |
| Eileen meeting with Dr. Romanescu and psychologist |
 |
| This is the sterilizer donated by LDSC to sterilize instruments |
I came home with a bad cold but a wonderful feeling seeing
all the good that is being done in Romania.
I appreciate being able to serve with my best friend and companion.
No comments:
Post a Comment