World AIDS Day

December 1 is also World AIDS Day. A few of us went down to our local city mall park to mark the occasion, where some other NGOs were also gathering. There we ran into one of our original kids from the orphanage and one of our foster moms. It was so encouraging to see our friends and many others taking a moment to remember this important day. Prior to the revolution in 1989, poor health practices and a government reluctant to acknowledge the disease prompted HIV/AIDS cases to skyrocket - particularly among orphans. In fact, by the year 2000, 60% of Europe’s pediatric HIV/AIDS cases were registered in Romania, mostly in infants living in public institutions. The majority of those cases were located in Constanta, where the House of New Life is located.

Today in Romania, the most primitive health practices have been discontinued and antiretroviral medications are more accessible for children and young adults. The shame and stigma around the disease has also diminished, although not completely. The generation of children who were infected as infants are survivors today.     

Today is Romania Day

Today, December 1, is our national holiday. We celebrated with dancing and making flags. We made a few snowmen, too :)   

Gifts from the former mayor

Today we had a visit from Mr Bocai’s wife, who brought us gifts of new bed sheets, towels and socks. Mr Bocai was the former mayor of Ovidiu. We love the pink and blue colors for the girls and boys! We’re very grateful, God is good!

Guest post (cont.) - by Brittany Gonzalez

Putting a bow on this trip. We made the last rounds of visits to foster families, and then stopped by the infectious disease hospital to see our kids’ pediatrician. She specializes in complex pediatric cases and she said of all the kids she sees in Constanta, ours are the most resilient and best treated. She attributes this to the high level of care they receive at home, including a good diet, therapies, consistent administering of medications, and lots of love!

Then we said our goodbyes at the house; already the kids are counting down the days to Christmas  Mari and Ligia surprised my folks with some neat photo boxes, then it was off to the airport, which was thankfully a much less eventful drive than on the way in. We had a wonderful trip, and I’m looking forward to going back. Now time to bounce back from jet lag!

Guest post (continued), by Brittany Gonzalez

Already halfway through the trip, and time is flying by! We’ve packed in a ton so far. On Monday, we visited an adult day center which is run by some friends of ours. They provide activities for people with a range of mental and physical disabilities, as well as counseling services for their family. In Romania, it’s still a stigma to have a disability and there are very few organizations that offer services to these individuals and their families. This group does really great work and they’re very busy.

On Tuesday, we met with a county official who works closely with the public services administration. We’ve known her for many years and she’s become a friend. On this visit she had good news for us: there’s a strong possibility new legislation will pass to give more money to NGOs like Chi Rho. In her words, the government is realizing that groups like ours can provide the same services they do, but are “twice as effective and half as expensive.” We’ll know by early next year if the legislation is approved. Later, the house had a surprise visit from the mayor’s wife and a children’s choir. They brought homemade pastries and sang traditional Romanian songs. Our kids had a blast, and it was great to see the local community reaching out to them.

Today we visited our foster kids and their families. Hands down, this was the best part of the trip for me. I got to share all the old pictures I had scanned this summer of the kids when they were just toddlers (before we took over the house). For a lot of them, it was the first time they had seen these pictures. We were all pretty teary!

Guest post from Brittany Gonzalez

“We arrived in Bucharest on a snowy, windy Saturday. Sanda, our head of foster care, arranged for a driver to pick up my parents, our friend Gary, myself, and our mass of luggage. The weather was unseasonably cold and the roads were extremely icy. On the two hour drive to Constanta, we passed four rolled cars and narrowly missed a 10 car pile-up right behind us. We fishtailed twice but managed to get through before the authorities eventually closed the highway. Thank goodness for Providence, ballast and a good driver!

"Today was our first day at Casa Viata Noua. We met with Ligia, our house administrator, Sanda, the mamas who were on staff that day, and the kids. Years ago, the kids usually had one of two reactions to visitors: they either cowered in fear of strangers, or they would wildly mob them, starved for love and attention. Now they receive visitors with interest and restraint. They are always excited to see my parents, whom they love. They also know it means receiving presents from their sponsors! 

Among the goodies we brought were some beautiful quilts, handmade by ladies at my parents’ church. These were big hits. We had lunch with the staff, then looked at some old pictures I’d scanned of my dad’s early visits to Constanta, going back to 1992. It was amazing listening to the mamas recall memories of their kids from years ago, especially of ones who moved away or died. What they do is so much more than a job to them - it is a calling, and they truly love these kids. 

"In the afternoon, we went shopping for gifts for the foster kids. Carrefour is a French-based shopping center in Romania; it’s basically a Target. Tomorrow we meet with some local county officials, then later in the week we visit all the foster kids. More updates to follow!

Annual trip to the mountains

Every September, we spend a week in the mountains in Sinaia, about 200 miles northwest of Constanta. It’s one of the high points of the year for our family. We love going for walks in the fresh mountain air and the annual fall festivals are so much fun - lots of dancing, clowns, and delicious foods. We came home happy, well fed, and exhausted :) 

New computers and printers!

New computers and printers have landed at the House of New Life! Ligia, Vero and Mari manage House budgets, the kids’ medication schedules and therapy programs. The new equipment replaces machines that were 10-12 years old. Thank you to everyone who generously gave to support these ladies in their work and the kids at the House. You made this happen!

Cristi, one of our foster kids, has a special prayer for us:    

Angel, my little angel,

God gave you to me as a guardian.

All the time be with me, and

Teach me to do the right thing.

I am small, but you make me big,

I am weak, you make me strong

Always be with me,

And keep me from evil.

New clothes and shoes for us

Today we received a wonderful donation of clothes and shoes from RHM, a Romanian NGO group. We unpacked the new shirts, hats, and shoes and everyone got to pick out ones they liked. Clothing is a continual need for us, but God always finds a way to fulfill it. Thank you to the donors, to RHM and to God for bringing us together!

Happy birthday Marcu and Camelia!

Casa Viață Nouă (CVN)

Mari, our special educator, is always finding fun ways to help us practice our fine motor skills!

Visiting with Olimpia, Mihai, and Stefan

Today we (Ligia and Sanda) made some visits to our foster kids. A few updates from several of them:

• Olimpia is enjoying learning the violin, which she received from a friend at church. She also has a new orthodontic device that she wears at night and some during the day to help correct her overbite. 
• Mihai is also learning a new instrument - the mandolin. He was invited at church to play it and he’s really liking it.
• Stefan, the son of one of our original CVN kids, is relaxing outside with his cat (the latter who looks a lot like the CVN cat, Tudi).

Staying cool in the summer heat

It’s HOT, time for a water party! 

Pepene season

It’s ‘pepene’ season - watermelon! So sweet and juicy, and also fun to paint.

Surprise visit from the mayor

Sanda, our head of foster care, shared with us some news from over the weekend - a friendly visit from the town mayor!

“On Saturday the Mayor of Ovidiu, George Scupra, dropped by CVN. He met the kids and the staff and asked if we needed any help. The ladies in the house suggested him to contact the administrator, Vero, and talk to her about the house’s needs. The Mayor was delighted to see the clean house, the nice and clean kitchen and the dishes full with the usual good food ready to be served to the kids. He said, ‘As I can see, the food is perfect for the kids! Let me know if I can help with other things.’ He promised to come back and meet with us again. It was a good thing to see the Mayor interested to help CVN. It was also good for the staff to see him happy to see that the care they provide to our kids is permanently at high standards, no matter what time of the day one visitor come and see it. Congratulations to our special staff and thank you all for making such a difference in our kids’ lives.”

Trip to the Zoo and Aquarium

Check out our recent trip to the zoo and aquarium! The big winners were the zebras and the dolphin show - separate exhibits, fyi ;o)

Georgeta, Alina and Maria visit "Home"

Recently we had visits from Georgeta, Alina, and Maria - all kids who grew up at the House and who are now in their 20s. Georgeta brought her little boy, a very sweet guy who we adore. Having our kids come back and visit is like having family coming home. The other kids at the House are always excited to see them, too. Having grown up together, they’re like siblings to each other. 

Visiting our Foster Kids

Recently Ligia (our House administrator) and Sanda (head of foster care) made a visit out to see our foster kids. These are kids who used to live at the House, but we’ve been able to place them in families in the community. In Romania, foster families are more like lifelong relationships, almost like adoption in the US. Our staff has worked hard to find good matches for both the kids and the families taking them in. As much as that is possible, we believe it is much better for our kids to have a family than to be at the House. Over the last 12 years, we’ve been able to place more than 20 children into good foster home settings. 

Today, all of our foster kids live within about 50 miles of where the House of New Life is located. We usually stop by 1-3 times a month at each home to see how the kids are doing, check on their health, deliver presents from sponsors, and see if the families need any additional support (such as financial, counseling and spiritual resources).

On this day of visits, everywhere we went the surrounding countryside was filled with bright red poppies. We were happy to find the kids doing well and the families, too. We took a few photos to share with you here of the fields, and two of our kids in particular, Georgiana and Olimpia. Georgiana loves doing arts and crafts. She was proud to show us her recent handiwork when we stopped by. We also visited Olimpia, who has a new pet - a chick who likes to follow her voice around her house :)  

Aquariums and Button Trees

Mari, our special education teacher, showed us how to make aquariums out of shoeboxes! We also made pictures of trees using buttons which were donated by some friends of ours. Artwork is a great way for us to express our creativity, practice our fine motor skills, and make beautiful things.