***Originally sent as an email newsletter on September 20, 2022
Hello Friends,
I hope that you all had a great rest of the Summer and are anticipating the return of Fall with joy!
Thank you for your prayers as I prepare to move to Romania to minister through the projects that God has given me to do, for His glory and for the furthering of His Kingdom!
Speaking of projects, my program proposal has been approved by Firm Foundations Romania! As part of my ministry with them, I plan on providing individualized therapy for the children that they work with in the Roma (Gypsy) village of Budila who are struggling with self-regulation, sensory processing, and/or motor development.
FFR has graciously given me the use of a room in their new Agape Center, which I will share twice a year with the dental team. In addition, the FFR team is gathering therapy materials from their donations for me to use and have even put hooks in the ceiling so that I can use swings during therapy!
At the end of each therapy session, I plan on going through a Gospel lesson with each child, and right now, am planning on using the book 'The Gospel Made Clear to Children,' by Jennifer Adams. I'll also be looking in to the possibility of using the Foundation Worldview curriculum in the future. All of this work will be done, Lord willing, through the help of a Christian translator, while I work on becoming fluent in Romanian.
I also plan on working with the FFR teachers, giving them brain and body development activities to do weekly with their classes, in addition to helping them work with the kids that I will be doing therapy with.
Firm Foundations Romania volunteers come from all over the world to hold babies left alone in the hospital, and I plan on teaching these volunteers how to do infant development activities and infant massage with the babies as they hold them. My hope is to also consult with the hospital social workers, if we can arrange it with the hospital administration.
At this time, my work with FFR will be part-time, giving me the opportunity to spend dedicated time learning Romanian, acclimating to the culture, getting involved at the church that I will be part of (more on this in future newsletters), seeking out God's leading to minister to children who are abandoned and/or are fostered/adopted (more on this in future newsletters as well), and visiting the children with disabilities in the institution.
Firm Foundations Romania has agreed to be the platform upon which I will apply for my Visa and to provide support through regular meetings, friendship, ministry partnership in sharing the Gospel, help with building connections there, and insight into the culture. I am so blessed!
As I consult with Cord Ministries, it was decided that, although I will continue to plan on moving to Brasov in January, I will wait to purchase my plane tickets and to make final arrangements for moving until God has provided sufficient funds.
I am praying for 85% of my monthly needs to be committed to 2 months prior to moving so that final arrangements can be made. To cover living and ministry expenses, I will need $2675 monthly and am currently 11% funded.
Praise God for the open doors that God has provided to minister with Firm Foundations Romania and that they are willing and eager to host this mission of using Occupational Therapy to share the Gospel and help bring transformation. I am also so grateful to God for providing a solid, Biblical church in Brasov.
Prayer requests:
85% of monthly support committed to by November, if it is the Lord's will for me to move in January
Grace and wisdom to complete the tasks and projects required before moving
Open hearts to hear and receive the Gospel in Romania
Opportunities and God's leading to minister to abandoned children
Open doors to visit the children with disabilities in the institution again
Housing in Brasov
Grace to become fluent in Romanian
Thank you very much! Your support, prayers, and encouragement mean the world to me. If you have any questions or would like to meet in person or over Zoom to learn more about this mission, please reach out as I'd love to arrange a time to get together. Also, please make sure to check out my newly updated website for more information: www.toromaniawithlove.org!
With love,
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