MISSIONWITHOUTBORDERS
December 2012
God came to my house!
On the outskirts of Ploiesti, a city of about 200,000, in southern Romania, lies a rough neighbourhood. Muddy, smelly and the scene of many fights. Poor people, mostly Roma. Dilapidated houses and neglected lives behind rickety wooden fences. The Ghiompirica family lives here. Ion and Liliana have eleven children, seven still at home with them. The elder three children are married and have left home and the fourth girl, Maria (22), often goes away, but nobody knows where. Their parents scavenge among the rubbish piles for things they can sell. The older children should be going to school, but poverty has forced some of them to stay at home. Maria left school when she was in Year 6, as she had to help her mother with the younger three children. Estera (16) left school with only eight years of school and Rebeca (13) with only five years. Emanuel is in Year 5, but he often misses classes because he lacks proper shoes and clothing. Lazar is in Year 2 and loves it. He doesn’t have a winter coat, but borrows his brother’s coat when he comes home. The younger two children stay at home with their older sisters then their parents when they come home from work. The family’s living conditions are tough. They all live in two rooms and don’t have a proper kitchen or bathroom, no sewerage system or water or gas connection. They heat the house using firewood or off cuts from a carpentry workshop. Firewood is too expensive for them, but they have a simple choice: heat the house or buy food? They prefer to heat the house because if
Liliana was overwhelmed by the surprise delivery to her home
continued on page 2
www.mwb.org.nz
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Liliana with her husband and children
A pile of clothing, shoes and warm things delivered (thanks to Operation Cover Up NZ)
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the children got sick from the cold, though he limps sometimes, he is “Today, when we it will be more expensive for them able to work. He is blind in one eye, to buy medication than firewood. but he does not want to consider received all these Simple economics, because some applying for a disability pension have health issues: Estera suffers because he believes that he must warm clothes, work for his children’s sakes. from osteoporosis and has intestinal shoes, blankets and problems (she has had an operation); The Ghiompirica family was enrolled Lazar has heart problems; and Matei in our Family to Family (F2F) other items, I can has congenital cataracts and needs programme last year and since an operation, but they can’t afford truly say that God then they have received a bed and it. Even though the family has such mattress and other furniture from financial and health struggles, the came to my house.” Mission Without Borders, Christmas parents are still happy that none gifts and this time warm clothing, of the children or parents are more shoes, blankets, scarves, school seriously ill. Liliana says “We are blessed that supplies and toys for the children. Our local F2F my husband works in a carpentry workshop Coordinator Ilia Costel, and some MWB staff took and we receive some scraps of wood to warm some Operation Winter Rescue items to their the house. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to house. These things brought tears to Liliana’s eyes afford to buy wood. Food is scarce too, but and happiness to the children’s faces. They all God takes care of us. Right now, wood for the spontaneously knelt down and prayed, thanking fire is a priority.” the Lord for everything and for His great love. Liliana’s dreams of having a small bathroom. At “Today, when we received all these warm clothes, the moment, they are using an old, broken, plastic shoes, blankets and other items, I can truly say bathtub to wash in. They start with the youngest that God came to my house.” Liliana said to us. child and all of them, including the parents, use the same water to bathe in, because it is difficult We asked Ilia, our coordinator for this community, to heat a lot of water using their small wood stove. about the family, “They are a family of keen Christians and I think this helps them to hold together better The parents try to bring their children up decently. than other families. They are hard-working and They believe in the power of prayer and they are they often take on extra work to cover the great very grateful for everything they receive from God. needs they have. I have a great relationship with Several years ago, at a time when Ion didn’t feel this family. When we had a Christmas party, the close to God, Ion was working in a field and a piece mother was the one who invited the other families of wire became lodged in his leg. It became so badly in the neighbourhood, who are also part of our F2F infected that the doctors thought that the leg would programme, to come to the church for the special need to be amputated. He believes God was trying meeting. They are very grateful, honest and don’t to teach him something. It is a miracle that now that complain, even though they struggle. They prefer after five operations, he still has his leg and, even to pray and believe that God will help them.” ♦ 22
MWB in FOCUS | DECEMBER 2012
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operation cover up
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The contents of two 40 foot containers are being distributed around our field countries in preparation for the coldest time of the year after Christmas. Knitted blankets and clothing, toys, hygiene sets, linen for sewing and sewing machines, and all kinds of useful things for orphanages, community centres and families. THANK YOU to all who have helped. It will be very much appreciated and we will post feedback on the new part of our web site dedicated to this great project:
www.operation-cover-up.org.nz Operation Christmas Love Make it a Christmas to Remember!
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Latest News Elections in Ukraine - Sunday 28 October 2012 / 29/10/2012 Ukrainian elections on Sunday were the first national vote in the country since President Viktor Yanukovych beat Mrs Tymoshenko in the 2010 presidential poll.… Read more
Operation Christmas Love needs your help In the MWB warehouse in Mostar, Bosnia, four year old Aldijana sits on an Operation Christmas Love box. Her family is enrolled in the Family to Family (F2F) sponsorship programme and have come to receive some Christmas parcels. She lives in a refugges camp with her mum, 6 siblings and sick father.
Sick given care in Bosnia-Herzegovina / 14/09/2012 Mission Without Borders provides health checks for unwell elderly and families in Sarajevo, Glamoc and Mostar.… Read more
We want to make Christmas special in 2012, for Elmira and her family, and for the thousands of others we reach out to across our six field countries. We want to give them Christmas Love parcels, so that they can have a Christmas to remember. Can you help us? Read more
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One Christmas Love parcel costs $40NZ to give out. Please help us
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Children in a Romanian orphanage receiving knitted clothing from New Zealand, Feb 2012
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NZ office holiday closure Please note that the Auckland office of Mission Without Borders is closed from 22 December 2012 until we re-open on 14 January 2013.
MWB in FOCUS | DECEMBER 2012
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Operation Winter Rescue
Direct Credit Payments: Our bank account is 06-0185-0122206-12 If you would like us to issue a receipt for tax rebate purposes, please include or email us your name, supporter number (if you have one) and what it is for. For Bibles, please use account 06-0185-0122206-25 but please note that gifts for Bibles do not qualify for tax rebates.
MISSIONWITHOUTBORDERS (NZ) PO Box 56264, Dominion Road, Auckland 1446
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Phone 09 309 6969
Email nzadmin@mwbi.org
Website www.mwb.org.nz
Reg. Charity No. CC37218
Helping to Change Lives in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania and Ukraine