Can You Help. Romania Day 6

Proverbs 22:9
 A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.

We made better progress today. There was a bit of a swap around today and Iris, Shirley and Beth came down to Casa Lumina for the first time on this trip. Shirley was extremely keen to see the extension as she hadn't seen it first hand since her trip two years ago to help with the construction. As per usual with all members of the team they equipped themselves very well and also provided us with an exceptional lunch. "The Toon Army Team" were back on form and got alot of plasterboarding done today. God had answered our call for renewed energy.

The Holiday Club at Casa Albert goes from strength to strength and today the fruits of the spirit were "goodness" and "gentleness". With the change around in volunteers it gave others the opportunity to spend time with these deserving individuals.

Jeff has commented, and I tend to agree, that the young people at Casa Lumina seem to be calmer than on previous trips. It isn't quite known why but maybe it is because, as time goes on, they feel more settled and secure. There are true characters here at the orphanage. Lilly and Maria are very tactile, always looking for cuddles and running their fingers through our hair. Radu wants to get involved in all the work and will grab a screwdriver to dismantle bits of furniture at any given chance. Carmen is the boss though and tells all the other orphans what to do. She stands on gate duty and greets us with a "Hello Darling". Not just these but all of the young people fill our hearts with joy and compassion.

Yet their future is tragically in jeopardy as I write. As previously written, the Romanian government is pulling funding for the personal assistants that attend to these orphans. These personal assistants provide that love and security each and every day and that sense of security that these young individuals experience could be gone. The orphanage will not be able to function in its current capacity without the care provided by these valuable members of staff. It is not an exaggeration or scare mongering to say that Casa Lumina may have to close. The result of this would mean that the orphans would have to return to state care in a state run institution. Yet this isn't the worse that can happen. It could take upto a year to find placements for them and in the mean time, because they are young adults, they could be turfed out onto the streets. Just imagine, these youngstsers with varying degrees of life limiting illnesses and disabilities yet with mental capacities far below their years thrown out of the gates of Casa Lumina with nowhere to go; no means on which to support themselves or even survive. These are people we have grown to love and care for and it is heartbreaking to hear of this current episode in this financial climate that could devastate the lives of these vulnerable individuals.

One alternative is to reduce the number of orphans cared for by half to meet current charity funding levels but the other half would still go back to state run institutions with the possibility of them ending up on the streets. This doesn't really provide a more palatable solution. To keep the orphanage running as it is, although with reduced staffing levels, will mean Cry in the Dark will have to find an extra £4,000 per month; income they just don't have at the moment. Just think, if 40 churches could support Cry in The Dark to the tune of £100 per month, or 400 churches encouraging just one person to give £10 per month, Cry in the Dark could keep all there young people loved and cared for in a safe environment. These are innocent victims unknowingly trapped by finacial and political decision making. We who are out here at the moment know they are worth £10 per month. That is 35p per day. Do you?

If you would like to be a monthly Cry Partner or would simply like to make a one off donation visit http://www.cryinthedark.org/. It could save an awful lot of suffering.

As said in Proverbs 22:9, A generous man will find himself blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.

How fantastic is that?

Why not view Natha Squire's latest photo updates of our visit here to Romania at http://www.facebook.com/groups/237913819581952/.

Terry Norrington

http://www.cryinthedark.org/