PARISH OF ST. PETER'S HALLIWELL

Dear Friends,

Visit to Romania 17th-25th August 2017.

Our journey to Romania went well and on August 17th, Mandy Pateman, David and myself arrived in Barlad. Oana Zanet had been in contact with me and asked us to visit her asap on arrival in Barlad, so this was our first stop. Oana messaged to say we must not go to her apartment alone as it was too dangerous (lots of unpleasant gypsies live in the area) so we were happy when she came to meet us down the road. Oana didn’t look too well but Mum Maria looked better than last year although she isn’t a well lady either. Oana has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar, depression and ‘other illnesses.’ She lacks self-confidence and self-worth but finds her regular chats online with me really helpful. We have been able to purchase braces for her very prominent teeth in the hope that this will help her, please keep her in your prayers, life is hard! Maria got upset and asked us if, ‘when she dies, will we keep in touch with Oana and help her as they have little family and no one will acknowledge that Oana has any problems. Oana has started volunteering in a foster home teaching English to six 20- 31 year olds with special needs which is amazing, we are really happy about this! Before we left the UK, Claudiu had explained that he was hopefully going to get time off to go on camp but would not be allowed to have time off when we were there, or for his silver wedding anniversary. His boss told him, “the only way you will have time off is to die or leave the company” so we had a wonderful answer to prayer when he called us to say there were some Holy days when we were there and because his work is on a new huge cathedral in Bucharest, the job would be closed…thank God for these Holy days! CAMP The first topic of conversation when we arrived at Claudiu’s was “how was camp?” The answer was it was fantastic! There were more younger children on camp this year but everything was good and they all had a wonderful time. Again, it was a time for the children to relax, have fun, listen to bible stories, sing and very importantly, have the opportunity to chat about any worries they have etc. Claudiu said Tiberiu & Sebastian just smiled the whole time, their lives are very difficult. There were lots of sad faces when it was time to go home but everyone says a big THANK YOU for making the holiday possible. Bookings are already made for next year! We bought a new 6 berth tent this year thanks to a generous donation and another is needed for next year. ROMICA PANTEA Many of you will remember Romica and the difficult life he has endured growing up. Last year, he went off to Italy close to his Mum and found work on a building site. Unfortunately, his Mum stole his money so he decided to move on again and is now working in Spain. What a resourceful young man he is! He called Ada about 3 weeks before we arrived and text when we were there to pass his love on to us, very touching for us. He really appreciates all the help and encouragement he received from GNfR. We wish him every blessing as life has certainly been tough for him. ROSCA FAMILY This is by far our most worrying family. Claudiu explained to us that Dad (& Mum) has stopped drinking, praise God. Dad has been told by his doctor that he had to stop drinking or he would die. He now has cirrhosis of the liver, lesions on his brain, low vitamin B and other issues as a direct result of drinking. Arriving at their home was quite different, there are still major issues, (the house is sliding down the hill for one thing) but seeing Dad sober and extremely happy to see us was lovely. He dashed into the house and brought out a framed photo of me & Oana which I had sent Oana when she was very ill with Tuberculosis Meningitis, he was so proud to show us that they still had it. The boys were thrilled to see us all and when we mentioned Tabara (camp), their faces lit up. GNfR was able to pay for Dads medication and have committed to ensuring he has the meds so long as he continues to stay away from the drink. We didn’t see Oana as she was at her sister Dana’s house but did visit her the next day. She is now 18 and has decided to stand up to her parents but there are concerns about her as she is currently seeing a much older man. Oana really enjoyed camp but had what we think was impetigo around her mouth, Ada sorted out medication for her and when we saw her, all the infection had cleared. She looked healthy and was really happy to see us, we continue to pray for her protection. Her sister Dana didn’t look so healthy, she has 2 children and her husband works away, her marriage doesn’t appear to be a happy one. PETCU FAMILY We had a good chat with Claudiu & Ada about the Petcu children. The 2 younger Petcu boys still live with their father but sadly couldn’t go on camp this year. Liliana had a baby girl a few months ago and Cristina has a baby due in November, Stela is 16 and is now Mum to 5 month old Andrei. Stela’s father won’t have anything to do with her or Andrei so she lives with her Dads brother and his wife. Because she is a minor, she has to have a guardian so her Aunt and Uncle are busy applying to court for that. Hopefully this will come through and then Stela can receive ‘child benefit’ for Andrei as she has had nothing so far, thus making life very hard. She is a good Mum but sadly Andrei’s father is fighting her to have him live with his family. This seems very odd as he has never made any effort to see Andrei and in fact tries hard to intimidate Stela. It is a worry for Stela but she is strong and stands up to him, we just pray this will all be sorted soon so she can concentrate on being a good Mum to Andrei. We were able to buy nappies for Andrei and leave some money to help. She asked if she and Andrei can possibly go on camp next year, she really missed it this year; the answer of course was “yes!” LUNCA FAMILY Milena has done well at college this year and is currently in Constanta in the south of the country working as a waitress, this will help her with her college course and also gives her some money to help for the coming year at college. It was sad not to see her and she was sorry she missed camp but hopes she can go next year too. We did see her Mum Doina and her 2 younger brothers Daniel (10) & Marian (6). One of the most memorable things was when I gave the boys a bag of sweets from England, Daniels eye immediately filled with tears and both he and Marian ran to hug me with eyes full of tears….something so small brought such joy! We were pleased to hear that Milena’s sister Nicoleta is very happy living close to Bucharest and is expecting a baby boy in September. She is a lovely girl and it gave us great joy to know she is content. Barlad Barlad MUNTEANU FAMILY It was really nice to visit this lovely family again. Dad Mihai is a hard worker, he is a market gardener but because he couldn’t make enough money this year, he has to go away to work in Brussels. He is finding this a testing time and hopes he can cope being away from his wife and 5 children until Christmas. He needs 500 euros a month to live on so ideally wants to earn enough money to last the winter so that he can stay home after Christmas. Oana is a good Mum, her children Timotei, Raysa, Salome, Amina and Elisei are beautiful. Again, a memorable moment was when we gave Amina (4) a Peppa Pig rucksack. She instantly burst into tears and hugged the bag, totally overcome with emotion, she ran off to her bed, hugging the rucksack and wouldn’t leave her bed, apparently she spent the night sleeping with the bag and won’t let it go…once again we witnessed a child totally overjoyed at receiving such a small gift. SUNDAY PICNIC We asked Claudiu if we could take some children on a picnic which caused great excitement. Tiberiu, Sebastian, Mara (12) & Elena Onofrei(8)and their Mum Nicole, Cristian, Alex, Mum & Dad Rosca & Bianca all wanted to come. For Oana’s parents this was a first. They have no friends, they don’t go anywhere and certainly having a BBQ in beautiful forest surroundings was a real treat, they actually smiled which we’ve never seen before!. We all had a great time and took the children on the lake on pedaloes, Sebstian was in awe of the bubbles coming out of the back of the pedaloe, yet again, we were able to witness small pleasures bringing so much happiness, a great time was had by everyone. One of the games we took on the picnic was archery which had been bought for camp, Tiberiu has a real talent and just loved playing with it. We chatted with Claudiu and agreed we would give Tiberiu & Sebastian this as they have very little to play with at home, we left money for another one to be bought for camp next year as all the children loved it too. The boys very happy indeed when they realised they could have this archery set at home but we explained to them that they must take care of it and bring it on camp next year, in the hopes that it doesn’t get sold! Hopefully it will bring them lots of pleasure. POSTOLACHE FAMILY. Daniel is doing much better after getting his medication for epilepsy sorted. A local Christian bakery has given him a job which is great news, we pray he continues to be healthy. Nicoleta has now passed her degree and is going to start her Masters degree in Clincial Bioengineering, she’s a very bright girl and hopefully we will be able to help her to continue her studies to give her a brighter future. Bianca is doing much better, she now rents a room and is earning some money as a beautician. Her children Biencuta & Alex are growing up fast and are lovely children. CRISTIAN & ROBERT GINGHINA Robert now works for a local plant hire company and Cristian is now working in IT. Great news! It was good to see these young men doing so well after a difficult start to their lives. GNfR was able to help to change their lives, thank you! ETIEN BUMBU GNfR continues to support Etien whilst he is at university, he is doing really well and again, is grateful for the support. GNfR MINIBUS We were pleased to see the minibus being used, especially for camp. It is used to take the children out occasionally which always cause excitement! We had a puncture on our first trip out so had to buy a new tyre as it wasn’t able to be repaired. We paid for repairs to get it through the MOT and paid the annual insurance etc, it is now safe for these precious children to travel in. SCHOOL BOOKS/EQUIPMENT We didn’t get chance to go shopping for these but left money for Ada & Bianca to go shopping for these so that the children can continue to attend school. Very important! The visit went very well but we have to admit, we do find it very tough seeing our really poor families continuing to struggle. The help from GNfR makes a huge difference but doesn’t provide for all their needs and of course, doesn’t help emotionally. It’s been good to see improvements in some of the children’s lives but there are still great needs. One of the most difficult things we struggled to accept was that we used to get culture shock on our return to the UK but we are now getting this in Romania! We spent time in Bucharest and visited a shopping mall which was mind blowing. The extreme wealth of some Romanian people was so apparent, we found that very difficult, especially thinking back to those we had left behind. We continue to pray that as Romania develops economically, that they will also develop in a way that brings care to the disadvantaged of their society. Our last day was spent celebrating David’s birthday and CLAUDIU & ADA’S SILVER WEDDING ANNIVERSARY. They asked us to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who sent cards/gifts/greetings, they were extremely touched. We want to say a huge thank you too, we really couldn’t do this work without your love, financial and prayer support, it is hard seeing such massive contrasts in the country. We saw on the news that a Mum threw herself and her 3 children in front of a train, there was a note in her pocket saying she couldn’t live with the poverty any more. Seeing we felt a bit low, Claudiu reminded us that over the past 12 years of working with Claudiu & Ada, over 100 children have been helped, we don’t know how many it is over the past 27 years but felt really encouraged. Thank you so much for YOUR help in helping us to help so many in need. Making one person smile maybe won’t change the whole world, but it does change their world! God bless you all.

Love David & Kath xx & Mandy xxx

Read the original, see the photos, and a handwritten letter from Claudiu

Dear Friends,

It seems to have been a long winter but thankfully, it hasn’t been too harsh for everyone in Romania. There were some difficult times but freezing conditions didn’t get much lower than -25 degrees so everyone coped! Claudiu & Ada, our faithful co-workers have worked tirelessly over the winter months helping the families that GNfR supports. Claudiu had a health scare which fortunately turned out to be a stomach infection and nothing more serious. However, his Dr has warned him that he has serious signs of stress so please pray with us that Claudiu can find a less stressful job. Ultimately, him and Ada would like to start a charity so that they can work with those families in need full time. He has already got a lot of the paperwork done, but unfortunately, he has found out that under government regulations, the charity must have the equivalent of 100 times the minimum salary, currently 1,250 lei per month in the account. This works out at approx £23,800!!! Claudiu is asking God for guidance in this! Ada continues to have the all clear since her cancer 5 ½ years ago which is great news. As well as supporting the families, Ada regularly takes food into the town for the street children, we have witnessed how they all know her and run over to her, calling her name, when they see her, what a blessing she is. Many of you will remember Romica Pantea. Romica had an incredibly hard childhood but he is now living and working in Italy and very happy there. He calls Ada regularly just so she knows how he is. We are so happy that he can put his difficult past behind him and that GNfR was able to help him in so many ways. Oana, Tiberiu & Sebastian Rosca. Life continues to be extremely hard for these children, their parents continue to drink and sadly, the children all have to work the fields and do all the work around the house. Claudiu noticed Sebastian’s hands and how he has the hands of a hard working labourer rather than the hands of a 9 year old child, another sign that he is doing manual work rather than being a child. Their grandmother died suddenly from a stroke in November which has affected the children greatly. It was understandably a difficult time but the family had no money to pay for the funeral so their option was to sell the cow. After much discussion with Claudiu, we felt that to sell the cow was taking away the much needed milk for the children, so GNfR bought the cow to pay for the funeral but the family still has their source of vitamins. As Kath says, “so long as I don’t have to milk the cow that’s fine!” Oana has run away from home a number of times after her father beat her but she always goes back. Her father also recently took all Oana’s clothes and set fire to them as a punishment for not doing as she was told. Fortunately, thanks to wonderful supporters, we were able to send new clothes for her urgently. All 3 children are given a meal each day before they go home after school, this is provided by GNfR, it’s good to know they have at least one good meal a day. Oana’s father cut her foot with a knife recently, so she is currently living with her sister Dana (who had a baby, Beatrice Lorena, the day after her Grandma passed away.) Fortunately, it wasn’t a serious cut but it’s all very worrying. Child Protection doesn’t seem to be any good at all….. sadly! Please continue to pray for protection for these children, Claudiu & Ada struggle greatly with all the issues that go on in that family as they feel quite helpless. We have a few babies due anytime, these young girls with difficult home lives soon find themselves in this situation. Stela Petcu (16) Liliana Petcu (17) are both having babies due in the next month or two (they don’t go for antenatal care so not sure of due date), and Oana’s other sister Adina had a boy a few weeks ago, Petronela Patrascu & Alexandra Lupu unfortunately seem to have, in Claudiu’s words, taken the wrong path. They aren’t going to school or Church and seem to be enjoying the party life, we just pray protection for them both. Barlad Claudiu & Ada have some concerns about Bianca’s children, Alexandru (8) & Biencuta (11). She is leaving them alone in the apartment quite a lot so Ada is spending a lot of time discussing with Bianca about how this isn’t the right way. It’s quite a worry. Biencuta continues to love her painting and acting, she is certainly a very talented girl. Alexandru had a growth on the back of his neck in October which GNfR was able to help financially to have the lump (a benign cyst) removed and pay for transport costs to travel the 80 miles to Iasi for treatment. Ruben Postolache (Bianca’s younger brother) continues to do well and goes to school and Church regularly. His friend Cristian Chiritoi (14) is also doing well and attends regularly. He lives alone with his Dad after his Mum passed away, both him and Ruben keep asking, when is the summer camp, they loved it so much! Daniel Postolache (also Bianca’s brother) who was diagnosed with epilepsy is doing well. He gets tired some days but on the whole he is doing well. Oana Zanet who was diagnosed with bi-polar is doing much better. She still has days when she isn’t too good but again, she is doing better than she was. She chats to Kath every couple of weeks, especially if she is feeling low and that seems to help. Her Mum Maria hasn’t had great health over the winter but is well at the minute. Bogdan who is a monk, is also in contact with Kath and he is a wonderful support for his Mum and sister. GOOD NEWS: The Church at Dealu Mare is a place where the children can go each Sunday. They listen to the message that day, they sing songs, play games and take part in a quiz and each of them will be rewarded with treats and money for their school lunches that week which is provided by GNfR. We couldn’t encourage these children in this way without YOU, so thank you! The theme for this year at Dealu Mare Church is: Reforming of the mind, soul, heart & body. If you pray, please pray Gods blessing on them all this year. Christmas Day at Church was very, very exciting for everyone. We were able to send lots of lovely clothing and gifts for the children, Claudiu said their eyes were SO BIG that he wanted everyone to know how much their love and support means. He said he wished that each one of you could have seen their faces when they opened their bags of gifts – THANK YOU AGAIN! Over the winter months, GNfR has been able to provide money each month for any needs that there are. This is mostly food but also money has been provided to send new warm coats and boots for the children that needed them and also vitamins. The children have extremely difficult lives and although we can’t solve all their problems, we can make their lives a little easier. All the children are looking forward to Summer Camp again this year. We aren’t going on the camp again as Madalina Doroftei is getting married to Vlad on August 19th and we are invited. Madalina went on the first GNfR camp as a teenager in 2006, it’s wonderful to see that she has grown up into a lovely Christian young woman and is now helping in the Church and on the camps! You will find attached to this letter, slips asking for support for the children to go on the camp this summer. If you are able to help in anyway, please do fill in the slip and return to us with any donation you are able to make. Also, our GNfR COFFEE MORNING is here at our home, 1 Wythburn Ave. Bolton, BL16BG, on SATURDAY MAY 20th, 09.45-12 noon, EVERYONE IS WELCOME! Thank you again for your love, support and encouragement; you will never know how much it means!

God bless you all. Love David & Kath xx

Dear Friends,

Getting towards the end of winter, our mind begins to focus on what has happened over the past months in the lives of our children and families around Barlad, Romania. Oana Rosca who we had to take to hospital during camp last July, was diagnosed with tuberculosis meningitis. She had a difficult time with a long spell in hospital, undergoing lots of unpleasant tests but she was eventually sent home in November 2015. She was released from hospital much against the Drs wishes but her parents and ‘child protection’ knew better! She had a rough time recovering but thank God, she is looking much better and is feeling much stronger now. She really wants to go back to school but she is not allowed to until she is fully recovered. She continues with her medication and all being well, she will get stronger each day and will make a full recovery. We are just grateful that camp took place when it did or Oana may not have been here today, her parents’ only care was to put vinegar on her feet! Ada meets with Oana 3 times a week to encourage her, listen to her and help her in any way she can. This is wonderful as Oana’s parents don’t do this. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the ‘boxes of love’ that we sent to Oana during her time in hospital, they were a great encouragement to her. GNfR continues to provide food for her and her family to ensure that she has a good diet, thus helping her to get over this illness. Oana’s brother Tiberius (10) was diagnosed with TB when tested but sadly, his parents won’t allow him to go for treatment. We will try and talk to them when we go to Romania, ensuring them that GNfR will cover any costs incurred for the treatment. We just hope and pray that he won’t end up in the same situation as Oana in the future. Her other brother Sebastian (7) was clear of TB. Both boys have had to do lots of work around the house and fetching water etc because Oana is unable to work. Claudiu explained that the boys look quite run down and tired. This is no life for such young children. Oana’s eldest sister Dana Rosca (19) left home when she was 16 and is pregnant by a man described as her ‘uncle.’ He is 20 years older than her. She doesn’t know exactly when the baby is due as she is having no antenatal care which apparently is not uncommon in the villages. We just pray for safe delivery of this baby and that Dana is brought safely through it too. Romica Pantea who we were very concerned about after lots of abuse from his father and employers, is doing much better now. He ran away from home and then ran away from a violent boss but he now has a job as a shepherd boy and is doing well. His brother Vasilica contacted Claudiu & Ada to say that Romica’s boss is much better and Romica is happy. Romica’s dream is to save money for driving lessons and hopefully have a better life than he has in the past, he so deserves to do well as his life has been quite horrendous up to now. We hope to see him this year when we go to Romania and catch up with all his news. Daniel Postolache, (18) brother of Bianca, started to have fits late in November and was eventually diagnosed as having epilepsy. He has also been diagnosed with serious sinus and liver problems for which he is awaiting an operation and treatment. GNfR was able to provide funds for his tests and treatment and will continue to help in any way we can to improve his health. His fits are now down to around 3 a day which is a massive improvement but he has a long way to go. Petronela Patrascu is a young 14 year old girl who lived with her 89 year old grandfather. Sadlly, granddad passed away in late January so Petronela was left alone. An aunt came to stay but Petronela didn’t like her as she shouted a lot and bullied Petronela. Her mother lives in Italy and was not interested in Petronela at all then Mum and Aunt ended up at war over the whole situation. To cut a long story short, Mum abandoned Petronela and left one very unhappy 14 year old behind as she went back to Italy. Not being happy with Aunts bullying, Petronela ran away and turned up at Bianca Postolaches apartment where she is now staying. She is safe and warm and again, GNfR is providing funds for her food etc. We just pray everything will work out for her to stay there as she is very happy. Barlad Petronela and Oana’s best friend Alexandra Lupu (15) also had reason to run away from the family home in February. Her father is accused of killing a man and he is on the run from the police, so at all hours of day and night, the police would turn up at the house looking for him. Alexandra couldn’t deal with this so ran away. She was missing for a few days but then thankfully, she returned home. Her father is still on the run and it seems now that Alexandra has fallen in love with a young man and wants to go and be with him! These children have such difficult lives, we just pray for her safety. Cristina Petcu (17) is having a baby in around 2 months and her sister Liliana Petcu (15) has left home to be with a married man who has 2 children. Nicoleta Lunca (17) has also left home to be with a man, all of which is of concern to Claudiu and Ada. Claudiu is seeing a pattern and that is that it seems as soon as these young girls are shown affection, they leave home. He also has concerns that they do this to escape abuse in the family home, how sad! Milena Lunca & Stela Petcu contact Ada numerous times a week and visit her at her home. They share their concerns about their home life and also concerns about Stela’s sisters Cristina & Liliana and their friend Nicoleta. It’s so good that they have Ada to talk to and hopefully with her support, they will continue with their studies and not go down the route of the other girls. As you can see, there are still many problems for these children supported by GNfR. There are many other children living in very difficult circumstances that Claudiu & Ada help with support from GNfR. We really couldn’t give the help and support that they so need without you. Claudiu & Ada have been amazing and have had lots of struggles with parents and officials but they’ve continued to love and support these children. Please remember them in your prayers as all the problems they see these children going through, takes a toll on them. Claudiu is extremely busy at work and under a lot of pressure there too Nicoleta Postolache is doing well at university. She’s a hard worker and is grateful that GNfR has been able to help her financially as she would not have been able to study without this help. Claudiu & Ada’s boys, Albert & Alexandru are doing well at university too and are a great support for the work of GNfR too. The Church at Dealu Mare is place where many people go to worship and get support on a Sunday morning. Three of the young boys there have asked to be baptized which is a great encouragement for Claudiu, Ada & Bianca who teach the children each week. Great news! All being well, we go to Romania towards the end of June for a wedding which we are really looking forward to. During our time there we hope to go further north east to the area where we used to work and where Madi came from. We will hopefully visit friends and catch up on news with them. Exact dates for going back to Claudiu & Ada’s aren’t decided yet as the work contract that Claudiu’s working on comes to an end around that time and his time off will be limited and he will be under pressure. We will definitely get to see the children and their families and have time to buy school books & equipment and deal with any needs that arise. It will be really good to see everyone, especially after such a difficult few months for them all. Claudiu has told us that camp will be in August this year so if anyone feels they can contribute towards a child having a wonderful holiday, then please fill in the slip attached to the letter. We are also having a Coffee morning & bring & buy at our home on, Saturday June 11th, 10am-12noon. All welcome! We are going to be sending a box of NEW ONLY clothes for the children for camp, if you would like to contribute, do let us know. The box will leave our home on June 10th. Trust you are all well. Thank you so much for all your love and encouragement to us and to those GNfR supports in Romania. You are all such a blessing.

Love and thanks, Kath and David