Renovations part 1

Before I left for Romania, the Lord laid it on my heart to ask Alina about renovating their cellar room where we house all of PHFTC's supplies. For the past ten years the Plugars have virtually given this room over to our supplies and only stored a very few items in it~ all without thought of charge or reimbursement!

Over the years, I replaced a window and a door but that is all. Last year, I noticed an overwhelming mold smell which concerned me. So this year I thought it would be a great idea to totally renovate the room and install shelving and cupboards for our growing supply stash!

 I mentioned it to Ali and found out that just that week they had a contractor come and give them an estimate, but realized that they could not afford the costs! It was a clear green light to go forward! I met with the contractor and work has started!

 Here are some pictures of the beginning of the work and I will be keeping you updated as we go along. If anyone wants to donate to this project, we would really appreciate it! Total estimate is around $800-$1,000 for everything. It sounds like a lot but we cannot afford to have our supplies and food damaged in any way.

Going Strong

I am carving out some time today to write an update for you all of our time in Romania. I say carve, because life has been insane since returning to the States a few weeks ago. I am so grateful for all of you that have asked about the trip and continued to ask me for more updates~ it means so much to me! I will write today's post from my point of view and soon I will post one from Jack so you can hear and see all that he did during our time there!

This year when we flew, we had $12,000 in our account! For those who have followed this ministry from the beginning you understand how amazing that is! Ten years ago, I would fly with $1,000 for six month's worth of supplies. Project Hope for the Children has grown so much over the past decade and I am pleased! It is like watching one of your children growing, maturing and making wise decisions:)

Shampoo, Oil, Lice Treatment, Cereal, Rash Cream

Detergent and Fabric Softner

Diapers, Wipes and Cereal

After the rough travel and the first initial days of settling in and visiting two new foundations, life took on a routine. I was able to visit with "my children". I have a 14 year old and an 11 year old over there in foster care. These were two of the three children I cared for in the orphanage when I lived there. I have been able to keep contact with them and care for them in small ways throughout the year. My cup was running over to be with them and to share my family with them!

Friday was a work day at the hospital for me. I was allowed "my usual privileges" there and especially enjoyed holding the small ones close and noticing how one particularly fussy child relaxed in my arms and slept peacefully despite her chronic pain. I met some of the new women that work for the foundations that I collaborate with and reacquainted myself with the old ones.

I met with a contractor friend of Alina's and put into action the remodeling of our supply room. For the past ten years, the Plugar Family has basically turned over one of their cellar rooms for the storage of our supplies. As the supplies grew, they removed more and more of their things. In the past, I purchased a new window and new door to keep our items safe and dry, but it had become apparent that we needed to renovate the entire room now. Must has been creeping in and the towers of diapers are increasingly unsteady. Alina and I came up with a design of floor to ceiling shelves for the diapers and baby gear and more cupboards to house all of our smaller supplies plus new walls, flooring, ceiling and electric. I cannot wait to see the finished result! (I'll keep you posted)

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday's hours were filled completely as I struggled to do everything before we left. Worked in the hospital in the mornings and visited with the different foundation women and their children. I saw many children that were still there from last year and some from many years back. Second on the agenda was to order supplies for Forget Me Not Ministries and Romanian Relief. (Mine being ordered the week before) We ordered $1,000 worth of diapers for FMNM and $1,000 worth of vitamins and Ibuprofen for RR. All were safely delivered!

I was able to have dinner with several dear friends and our new friend, Florian, who opened his home to us and was extremely gracious! I was even able to go to the hospital one night and see my favorite nurse, "Greeny", who was doing light duty. This woman was the one I feared and disliked the most when I first started there and one that I have come to respect and love the most over the years:) And yes, she has purple hair, obviously not why I named her "Greeny" years ago!

At the end of my time there, I can say that I was able to accomplish all that needed to be done with the help of several friends! Alina and her family gave up nine days to cater to us in whatever way we needed. Paula drove me around to shop for supplies, Sarah and crew and Rachel and crew gave up their day to show Jack and I their ministries, Mia and Magda let me love on their children, my church family was welcoming, the hospital staff gracious and grateful and Florian super accommodating. Though the time was too short for me and I left unwillingly, I knew that God had blessed the trip and I am thankful for all that was accomplished in such a short time!


                         Can't wait till next year!

             




left: the Plugar Family

below: our landlord, Florian




(If you have any questions or comments about PHFTC please leave a comment below)

* For confidentiality reasons few pictures of the hospital are used and only ones that children cannot be identified. NO pictures with hospital babies may be removed from this site or published in any other media, please. Disregard of this could result in my ministry being banned from the hospital

Value

He lay in the corner crib, propped up, eyes open and staring. All was quiet until choking and gurgles filled the room. Frightened, my mama instincts heightened, I looked over quickly to see his eyes bulging; struggling to breathe as dark phlegm was expelled from his mouth. Alina hurried to him; helping him upright and wiping the phlegm from his mouth. I watched her tenderness with him, but knew her heart because my own was going through the same struggle.

You see little Benjamin has a lung disorder and a brain disorder. Neither look good long term. Days before when I had entered the room, I had greeted all the babies. Benjamin caught me though. Each breathe was a struggle for him, eating an arduous ordeal and yet he would try to smile and every once in a while emit a little sound as he tried to communicate; tried to thank the loving hands that cared for him.

I did not want to get attached. I have been down that road before and it always means pain. Because you know that one day this little one will go and join the Maker that created him and you will be left with a hole in your heart. And yet, this child has value... Alina knows that too. Benjamin did not ask to be born this way or to live sometimes with his Roma parents and sometimes at the hospital, yet he still finds it in him to smile, to gurgle. If he can be that resilient then so can I.

 So I dried my tears and went over to thank him for the lesson learned once again...

 

*I am so thankful that this Ministry (that the Lord has given me) focuses on the value of people. It doesn't matter their age, health, culture or sex; it feeds them and loves them and shows Jesus to them!

Thank-you for being a part of that!

Mona

 

 

 

Update From Romania- August 30, 2013

Hi Friends!


    Just a quick update to let you know how this trip is going. We have been busy catching up with jobs, meetings and seeing friends. Yesterday, Jack and I went out to Tinca, a town about 40km from Oradea. There we toured two foundations that are run by women I know and hope to donate to their cause. Romanian Relief is housing abandoned children with disabilities, placing children in foster care and providing free medical assistance at their clinic. We were very impressed with their foresight and dedication to the Roma people!

   The second foundation, Forget Me Not Ministries, has an incredible team and vision! They work with Roma families by providing child care, Bible studies, hygiene lessons, and work support for the men and women in the Gypsy village. We were able to accompany them to the local village and hand out diapers to the young women with babies. (By young, I mean fourteen and fifteen year olds that already have one or two children). Jack and I were so amazed and impressed at this ministry and their Christian commitment to help others!

   Today, Jack went out to a local village and started work at a friend's foundation. Children in the Son operates a home for gypsy boys who want to get a good high school and college education. These boys stay at the home during the week and attend school in Oradea then return to their villages on the weekend. There are several tasks that need to be accomplished there before school starts and Jack has eagerly jumped in to help! He even drove their van around Oradea and didn't get lost! I am so proud of him!

    I worked in the hospital this morning . We have two very sick babies on Premature
and it was so hard to see them struggle to breathe and survive! Later, Alina and I went to the bank to pay our wholesaler, who later dropped off about half of the supplies that will carry us through the year. During the afternoon, a dear friend of mine drove me around the city on various errands for the Ministry that I needed to complete! We were able to spend some time catching up, as well as accomplishing my tasks! Thanks Paula!

   The children have adjusted well to the time change and have been good for their sitters:) Today they were ecstatic when they were taken on the trams throughout the city. Andrew has been begging us to take him ever since we arrived, but hating to tram myself I am ever so grateful to Ada and Elysei for volunteering!

  Thank you all for your prayers for our health! We seem to be improving and managing well! Looking forward to a weekend of visiting and more purchasing!

Binecuventare,

    Mona and Crew

                                               The group from Forget Me Not Ministries

                                                          Our trip to the Roma Village

Ramona snuggling a precious newborn

                                             One of Romanian Relief's lovely group homes

Off We Go Into the Wild Blue Yonder

 Eagerness and anticipation fill our van along with about 275lbs of luggage,  2 children and 2 weary adults! We are headed to NYC as I type and prepared to take the 10pm flight that will eventually lead us to Romania some 22 hours later! We all still have our sinus/ear infections, but are feeling better due to antibiotics~ Praise God!

I have so many things to accomplish trip which include: purchasing supplies, touring two new foundations and their work with babies and their families, possibly getting renovation work done on the supply room that the Family Plugar allow me to use rent free, as well as HOLDING THE BABIES!!!

The children will be going to the nanny's and Jack will be working for the foundation Children in the Son on some fix it work at one of their locations. And of course, we are hoping for some wonderful fellowship with old and new friends.

I will try to post as much as possible on this site so if you haven't already signed up for the emails to be sent automatically to you, now would be a great time. You can do that on our home page:)

Blessings to you all!

   The Cummings

"The Circle of Love"

This Spring as I lined up my speaking engagements for the year, I wondered what I would say to encourage people and show them how grateful I am for their interest and support. My mind wandered down many paths until it remembered a devotional I had read earlier in the year. It focused on the passage in the Bible of Philippians 2:25-30 and detailed how the Apostle Paul, Christians in the town of Philippi and a man named Ephrodites all kept showing love and concern for each other until one could not see where this "Circle of Love" started and ended.

It got me to thinking about how one hesitant step on my part to start fundraising for my ministry swirled into a "Circle of Love" all its own! My love and care for the abandoned babies helped change the nurses' hearts and attitudes and gave birth to others' generosity. People started donating funds for the babies and because we had more money and more needs, we were able to hire Alina and provide her with a much needed salary. Alina has continued to love and care for these precious children. My friendship with Alina and watching her dedication blesses and strengthens me as well as others. And around and around it goes... And the heart of it is to give God the glory!

Thank-you for being such a vital part of our "Circle of Love" and take a moment to ponder what other circles you are a part of and how you can show more love! As my family prepares to leave on the 25th for Romania, we know that this ministry could not be what it is or do what it does without all of you!

Blessings,
    Mona

Countdown!

Only 46 days until I am home in Romania! Can you tell how excited I am? A dear friend of mine and her family are traveling over today so I think that has me extra eager to get there! But there is still so much to do between now and then, so I must be content to wait my turn...

The past few weeks have flown by since I last gave an update. However, many wonderful things have occurred! I have completed all my speaking engagements to date and was warmly welcomed by all of you! It was extra special to be at the McGraw Baptist Church, who has been with me from the beginning and has helped the ministry in so many ways over the years. It was also nice to be asked back to the Cortland Breakfast Rotary Club and meet old and new faces!

As I was preparing to go to Rotary, two needs for the ministry kept popping up in my mind. The first was need for a laptop that could facilitate the needs of the ministry and the second was someone from a legal background to join the Board for Project Hope for the Children. If questioned about needs, I was going to bring these two things up. However, without  ever being asked I was told that someone was donating a laptop to the ministry and that a lawyer living close to me might be interested in forming the Board! What a surprise and Blessing! And on top of that we have had many other applicants for the Board~ so my next task is to contact them with applications.

Fundraising has been going very well, but we still need about $2,000 more. My goal is to have at least $10,000 left after the two plane tickets and transport charges are paid off! I have also had some personal pledges to help with our own travel expenses, which will be a real blessing!

One of my prayers this year was that I would be granted access to the hospital again. If you remember last year there was an incident where a foreigner hurt a baby, since then no outside volunteer has been allowed to help with the children. The Nurse Manager made an exception for me last year; however she retired earlier this year and we have a new Nurse Manager. After much prayer and the skillful words of Alina and a friend, the Manager considered my request and invited me back. He was very gracious and thankful for the work Project Hope for the Children does in the hospital! The hospital Board of Directors also gave their permission. What a praise!

There are several conditions that I need to adhere to, but most I already do anyway. The hardest will be no photography! I love taking pictures of my sweet babies so please join me in praying that I might be allowed a few pictures. I am to be introduced to the Nurse Manager  by a doctor friend of mine and hope that the interview goes well!

I am preparing for the massive packing that will begin shortly and for the very long trip over. We have at least 24 hours of travel with our preschoolers so another prayer is that God calms them and helps them to sleep whenever possible! Jack is also looking forward to helping out the foundation I used to work for~ Children in the Son. I am looking forward to this special time with my family as they get to know my ministry better!

Thank-you all for your interest in this ministry and the children is so vitally helps! I know that many of these babies' lives have been changed because they received good food, care and stimulation during the first months and years of their life! And you had a part in that!

Blessings,

   Mona