The Faces that Haunt Me

2015 marks the Twelfth year of working in Romania! So many things have changed in that time- the hospital in Oradea, the children, the ministry and even myself. What hasn't changed is the need, the circumstances and the children... The babies I have worked with have grown and disappeared into the system, but there are always more with the same problems, the same histories and the same hungry,scared look. These are the faces that haunt my dreams and why Project Hope for the Children is so important! 

Please consider donating to the 2015 Spring trip by using the PayPal button on this screen or mailing a tax deductible check to PHFTC, 6983 Chase Rd, Fabius, NY 13063.

Children like these will benefit immensely!

*These pictures have been taken courtesy various organizations and posted freely on the internet. these are not faces of the children in our hospitals though they could be.

Farewell 2014

Christmas and New Years Greetings!

   Before this year disappears and a new one starts, I wanted to take the time to thank you all for your help, support and patience this year! It has been a crazy year for us setting up the Board and then the 501c3, as well as fun and invigorating! Change can be hard for me, but in the end God knows best and I am trying to let my hair out and enjoy the ride!

I could not have done it though without the support of my husband, Jack, who at this moment is in making dinner so I can work on end of the year business. Our Board has been amazing!!! I cannot thank Rick, Debbie, Amy and Aileen enough for encouraging and pushing me this year! Julie and Amy did an amazing job on all the legal paperwork to get us into non profit land (which was my worst fear)!! And a thank you needs to be said to Alina and Cornelia in Romania for doing the day to day storing and distributing of supplies and loving on those precious babies!

Lastly, I cannot say how grateful I am for the donations that have come in this month! I have been overwhelmed with God's blessings through you with $820 coming in this past week alone! This leaves are budget in a comfortable position to start fundraising in the next few months for my early summer trip next year! Thank you all and God Bless!

In Him,

Mona

Oradea Update

Hello Friends and Family,

   I left you several weeks ago without an update on the hospital in Oradea, but I have found it extremely challenging to keep up with almost any correspondence lately due to house renovations, babies heading off to school and a myriad of other duties! Please forgive me and I hope you enjoy hearing how the second week of my work trip went!

   Stepping into the Oradea Medical Clinic,as it is now called, is always a mixture of good and sad memories, a sense of belonging and an eagerness to love on the sweet babies there! We had several babies coming in and out while I was there and each were so unique and special! This trip I was able to assist Alina more and I loved it! Feeding, bathing, changing may seem most mundane; however, when combined with a song sung, tickles and eye to eye contact, I know these babies' little lives were touched. I so wish I could show you pictures of their little faces online of these babies, but confidentiality of the State forbids it.


   I was able to connect with one of my favorite doctors and see her new cardiology clinic, as well as see some of the nurses I have worked with for the past eleven years. Most of the hospital has been renovated, though the back staircases have been left untouched, cigarette smoke is still in the halls and the bottle nipples are still clipped to an unnaturally, large holes that the babies choke on, but the use of supplies has so changed the atmosphere and babies!

   Supply buying was interesting to say the least! We worked with two different stores to order bulk because we could not get all our supplies from one place. Now that individuals and non profits have restrictions from purchasing wholesalers, it takes a lot longer to find all the supplies. We managed to get most of what we needed and one store could even deliver to Sibiu for us. The rest I dragged my friend Paula with me from store to store trying to scrounge enough infant cereal, towels, hand soap, etc. She was a trouper and so was her little car!  



   Prices, of course, have increased so we were moderate in our purchasing and I hope that will get us through the year. With the increase in prices and the expansion of Project Hope for the Children we are looking for some more monthly supporters. People who are passionate about this ministry and what it offers- hope! I would love to see some first-time givers as well! We have so many of you who have given over and over and I love it and am so humbled by it, but I know also that there are many of you who have spoken of wanting to help in the past and have not been able to for various reasons. I promise you that your donation will be thoughtfully spent to help the lives we touch in Romania! 


  Donations could be anywhere from $5 to $50 a month, a lump sum or given every month, check or paypal. All would be a blessing as PHFTC reaches out it's hand to the poor and needy! Thank you for considering this. You can visit Paypal through our website and also read my latest Post at http://projecthopeforthechildren.blogspot.com/2014/09/a-mothers-heart.html Thank-you!

Ramona Petrella Cummings
Executive Director of PHFTC
6983 Chase Rd.
Fabius, NY 13063
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Project-Hope-for-the-Children-Inc/146117805560061

A Mother's Heart

Recently, I sent my two babies off to Kindergarten. The emotions I felt the preceding weeks were different from anything I had ever felt before- pride, sorrow, accomplishment, worry, all blended into a feeling of heaviness of heart. My children love school and I enjoy seeing life through their eyes,, but I have pondered how many times in the future I will be burdened about a change or transition or decision in my little one's lives... Many I am sure.

While in Romania, I heard a tragic story. Not too many days have passed since that I have not thought about it and tears have not come to my eyes. There is a Roma gypsy woman in one of the villages that we shall call Maria. She works hard to care for her family. Her husband is a drunk and regularly beats and rapes her. They have 11 children and Maria has not abandoned one of them! She has no education and no means to support herself or resources to help like we have in the States. She cares for her children to the best of her ability, shelters them from their father's rages and takes the brunt of it many times. She has had to watch a daughter become a child mother and then to take on the responsibility of caring for those grandchildren, even though one is handicapped.

This woman's heart has been broken so many times and yet... she is courageous! This woman is a role model for me to trust in the Lord and persevere when my "trials" come. If you think of it, please take a moment to pray for Maria today in all she faces. I am so glad to have met Maria before and that Project Hope for the Children can be a small part of her life. After eleven years of ministry, I am still amazed at how God puts people and situations in our path to help and how I can learn from them. Thank you for your part in enabling PHFTC to help!

~Mona

On to Sibiu

  Dear Friends,

   The Board at Project Hope for the Children and I have been so excited about an opportunity to expand and help even more children! earlier in the year we were asked if we could start helping a pediatric hospital in the city of Sibiu, Romania. We researched how that would look and the woman, Cornelia, that would be handling the distribution of the supplies. After sending down a small bath of supplies Cornelia approached the Nursing Director about something permanent.After a phone interview with Alina, the hospital invited us down for a full interview when I would be in the country.

   On Thursday, Alina and I started out early in the morning via train for Sibiu. It is an eight hour trip on cold war trains with filthy bathrooms~ needless to say it was not a comfortable trip. However, the countryside was lovely and when we reached the city of Sibiu, Alina and I were treated to a city filled with beauty!

   Friday morning we arrived the hospital around 10am for our interview and were very warmly greeted by Cornelia and the Director of Nurses, Carmen. God gave me the words (in Romanian) to introduce myself and the ministry and how he hoped to help the social babies. Alina was able to explain her job in Oradea and how we operated there. We stated that we wanted to help the whole child as much as possible. Not just with diapers and wipes, but with stimuli such as: music, color, pictures, baby gear and loveys for their cribs. Amazingly, Carmen readily agreed to anything we wanted to do!

   We will be supplying one ward for now and hope to increase next year to the full hospital next year. This one hospital would cost about $6,000 a year. Our hospital in Oradea costs over $6000 a year and some of the other foundations we help cost us between $1,000-2,000 a year. This does not include operating and travel expenses or Alina's salary. Please pray that more donations come in the next couple of months so that we can continue to cover everything!

  The babies were so sweet in Sibiu and I regret that I cannot post pictures of their adorable faces due to confidentiality, but I can show you some other pictures of our time there!



  Oradea Train Station                                          Pediatric Hospital of Sibiu

L-R  Cornelia, Alina, Carmen, Ramona       Cornelia, our liaison
        Enjoying the beauty of Sibiu

For more pictures of our trip you can find us on facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Project-Hope-for-the-Children-Inc/146117805560061

Ali and I were so blessed by the warmth and excitement that the hospital showed us and we are excited at this new opportunity to serve the children of Sibiu! Thank you for your part in that!

~Mona

Visit to Tinca

One of the many places I went this year was to Tinca where Romanian Relief and Forget Me Not Ministries are located. I was able to see RR's Medical Clinic again this year where they give ultrasounds, medicines and counseling. PHFTC was able to donate about $500 worth of diapers to the children that they have in their group homes and foster care.

I also had the privilege of visiting Forget Me Not Ministries again! This year I was able to see the garden that the Roma's have planted under FMNM's supervision and was able to attend a Joy Beadz session. I have been selling the bracelets as a fundraiser for both of our ministries this year and it has been great for both our foundations! PHFTC was able to purchase about $500 in diapers and wipes for one of the projects FMNM has.
Here are some pictures from there!

Thank-you to Sarah, Lavinia, Rachel and Dave for your hospitality! Can't wait to see you next year!  ~Mona

Only 5,000 Miles and Five Days Away!

The Baby Hospital in Oradea

 Dear Friends,


  I leave this coming Thursday at 7:30 pm for Romania! I am so excited and so blessed to be traveling over there again and for the outreach that Project Hope for the Children has! The first three images to your left are the hospitals we help put supplies in, whether on our own or in collaboration with another foundation, in Oradea.

 

Infectious Disease Hospital

  The image at the bottom of the page is the new hospital about 4 hours away that Alina and I will be having an interview at while I am there. We have already sent a small amount of supplies there and the trial went very well. Now the hospital is hoping we can do something permanent for their social babies, as do we! Please pray that all goes well with the interview!

The Tuberculosis Hospital

  Thanks to all of you who have donated in the past several months- I never take it for granted! However, I am still hoping for about $1,000 more to come in. With increasing needs and places asking for assistance, we will have no issues spending the money that has come in! Isn't that a great problem to have!

    If you have wanted to donate and haven't yet there is still time! You can donate on the website via our PayPal button or mail a check to Project Hope for the Children Inc., 6983 Chase Rd, Fabius NY 13063. I will be keeping you updated while away on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Project-Hope-for-the-Children/146117805560061. If you haven't liked us already, now would                                                        be a great time to do that!

                                                                                              Many Blessings to you All,
                                                                                                Mona

the new hospital we hope to sign a contract with