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

Joy Unspeakable

June 28th 2012 was a very special day for me! It was the day that our son became ours~ completely! One year has passed and I cannot believe it! Adoption has always been my dream since I was just a wee one myself; caring for my dolls! To see my son growing up, mischievous as ever, giving me that goofy smile and smothering me in kisses is such a blessing!

A good life is a blessing that many of us take for granted, especially here in the States. Many people do not have the benefits of a loving home, a stable home, or even just a home where they could be financially cared for. Everyone of us can make a difference in our own small way! It is our responsibility has humans to care for each other; to love each other. Adoption is one way that my husband and I could care. Project Hope for the Children is another outlet and passion for me!

What is yours? How do you make a difference~ care for others less fortunate?? If you find yourself drawing a blank at those questions, consider how you can change that! Whether it's adopting, fostering, sponsoring, contributing to a worthy cause, even working at Soup Kitchen or Salvation Army! (It'll break your heart to see the children and adults going through those food lines!) Make time in your schedules and your life to share what you have and show love to others!

You will be blessed in return as I am with my son! I love you, Andrew Michael Cummings! Mama

Love from Lauren

This a guest post from a very dear friend of mine. I believe that if we had not gone through "Romania" together we would have dismissed each other as friends~ and what a tragedy that would be!

Hi, my name is Tigger! Well, only if you know of my friendship with dear Mona, would you understand my greeting.  See, when Mona and I worked together in the Oradea, Romania we were like Tigger and Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh.

She was well organized, for example, bringing over enough spices from back home to ensure she could make whatever recipe she fancied, and I was just elated to be there, taking it one day at a time.  However, like any good friendship, our original and repeated misunderstandings turned into a strong bond of which I passionately say is one of the most proud treasures in my life. We shared a time in our lives that can never be precisely repeated only cherished as a memory.

My memories vary from Mona's although some foundational similarities we shared.

I too volunteered to go to Oradea through the ministry, Children In The Son as an intern.  I too am forever changed by what I witnessed, felt, and lived through.  Oradea, in the last 10 plus years has surely developed beyond how I remember it. Bright green grass. Dark grey bumpy roads. Dusty unlevel sidewalks. Lots of pedestrians. Street beggars.  Greasy taxi drivers. Scary stray dogs.

Feeling so confused because I did not know the language, dangers, or who to trust at the outdoor market.  Those are the little specks in my memories to set the stage.

What I remember more clearly is how I felt while I was there. So close to God. So sensitive to His voice.  In-step with Him and doing what His heart was for; the orphaned, the abandoned.

Tell them I love them.  Tell them they are not forgotten. I know every hair on their head.   Even              though no one is there to pick them up and hold them when you cry, I am there. I hear you.

That is why I was sent to Oradea, Romania.  To tell the babies in our care and on the 6th floor of the Hospital De Copii that God loves them. 

The turnaround moment for Mona and I from estranged acquaintances to forever friends was our joint visit to the Hospital De Copii.  The babies were like statues in their steel cribs, bundled so tightly so they could not move. The air was stale as you can imagine being on the 6th floor, no air conditioning, and the windows were closed shut.  We began picking up the babies, quickly loosening their wrap, and sneaking over to the window, cracking it open, and taking turns of letting the babies feel the breeze on their faces. That visit and the one that followed are both easy and difficult for me to remember.   This is not a story; it is a memory with real faces.  (I had forgotten that)

I could write a book on all the disturbing things we saw but there was one thing we could actually do something about.  When I say 'we' I mean 'Rabbit.' So this is a little of how the conversation went:

"Mona, this is so sad. Their ears are full of wax, they are dirty, and haven't had a bath probably ever!"

"Let's go shopping then. Come back and do it ourselves" she replied.  And that is exactly what we did.

We returned with a bag full of baby shampoo and q-tips.  Unfortunately, the hospital did not have hot water so we had no choice but to bath them in a shallow sink of cold water.  We bathed probably 4-5 babies and went through a whole box of q-tips!  Each baby cried through the bath time but then we saw for the first time, smiles.  I know how yucky I feel if I haven't showered and then feel so much better once I do.  We were able to bring this good feeling to a place where I do not shy away from describing like hell on earth. 

Not everyone can go to Romania but we can connect with what Mona is doing.  Because I also have seen firsthand Mona's passion and desire to continue to reach out to the babies, my husband and I support the work she is doing.  There are so many not-for-profits doing good things.  However the difference with Mona's is it is directly affecting the babies.  They literally do not get held all day, so she sends Alina to pick them up and sing to them.  The nipples on the bottles they use are cut; the formula drops down their throat, so Mona makes arrangements for proper nipples to be used so all babies do not miss out on the developing stage of sucking a bottle.( When the hospital allows it.)  They literally sit in wet cloths all day, so she raises money to buy diapers, befriending the skeptical staff to ensure it gets used for the babies.

The children are as unforgettable as the friends I made.  Many of you know and may financially support, like we do, the work Alina is doing by way of Mona's ministry.  I can tell you in full confidence that Alina's character and purity of heart is a rare find.  She is so selfless, loves Jesus and sings beautifully to each baby as she cares for them like they were her own.  In a way they are. (This is so true!)

I am so grateful to participate in what Mona is doing. These babies truly are not forgotten because we back home not only remember them, or feel like we know them through Mona's visits, but do something about it.

And that makes Tigger not the only one!

Thank-you Tigger! That was beautiful! Love, Rabby

Thankfulness

I tend to deal with money frequently~ our personal budget and bills, other people's finances, Project Hope's donations~ as a past bank cashier it's a good fit. With all of that said, I am always Thankful when the money comes in. I don't need to be rolling in money, but being able to pay the bills or take care of the needs is a great feeling! 

Today I have two reasons to be Thankful! The first is that the money I was waiting for help pay for my trip to Romania has arrived! And secondly, I have counted up the 2013 donations to date and found just how generous you have been. The ministry has taken in $4,558 so far! (We even had someone use our PayPal button and it worked!) We still have several thousand to go, but what a blessing to see people giving and caring for other human beings in need! And that should make us all Thankful....

Blessings today~Mona

On the Road Again!

Romania! That word always sends tingles down my spine and a quiver of happiness in my tummy! I love being in Romania, working with the babies, seeing old friends and walking the streets... I love how I'm so different there. I lose the stress and learn to trust more on God's strength.

 For those who know me I can seem overbearing and uptight, sometimes rigid and always scheduled, a bit stressed. There I am really none of those things. I love my job there! I have had many jobs over the years and some I have thoroughly enjoyed, but working with these tiny, helpless babies somehow completes me~ makes me feel purposeful. (Not to mention that the Latin culture makes you slow down!)

Over the years, my husband has gone with me, my best friend and my daughter, but never all together. And now I have the privilege of going with my whole family and introducing my son to this different world (and different Mama). I am so proud to have him meet my friends over there and to show him my work there. I hope one day that my children might have a mission that they are similarly passionate about and that they can honor the Lord with and help others in need!

As I pressed the computer buttons the other night and ordered four tickets, I felt trepidation and excitement! It seemed that circumstances made it the only way for this trip to happen, though all my other "ducks" were still not in a row, but I felt the need to trust and see what God would do so.... Once again, I need to relax and watch how everything unfolds and enjoy every minute doing what I love best with who I love best and just. be. blessed.:)

A Mother's Heart

With Mother's Day being last week, I was busy thinking about who I could send messages to that day. I sent them to many of my "mommy friends", but my thoughts drifted to the many women I know that have not physically had children or even been able to adopt children. Yet I know their hearts are one with mine. They have held and cared for another woman's child and have cried over that child; loving them fiercely!  I have seen women fight passionately for a child not their "own", protecting them, defending their rights, sheltering them, holding them as they pass into the arms of Jesus.

Why do some women do this? Why do some Adopt? Foster? or Work in orphanages and hospitals with abandoned babies? Because they/we know that these babies are just as precious as any baby we could have biologically. Because God has given us a command that our heart has taken an allegiance to serve. I know so many woman who have taken up this calling even when their hopes of being a mother has not come to pass yet. This post is for them!

These woman are ones that we need to look up to and emulate their self-sacrifice with our own little ones. May I encourage you in something? If you know someone like this~ offer her your support and help. Her job is not easy. If you have been feeling a tug to help the fatherless~ don't keep pushing it aside. Find out what you can do! Whether it is sponsoring a child internationally, becoming a foster parent or just supporting ministries like this one you will. never. regret. it! Because there is nothing more rewarding that being a Mother:)

~Mona

Through Abbey's Eyes

In my past Posts, I mentioned my friend Abbey, who accompanied me to the hospital the first day. I asked her to write about what she felt on her first day. Incidentally, she remembered things that I had forgotten so I enjoyed reading it, as well! Thanks Abbey!

June 2003

I had been warned. I had watched the 20/20 episode over and over again. I had spoken directly to a handful of people who had been there before. I had read countless blogs and websites. But nothing prepared me for what I experienced my first day at the children’s hospital. I left utterly horrified.

As we walked from the parking lot to the guardhouse located on the hospital perimeter, I remember being the most worried that we weren’t going to be granted access into the hospital. The hospital staff was extremely skeptical about giving outsiders, especially Americans, an insider look at the goings on behind the closed doors. I’m not exactly sure what Michelle (the American missionary we were working with that summer) said to the guard in Romanian, but I can assure you allowing us access was of no benefit to him since as we did not offer him any bribes or money to let us through. Finally, after much hesitation, we were miraculously allowed to enter.

As I walked through the double set of glass doors, I remember thinking how eerily quiet it seemed. Where were all the people? And why were all the lights off? Didn’t they have electricity? And why was it so hot? I didn’t expect air conditioning but couldn’t we at least open a window? (I later learned Romanians don’t like to open windows because they believe the cross-breeze can cause illness).

As we made our way up the hospital stairs I couldn’t believe that we had to step around cigarette butts and broken windowpane glass. Wasn’t that a hazard to patient safety? That would never fly in America!

Alas, we arrived on the 7^th floor – our home away from home for the rest of the summer. The walls were sea-foam green, the curtains dark brown and heavy, the rubber tiles on the floor were pealing away, cockroaches were scurrying around the baseboards, the white paint was chipping off the metal cribs, the en-suite bathrooms had scant running water, no soap, and barely usable cabinets.

The babies…oh, the poor babies were all lying there lifeless. I didn’t hear any of them cry. It was as if they were far beyond that…they had already reached a point where they knew their cries would get them nowhere so they stopped trying. Some of them also shared a tiny crib with another abandoned baby. They were covered in mosquito bites and dripping sweat from head to toe. It was SO HOT!!!! They were literally dressed in rags and wrapped in about 3-4 inch thick cloth diapers (which forced them to lay 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with arched backs). It was obvious the purpose of the layers and layers of cloth was so that the babies could lie there for 12 hours in soiled diapers but not soak through the bed sheets.

Not only were the babies not stimulated by sound, touch, sight, or smell, but when it came time to feeding, they were all fed via glass bottles propped up by the bed sheets. If the bottle slipped or if the baby wasn’t able to catch all of the rice cereal/milk that was coming out of the enormously large nipple, they were simply out of luck. Feeding time was over and they’d have to wait again until the next scheduled feeding. I also witnessed toddlers attempting to rock themselves to sleep since they knew no one else would. And I saw kids slamming their heads as hard as they could against the metal cribs over and over again just so that they could get some sort of stimulation.

The tears started to well. It was all way too much and way too much to take in at once. But I KNEW I couldn’t cry. I couldn’t let the nurses see me upset. If they did, they wouldn’t let me back, and these abandoned babies needed me and all the loving they could get.

I left the hospital that day with a very heavy heart but excited at the same time for how God was going to use me that summer. I knew he had incredible plans in store… 