April
2004 Romania Update
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Ben Kubassek Executive Director HFH
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PROJECT ROMANIAN RESCUE
The Team: (left to
right) Paul Maendel Jr., Ben Kubassek, Terry Hofer, Jack Giles,
Dave Maendel, Isaiah Hofer, Glenn Hofer, Sam Waldner |
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On March 19th I was joined by a team of 7 volunteers
as I made my 37th trip to the country of Romania. Our construction team
focused on finishing the building in Kogalnicanu we started last November.
The building is a 3500 square foot home which will be used by Project
Romanian Rescue, our partners in street kid ministry in Constanta to house
12-15 kids who have been rescued from the streets of Constanta.
 As
usual, this team worked hard, didn’t complain about their living conditions.
They were an incredible blessing to myself and also to our Romanian friends
with their great attitudes, serving hearts, and wonderful sense of humour.
Wherever, we went it seems people stopped to listen to the Canadians talking and laughing together. Unfortunately, most Romanians don’t have too much to
laugh about. However, I believe we were an encouragement to the ones we came
in contact with. Thanks team for all your hard work and a job well done.
What a joy and a blessing to be around people who just want to serve and
bless others…we can all learn from your example!
Terry, Glenn, and Isaiah
installing the drywall in Kogalnicanu.
Dan
Mercado and Cami the Directors of Project Romania Rescue send their
gratitude to all those who contributed financially and in other ways to this
worthy project.
Paul, Dave,
and Sam grinning from ear to ear. |
The team
installing the siding on the building.
PROJECT LUMINA
Thanks to Annie Glenn and her ministry to the kids of
Medgidia, God continues to bless LUMINA, Hands For Humanity’s program which
provides spiritual and physical food to destitute Gypsy children in Medgidia.
This project brings over eighty children from five communities (including
three ministries) together. Annie Glenn, our missionary in Medgidia, says
she is amazed at how God has begun to knit the hearts of these kids together
as they learn about Jesus through Bible stories, dramas, and songs.
 She
says she has seen changes in behavior, attitudes, and most importantly,
faith in these kids over the last five months and often they arrive an hour
early, waiting for the community centre doors to open!
The kids are becoming more comfortable with praying
for others---their families, communities, and those who sponsor LUMINA. We
give sincere thanks to those who give to and pray for this project, as it
has been an indescribable blessing!
Have a fun day
in the park with Annie |
WHITE HOUSE MINISTRY
Betty Meduta and her White House Ministry team
continue to work closely with Hands For Humanity, partnering in many
opportunities to bless the Gypsy children of Medgidia. Kids from this
ministry come to LUMINA each week to share in the fun. Twice this month, the
White House Ministry invited all the kids from LUMINA to a huge outdoor
“funfest”! About 150 children and at least a dozen adults came together for
a day of outdoor fun in the sun! There is an abandoned stadium in Medgidia
with an adjoining field, the perfect place for kids to release their energy
and play until they can play no more! After we are all exhausted, we group
together for a time of worship, including singing a few songs in Turkish,
Romanian, and English. Thank you for praying for this ministry, which has
spearheaded many opportunities for evangelism among Muslim, Turkish, and
Gypsy families.
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SHOES, SHOES, SHOES!
No, its not
about shopping, its about a blessing from the Lord through our Hutterite
friends in Manitoba for several thousand pairs of new shoes! After a long
delay from Romanian customs, we were able to bless hundreds of kids and
their families with boxes of clothes and shoes. We have focused on
distribution in Medgidia among families we have begun building relationships
with through LUMINA and The White House Ministry.
 Every
child who attended LUMINA received new shoes, a huge blessing for these
children, some of whom have come to LUMINA in socks or in shoes so small
that they wear them like slippers. We also prepared “family boxes”, a box
with clothing, shoes, slippers, a toy, and soap---and distributed them at
Easter. Thanks to our Hutterite friends who worked so hard and who give so
generously!
MINISTRY AT MAMUT BAY
Project
Humanity continues to partner in working to reach the twelve Tatar Gypsy
families who live at Mamut Bay. These families live in severe conditions,
without running water, plumbing, and quite often without food. We are gently
building a relationship with them, with a vision of evangelization of their
community. This month we met with a group of adults from Mamut Bay, and
shared about our faith, and our ministry. We gave each one of them a huge
“family box” in the name of Jesus! Please partner with us in prayer for
these beautiful people!
Thanks for the shoes! |
ENCOURAGING CHILDREN WITH
HIV/AIDS IN CERNAVODA
 Annie
and a few others from the church in Medgidia, recently visited a Children’s
Home in Cernavoda, a small town nearby Medgidia. This unique facility houses
forty children with HIV/AIDS, and we went there to visit with them. We
enjoyed the opportunity to sing songs with them, show them a drama, and
teach them some American Sign Language. Afterwards, we went to their rooms
to spend time with them, pray for them, and encourage them. Though their
care there is very good, most children there have been abandoned by their
parents, and, like most kids, they welcomed having lots of attention!
A young victim of the deadly AIDS
virus. |
SOWING THE SEED
 Hands
For Humanity’s vision about helping people help themselves. In an effort to
create employment and help local Romanian families earn a living we built 10
chicken barns and a feed mill in Constanta County last year. Finding
suitable supply of corn and soybeans for feed mill has proved to be a
challenge. This year we have rented 555 acres of land to grow our own grain.
In the photo to the right you can see three of the six locals we hired last
month with their equipment to work our land.
As we focus more on development, we continue to look for North American
partners who are are willing to invest in business opportunities in Romania…
investors who interesting in making a difference…not just a profit! |
SOCIAL PROJECT FOR GYPSIES
Community
development is another primary focus of Hands For Humanity. People are a
product of their environment…unless we change their environment…people
rarely change their attitudes, lifestyles, and conditions. The mayor of the
city of Mangalia has approached HFH about partnering in an exciting project
he has to integrate Gypsies into the Romanian society. The project began
last year with the constructions of four apartment buildings and at present
a communal bath building is under construction. The next phase of the
project involves 18 small homes and a kindergarten/alphabetization school
building.
| This 2- bedroom 555 square ft. home is one of 18 homes we plan to
build this fall in Mangalia |
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Please pray for this project, that the provision will be provided for the
vision God has given to help his children. This project will require funds
to purchase building materials, donations of building materials, and team a
volunteers to do the construction this fall. If you are excited about being
a part this opportunity, please give me a call. Remember, everything begins
with a vision and someone who said YES! Perhaps that someone is you…and the
time is now!! Never limit yourself to your own resources, but rather believe
in all powerful ability of the God who controls the Universe.
Thanks
again for all you do to make the world a better place!
Blessings, Ben Kubassek |
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Hands For Humanity
RR #3,
Bright, ON N0J 1B0
Canada
tel. (519) 632-9900
fax (519) 632-8800 |
In
order to receive a tax receipt for a charitable donation,
make your cheque payable to Hands for Humanity
info@handsforhumanity.org |