We are currently living through unprecedented times. Coronavirus has impacted the entire world and the effects are being felt in Romania. On Saturday morning Dacian Moldovan, the director of our partners in Romania, gave us an update that sounded much like what we’re all experiencing here in the States. People in Romania are being told to stay home. They’re being told to social distance.
The Point of Hope Development Center closed on Thursday, March 12th. This closure is devastating for the children we serve who receive a small breakfast and full lunch each day. This daily nutrition and the opportunities for personal hygiene they receive are now at risk. Tim Oloffson and Dacian Moldovan, have been working together to find a way to continue supporting the children we call our own and in turn to support their families.
This past Monday, the Point of Hope began offering showers to the children in the community of Tarnaveni. In this small community it is very difficult to social distance from one another as families are large and often consist of anywhere from 5 to 10 people living together in a one-room apartment. Offering the chance for personal hygiene and teaching children how to wash their hands properly is important.
We have also been working closely with the staff in Romania to provide food bags for the 86 families we already serve. The Point of Hope receives a grant from the European Union to help with the work that is being done there, but since the Coronavirus showed up and the EU put regulations on schools to close, they are no longer sending that vital grant money. We do not want to lay off any of our valued teachers and staff to be able to provide grocery bags.
You may have received an email about donating $15 to provide a bag full of groceries for a family for one week. We are working diligently with generous supporters and churches to fulfill this need for the next several weeks. We’re sure this isn’t the only story of hardship you’ve heard recently, but we also know that God is in control. He’s visible in each person who has stepped up to stay home and in the essential workers in the medical sector and other fields who have stepped up in the unknown.
There are so many people who are serving their fellow humans and this is where we can see the light in the darkness. Thank you for praying for those we serve in Romania and for joining us in being a light in the darkness for them. God is still in control.
