Working With Thankfulness!

 

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." - Psalm 90:17

Even though 2022 is coming to a close, some of our ministry activities are just getting started! And for that, we working with thankfulness in our heart! We started the month off with a brief retreat to the mountains with the staff of Heart to Heart. We were able to talk about ministry and areas where we needed changes as well as areas that were doing well. We visited the market place at Bran Castle (better known as Dracula's Castle) and saw some amazing scenery. We had a small mishap with the car on the way home when a pipe came loose on the motor. Luckily Nicu and our colleague, Corni, were able to find a quick fix and tied the pipe back on. Nicu was able to make a more permanent fix once we were home but we are still planning on getting the car serviced soon.

Clockwise from top left: The house where we stayed, staff picture, our loose pipe, a mountain path, Nicu "picking" apples, and the living room of the house.

We returned from the retreat ready to dive into ministry activities! We were able to have some great meetings with the directors at the two special needs schools that we wanted to work at in Roșiori and Alexandria. These special needs schools are connected with orphanages in the area that we have worked with through the years. We wanted to work at these schools so that we could continue to see the kids that we knew. After the meetings with the directors we were able to have several weeks of lessons at both schools. We have been using a self-control curriculum with the kids to help them learn how to control their behaviors when they have big emotions.

Top (l-r): Cat and I leading a self-control class; Corni and David Middle (l-r): One of the classes at the school in Alexandria; playing Simon says at the school in Roșiori Bottom (l-r): Class in Alexandria; Oliver and Nicu working with the kids in Roșiori

Typically, November means Thanksgiving, however, Thanksgiving is not a holiday that is celebrated here in Romania. However, with so many Americans on staff, Heart to Heart has an annual Thanksgiving dinner. We enjoyed getting to celebrate with our friends and lots of good food.

Top (l-r): Thanksgiving decor; Oliver eating a typical toddler Thanksgiving meal of one dinner roll Bottom (l-r): Family photo; Andrei and Oliver on the trampoline

After Thanksgiving we had a special night at the team house in Pipera for decorating and preparing for Christmas. Now that the house is decked out, we're ready to start prepping for gift delivery to the kids!

Top (l-r): Karla; Oliver Middle (l-r): The finished Christmas tree; Oliver, Karla, and Ruthie putting the star on the tree Bottom (l-r): Oliver, Iuli, and Karla; Iuli

What's Coming Up

In December we will be continuing to visit the schools in Roșiori and Alexandria and leading the self-control lessons. We also hope to visit some of the orphanages in the Bucharest area and lead youth group. Our major project for December will be collecting and beginning to deliver Christmas presents to over 500 kids! Nicu and I will also be hosting Christmas day dinner at Pipera. This is our first year doing this so we're a little nervous (thankfully, we will have some help!).

How You Can Support Us

Here are our current praises and prayer requests: The meetings with the school directors went very well. We have been able to have several classes with the kids and they have been well received. Pray for Christmas gift collection and distribution. Pray that we will find the time and energy to visit the kids at the Bucharest orphanages. Pray for us as we enter into the cold winter months. We are running low on fuel for our heating system and aren't sure if it will last through the entire winter. On the national level, leaders are talking about making mandatory heating and energy cuts in an effort to help with the war in Ukraine. If you would like to partner with us financially through Heart to Heart International please use the button below. If you choose to support us financially be sure and indicate in the memo section that you would like the funds to go to Nicu and Melissa Perghel or the Transition Program. You can check out our Facebook group to receive updates on the program and how God is using us here in Romania. Giving Through H2H You can also make a donation through Walking With Orphans using the PayPal Giving link below. The transaction will appear as "Eastern European and Russian Orphanages Project" (the registered name for Walking With Orphans).                             By using PayPal Giving we will receive 100% of your donation! https://www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/1239712

The End of a Season

 

May 2022 Update

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." - Ecclesiastes 3:1

As I write this update we have just entered into June and spring is coming to an end. The hot days of summer are just around the corner! It's also the end of another season as well...the end of this year's transition program. We have been very busy this last month squeezing in projects and trying to prepare the boys for what lies ahead once they leave our home. At Nenciulești Nicu and Andrei worked on a home beautification project and painted the front fence and some of the trees. Yes...in Romania we paint the bottom portion of the trees! This is usually done each spring and there are several different theories as to why: to stop insects, to make things looks nice, or as a holdover from the days of Communism. I personally think it's a little of all three.

At Pipera everyone chipped in on a huge home renovation project. The boys and Nicu plus all the staff and even some of the transition program graduates spent several weeks repairing and painting the fencing and the house. They also helped to get the pool uncovered and filled. Because of everyone's help we were able to save tens of thousands of euros on professional repairs!

All the repairs had to be done in a short amount of time because our friends, Marius and Adriana, were getting married at Pipera. It was a beautiful ceremony with lots of friends, church members, and family members in attendance. Oliver even got his own seat at the table and stayed up until almost midnight to see the cake.

This month we received an amazing blessing. For several months I have been intentionally praying for two things for our family: a house and car. One afternoon I was looking on Facebook and saw that a fellow missionary family we are friends with was selling their van. It matched the one stipulation that I had for a car: it could seat seven people. It also had several features that I would have preferred in a car: two rear sliding doors, good trunk space, and it is an automatic. However, the price they were selling for was a bit out of our range. We decided to pray about it and sent a message to our friends. They said that if we were interested they would give us a discount because they knew us and we would be using the van for ministry. The price they gave us was within our budget so we decided to purchase the van! The most amazing thing is that God decided to bless us not only with a great van that met all our needs but also with features that we hadn't even considered: bluetooth, a navigation system, seats that fold all the way into the flooring, and a DVD system with three screens! We are so incredibly thankful for the financial support that we have received over the years that allowed us to save for a car and thankful beyond words for God's answer to our prayers!

What's Coming Up

During June we will have an official graduation ceremony for the boys as they finish the transition program. We still have some projects for them to finish up but Iuli has finished (and passed!) his school year and Andrei will be finishing his schooling soon. Nicu will be making some repairs to the apartment where the boys will be moving and then they will move in around the 20th of June. At the end of the month we will be hosting a team from America that is coming to help us with some of our summer camps. We also have many preparations to make at Nenciulești before it is ready for the team so continue to pray for funding for several construction projects and also that we can get everything finished in time for the first camp.

How You Can Support Us

Here are our current praises and prayer requests: Praises for our new (to us) car! We are thankful that Iuli passed his classes this semester and will move on to the 12th grade. He is so close to finishing his schooling! Iuli and Andrei as we transition them into living on their own. Summer ministry and the people who will be serving with us as well as all the kids who will be attending. The kids at Periș. They are telling us that all the kids will be leaving for other foundations at the end of June and we are especially concerned about where we hear they are moving the girls as it is a place where they have little supervision. Pray that Ionela (one of our girls previously at Periș) will start coming to church again. Pray that we will be intentionally about inviting her and finding ways to spend time and connect with her. I feel led to ask for prayer about two major things: a house and my long term residency visa. Both of these things seem to have many hurdles attached to them and we never seem to have time to tackle them. Pray that God would make clear the path He wants us to take. We are looking to add a few people to our monthly financial support. We would also like to begin fundraising now for the next year of the transition program that will begin in the fall. If you would like to partner with us financially through Heart to Heart International please use the button below. If you choose to support us financially be sure and indicate in the memo section that you would like the funds to go to Nicu and Melissa Perghel or the Transition Program. You can check out our Facebook group to receive updates on the program and how God is using us here in Romania.

Giving Through H2H You can also make a donation through Walking With Orphans using the PayPal Giving link below. The transaction will appear as "Eastern European and Russian Orphanages Project" (the registered name for Walking With Orphans).                             By using PayPal Giving we will receive 100% of your donation! https://www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/1239712

Update from America

 

Update from America

March and April 2022 Update

"The Lord replied, 'My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." - Exodus 33:14

March and April were a departure from our normal ministry in Romania. We were able to travel to the US for six weeks of ministry there as well as plenty of rest and relaxation. We started our time off with a birthday celebration for Oliver (March 9, turned 1!) and Nicu (March 5) where we got to see many of our extended family members. We spent several days adjusting to the time difference and orientating ourselves to being in a different country. This was Nicu's first time in the US so we took lots of walks and went on many special outings.

One of the outings that we went on was to the aquarium with my mom and aunt. Another night my college best friend and roommate, Megan, stopped by for dinner with our family. One day we went with my mom to Stone Mountain Park and rode the Skylift to the top. We were also able to meet up with my brother and his family for dinner one Saturday evening.

After just a few weeks in Georgia with my parents we took a quick weekend trip to Pennsylvania to see my best friend and former co-worker, Heather, and her family. We were also able to speak at Cochranton Christian and Missionary Alliance Church where Heather's dad is the pastor. We were very blessed to meet people who had been praying for us and our ministry for years. I had never been to Pennsylvania before so this was a new experience even for me! We got to see first hand what spring in the Northeast means (snow, sun, snow, sun, snow...all in one day) and learned about snow squalls (luckily we left before we experienced one for ourselves).

After we returned from Pennsylvania it was back to Georgia and another full week of activities: going on a Walking Dead set tour, meeting up with family members, having our first date night without Oliver, getting new lenses for Oliver's glasses, speaking at my parent's Sunday School class, and visiting the zoo.

One of the things we were looking forward to the most about being in the US was getting to take a family vacation with my parents, something I haven't been able to do in over two years. We were excited to have the chance to go to Disney World with my mom, dad, and aunt for several days. Oliver enjoyed riding it's a small world, meeting the characters during a character brunch, and singing along to Frozen and The Lion King.

We finished up our time in America with a few more special moments as well as lots of shopping trips to get last minute items. Nicu and I visited my aunt and uncle at their lake house and Nicu got to spend the day fishing...apparently he caught more fish than have ever been caught at their house before! We visited my grandmother, helped with an Easter egg hunt at the preschool where my sister-in-law teaches, had Easter dinner with family, and saw my nephews play baseball.

Our time in America also included local ministry. On several occasions we accompanied my mom to a local trailer park community to work at an after school program for elementary school children run by Path United (The Path Project). We loved being able to serve the kids through Bible stories, games, and crafts. It was a joy to be able to make connections with the kids even if we were only with them for a short period of time.

Our time in America was much needed...since I was last there two years ago we have gotten married, moved to Nenciulești, had a baby, and started running the boys transition program...all in the middle of a global pandemic! We were able to spend time visiting with friends and family and getting recharged for the work that lies ahead.

How You Can Support Us

Here are our current praises and prayer requests: We were able to speak at several churches and gatherings during our time in the US and to meet with current and potential financial supporters. We returned safely from the States and ready to return to our work in Romania. One of the girls from Periș, Ionela, who now lives in București, attended Easter dinner with us at Pipera. We pray that she will start regularly attending church with us. Pray for us as we begin planning and preparing for summer ministry. We hope to continue to gather financial support both for our family and for the transition program. Pray for direction for our ministry as many kids are leaving the orphanage and/or going to other foundations and I look to begin doing therapy again with some of the kids. Iuli and Andrei will be finishing the program soon. Pray specifically for Iuli as he finishes school and finds a job and for Andrei that he will continue to do well at his construction job. If you would like to partner with us financially through Heart to Heart International please use the button below. If you choose to support us financially be sure and indicate in the memo section that you would like the funds to go to Nicu and Melissa Perghel or the Transition Program. You can check out our Facebook group to receive updates on the program and how God is using us here in Romania. Giving Through H2H You can also make a donation through Walking With Orphans using the PayPal Giving link below. The transaction will appear as "Eastern European and Russian Orphanages Project" (the registered name for Walking With Orphans).                             By using PayPal Giving we will receive 100% of your donation! https://www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/1239712

A New Year of Ministry

Another year of ministry has begun here at Heart to Heart! The focus for the last month at the transition house has largely been on finishing one of the upstairs rooms. Nicu and the boys have cleaned, patched the walls, insulated the ceiling, and put in a water barrier. Their next step will be to install planks and drywall on the ceiling.

The boys have also been working outside some when the weather is nice. We haven't had much snow this year so they have been able to do quite a bit. Iuli and Andrei helped to cut some trees. Another day, Andrei helped Nicu move some sand to the side of the house to make a clearer walkway while Iuli was at high school completing some of his coursework for graduation.

In addition to working on things here in Nenciulești, on the weekends we go up to the Bucharest area to work with the kids at the Periș orphanage. Our youth group lessons last month focused on the kinds of media we consume and how these affect our thoughts and actions.

Another small project that we were able to accomplish was to hand out Christmas gifts to some of the kids in need in the village. It was nice to be able to help out a few more families in need this holiday season.

This last month we also continued to serve with our church, AlfaOmega, by leading the children's Sunday School class. We have a wide range of kids of all ages which makes planning a bit interesting but the kids enjoy our time together and so do we!

Finally, on a more personal note, Oliver turned 10 months and has started pulling up to standing on his own! He is definitely keeping us on our toes!

In February we already have several things planned even though the month is short! The boys will continue to work on the upstairs room and we will continue with youth group at Periș. We are also expecting our first team since the beginning of the pandemic two years ago! Ironically, the group coming this year was also a part of the very last team we had in 2020 before things began to shut down due to COVID. Hopefully they will have a better ending to their trip than last time!

How You Can Support Us

Here are our current prayer requests and praises: We are thankful that we can continue to see the kids despite rising COVID numbers throughout the country. We are grateful that the boys are getting a lot done and learning a lot through the home renovations they have been doing! Prayers are needed as we try and work out a schooling schedule for Iuli. Pray for direction for our ministry as more kids are leaving the orphanage Please pray for our kids as they adjust to changes at the orphanage. We are still looking for financial supporters. We have just enough to cover the bare basics but not enough to save up for travel. We are planning on going to the States in March and will have to pay for Nicu's ticket. Please pray that we will find the funds to cover this expense (approximately $1200). In addition to our own financial support we continue to need supporters for the transition program. We know of several kids who will be aging out soon and would love to offer them the chance to come into the program if they would like. If you would like to partner with us financially through Heart to Heart International please use the button below. If you choose to support us financially be sure and indicate in the memo section that you would like the funds to go to Nicu and Melissa Perghel or the Transition Program. You can check out our Facebook group to receive updates on the program and how God is using us here in Romania.

Giving Through H2H You can also make a donation through Walking With Orphans using the PayPal Giving link below. The transaction will appear as "Eastern European and Russian Orphanages Project" (the registered name for Walking With Orphans).                             By using PayPal Giving we will receive 100% of your donation! https://www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/1239712