An Update From Quarantine

April 2020 Update

This month's update is especially unique as we are still under a State of Emergency here in Romania. But thankfully the end is in sight! On the 15th of May we will be able to leave our homes again without documentation! And more businesses will begin opening up. We will still have to wear face masks in public but I've been making lots of them lately so I'll be prepared!

One of my favorite masks...with Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck!

Ministry has been interesting this month. I have been making therapy videos and posting them on my YouTube channel. I then text each of the kids that I work with a copy of the video and a corresponding activity that they can do online. Heather and I continue to do weekly Youth Groups via Facebook Live and we did a Night of Worship on Facebook Live with Wanetta a few weeks ago. We pray that the kids will actually watch the videos that we make and join us on Facebook for our broadcasts. Other than the occasional phone call or video chat with the kids this is our only way to connect with them.

Heather and I doing a Facebook Like Youth Group on David and Goliath. The top is a picture of the object lesson about how God can use anyone, no matter how small or weak they may seem, for His purposes. The bottom is a flannel-graph depiction of the story. We like having something visual for the kids...even if we haven't used flannel-graph since we were in elementary school!

Top: Recording a video on keeping a gratitude journal during quarantine. Bottom: Night of Worship on Facebook Live.

Even though the State of Emergency will end on the 15th of May we still do not know when we can see the kids. Meetings will be limited to no more than three people, even out in the open. Schools are closed for the rest of the school year and many are planning to open online only in the fall. With these restrictions we don't know what ministry will look like in the upcoming months. We did contact the Periș orphanage at Easter time to see if we could drop off some goodies for the kids. We were told that donations have to go through the Department of Child Protective Services and that we couldn't even come by and drop things at the gate for the kids. This is very hard time for me personally as so much of what I do depends on relationships. Some of the kids that I work with do not have cell phones or tablets. If they do have one of these items then they may not have Facebook pages, social media outlets, or even phone credits to stay in contact with me. Please pray that we will be able to start working with the kids again soon, even if it is just one on one.

How much has changed in a year! These are pictures from April 2019: Top left: Me and Alexandra. This was just before she was moved to Mia's Children, a private children's home. Bottom left: Me and Alex at the zoo with the Periș school for Școala Altfel. Top right: Denisa from Săftica. Middle right: Aura from Casa Lidia. Bottom right: Nicu with the Youth Group at Periș.

Family Ministry Update

Due to the State of Emergency and quarantine Nicu and I were not able to have our civil ceremony on the 25th of April as we had hoped. We are praying that when the State of Emergency ends in mid-May that we will be able to have the ceremony then. Please pray that we can get married in May and that all the travel and gathering bans will be lifted by August so that we can celebrate with our family and friends at the celebration we have planned. Nicu is still working at the auto parts warehouse and will continue to do so until we can raise enough monthly support for him to join the Heart to Heart staff full time. We are unsure of when we will try and move as plans to sell the house where I currently live have been put on hold for a little while. We will try and buy a car for our personal use as Nicu will need transport to his job which is 45 minutes away from where we be living.

Our goal is to raise at least $3000 in monthly support. Currently we are just below $2000. We also need one time gift donations for starting our family together. If you would like to support us financially, with whatever amount you are able, please click the link below. Be sure and indicate that you would like the funds to go to Melissa and Nicu Perghel.

Giving Through H2H If you would like to donate directly to us please use the link below. This is for my non-profit, Walking With Orphans. https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=5SVY3LDR397KW&source=url

Prayer Requests and Praises

Praises: That we, and our families, are all in good health. That the State of Emergency will be lifted on the 15th of May. Prayer Requests: That we will have increased participation in our online activities from the kids. That we can begin to see the kids and work with them, even if just in very small groups. Continued health and safety for us, our families, and the kids. That Nicu and I can have our civil ceremony soon.

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