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