Impact Romania

January – June 2011

Introduction/Summary

Handing out fruit at Ilisua

The purpose of Impact Romania is to disciple and develop (Psalm 78:72) Romanian orphans to grow in character and influence in the world. The objectives to accomplish this purpose are as follows:

1. Teach the Bible as the foundation of life and restoration
2. Create a supportive “culture of growth in community” for orphans
3. Train orphans in family relationships and life-skills
4. Encourage Romanian orphans to help other Romanian orphans

Financial Summary

Program/Region Facts

There is a government mandate to move Romania’s estimated 80,000 children from orphanage residency to “group homes” and “family foster care”. The present state of this transition is hard to know exactly but it is clear that orphans are being moved. Impact Romania has begun to network with a few of these group homes and we project that our involvement will increase over the 2nd half of 2011.

Dorin Magdas with volunteers

Accomplishments & Highlights

1. Establishment of a “spiritual-pastoral leader” with authority and credibility… Dorin Magdas has clearly shown the importance of having an identifiable and creditable spiritual leader of the community of staff and volunteers. His presence has resulted in an obvious progression of healing, restoration, growth and mission focus amongst our community, including the 8 volunteers who are orphans themselves.
2. One-to-one counseling and coaching of staff and volunteers has grown in its regularity and effectiveness. This community of 25 is being discipled and developed weekly! This has resulted in the identification and emergence of Romanians into greater responsibilities and ministry ownership.
3. 

   Jenilee Forgie

   Greater capacity for effectiveness and vision in ministry was established with the hiring of Jenilee Forgie to assist Rhondi Fowler with Canadian Teams coordination.

4. Organizational infrastructure was improved with the updating of role descriptions and expectations for all staff and volunteers.
5. Improved networking and communication with leadership in community, group homes and orphanages has given us more ministry opportunity and vision for the future. Specifically it has resulted in greater access to older orphans who we can involve in volunteer ministry so that they have somewhere to go upon release from their orphanage or group home.

Transformations

I first met Victor in 2001 on our first trip to Romania. He was 11 years old and had only been at the “Center For Minors” for a few months. This was a temporary placement center for street kids and orphans between 7 and 15 who were not fit for a normal orphanage. They were tougher kids, most of whom would end up in prison. Victor also had a younger brother there who was 8 years old named Paul. There was something decent about Victor and he was very friendly with me although quiet. I would learn years later that 2 years previous, he and Paul lived with deaf parents who also had psychological problems. The father had set fire to their house and was later put in prison. The mother was not fit to look after the boys so the government placed them with their grandparents on the other side of the country. But the grandfather was an alcoholic and would often beat Victor for the money that he made from stealing.

One day, at the age of 10 and before the grandfather could take Victor’s money, Victor ran away carrying Paul (who was 7 at the time) on his back. He went to the train station where he bought 2 tickets and took the 8 hour train ride to Cluj. Upon arrival Victor and Paul went to a policeman who took him to the “ministry of child protection” who immediately put them in the Center For Minors.

I lost track of Victor for a few years but met him walking on the street when he was 16. We continued to stay in touch from that time on through e-mail and visits. We see each other about 4 times a year. Sadly, his younger brother Paul is in and out of prison and has evidence of psychosis. Around the age of 18, Victor became a Christian and continues to find hope with Christ. He is in his second year of a social work program at university and works part time at the Nokia cell phone factory where he makes about $140 a month. We also support him for another $40 a month but life is a big struggle for him, battling his past and trying to make ends meet. It is hard for him to be involved with us on a regular basis because of work, school and fatigue but one day we hope he will.

Dina Nechita

What’s New

1. Starting June 1, Dina Nechita, who led our Romanian ministry from 2005 to 2008, started on a part-time basis to host “visiting summer mission teams.”
2. On June 1 Jenilee Forgie started as “Assistant Canadian Teams Coordinator” assisting Rhondi Fowler.
3. On a more difficult note we recently received the resignation of our Roman director, Dorin Magdas, due to personal family concerns.
4. Our monthly prayer and advisory meetings have made great strides due to the appointment of Jon Fowler as the Impact Romania Prayer Coordinator.

Team/Intern Support

Two teams went out to Romania from Canada during this 6-month period. The following is a brief summary of each:

1. 

   Jon & Rhondi Fowler with Claudia

   Winter Volunteer Retreat Team (February 2011): Rhondi Fowler led a team of 4 veteran Canadians (Rhondi & Jon Fowler, Joni Allardyce, John Wood) to Romania with the purpose of hosting our “Winter Volunteer Retreat”. This team was successful in further equipping the volunteers with practical “ministry tools” and “life skills” while encouraging them through counseling and friendship. Our Romanian volunteers look forward to these retreats which happen 2 times a year.

2. May Team (May 1-14): 16 staff from Muskoka Woods Christian Sports Camp made their way over to Romania immediately after most of them finished university exams. During the past 6-months they trained for over 20 hours and put on a fundraiser for their financial support. The team did an outstanding job as they provided programs and food for 3 orphanages, and two “special needs schools”. Each “ministry site” was so appreciative of their efforts and preparedness. The community of our Romanian volunteers were very encouraged with the help that they received from this team and the way that they were able to join together to form one team!
   

   May Team at Ilisua Orphanage

Rhondi Fowler continues to do a fantastic job coordinating all of the Canadian teams that travel over to Romania to assist our team of staff and volunteers.

Challenges, Needs and Lessons

The challenges that were mentioned in the last 6-month report continue to be true for us but even more so as I write these words today at the mid-way point of 2011! I had declared in the last issue the “ongoing need for wisdom through dependence on God. I do rely on my leadership community and other trusted Christian leaders to advise and affirm God’s direction. May this be true in 2011!”. Little did I know that our freshly installed Romanian director/pastoral leader of our community would have to resign his position. For reasons out of our control, Dorin Magdas had to resign (effective Fall 2011) because of personal family issues. He was indeed doing a fantastic job while “growing in wisdom and stature” in his relatively new role. This left us reeling and wondering aloud to God how we would resolve this crisis and how we would communicate this news to the Romanian community in the best way possible? Well at the time of writing today, God HAS blessed us with wisdom and direction and He HAS provided us with excellent potential candidates to fulfill this crucial leadership role with not one but 2 people. This situation may not work out but we are thankful for the “potential provision”, AND reminded that God is constantly working on our behalf!

Last issue we had also highlighted continued “infrastructure development”: Increased clarity regarding role descriptions, expectations and direction always need evaluation and refining… how much more now as we find ourselves in transition for the next year as we have a leadership vacuum!

In addition, we cannot forget that our “core business” is discipling and developing orphans of which we need to always channel our main energies and resources towards greater understanding and progress. We are presently thinking through who will lead us in this important area?

The Future

We will focus on the following key goals over the next 6 months in order to move us forward into 2012:

1. recruit a new pastoral-spiritual leader for our community who will also serve as the president of our Romanian foundation
2. create the new position of “director of operations” and recruit someone on a “one year contract basis” for this role
3. continue to clarify role descriptions, expectations and direction for staff and volunteers. This will be especially important as we have many staff changes over the next year. Communicate updates and transitions!
4. recruit a gifted person to research and develop (R&D) the issues, needs, solutions and strategies for helping our beloved orphans
5. Re-evaluate and re-design our “facility needs” for the future.
6. continue to add to our “capital project account” which has grown to over $100,000 with a goal of $145,000 by 2012

Thank You

This last 6 months has been eventful with difficult things to deal with. I will say that we are far from discouraged however because God has shown us so much more “affirmation than disappointment” during this time. I sense that we are in a “spiritual battle” and our greatest enemy is discouragement itself expressed through a lack of faith. For this reason, the knowledge and confidence that we are well supported by such a great community of people who are concerned for our mission to Romanian orphans, has been a big help. Thank-you for your interest, concern and support!