Asociatia Misionara Crestina "Hope" Selimbar
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Newsletter:   (older Newslette: go)

February 2010 Oktober 2009 Bev,September 2009 Juni 2009
April 2009 October 2008 September 2008 April 2008

People may doubt what you say but they believe what you do.
Dear friends,
In the meantime I got quite acquainted with my new accomodation and surroundings and would like to share the news from Romania with you. At the moment many people in Romania are frightened [respectively woke up - personal remark] , especially the orphans who are in various orphanages run by the Romanian state (99 % of these facilities belong to the state, thus the attendants are officers). The orphans fear that they cannot be looked after in future anymore and will end up on the street.
In the last years the amount of officers rapidly increased which was totally unnecessary according to the motto "I do anything to get an officer's job because the state pays well, will not dismiss me easily, and the most important: I don't have to work my fingers to the bone" - hence there are 300,000 too many officers in Romania at present. The state has to pay them all well, although barely one performs accordingly. Now the state applied the emergency brake and dismissed the first 50,000 officers and reduced salaries by 25 %. This cutting of jobs causes the orphans to fear that as a result many of the state facilities will be closed down and that the children will be left to take care of themselves.
As already mentioned, the first fright was followed by the moaning that everything will become harder now. The officers have to finally grasp that they have to work more reliable instead of only be whining. From my experience with the Romanian officers' way of working in various authorities I can only confirm the statements of a good Romanian friend.
You sure remember Ana-Maria S. and her daughter Daciana who has been living with foster-parents in Alba Julia. Now the foster money was drastically reduced and therefore they cannot care for the girl any longer. Daciana had to relocate to an orphanage now. Mimi was able to organize a place for her nearby Sibiu. Yet it was a big shock for the girl to be separated from the family. Now they try to get certain papers so that Daciana can come to Selimbar. After all this forwards and backwards Ana had a nervous breakdown so that she is not able to work at the moment. She desperately hopes to get her child and to get the permission to care for her.
Also Simona has got huge problems. Her sister, who lives in Sibiu, wanted Simona's money from her savings account and pretended to buy a flat for both of them, but she was only after the money without being willing to help her sister. Simona is very sad and desperate about that.
Athena was one of the first girls cared for at House Hope. She has been married for many years now and mother of 2 children. Because of a little inheritance of her grandmother Athena moved to Brasov, but quickly spent her heritage not sensibly, and her husband treats his family badly. So we have to support her again and provide her and her children with groceries and clothes. In all the partly self-induced difficulties and problems Athena is a loving and sacrificing mother and deserves our help and support.
So we have to honestly realize that our hopes, that after 5 years the girls can take care of themselves, have not come true with some of them. Mimi came up with the idea to build houses on one campus for these girls where they can have a residential community kind of thing. As in Selimar where the girls help each other, they could live there as well. It is intended to buy a piece of land (right picture) where already some people live who lovingly care for them. They hope to be finished next summer. I personally do not know the sponsors of this project. I just rejoice with them and I am grateful to God for that.
Wishing you a blessed and relaxing summer time, Love, Ehrhart


This task not only applies to Haiti right now, but also to our local surroundings:
 Mend the breaches and smooth the ways so that others can live there
Dear friends, Recently I received following news from Romania which I would like to forward to you. Some things sadden - when help is refused, but we also experience joy and affirmation of our work We are glad that God helped us another year with the ministry for the girls from Selimabar. We believe that He is with us also in this year 2010. I would like to share two things that happened last year:
1.) Mersi has left with the girls from Selimbar for Medgidia. The reason she told us is that her father is bolind. She is very concerned about him. Nobody looks after him, and she wants to stay with him. I do not know if this is the reason but we will talk about it when you will be in Romania. The truth [seems to be to me] that she did not want to work any more and therefore left the company. She knew that with Selimbar you cannot stay when you are unemployed. Her girls did not want her to leave and cired. They asked her to stay, but she did not want to stay there anymore. I have heard from the foundation "Medgidia" who brought her here that Merci went to Italy to work there and left her girls alone. The elder one who is in the eight grade, looks after the younger one. It is very sad that this situation is like that. The girls wanted to stay here with us but we could not keep them here without their mother, because they are underage children.
2.) Simona spend 2 weeks - from Christmas celebration until January - with her sister in Germany. Now she is in Romania and works. Everything is okay now. Since Georgeta and Iliana left (we had to give both to a hospital because of their mental illness) it is much better here because calm among the girls has been restored. Everything works well. We have another problem with the girl Ana-Maria Salcau. She lives with a family from Alba who cannot keep her any more, only until June 2010. We contacted the people who care for the protection of the children from Alba, and we found a family from the church in Hermannstadt who could take the girl and took care of it for the meantime until we will have found a family - we believe that God will help us to find that family.
We are looking for 3 - 4 girls to bring them to Selimbar instead of Mersi and the other girls that left. We pray for help and health. We want to the Lord's hand in our ministry also in this year. With cordial greetings of blessings, in love, Mini and Carnel
Let us wish Mimi much wisdom and skill to find the girls who are willing to learn and have the discernment to seize that chance.Let us wish Mimi much wisdom and skill to find the girls who are willing to learn and have the discernment to seize that chance. Ehrhart, wie ist der Name richtig? My personla desire for myself and all of us is that we will not forget that we - despite cold and uncomfortable weather, we are grateful to our Heavenly Father for our roof over our head and warm places we have as well as sufficient food. In this spirit cordial greetings, My personla desire for myself and all of us is that we will not forget that we - despite cold and uncomfortable weather, we are grateful to our Heavenly Father for our roof over our head and warm places we have as well as sufficient food. In this spirit cordial greetings, Ehrhart

Humanity does not look at somebody's worthyness but at his neediness
Dear Friends,
I wish you could have been here and watched when we were distributing the packages - those wonderful moments to see the delight of the children and how they immediately started to play with the toys. But then we got sad over the living conditions in which the children have to grow up - some in old ruinous cattle sheds, some in small tumble-down clay huts. So small, that only a tiny space to sleep is there for each one. It is tragic that often the parents gave up all hope and also do not accept any help. Sometimes they do not even want a change of their situation. On the other hand there is lack of living space for large families, and the goverment does not give any aid, either.
Sometimes thoughts cross my mind like 'What difference does our moderate help make, at all? Is it worth all the effort?' Mimi, our Director there, answered me, "Haven't you just seen the joy and gratefulness of the children? Maybe later, when the kids have grown a bit, we will have the opportunity, to take up one or some of them in our house". In the last letter I told you about Alina; we had accepted her in March. As often happens, a Pastor (from R. Valcea, approximately 63 miles Southwest of Sibiu) called and asked us to give Alina a chance. He said she is a very intelligent child and had only tended cattle. Her father brought her to us without saying any word, only with the clothes she was wearing. Alina does not want to talk about her mother. She did not know anything about brushing teeth. She is utterly reluctant, but she has adjusted well in the house community.
Time and again we are astonished how people know about "House Hope". Beverly wrote about our reaction to another call for help from Medegida, a town in one of the poorest areas in Southeast Romania, in the attached circular letter. At the beginning of the year I reported about the sisters Ileana and Greta. Both are mentally very ill and not able to work, at all. After long investigations and negotiations with the authorities both got a handicapped ID by means of which they get paid a litte pension. In the course of time their condition worsened tremendously. They could not stay in the house community any longer. With a heavy heart both were brought into a facility where they will receive professional attendance. Overleaf please find some up-to-date photos.
With cordial greetings of blessings, in gratefulness, Yours Ehrhart

Dear Friend of House of Hope,
Greetings to you from Romania! It is time to share news with you of what is happening at the Girls' Home. I returned to Romania in April and my schedule has been really full. I have been with the girls and houseparents on several occasions.
One important event took place in January. At a baptismal service at Bethany Baptist Church, 3 of the girls were baptized! In the picture to the right the 3 girls are pictured. Viorica is in a red shirt on the left, Irina is the short girl in the middle with a blue shirt, and Geta is in the front on the left, with a gray shirt. Please pray for these 3 girls to grow in their faith. Pictured with them also are Sam and Katie (the tall girl in a blue shirt and white shirt, respectively). They were in Romania for 3 weeks this summer to help us with ministry. Ana, the girl in the green shirt, and Irina also served for a week this summer on a mission trip to southern Romania. Both of them take part each Sunday with a group of young people who visit shut-in's and people in the hospital. It's an encouragement that they have a heart to serve the Lord and others in this way.
I am happy to report that the insulation project did result in the fuel bills for last winter being only half of what they normally would have cost. This is a great blessing! Most of the costs have been paid off for the insulation. The next project will be to finish off the window borders on the outside to keep water from entering in behind where the insulation was put on. We hope to be able to get this done before winter.
Bethany Baptist Church continues to be a place that welcomes our girls and many other young people who grew up in orphanages. Pictured to the left is a special meal in April given in their honor in the basement of the church. Lenuta, the housemother, is the one on the right helping to serve soup to the girls.
At present, there are 10 girls at the House of Hope and one other addition I will tell you about later in this letter. Last year I wrote about a German company that had rented part of the building. They will most likely be there for another year. So far the arrangement is working out well. Food is prepared for the men, who eat at a separate time from the girls. You may remember that they also have a separate entrance and do not have access to where the girls stay. As a result of extra food left over after the men have eaten and donations of clothing given from Germany, here are some ways ministry is going on in other parts of the community:
--4 children in a nearby village who lost their parents were given clothing and food.
--food is regularly given to a developmentally disabled boy.
--another needy boy regularly receives food and has been given a mattress and sheets.
--a family with 7 children are given bread and food every day.
--an older woman receives food every day.
Below is a picture of a mother and her three daughters. Marta (not her real name) has come to stay at the House of Hope in a small apartment of their own, as a result of ministry in which Bethany Baptist Church participates in southeastern Romania. In that part of the country there is a minority Muslim population. Marta became a Christian and her Turkish Muslim husband disowned her. She was forced to live in an old run-down place that would not have allowed heat during the winter and could not find a job. Here, Marta has a job in the community and her 3 girls will start school in Selimbar on Sept. 14. We pray that this "2nd chance" for this family will keep these 3 girls from being forced to live in an orphanage.
Thanks to so many of you for your prayers and financial gifts that have allowed this ministry to continue. Financial gifts may be sent to: Greater Europe Mission, P.O. Box 1669, Monument, CO 80132 , designated for House of Hope.
Please pray for:
1. Viorica, Irina, and Geta to mature in their walk with the Lord
2. For Marta and her girls to adjust well and succeed.
3. For the 3 other girls not baptized-Simona, Ana S., and Ileana C.
4. Funding for the finishing project on the window borders.
God Bless You, Bev Charles


Share your bread with the hungry, speak a word to the speechless, sing a song with the sad, share your house with the lonely
Dear Friends, I would like to share with you the latest news from Romania - both the joy and the sorrows. I am always glad about our fellowship in this ministry. Our cooperation does me a world of good. Thank you so much!
On Easter Monday women from the congregation in Sibiu prepared a special banquet for orphans with payment out-of-pocket. Also our girls from Selimbar could attend it and enjoyed it very much.
In a TV documentation (channel "ZDF dokukanal") in March: More than 100.000 children and youth grow up in Romania without children, but only a few of them are orphans. Their parents left them behind in order to work in other countries of Europe since the European Communion East Extension. In Romania this phenomenon is already known as "Generation home alone". In the small town Karlsburg (Alba Julia) in Siebenbürgen incredible 70% of the children live without parents - they either live with relatives or find accomodation in orphanages. The parents that went foreign told under tears that it costs them dearly to lead a "better life".
We spontaneously accepted Alina, 15 years old. Her parents and siblings live in a small village in the South. The parents just do not have the means to feed the children. Alina is a well-behaved and diligant girl. Maria registered her with the Christian Secondary School in Sibiu (which is run by the local Baptist church of Sibiu).
In the last circular letter I wrote about the campaign "winter parcel". It raised many good briefings, and approximately 40 recipients could be conciliated. I hope to be able to connect the rest as well. Yet time and again I receive new inquiries and requests from Romania. I just do not manage to answer no, also with Ruben (13) and Laura (15), children of a nurse who works in a doctor's office and continuously helps our girls. Mrs. Trif would be grateful if we could support her children with some clothing.
Mrs. M. Subtirelu had head surgery 4 times, and recently she had abdominal surgery. As already mentioned several times, you have to give the physicians "Euro cash assistance" in order to get adequate medical care. So the familiy got into financial difficulties. They are very grateful that we give them a hand..
Again and again I hear in conversations (and have to restrain myself) " With all the misery in the world and especially in our country my little bit will make not much of a difference". To me this is an excuse to avoid lending a helping hand. Often it is so easy to relieve distress with only little means (from our abundance).
Wishing you all a sunny summer time and beautiful vacations, with cordial greetings of blessing, Yours Ehrhart


Dear All,
As already reported in the last circular letter, the 3 "runaways" are back again. Upon my latest visit I could tell how glad and grateful Marianna, Viorica and Irina are to have gotten another chance. I am so glad that their previous employers have employed them again because they are willing to work, and they are diligent.
We are very concerned regarding the sisters Gheorgehta and Irina C. Their psychological problems have otten so severe that we had to give them to a hospital for times. Both have not yet been in working life, and so they cannot claim any social welware according to Romanian law. So we were demanded to pay 100 Euro per day for them to the hospital (they only accept Euro as means of payment). Only through lengthy and elaborate intervention and the still good relationship from our Director Mimi to the authorities we achieved that the girls received treatment free of charge. Since their condition hardly changes, Mimi tries to get a certificate of disability for them.
This again means struggle with authorities. The certificate of disability entitles the girls to receive a small pension which the government often tries to avoid. We would like to accomodate them for still some time with us and hope they are getting better. Also, the agencies they could move to are totally overcrowded because the government tries to shut down half of these facilities. The former home residents are allotted to the other homes that still exist or given to "godparent families" who in the most cases are after the money they get to support these people and not to really be there for them. You can imagine the chaotic conditions in the rest of those facilites. These procedures ought to save money and to display to the public:
"We solve this problem. We have a decreasing number of these facilities; everything is getting better all the time."
As we informed previously we provide some families with warm meals on a regular basis, with the leftovers of the food for the 50 workers. Mimi noticed recently that at a petrol filling station there is a meeting place of street kids. The owner allowed her to bring meals there, too. She mentioned to me that she would love to take some of the children to the House of Hope. Sometimes we are close do despair that we cannot relieve the distress of all people that are in need.
We send you all cordial greetings,Yours Ehrhart


Dear Friends and Brethren,
It is amazing to me that inspite of increasing problems we may render our ministry here.
Unfortunately the opinion becomes louder and louder here: Romania belongs to the European Union now and does not need any help anymore.
Yet there are still far too many people in Romania who cannot participate in the boom, especially large families, the sick and pensioners.
   
I think of a visit with Mihaele S., a young mother, age 27, with a 3-month old baby. She has a tumor in the abdomen and has lost so much weight and is so weak that she cannot take care of her baby anymore. Therefore her husband had to give up his safe workplace in order to be able to provide for his family (there are no grandparents that could help). The upcoming surgery can only be a usual Romanian surgery. For a good surgery Euros are necessary. The hospitals do not have any more money - patients have to buy medication by themselves ! We would love to support this family for one year with 20 Euros per month. We would be very grateful if you knew someone who would offer this limited help.
Another visit I think of is the one with the family of Nicolaie S. Her husband had to enter pension very early because both of his legs were completely amputated, and he can only move forward in their flat a little bit with much effort by means of an old dolly. She is very ill. She recently got an artificial anus (artificial opening for the bowels), and together with them in their appartment lives their 30-year-old daughter with down syndrom. The low pension is not even enough for a regular warm meal.
Doina P., an elderly single woman who is a pensioner, pays for her very small and poor flat in a very old skyscraper 40,-- Euro rent a month, while she gets only 100,-- € Euros Pension a month. She is quite healthy, so she is lucky enough to be able to earn a littly money through an additional occupation. We have to look at this in light of the fact that prices for food and energy have nearly reached our level!
Maybe you noticed in the media that in the last Winter many people died in Romania in their flats because they could not pay the heating costs any more. Due to the help of our American friends we could insulate our house and expect an essential reduction of the heating costs.
Recently we got a guest area in our house, and a part of the rooms below were rented out to a construction company from Austria. Approximately 50 workers can have their accomodation there and they have board and lodging through us. So we get some more money for the next 2 - 3 years and will be able to accept 6 additional girls in the future. A comment on that: Not before long severe floodings in Moldova were reported in the media which is one of the poorest areas of Romania. Especially the many families have to live without any roof above their heads. In their despair many parents gave their children to orphanages.
We decided that our leader Maria will go there in order to pick up 6 girls and bring them to our house. You can imagine that Maria has a very hard time to choose some among these many needy children.
In July many leaders from non-state orphanages and similar agencies got together at a conference for information exchange. There have been a lot who had to give up due to financial reasons or resigned because they could not see any success.
It is encouraging - and I think we may be a little proud of it, too - that we have one of the few institutions where it works partly to help young people stand on their own feet. We have the great privilege to have found sensitive and patient employers for the girls.
The house parents Lenuta and Nico have much more work now through the lodging of the workers of the construction company. 3 women were employed additionally for the kitchen but inspite of that it has become more difficult to look after the girls. A young woman from the church in Behania has volunteered and asked if she could help us attend the girls. She studied Psychology and works with the missions agency "Light without limits" in Sibiu. So we experience time and again the providence of our Heavenly Father.
I am always impressed by our leader, how she finds dreams and idees to obtain further help. Many things remain a dream due to the known circumstances, but some other things can be put into practise with only a few means.
There are enough leftovers from the food for the workers so that 5 families can be provided regularly with warm meals, among them the two families I mentioned above. In Germany socalled "soup kitchens" or "dining tables" are normal, but in Romania the people do not know such a thing - a beautiful dream to get that up and running there.
We would like to thank you so much on this occasion who have supported our ministry, some for many years already, and also those who cannot afford that anymore. Our Heavenly Father may bless you richly, and He may give you strength in your situation. We want to thank, of course, also all those who have been helping in various ways. Many cordial greetings, Yours, Ehrhart

Dear Friend of House of Hope,
Greetings to you after a very long pause in communication from this side of the world. I apologize and want to get you up to date with events at the girls' home. Your gifts and prayers have made a difference in the lives of the young ladies who call House of Hope home.
The houseparents who came in 2006 continue to serve the girls and manage the activities that take place. At present there are just 6 girls, but this will change in the near future. Four of these girls have been at the Home for awhile and are maturing and learning how to survive on their own. In July one of the girls and one of the former residents were baptized at our local Baptist church. It was a day of rejoicing for Ana, Mariana, and the rest of us. House of Hope began its ministry 5 years ago. Mariana was one of the original girls, and is now living successfully on her own. It takes about 5 years for a girl with an orphanage background to get on her feet.
Many of you are probably wondering why there are only 6 girls right now. One of the main reasons is financial. The money that is given through Greater Europe Mission can be used only for special projects, building upkeep, or special needs (such as furniture, vehicles, etc.) In other words, one-time needs. The money cannot be used for the daily operation, such as for food, salaries, or utilities. Over the past year, we have not received much from our donors in Europe through another organization, who funded money for day-to-day expenses. Two things have recently been done to produce more income for the operational expenses.
To save money for heating in the winter, it was decided that the building needed to be insulated. This was not a common practice when the original construction took place. The way insulation is done in Europe is for panels of styrofoam to be stuck to the outside of the building. Then that surface receives a special treatment, is plastered, and painted. The project is almost finished and most of your donations in the past several months have been used for this process. Below are pictures of the beginning of this project and the progress, especially on the front of the building. Many people tell us the fuel bill could be cut significantly, almost in half. That will be a huge savings.
Recently a construction firm from Germany that is working in the area rented out one part of the building. They built a separate entrance and their area is not connected to where the girls live. The money they pay in rent will also help to sponsor more girls. They will most likely need the space for 2 years. There are 2 more girls who should arrive soon and the plan is to have 16 in a few months' time.
Meanwhile the girls are working at their jobs, learning in the kitchen, and attending church. Pray that Ana S., Simona, Geta, and Ileana C. will give their lives to the Lord. Pray for wisdom in finding girls who will do well in the program. We recently found out that a transition house similar to ours has closed down. It could be that some of the girls from that place will move to the House of Hope. Pray for a smooth transition for those girls. Pray for the remaining costs from materials and labor to come in to finish paying for the insulation project.
Thank you so much for your faithfulness to this ministry over the years. It continues to be needed and provides a place of hope for the future for girls who thought they had no future.
God Bless You, Bev

"There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land. "
The Bible - Deuteronomy 15:11
Dear Friends, At first I would like to share some personal observations: Although Romania has been European Union member for 1 year now, and at the edge of the cities factories, companies and shops spring up like mushrooms, and there is a direct flight connection from Hamburg to Sibiu, there has been no change in the rural areas. Prices - especially with groceries, rents and energy - explode, and the income does not grow likewise (gasoline nearly reached our pricing; groceries are partly cheaper in our country!). There is a working place for everyone who wants to work, but the rural population do not have the possibility to get into the city due to inadequate infrastructure. Actually Romania has become EU member too early.
The young people from the church in Rosia (Rotberg) asked us if we could help some families who have to live in the slums of the town, at least with some clothes. We visited a family then, and even I - despite long years of experience with the poverty in Romania - was shocked at the degrading living conditions. We would not even expect our animals to live in such ruinous sheds. Weak and just skin and bonesbecause the cannot afford regular meals these people are not in a position to stand a working day with 8 hours of work (see above). Although our possibilites to help are limited - we have got to help there.
Lately we could accept 7 new girls. All of them have been in an orphanage since birth and never have come to know their parents, for example the twins Ileana and Gheorgeana C.. Since Gheorgeana is mentally ill (but always lovely and merry), her sister Ileana takes care of her in a very loving way and always watches over her. The government started to pay allowances when companies employ handicapped persons, so we could also obtain a working place for Gheorgeana.
IleanaGheorgeana
Sadly, still newborns are left back in the hospitals, and mother / parents disappear without a trace. In the first quarter of 2008 in Sibiu 300 children were left back. It is customary that - when the orphans finish the 8th school year in the orphanages and sometimes do an apprenticeship, they have to leave that orphanage - merciless. That means the most of them become street people then. Those who are psychologically or physically disabled so that they would not even be able to survive on the street, are put in a mental hospital. For quite some time a rumor has spread among the girls in the orphanages that whoever is put into that institution in D., never gets out alive. The reason is the cemetery next to the instititution, and the rumor says you soon end up there then. No convincing arguments make this rumor cease.
MarthaVali
 The two photographs on the right are supposed to display the difference how the atmosphere in our house changes the lives of the girls positively. On the left Marta - when she arrived she was sad and reserved, and today ... Vali, only 2 days in our home, not approachable, totally afraid of the instution in D. .... I am sure when I will meet her again in October, she will be changed also. This is our motivation again and again so that we do not grow weary in helping them.
At the time we were building the house there was no need in Romania to insulate the buildings due to the cheap energy prices. Hence, because of this omission, we now have to pay 2000 Euro every month for gas in the wintermonths. By now these expenses could be compensated by renting out empty rooms to holiday guests and during conferences that were held. Unfortunately nothing is left for necessary regular repair and maintenance, let alone for new investments due. We have no idea at the moment what the insulation will cost. We sent some inquiries to companies and hope that maybe one of these companies will sponsor a part.
Like everywhere in life there are heights and depths, joy and sorrow. Let us trust together and not grow weary in believing that God knows everything and will speak and act in His time.
With cordial thanks for your faithful and continuous help and many warm greetings, Yours, Ehrhart Weider