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December 2006

Dear Friends and Family,

Merry Christmas! I can’t believe that it is already that special time of the year! The hustle-bustle is already beginning here in Petrosani. Lights are going up and Christmas decorations are trimming the streets and little shops. Right now I am kicking myself for not bringing my Christmas Cd’s! DER!! Well, I have a lot to update you with, so I am just going to dive right into it! Also, please make sure you read the Prayer Requests and Praise Report sections. There is some information that is not in the body of the newsletter.

Family Program: Because of our recent problems with our heating system flooding we have only been able to take in one child for the last two weekends. Her name is Ana-Maria Popescu. She is seven years old, (the youngest in the orphanage at this time.) Needless to say, it was a blessing to have her in our "family." She is one of the siblings that Andrei and I are praying about taking into placement along with her two older brothers. Her brothers’ names are Adrian (13 years old) and Alin (9 years old). Their birth mother lives in Vulcan (a nearby town -- about 15 minutes from the orphanage). She is 35 years old and was recently "married" to a 20-year-old man who has fathered two more of her children. Adrian and Alin refuse to visit their mother because she forces them to beg on the streets and thinks that it is funny to see Ana-Maria smoke cigarettes. Ana-Maria still says that she wants to visit her mother as it is only natural for her to long for her natural mother. She is too young to understand that her mother is only using her for selfish reasons. We are grateful that the administrator of the orphanage recently decided to no longer allow Ana-Maria to visit her mother’s home. This is a difficult transition for Ana, but it is the best thing for her considering the circumstances. The picture to the right was taken one Sunday after church -- Little Alex, Scooby-doo, and Ana-Maria.

November retreat: Thank you so much for your prayers regarding our retreat with the orphans from Betania. What an adventure! It was 17 against 3! (the 3 : Andrei, Myself, & Ene a friend/brother to Andrei and myself).

All of the kids had a great time. Our travel up the mountain was a little scary but we all made it safe and sound. Andrei and I were finally able to match faces with names and spend quality one-on-one time with all of the kids. Many of the children who were a little standoffish at the orphanage opened up and smiled and laughed with the rest of us.

The game night was a huge hit! They are now all masters at Battleship, Monopoly, Go Fish and Candy Land. I loved some of the translations of the Monopoly cards, haha! The girls and I, spent a few minutes away from the game activities and made crowns fit for daughters of the KING of KINGS! It was a bigger hit than the games; I was surprised when even the older girls and some of the boys got into making the crowns. Another fun adventure for the kids was visiting the BEARS caged nearby the cabin!!! We got closer than I felt comfortable with, but the kids loved every minute of it!

Our focus for this retreat was to show the love of our great Savior through our interaction with the children. God was completely glorified during that short weekend and we are so humbled at the work that God is doing in and through Sufficient Bread Ministry. Please continue to pray for Andrei and I as we begin to plan the Christmas outreach with the Orphans.

JESUS is the reason: I am excited to introduce our new project for the month of December. We have the great privilege to spend Christmas day with the kids of Betania. Our focus is to share with them the real reason we celebrate Christmas! During this month of December Andrei and I will be bringing kids home on the weekends to help us decorate the house for Christmas with crafts and projects with the focus of Christ’s birth. If you have any good craft ideas please email them to me at sufficientbread@gmail.com. I would really appreciate any ideas of yours.

On Christmas day we desire to make up personal gifts for each child. We were thinking to have the packages filled with shoes, socks, a toy, a Bible, and candy. Another focus this Christmas is to give each child a Bible of there own to use when we come for the Bible study and prayerfully for them to use in their personal time as well. Please pray that we will be able to find a local Bible distributor, since we do not have time to have them shipped from America. We will be making the packages here, so we need your financial help to buy the shoes, socks and candy locally. Please pray if this is a project you can help us with.

May God bless each and every one of you this Christmas Season!

With love, Kelle and Andrei

Prayer Requests:

  • VISA UPDATE: Because our marriage visa paperwork was going to take two months to process, Andrei and I ended up having to travel to the Romania/Hungary border to renew my visa. I literally walked across the border and then made a quick u-turn and returned back to Romania with a new 3-month visa. We figure that we will continue the visa process when we return to Romania in March.
  • We pray that we will always remember the true reason for this season.
  • Pray for our new December project with the kids!
  • Heating system: sadly we are still having problem with our heating system. Andrei is pulling out his hair trying to figure out what the problem is. Please pray for him to understand what is causing the lack of heat and the flooding.
  • We are looking for a building to start a church in the future. We have seen some possible locations but we ask for prayer and wisdom.
  • We are also praying for a Permanent Pastor.
  • Pray that the construction of the house goes quickly so we can begin to invite people and children into our home!!
  • Please Pray for the siblings that we are praying about taking into the Ministry House. We need wisdom and strength to make a connection with the children.
  • Pray for peace in Petrosani and a softening of hearts towards God’s word.
  • Pray that things will go well for Alex’s grandmother to receive full custody of Alex.
  • Pray for Alex’s safety at his school.

Praise Reports:

  • A huge praise report! On the retreat the kids were so well behaved and polite that we were invited back by the owner of the cabin. She was so blessed having all the kids and seeing them having so much fun. She is not a Christian but was very interested in our work with the kids. Please Pray for Ibi and her family!
  • The November Retreat was a success!
  • The bedroom is completed! Next step... bunk-beds...and kids!