September--October 2005 Newsletter

Dear Praying Friends,

Greetings once again from Romania!! The weather is turning colder here as winter sets in and the sidewalks are covered with multi-colored leaves. They tell me it should be snowing within a few weeks….brrrr!!!

It is quite interesting to find out as a missionary that there all kinds of things that you thought you knew about the missionary life from having been a missionary kid that you really don’t know!! One thing is how much bureaucracy is involved in getting just about anything accomplished!! I have been going all over the place the last couple of months getting all the paperwork resolved for getting a residence visa and for getting a phone & internet package installed at the apartment. This involves going to one place to get a paper, to go to another place to get a stamp, to go to another place to get a signature, and on it goes!!

I had to move once again at the end of September. This was because in order to get a residence visa I had to have a rental contract and the landlord of my previous apartment did not want to make a contract as he did not want to pay taxes on his rental income. Fortunately, I was able to find a two bedroom apartment in the same neighborhood as the previous apartment. Everything functions properly at the new apartment, but it is not as fully furnished as the other one was. Fortunately we at least have most of the furniture that we need and since the weather is getting colder the lack of a refrigerator is not as big of a problem as it could have been were it still summer. My previous roommate Siri headed back to Norway at the end of September, but my new roommate Meg arrived just before that. Meg and I have really settled into our apartment and have even adopted two small kittens we named Hayley and Starbucks.

I now have a regular schedule at Kiwi House, the home for abandoned babies. I work there with Meg two mornings and one afternoon a week. Since my arrival in June two of the eight babies have been adopted…little David and baby Bolaş. The remaining children include four-year-old Andrei (who is quite the charmer), his two-year-old sister Rosa (such a sweet and smart little girl) and their two-year-old cousin Viorel (who is awaiting his second surgery for a harelip and cleft palate). There is also two-year-old Cristian (who is a favorite amongst the volunteers for his cheery behavior) and two-year-old Emanuel (a real bundle of energy)—these two are the next ones who will be adopted. Finally there is little Alina who will be two in December. She has really made a tremendous amount of progress just in the last month. She is now walking all on her own and is eating from a spoon!! This doesn’t sound so impressive until you realize that just a few months ago she was off in her own little world, rocking herself and shrieking for her bottle. Please keep all these little ones in your prayers, that God will heal them and find good adoptive families for all of them. Please also pray for the Kiwi House administrators as they pray about the new little ones they will be bringing into the home soon.

I am also working with Livada Orphan Care in their follow-up program. Starting in two weeks I will be going on Monday afternoons to a small state-run group home in the town of Petelea to do a program there. I have already started going to the town of Zau on Saturday mornings to a girls orphanage there. Separately from Livada, though at the suggestion of their follow-up director, I have begun meeting once a week with some of the older girls from the Zau home who go to high school here in Targu Mures. I am hoping that by being a sort of big sister to these girls that I will be able to show them the love that the Lord has for them too.

I will be getting involved with a home group (run by the worship leader from church) that is starting in November. This group will meet every two weeks for a Bible study and prayer. I have also started a twice monthly youth night at my apartment for fun and fellowship for the youth from church and from the other ministries. I have also been asked by several people to tutor their children in English and am hoping that this may be a means for ministry also. Please pray that the Lord will be with and lead in all of these ministries.

I just want to thank all of you for both your prayers and financial support!! God bless you all!!

All for Him,
JULIE SEALE

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