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Containers….
Holiday…Hospital…Containers
WHAT A MONTH!!!
And yet, I think in my
eyes, May is still one of the nicest months of the year.
This May started really
nicely for me here in Smiles!
On May 1st we had two huge 40ft Containers delivered full with
all sorts of goodies! 27 people on the mission trip full of passion
for the work in Romania and the people here! How could I expect
more?!?! For the next two weeks we open boxes, delivered goods to
people, did construction, educational programs, medical visits as
well. We had great fellowship with each other, and the part that
really touched me was the way this team led WORSHIP! I thought I had
died and gone to Heaven! Sunday Church, midweek fellowship and every
night during our devotion they sang so nice that you were thinking
that Heaven’s Angels came down on this earth!! THANK YOU GUYS for
an AMAZING WEEK!!!! And for EVERYTHING you brought in the Containers
and that you are doing for us!!!!
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A few days after they left and after lots of meetings that we had
related to the farm completion, I had my HOLIDAY!!!!!!!!YES YES YES
- HOLIDAY in the real meaning of the word!!!! So for 9 days,
Georgi, Mioara, Cristina and ME went to a very nice place in Cyprus
called Ayia Napa! We had lots of fun and a really relaxing
time. But all this would not have been possible without
 Ann Cowan’s help!
She offered us their holiday house and the car in order for us to have
a time that we will NEVER forget! THANK YOU Ann and all the COWAN
family sooooooooooooooooooooooo much for everything!! Our
batteries are really charged up and we are ready for the summer
mission trip schedule. During our holiday we did lots of great things:
swimming, walking, diving, visiting places that we saw only on the map
or books and many other things. One day we were going on a small
cruise to visit the caves that were in that area. Cape Greco is a
famous one! I always dreamed of doing that.
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What I did not
dream was to get sunburn from sitting in the sun too much without
proper protection. So for the last 2 days of the holiday I had to
learn how to live with the pain. Once I got home on Sunday I went
straight to the emergency room at the Hospital here in Oradea!
When I got there and told them my problem they were looking at me
wondering if I’m ok! First I did not understand but when the doctor
asked me the same question: “Miss
Maria, did you say that the sunburn you got happened this week?!?!,
WHERE have you been because in Oradea was raining all week".
I got the message! So because my burns
were not as simple as I thought (it was 2nd grade burns on half of my
back) they keep me in the Hospital for the next 3 days! I was shocked
because that was the first time for me in a hospital, having
injections and drops and all from a small mistake I did: “wanting to
have fun”. But you know what I’ve learnt from my experience in the
Hospital?? To be more thankful for the life I have and the health God
gives me! While I was there I saw people with real problems not small
ones like mine. People, that when I listen to their life story, I
was so happy that I’m God’s child and not have to worry about my
death! I was pleased that I could share that with them as well and
now when I have the chance to visit them at their home I will do
that…because we are friends.
Wednesday the doctor came to me and said:
“Maria you can
go home, but make sure you do not plan any meetings with the sun for
the next 6 months”. I was very happy
when I’ve heard that …well not really for the part with the sun. So
off I went from there and I came in the office to see my colleagues
and spend some time with them discovering all the news from the last
two weeks.
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 One
of the greatest news that I heard and would like to share with you is
that our colleague Dana Hanga gave birth to a very cute baby girl
on the same day that I came out of the Hospital!! Dana has worked
in Smiles since 2004 on the legal- administrative side and she does a
fantastic job. It’s great news that we won’t lose Dana’s knowledge in
the work that needs to be done and is great to have a new employee in
Smiles that is only a few weeks old!! Please pray for Dana and
Cipri, that God will bless their family, give them protection and
wisdom to raise little Maya in the image of Christ.
So, by the time that the month of May finished, I managed to come back
to work. After nearly 2 weeks off, on May 28th, I came back with new
forces, battery charged up, ready for new experiences!! BUT the verse
in the Bible that says: “our plans are not God’s plans” got
more real to me that day. I came in the office very happy and ready to
start my work.
After a few issues in the office that were “waiting” for me, I
received a phone call that said: “the crane and the trailer that
needs to move your container from one place to the Cihei site is there
and you need to go to see them!”.
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 Off I
went and after 20 minutes of talking with the guys about the
procedures that we need to do in order to move the Container, they
told me that it will be done quite fast. So because they need more
tools and they needed to go back to their depot, I decided there was
no point for me to stay and wait, but to come back to the office until
they bring the tools. Because in the office we had different meetings
going on and my mind was at the Containers, I decided to get out for
few minutes and make a phone-call to see if everything is ok. While I
was on the phone, and I was looking from my window to the crane and
the container, I saw the container coming down and the crane going
up…..and a huge BANG!!!!!! I was shocked!! Completely shocked!
Could not speak, for few seconds you felt like I died!
 I don’t know
how I managed to get in the car and go straight to the Container but I
did! Once I got there I was devastated. My container was damaged,
half broken…More than that, because of the length of the crane and the
container my neighbour’s car was damaged! All the electric cables were
broken so no more electricity in the village!! People were not too
happy with me because of the damage! Although it was not my fault I
did feel like it was. I was very happy that no one was hurt,
but sad because all this was happening today! After 12 hours of
working on the Container, crane and cables things managed to come back
to normal…well as normal as they could. Now the insurance company
needs to do their work and put all the things together, so please pray
for that! And for me, please pray for calm, as I got really stressed
out because of this incident!
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But yet again, what
I’ve learned? I realised in my life, in my work that HE is the ONE
that had EVERYTHING under CONTROL. NOTHING belongs to me! I can’t
control the world, I can’t control things that seem simple and I think
I can! I am truly happy for that. I’m happy that God sends me
different messages to make sure He has my full attention. What about
you my friend?
Don’t wait for the “hard messages” from Him because it might be
painful, but if this is what He needs to do in order to have us for
Him He will send those as well!
 Hope
that I will see many of you this summer, during our Mission Trips
or the visits to the UK and US later in the year! But if not, please
continue to pray for our work here in Romania, for the summer Mission
Trips that start next week, for the concerts we have in UK with the
new Children’s Choir……..and please continue to pray for ME! For wisdom
from above and strength in everything I do in my work life and my
private life!
Thank you for everything,
Sincerely
Maria |
Previous letters from Maria:
May
2010
April 2010
March
2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July2009 June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
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