December 2007 Newsletter

123 Auto Drive
Boise, ID 83709
208.321.7440

Str. Ion Vidu Nr. 25
Bistrita -JUD BN Code 4400
Romania, Europe
40.075.118.3962

The Christmas story is a love story….It is God sending His Son, Jesus Christ, on a rescue mission to earth. Mission accomplished! December was filled with the joy of Christmas this year in Romania. I hope these highlights and photos will give you a glimpse of how much fun it was to see the love story continue in the lives of these children.

Christmas Charity Ball
On December 7th the volunteer organization at the orphanage held their first charity ball to raise money for the kids in the orphanage and the other work they do with special needs children. The event was a feast for the eyes with all of the decorations and beautifully dressed people as well as for the palate. It was a great opportunity to meet people from the community who share a common interest in helping these special children. They held a silent auction and sold raffle tickets for some amazing art work and photographs and overall it was a big success as well as a lot of fun.

Ice-Skating
Imagine walking through a park filled with trees and Christmas lights and coming upon a quaint little ice-skating rink at the edge of that park. Now add a dozen foster kids, giant snowflakes gently falling as the sun drops behind the mountains in the distance and you will get an idea of how I spent one afternoon/evening in December. Stephanie (my social worker friend from the States) and I had a wonderful time chasing the kids around the rink. It was their first time on ice-skates, but you would have thought they had been skating for years. They had so much fun they didn’t want to stop…even after 2 hours on the rink! Stephanie and I, however, had sore feet and ankles from the plastic skates and overruled them! Ha! It’s a good thing we stopped when we did because they were barely able to walk home they were so exhausted. It was a magical, memorable evening.










































Christmas Programs
We worked for two months preparing for both the Christmas program at Open Doors and at Calvary Chapel. After many hours of practicing and making props and dress rehearsals and learning songs, the kids presented their programs to family and friends with much excitement. They all did a great job and it was a blessing to all who were able to attend. I was also fortunate to attend the school Christmas programs for many of the children and was able to see some great Romanian cultural influences in costumes and presentations.
















































Christmas at the Orphanage
A team from Spain visited the orphanage last summer and fell in love with “my kids” as quickly as I did. They were so touched that they wanted to send them Christmas presents as a way of letting them know they were not forgotten. Each child received a new set of clothes, leggings, and shoes which they badly needed. They also each received a special toy designed specifically for their special needs. It was like Christmas morning the day I brought the gifts to the orphanage. Georgel had more fun with the wrapping paper than he did with the actual gifts initially, but quickly shifted his attention to his new toy. Mia’s toy not only thrilled her, but the entire staff. None of us had ever seen a toy like the one she received, and it was like it was tailor made for her. She loved it and spent the entire two hours I was there playing with it.
Adriana received a mobile to hang on the side of her crib. Since she is unable to move, it was the perfect gift…it played music and moved for her. She smiled as she stared at the colorful bugs “flying” over her head. The music and gentle movement was so soothing that the other kids would sit beside her crib and stare at the mobile as well.









Nicoleta received a cute little doll and a mini piano with colorful lights, sounds and music. It was a huge hit with her and the other children who were lucky enough to have a turn playing with it. Her younger brother Mihai looked so cute in his new soft, blue outfit as he played contentedly with his toys. He was another child who received one of those “I’ve never seen anything like that” kind of toys. He impressed all of us by how quickly he figured out how the toy’s nose made funny noises and we had as much fun watching him as he did playing with it. This morning was one of my favorite Christmas memories because these often forgotten and neglected children were lavished with love and attention and the whole room and everyone in it was affected by it. Doctors, directors, staff workers, and children all smiling, laughing, hugging, and playing together. It was a heart-warming and blessed time.

























Christmas Parties
I am so blessed to have had the privilege of sharing in the joy of giving so much this month. We had a Christmas party for the gypsy kids in the Open Doors program a few days after Christmas. Clare (the founder of the program) returned from the States on her Christmas break and brought clothes and toys for each of the gypsy kids in the program. We also had a party for the foster kids in the New Beginnings Family Centers…complete with pizza, yummy snacks and, of course, presents! Thanks to the generosity of so many folks from the States we were able to give both the orphans and the foster parents gifts this year. It was truly a joyous time!



































Answered Prayer:
• Georgel is doing so much better! His self-destructive behavior has decreased almost completely and he is laughing and playing and interacting with others amazingly well.


Please continue to pray for:
• Leaning the Romanian Language
• For some reason fleas and bugs really like me. Please pray for relief from the continuous bug bites I am afflicted with
• Teaching the conversational English classes at the Community Center for Youth
• The children at the orphanage…that we will be able to help them develop to their full potential and for the workers to actually show them love.
• That I will continue to learn to work with children with special needs.
• That I will have a greater servant’s heart to be a blessing to the Romanian people


With His loving grace & peace,
Natalie Bridges
natalie926@hotmail.com


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123 Auto Drive
Boise, ID 83709

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