Ruth and Chris in Romania

Brrrrr its cold here

2012-02-02T02:53:00.000-08:00

We had a busy day with various meeting to attend in the morning, then a drive (an hour) to Suceava to visit the Christian book shop for some Bibles which various people had requested.

It was so cold, the condensation on the inside of the windows was freezing, even in the car with heater going full blast. We knew a number of families who we visit in a village outside Dorohoi were struggling to keep their homes warm in such extreme temperatures. So we decided to collect some fuel bricks and food and visit them. It was about 5pm by the time we got there and the temperature had already dropped to -21C.

Delivering food and fuel

Chris and I were so glad to get back to our apartment and so thankful to be able to warm up in a centrally heated home. I cooked a Thai curry and we were soon feeling snug. Later in the evening when we went to do the washing up we realised that the boiler was not firing up. Thankfully we have an oil filled radiator so were able to keep our room warm overnight. When we got up the morning the aluminium windows in both our bedroom and lounge had think layers of ice on the inside and the temperature for outside was still showing -25C. We have found out that if we brush the ice and snow off the flue of the gas boiler on regular basis we can keep the heating running!

-25C outside this morning and this is the inside of our lounge window

January Update

2012-01-29T02:23:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed our Christmas with family and friends on the island and in the UK and have had a busy time since we returned to Romania.

Our first week back was rather fraught as Chris’s laptop died! He managed to transfer to his old desk top and could continue some of his work on that (& our son David, & Chris worked to try and retrieve data from the laptop). A day later the desk top also failed! Visions of extended time with Chris without a computer were daunting and he is unable to use mine as I do not have his specific design software. Thankfully we were able to purchase new hard drives for both computers in a tiny shop here in Dorohoi (2 were in stock and the other was here by the next morning!). With help from David, Chris’s computers were back up and running and Chris is now catching up with all his work.

It has snowed and temperature has dropped here in Dorohoi in the past week. Yesterday the minimum overnight was -21C and it now at almost midday it is still only -16C. It is forecast to stay sub-zero for the next month. It is hard enough for us living on our apartment with central heating. (We turn the heating off overnight and when we are not in and chunks of ice form on the aluminium windows in our lounge. We know it is even harder for families who cannot afford firewood or gas and who live in the old mud brick houses or apartments.

Chilly day at the Hands of Hope homes at Cobila

The inside of our lounge windows

Many families here can barely afford basic food and firewood. Extras such as medications, medical consultations, shoes, clothes, school essentials etc become unaffordable luxuries. We still see people searching in waste skips for food and people walking through the snowy streets in lightweight and leaky shoes or slippers.

Cosmin came home from hospital for the weekend. He is now midway through his radiotherapy treatment. Next week he is due to have a scan to assess possible secondary cancer in his abdomen. At the moment he is feeling well and we lit the fire (& switched on electric heaters) in our old cottage resource room so that the children could come and play. The 19 children had a lovely time doing craft activities puzzles, games and playing with the toys, it was wonderful to see Cosmin able to relax and enjoy time with his friends.

People often ask what our days consist of here in Dorohoi, all I can say is no 2 days are the same and we often have to change plans in an instant as a need arises. A number of people we know have been in hospital recently and we have visited taking food, clothes and toiletries.

Hospital visit to Maria and her daughter

At the moment as well as spending time with families, helping at the the Star of Hope Centre, distributing aid we are also applying for planning permissions and progressing paperwork for the charity.

Chris and I will be back on the island soon and if you would like us to come and talk to you about our lives here in Romania please get in touch. If you would like to keep up to date please like our Hands of Hope page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/#!/handsofhopeiom and also the on-going praying for Cosmin page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/232619346800702/

December update

2011-12-20T11:04:00.000-08:00

After a busy few weeks we are on our way back to the Isle of Man for Christmas with our family.

Last week we helped Simona, Marcel and their 3 children move into their new home. This home had been partly built using funds from the local authorities, but as it was unfinished they faced another winter in the old house (the one barely habitable room was the smokiest I have ever been into). We were so happy to be able to help by fitting a soba for them to cook on and heat 2 rooms in the new house also finish roof, ceilings, flooring and fit a new watertight front door. Marcel had worked enthusiastically alongside our workers and both he and Simona were so grateful for the help.

Simona Marcel and children move in to their new home

Carl Hunt and Ellie Davis were with us for 4 days and worked hard to help with all the shoe box deliveries to the schools and families. Ellie works for “Samaritans Purse “in Humberside and had had an exhausting 7 week campaign preparing boxes. The previous week Carl had helped with loading the lorry. They had heard that these boxes were destined for Botosani Romania and were thrilled when I was able to put them in contact with the distributer in Botosani and for us to visit the warehouse that was storing them. While Carl was with us we also met the Chief of Botosani Firefighters and Carl will be visiting again next year with more equipment.

going home from school with their boxes

Yesterday (Sunday) was our last full day. Church at Varfu in the morning (accompanied by one of the Cobila families). We then went to Botosani where we had been invited to have lunch with one of the families we help. It was a delicious meal of soup, sarmale and homemade biscuits. We then went to visit a family delivering our last shoeboxes and also a computer for her 3 children. We got home about 7.30pm having been out for 10 hours. We had only been in for a few minutes when there was a knock at the door. It was late for anyone to be calling and we were not expecting anyone. It was carol singers, the families from the Hands of Hope homes at Cobila had come to give us a fantastic Christmas send off.

Carol singers-25 of the folk from Hands of Hope homes at Cobila

Now we are on the train (a 7 hour journey to Bucharest). It has been very dry here for the past 6 months and on a grey day the view is very monochrome. We travel through vast expanses of bare fields, passing occasional villages and old communist era buildings (many abandoned and in disrepair), the clumps of bare trees and the sporadic brightness of a green painted house, children walking home from school or a horse and cart ambling along a track.

Christmas is coming

2011-12-02T13:44:00.000-08:00

Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat

Please put a penny in the old man's hat

If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do

If you haven't got a ha'penny, then God bless you!

The lyrics of the poem "Christmas is coming" associate the Christmas feast with geese which are eaten in traditional English Christmas feasts. The meaning that is conveyed to a child in "Christmas is coming" is that the festive period is where each should give to charity, according to their means... even if all they could give was their blessing (If you haven't got a penny...)

Vasy and Ruth and shoe boxes

Thank you to everyone who has supported the charity over the past year. You may never come to Romania, but believe me you are helping to make a huge difference to the lives of many people.

Today we collected nearly 600 shoe boxes, which have come through the HCI assocation which is based here in Dorohoi. They are now stored in one of the containers ready for sorting and delivering.We will deliver around 300 boxes into 4 of the local schools and Kindergardens and with each visit will give a Christmas message and if time allows make balloon models for the children. We always receive a warm welcome and often are invited to stay and watch the children sing or recite poems.The other boxes will be taken to poor families which we visit in the area, I am also in the process of making up bags of clothes and shoes for these families. Its getting colder here and despite all my layers I can only cope with an hour or 2 of working in the container, such a change from the summer when it was too hot to work in the container for more than half and hour or so!
We are looking forward to our friend Carl Hunt and 2 friends coming next week. They will be staying with us for 5 days to help with the distribution of Christmas shoe boxes and family food parcels.

Unloading the soba bricks

All the regular work of the charity is happening as well as the Christmas preparations. We are helping a family to finish their home, the man labouring as we help to provide some of the materials. as Chris was away last week I had to hitch up the trailer and take the bricks for the soba to the site, somewhat nervewracking experience. i was very pleased to get them all on site intact and did not meet any other traffic on the rough and narrow lane which leads to the house. I dont think I will ever master the art of reversing a trailer! This week the soba has been finished and next week Chris will be supervising the insulation of the roof and finishing of the gable ends.
Mihae a 14 year old boy in a village near the Ukraine border needed to go to hospital to have a growth removed from his scalp, we helped with transport to the hospital 30 miles away. He had to stay in hospital for 3 days and our friend Cornelia visited with food. Today we went with his mother and took him home and will help with transport back to the hospital for his check up next week. 30 miles may not seem far to those of us with a car, but it would cost £12 return for mother and son to travel to Botosani.

Cobila Children's activity day

Cosmin is enjoying being home with his family and friends. It was lovely that he was well enough to join the childrens activity day which we arranged at Cobila. He is looking a lot better and will be returning to Iasi for his next set of chemotherapy next week.

Tomorrow we will be moving a new family into the vacant house on our Hands of Hope site at Cobila. The family (mother, father and 2 little boys), have been living on the old army barracks on the Ukraine border for the past 18 months, since their home was washed away in the floods of June 2010. They have been living in a tiny room, just big enough for a double bed, table and soba. There was less than 2 square metres of free space on the floor, the soba is very smokey and the high ceiling and single glazing made it hard to keep warm. We are looking forward to welcoming them to the Cobila community and pray they will settle well and soon make friends with the other 6 families there.

Well-travelled hedgehog “Garmin”

2011-11-15T13:15:00.000-08:00

Having clocked up almost as many miles between the Isle of Man and Dorohoi as Ruth and Chris, I decided it was my turn to write the “blog”. Garmin is my name and I first went to Romania in 2003. I was named after the “garmin” satnav which they used me to cover when they left the van.

They were supposed to give me to away in Romania but having been squashed and dropped in mud and snow I ended up back on the island and became a travelling companion for future road trips. I reckon by now I have done 17 return journeys with Ruth and Chris, going with them each time except the summer of 2009 when they FORGOT me! And as you can see on the photo I now have an angel to keep me company.

We got back to Dorohoi this morning and spent a few hours unloading the Pajero. As trips go this one was fairly uneventful, the usual 2 boat trip and 2000 miles of driving.

St Mary Magdalen Parish Church Geddington

At least this time I had a good view, I thought we were full as we left the island, but I was even more squashed after we had collected other items on the way. Paper, crayons, baby clothes from Kathryn, Stew and Noah, T-shirts from Pat, children’s clothes from Nic, Gary, Eoghan & Liam, lovely knitted blankets from the fellowship group at Geddington Parish church and shoes, clothes, chocolates and toiletries from our friends at the Anker Hotel.

It was a bit of a shock when a stone hit the windscreen in Germany, leaving a crack which will need repairing at a later date. Also I was rather surprised to see flashing lights on the floor on the driver’s side of the car, but Ruth was sure it was due to Chris’s fast cornering up and down the mountains.

It is already turning cold here and there was only a dusting of snow over the Romanian mountains and so far it has only been as cold as -3C but I am pretty sure it was even colder in the car overnight.

Ruth says please continue to pray for Cosmin who is now in intensive care at Iasi hospital, following his oesophageal haemorrhage on Sunday. He has been visited each day by friends who live in Iasi and today our friend Helen went to see him (3 hours each way by bus). She was able to take medication which he needed urgently and which the hospital was unable to provide.

see link to a pray for Cosmin page set up by one of our Romanian friends Miki.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=232619346800702

Packing

2011-11-09T03:00:00.000-08:00

It has been wondeful to be back on the island for a few weeks. We have thoroughly enjoyed having time with our family and spent lots of time getting to know our adorable grandson James. We have also given a number of talks about our lives in Romania and collected many items which we will be taking back with us or which have been packed and are ready to be sent out later.

Our Pajero has been serviced, cleaned and has new set of mud and snow tyres. It is now just about full, though I do still have a pile of bags which I hope to squeeze in.

The forecast for our drive across europe is looking good, though minus 7C is forecast for our first week back in Romania.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers, contributions, support and encouragement.

Please continue to pray for Cosmin, he and his mother came home from hospital in Iasi yesterday (though it was a long journey as the train broke down so the normal 3 hour trip took 6 hours. He is very happy to be home and is in good spirits. He will return for his final chemotherapy session in a few weeks.

October 15th and it is snowing

2011-10-15T13:54:00.000-07:00

It is a joy to hear from friends in the Isle of Man and UK when we are in Romania, and often a real boost to us. The same works when we are back on the island. Not a day goes past without some contact from Romania. This past week a number of friends have been able to visit Cosmin in hospital in Iasi and let us know how he is getting on. We also have messages from the community at Cobila and our friends in Dorohoi.

Our friend Pastor Liviu had also been to visit families we know and report back that they are all struggling to buy food and firewood, some families we know have had electricity supplies cut off because they cannot afford the bills.

Last week I said the temperatures were dropping in Romania and the first snow had fallen on the mountains. This morning I heard that it is snowing in our area and in Dorohoi tonight it is forecast to be -1C. I know many folks on the island are trying to economise and like us not turn on the central heating yet. In Romania the winters are longer and much colder, and many families we know struggle to afford fuel. It is hard enough for the families in the well-insulated Hands of Hope houses, but even harder for people who are still living in old mud brick houses or some of the recently built social houses which have no insulation. Last year in April when we drove back across the Romanian mountains the snow was still thick and in Dorohoi the first signs of spring were only just beginning to show.

Last year we were able to help some of the poorest families with loads of fire wood which cost £20-£30 for a months supply.

Cosmin October 2011

2011-10-12T00:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a Romanian Friend was able to visit Cosmin and his mother in hospital in Iasi. He took Cosmin some fruit, food and gifts. we heard later in the day how this had been a real boost for them and that Cosmin loved the robot toy. Please continue to pray for Cosmin and his family as he undergoes the chemotherapy. This morning his mother will be donating blood, so that Cosmin can have the much needed transfusion before his next chemo session.

Cosmin with his mother and Francisc

Grandparents and.............

2011-10-11T13:55:00.000-07:00

We are thoroughly enjoying having time at home with the family and getting to know our first grandson James who is now 2 weeks old. He is changing every day and developing a lovely character.

I was so pleased to be able to attend the Mosaic Women’s conference organised by Living Hope community Church www.livinghope.im . It was a superb time of teaching and fellowship and a good time to catch up with friends. 2012 conference is already fixed in my diary 9-10^th November.

We were able to have a stand at the conference showing the work of Hands of Hope and had some positive conversations. On Sunday Chris and I were leading the young people’s activity time. We were focusing on the work of Hands of Hope and around 60 (7-12 year old) children attended. They had some very interesting questions.

Last Friday we had a stand at the Charity Challenge event, a time for the year 12 students from the Isle of Man schools to come and see the work of local charities oversees and choose a charity to research and represent in this year’s challenge. We heard today that a group has chosen us and are looking forward working with them as they prepare their presentation.

We are in daily contact with contacts in Romania, it may only be a brief chat on Face Book or an email but it is great to keep in touch and know how people are getting on. The temperature in Dorohoi is already dropping and is on the whole colder than the island, first snowfalls were reported on the mountain roads at the weekend.

We have regular updates on the little boy Cosmin who lives in one of the Hands of Hope built homes at Cobila. He is making the 3 hour journey with his mother to Iasi for chemotherapy once a month. When he got there this week his red blood cell count was low, so tomorrow his mother will donate blood so that he can have a blood transfusion before he has the chemotherapy.

Over the next few weeks we are booked to speak at school assemblies and church groups; it is always a joy to talk about the work in Romania so please get in touch if you would like to see us before we go back.

Back on the Isle of Man

2011-09-18T11:40:00.000-07:00

Packed & Ready to go

Some people go away and come home to a house which was just the same as they left it, (well as long as they did not leave teenage children minding the place!) Maybe a neighbour comes in to water the plants, even feed the cats but basically the house is the same. We are often blessed to come home to our house with more in it than when we left. I remember once when we came back to our house in Andreas, one of the first things I did was to go to the outhouse to put a load of washing in the machine. The only problem was the washing machine was completely buried under about 20 large black bin bags. This time it was our dining room table, bags of clothes, craft materials, toys & toiletries. They are now all sorted and will either go back to Romania with us in November or on the next shipment.

If anyone is having a clear out or wants to donate some items the following are particularly useful. Shampoo, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, felt tips, coloured pencils, craft materials, jigsaw puzzles (under 300 pieces) children’s clothes, socks, tights and shoes. Many of these items are more expensive to buy in Romania and are unaffordable by the people we help.

Of course funds are always needed too and you can see on our web site www.handsofhope.org.im ways to donate by cheque or our PayPal account.

Family allowance is less than £9 per month per child. For some of the families we help, this is their only income!

Mirela, Vasille and 4 of their 5 children

2011 House Build

£15000 builds a home for a family

£500 pays for a year’s college/university fees.

£500 sinks a new well, fits a hand pump and concrete surround

Cosmin February 2011

£216 pays for part of one course of chemotherapy treatment for a Cosmin. Cosmin had a malignant tumour removed from his back in July and is now having chemotherapy. But the hospital has not got the budget available to purchase all the medications required.

£20 pays of a food parcel. Mămăligă which is made from cornmeal (polenta) is a staple food and for poorer families can often be the only food eaten. A food parcel helps to give a wider variety and more nutrition to the family’s diet and the parcel also contains cleaning products.

£10 pays to refill a gas bottle.

£4 pays for one child’s school bus fares for a week

25p buys an 800g loaf of bread.

Family allowance is less than £9 per month per child. For some of the families we help, this is their only income!

Hands of Hope

2011-08-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

“Hands of Hope” is the name of the Manx charity that we are trustees of, but what does that actually mean?

Chris & I are the regular volunteer “Hands” in Romania but we are joined during each year by other folks who visit us and volunteer to use their hands here. There are also many people in the Isle of Man & UK who may never visit us personally but who are willing hands giving support by praying for us and the work, donating funds, clothes, medicines and building materials, helping to construct building panels, collecting and packing clothes including our friends and fellow trustees James and Selina Vickers. We are also blessed to be helped by others here in Romania, people who work for other charities, friends from our church here and also the families who we help who then help us to help others in need.

The main focus of our work where our hands do most work in the village area of Cobila in the Sendricini Commune just outside Dorohoi in Botosani County. Here we help support 7 families on a regular basis. We and they alike work together as friends indeed as family and we aim to encourage a sense of community.

Speranţă

Part of this sense of community comes from the sharing of land and resources including the produce from a cow and three goats. Earlier in the year many of the community worked the fields by hand to ensure what we hope will be the best crop of maize to date. The cow and goats regularly give enough milk to supplement the diet of all the families.

The cost of the seed and ploughing etc. is supported by the charity; some of the animals have been generously donated by supporters in the Isle of Man. The goat Brianna was donated the Elvin family last year. The cow was donated to one of our families last year by a charity based a few miles away from us (Matthews House). In exchange for grazing on charity land some of her milk is donated to other families. The cow was named by her new owner and he decided to call her Speranţă (Hope), as he said she was a symbol of the Cobila community and the hope that people had when they were given a new home and a new start in life J

See www.handsofhope.org.im for more information and details

The 3 Goats Brianna,Sophia and Valentina with some of the children from the Cobila community

Blog update at last

2011-07-30T12:36:00.000-07:00

Is it a roundabout or traffic island?

This has been on my "to do" list for far too long. Since June Dorohoi has changed! The road outside our apartment is finished, we now have a block paved dual carriageway instead of the dust filled potholes with a few patches of road in between. "Is it an improvement?", On the plus side, we do have far less dust floating up into our 4th floor windows, it's smoother to drive up. Negatives,few people stick to the 50km an hour speed limit, which makes using any of the 10 pedestrian crossings in the 0.6km between our block and the supermarket interesting,and will it survive the snow and cold winters, only time will tell.

Yes the grey car is going up the wrong side of the road

From our apartment windows we had a birds eye view of the work as it progressed with many near accidents as drivers were confused by the lane changes.

Work continues for Hands of Hope, houses built and renovated, families supported, aid distributed, new well dug, crops sown and tendered, hay cut and gathered in the latest newsletter is on the web site www.handsofhope.org.im

Thank you to everyone who supports the work and Please get in touch if you are able to help with fund raising or want further information, contact details are on the website www.handsofhope.org.im

Violins & lap tops donated, new well sunk and hay gathered in

2011-06-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

Violins - At the end of April a family here in Romania asked if there was any chance of me getting a violin so that their daughters could start lessons. I put out a request to all our contacts on the Isle of Man and had a fantastic response which ended up with not one but 5 violins! They have been given to families who had no hope of affording to buy their own and we have had the privilege of seeing the joy on the faces as we delivered them.

Laptops - Thanks to the generosity of companies on the island we have been able donate a number of 2nd hand laptops to children and to the centre for children with special needs. Lap tops are particularly useful as they take up less space in small houses and also cope well with the variable power supply.

Well - After many weeks of waiting and a change in contractor a team of men and their equipment eventually turned up late one evening and sunk the well. They worked through the night, sleeping for just a couple of hours in the hay barn, eventually hitting an impenetrable layer of lignite type material at 7m deep. It was certainly an interesting process to witness especially as they worked by lamp light in the early hours. The well coincides with a spring or underground stream and fills with 3000 litres of water within 3 hours.

Over the next few weeks we shall cap and cover the well and fit the hand pump.

Hay - The same evening as the well was being dug we were busy helping to get the hay in. The pajero & trailer acted as horse and cart to gather the hay and move it to the barn. We reckon we have 60 cubic metres of hay in and more to collect from other fields which were cut last week.

Land - We have had more rain this week, and thankfully no hail (crops in some areas of the country have been wrecked by storms this week). The ladies from the families spent some time in the field weeding around the potatoes and corn.

It is now time to be vigilant looking for Colorado beetles which attack the potatoes with enthusiasm here.

Houses - Work continues on the house with internal insulation going into the ceiling panels tomorrow. We are still waiting for authorisations to come back which will enable us to progress the new electric supply.

Thanks to all who have helped support the work here in Romania either by, donations, prayer or just contacting us with an encouraging word.

Ziua Copilului &......Children's Day &........

2011-06-03T23:56:00.000-07:00

Hi friends or anyone who reads this blog, and if you do read this and find it interesting please let me know, get in touch if you want more info or have word of encouragement for us.Well what have we been doing over the past couple of weeks, since the building team left?

June 1st is a National Day for children in Romania (Ziua Copilului) and in the afternoon we spent a few hours with the children at Cobila. It was 28C that afternoon and the special treat of an icecream was very welcome, we had also made up a gift bag for each child containing, a new toy and T-shirt, crisps, biscuits and other treats.

Work on the house has continued, though at slightly slower pace as work on the land took priority. In the new build house the soba (traditional wood burning stove which is used to cook on and heat house) has been built. External rendering, electrics, fencing, internal plastering and painting still to be completed.

Prayers were answered and we have had a couple of days of good rain, which was very welcome as having had to water trees and crops, the well at the back of the land at Cobila was getting very low. Last week the ladies from the families all worked together and spent nearly 2 days weeding the field, in perfect timing it rained the next day and the corn and other crops are looking much better and we pray for a good crops for the families here. We bought certified seed this year which we hope will give higher yield and better quality corn.
In the garden we have already enjoyed spring onions and radishes and salad. Tomatoes, aubergines, castroveti, peppers, spinach, beans, peas, onions, potatoes, courgettes, pumpkins all well on the way.

The New Well, we eventually sourced a hand pump which should be delivered on Monday and will be fitted to the new well. We have been waiting a few weeks to get this well dug and have now asked another company. They came promptly to deliver some of the tubes, but will have to wait for land to dry little before the heavy machine can be brought on site to dig the well.

The school year ends soon & then a 3 month vacation! BUT before that end of year excursions and parties which each parent has to pay for or the children cannot attend (as i am sure you can understand many parents here can barely afford food). Another compulsory expense at the moment are final exams for older students.

The financial crisis is hitting hard here, with those lucky enough to have a salary having wages cut, social allowances are also reduced and food and utility prices are escalating.
Thank you for all prayers and support which enable work here to proceed.

New house and new arrivals

2011-05-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

2011-05-17T13:04:00.000-07:00

Ok folks apologies if you been eagerly awaiting blog updates, this one has been promised to many for past week or so. but somehow time and creative writing have been in short supply. Chris and I had a busy first half of the month preparing for this years house build and last Saturday we drove down to Bacau to meet the 4 folks who arrived by plane. David & James arrived early on Sunday morning. We have had a fantastic week with the team from the Isle of Man here. They have been working hard, starting on site at 7am and finishing 7pm. In 4 days the house is up, roof on and insulation being fitted. We have also visited families, sorted and delivered aid, purchased food and delivered food parcels, had a BBQ and childrens fun afternoon for the families in HoH homes and friends. Pictures to follow soon.

Speranţă

2011-04-19T11:38:00.000-07:00

Amazing to think we have been back for 8 days. As we travelled we drove through snow and temperatures of minus 2, for the first few days it was wet and muddy but today it feels like spring and a lot warmer. It has been great to have Jackie with us and to share our work here . I have caught up with paperwork and Jackie has helped to sort boxes and bags. we have distributed aid to families and other charities who we work in conjunction with.

As well as catching up with the families living in the Hands of Hope homes we have visited around 25 other families with food parcels some who live in a village near the Ukraine border. The village is about 10 miles away over rough roads on the way back the Pajero rescued 2 vans. First a white box van stuck in the mud then a tip up truck which had landed in a ditch!

Highlight of last week was to attend the baptism of one of the ladies who lives house built by Hands of Hope a few years ago.

Last Friday we went to our friend Liviu's church and heard the renowned speaker Alejandro Rodriguez from YWAM Argentina. A message to encourage and empower the young people in the church, He spoke in Spanish and was translated into Romanian and we understood most/some of it!

On Saturday we had 18 children in the cottage and spent a lovely 3 hours doing craft activities and playing games. Hope the weather will continue to improve so we can get the bikes and outside games out this weekend.

On Monday Jackie and I spent time at the Star of Hope Centre in Dorohoi and it was wonderful to see how much progress some of the children have made in the past 8 weeks.

The warmer and drier weather has enabled outside work to commence and the men at Cobila have been helping to improve the site by laying drainage tubes. We hope it will soon be warm enough to get planting in the garden and on the fields.

Funds were donated to buy another goat to supply milk for the families in the homes at Cobila. now all we have to do is source the goat, went to the market this morning and to another farm this afternoon but not found the right one yet. Hope to contact someone else tomorrow so watch this space. The cow at Cobila is threatened with the BBQ if she takes much longer to become prgnant! She was named "Speranta" or in English Hope, by the guy who looks after her and she has given lots of lovely milk but needs to be in calf again so this can continue.

please get in touch if you want more info about work in Romania and let us know what you think of the blog. ruth@handsofhope.org.im

3 people, 3 days, 3000kg, 3000km

2011-04-12T11:34:00.000-07:00

Jackie, Chris & Ruth, left the Isle of Man on the Friday evening ferry and arrived in Dorohoi 3 days later. 3000km (1864miles) driven carrying a 3000kg load of aid and building supplies. Having travelled for over 27 hours we stopped for our first night in Nurnburg. Day 2 we crossed the rest of Germany, Austria and Hungary arriving at the hotel on the border around midnight. our final day was the drive across Romania. This final leg is only 361km (225 miles) and we would expect it to take us 8-9 hours of almost solid driving. On Monday it took us 10 hours as we encounted heavy snow across the mountains. we arrived about 6.30pm and spent a couple of hours unloading the car and catching up with the families at Cobila. A lovely welcome from them all. It was cold this morning around 0C, apparantly it was snowing here at the weekend, now we only have heavy rain which means mud mud and more mud. Today we have been busy showing Jackie around Dorohoi, meeting families and more unpacking & sorting clothes ready for distribution.

Leaving IOM for ROM

2011-04-08T07:14:00.000-07:00

Well we are all packed up and ready to leave family and friends in the Isle of Man and reunion with friends in Romania. We have travelling with us Jackie and we are taking a trailer with some aid but also the first delivery of house parts for the building project this year. Thanks to James and all those who have helped putting the timber frame panels together, sorting clothes, mending bikes and loading the trailer.

We have a maximum load and the next three days will be spent trundling across Europe hoping to arrive in Dorohoi Monday evening.

Building team and a group from Living Hope Community Church will be arriving in 5 weeks, lots to do before then.

Ruth & Chris in Isle of Man

2011-02-28T03:07:00.000-08:00

Ruth & Chris in Isle of Man! Its amazing how many people say "are you back here for a holiday". In the past 2 weeks, we have spoken about the charity to home groups, attended meetings, written newsletters, spoken at church services, sorted bags of donated clothes etc and Chris has also been working most days and trying to finish renovating our bathroom here in the evenings! Having said all that we are thoroughly enjoying our time back here, it is great to be with our family and catch up with friends.

So what else is good about being back on the Isle of Man- having the opportunity to walk the dog in the beautiful Manx countryside-50 minutes walk on Marine drive this morning! The NSC swimming pool-34 lengths in 37 minutes this morning! drinkable tap water, & the fantastic shower in our almost completed bathroom.

Please get in touch if you would like us to come and talk to you about the work in Romania. This year is going to be busy and we would love to share some of our vision with you.

Half way

2011-02-11T09:41:00.000-08:00

Half way home and stopped for the night in Marktheidenfeld, Germany. a small hotel that we have stopped in a few times now and we received a lovely welcome from the owners. We have driven around 1000miles in the past 32 hours and on the whole a smooth run. Though Chris did have my heart in my mouth as he overtook a lorry coming down one of the Romanian mountains. Picture this lorry going round a hairpin bend, Chris cut the corner by diving down a rough track and coming out on the road below, ahead of the lorry!!!!!!!!!! Praise the Lord for our Pajero and its off road tyres!
we will be the road again in the morning, heading for Dunkirk and an evening ferry to Dover. then ferry to Isle of Man on Sunday afternoon.

Midnight in Dorohoi

2011-02-09T14:04:00.000-08:00

Midnight in Dorohoi and we aim to be on the road for the first leg of our drive home at 7am in the morning. if all goes to plan we will cover around 550 miles tomorrow and get as far as the Austrian/Hungarian border. It will take us around 12 hours- slow going until we reach the smooth roads of the Hungarian motorways.
Today has been a mixture of administation, cleaning the apartment, packing up and visits to families. We took a couple of hours off this evening and had a lovely time of fellowship with our Romanian home group.
We will certainly miss folks here over the next few weeks, but are looking forward to being with our family and friends on the island. Noapte buna si Domnul sa va binecuventeze.

New Year

2011-01-21T11:59:00.000-08:00

Blog writing has been slack recently. We enjoyed being home with our family on the Isle of Man over Christmas and then seeing Chris's family in Dorset. Then I had a suprise 4 days in Majorca, accompaning Chris on a business trip to Palma. Chris was busy every day but i did enjoy a little time off and enjoyed the sunshine and 17C temperature.

We had a really warm welcome back in Dorohoi from our friends and the families at Cobila. When we arrived back last weekend the snow from before Christmas had almost all melted and the ground was waterlogged, the well at Cobila tainted with surface water. The salvage pump was put to good use to pump out the well and now it is running clear again.

It has been a busy week catching up with families and also planning for the year ahead.

Tomorrow we will have all the children in the resource room for an activity afternoon and as they have an extra day off on Monday I expect we will be there then too.

Today was a day of paper work and the rounds of various offices to pay annual taxes . Nothing as easy as on line payments. Between us 7 different offices/banks today to queue in.

We pay an annual amount to have a parking space (see picture) at the back of our apartment block. So when I paid the apartment tax for rubbish collection I asked if I should pay the parking fee in the office along the corridor-as i had last year. No said the lady that office has moved to the other side of town, go there and get a ticket to say you want to renew your parking permit, then bring it back here to me and pay the amount. THEN take the receipt back across town and leave it with them, THEN go back next week to collect your parking permit! Its one way to get excercise.

The Pajero had another puncture this week, this time a screw through the tyre (bolt and nail on previous occasions). thankfully Chris was able to get it repaired with a patch for £2.50.

Snow again today and more snow and cold weather forecast for next week. This time last year it was -25C. Hope we dont see it that cold this year.

A week of giving and receiving

2010-12-16T12:52:00.001-08:00

We have had a week of giving and receiving.

Temperatures have dropped and we have had snow over past few days, this evening it was -12C as we drove home and despite many layers my feet were chilly and we had ice building up on the inside of the car windows as the condensation froze.

We have been out most days distributing firewood, food parcels and Christmas shoe boxes.

All whom we visited were so grateful for the help. The joy & smiles of children opening shoe boxes and taking delight in the contents, was a gift in itself to us.

Tooth paste and toiletries welcomed with as much joy as toys and sweets. we know they would be the only presents the children would get this Christmas.

If you have been involved with making up a shoe box this year for anywhere in the world we can vouch for the fact that they bring so much joy.

Many of the families we visit live in remote villages and often are at the end of the line for aid. Some of these families are still living in temporary modular containers after losing their homes in the floods in June.

We are grateful to be able build on the relationships with these families and to sit with them and listen to their concerns. We know we cannot help everyone with everything they need but know that just by showing we care, helps and encorages them. We are so thankful that we have a better understanding of the Romanian language, though still also very grateful to have our friend Cornelia with us for more in depth conversations.

As well as smilies and thanks we have also received gifts ourselves this week from families we know. We always save food scraps and vegetable peelings for a friends pig and when they slaughtered the pig ready for Christmas they gave us some- it does not get much fresher than this!

Tomorrow we have a few more deliveries to do and people to visit. In the evening we will have friends from our Romanian home group round for dinner, so pleased that I found the Christmas crackers!

Saturday we plan to spend time with the children at Cobila- a variety of Christmas crafts planned and treats to give out. By the end of the day we hope to have ticked off all on our "to do" list. Then a day off on Sunday spending time with our church family and friends before we head back to the Isle of Man for Christmas with our family there.

Thanks to all who have helped and supported the work here.

Thursday-Iasi

2010-12-08T23:52:00.000-08:00

100 mile (2.5 hour) drive to Iasi today, to celebrate the opening of the new regional centre for Star of Hope Romania-a charity we work with. We are taking some of the staff and volunteers from the local centre and will be helping to put up a display of artwork made by the children here in Dorohoi. Some of the parents and children from Dorohoi will also be attending. The parents of children who attend the Dorohoi day centre dream that one day they will have their own building here which could also provide a facility for the whole community .

A week of sadness and joy

2010-12-08T09:43:00.000-08:00

The past week has been one of our hardest. The youngest son of one of the families we help died, we have been helping them as best we can seeing them every day, going with them when the autopsy was done and bringing them and the baby home. On Saturday we attended the funeral, walking the mile or so to the church with the open coffin on the back of a horse and cart.

we sometimes wish our Romanian language skills were better, but at times like this prayer, hugs and practical support say a lot.

A hard emotional week and also a hard physical one.

We have been out delivering Christmas shoe boxes. when you have moved 700 boxes from store and packed them into the pajero, then offloaded them at a school your muscles know about it. Boxes of different sizes and weights, I could do with bigger hands. Chris has developed an excellent technique to pack the car. Fill the top box first then fill up the car, getting the last few in through an open window.

We have also moved and delivered 2 trailer loads of fire wood (2.5cubic metres).

The parents receiving the firewood were just as happy and excited as the children receiving the shoe boxes.

Today we have been at the Star of Hope Centre to see the children in their Christmas celebration, it is such a joy to see how these children have developed over the past years. Children who a few years ago would not have stood still for a minute now taking part in a Nativity play and then joining with children from the adjacent kindergarten in a traditional dance display.

Next week will be busy as we deliver the rest of the shoe boxes, more firewood and Christmas food parcels.

Bizarre weather

2010-11-29T12:55:00.001-08:00

How bizarre to be in Dorohoi in November and hear that on the Isle of Man roads are shut, airport & schools closed due to heavy snow and ice. Maximum was 9C here today, with fog and damp weather, so we are contending with mud rather than snow.
But we know cold weather is on the way and for many here it will not be just a point of staying in and turning the central heating up a notch. For those who can afford it maybe it just mean going outside for extra wood, but others will resort to burning anything they can find as they have been unable to afford firewood. They cannot even go into the forest and gather fallen branches without a licence.
Wednesday is a public holiday to celebrate the National day of Romania, the children will be off school and we plan to have games and Christmas craft activites for them in our resource room at Cobila.
I know the children will love using all the lovely craft materials which we were able to bring with us. Thanks to all who donated items and funds.

Back in Dorohoi

2010-11-19T07:46:00.000-08:00

Had a smooth trip back, record journey across Romania today in the autumn sunshine. As you can see from the photos the pajero was as full as ever and we nearly picked up another passenger when we stopped to for a break on one of the Romanian mountain tops. A lovely welcome from the families in Hands of Hope houses and our friends here. The car is unloaded and Chris already plugging his computer in so he can catch up on work.

On the Road again

2010-11-17T00:26:00.000-08:00

After a busy few weeks on the island we are on our way back to Romania. It ws lovely to spend time with family and friends and also raise awareness of the work of Hands of Hope.
The Pajero is now packed to the brim, top box loaded and bikes on the rack. Thank you to everyone who has helped with collecting and providing funds.
Must remember to take a picture before we unload!

Supplies & Supplications

2010-10-16T13:51:00.000-07:00

Good news today, we have been able to purchase 1000's of vitamins for adults and children at a very good price. We will be taking them out to Romania in November and they will help over the winter months when fresh fruit and vegetables are unaffordable for many of the families we help. Thank you to everyone who has donated funds in recent months to make this possible.
By the way does anyone have an adult bike which they would be willing to donate. We know 2 families who could make good use of them and we can take them out on the back of the Pajero when we go back next month.

We are now on Facebook :-)

2010-10-02T02:58:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, another way to follow us, we are on Facebook. Just do a search for Hands of Hope and choose the correct one!
We are back in the Isle of Man catching up with friends and family as well as speaking at churches and meetings. Thankyou everyone who supports the work of the charity, it is a real encouragement.

From Marcioneta

2010-09-07T12:39:00.000-07:00

From Marcioneta
I have only lived at Cobila since May, It was a bit of a scary ride in the back of the infamous Pajero, still they did not seem too upset about the mess they had to clear up!
I was a birthday present to Ruth and a welcome supplier of milk for the children in the Hands of Hope houses. I was sorry to leave my family and flock in Varfu, but soon settled in here and enjoyed the petting from the children and my daily treat of a slice or two of bread from Ruth.
It has been a strange summer, glorious at first with lots of activity here, a new house being built and everyone working together to farm the land. The storms and floods at the end of June were scary and I was very thankful that my barn is at the back and away from all the water. The chicks that many of the hens had at that time were not so fortunate. The families were devastated and frightened when they had to be evacuated but all worked together and helped get things dried out once the water had subsided.
The children seemed to enjoy having the bikes out on the field and spending time in the play room. Having extra activities certainly seemed to give their parents a welcome break and helped the 3 month long school holiday pass. Yesterday it was lovely to see them all with their school bags ready for school. Later Florentina & Ruth spent time sorting clothes and shoes to help kit them out with what they needed for school.
I do feel that I have been demoted rather since the arrival of THE COW which was named Speranţă (Hope). I know she can supply much more milk than me but don’t they realise how much she is going to eat! I hope she does not eat all the corn which I was glad to see being gathered from the fields on Monday. Though as the women walked past me I overheard them saying it was a much smaller harvest than last year due to the floods and long spell of wet weather.
This morning it is wet and a lot cooler, abnormally so for this time of year. When Vascilica came to feed and milk me this morning he gently told me they were sending me away today! I am off to see my family at Varfu for a couple of months and they seem hopeful that in March I will be having a kid and so able to give more milk for the children.
Oh No! that is going to mean another ride in the Pajero better cross my legs

A day in my life from Mitsubishi Pajero R310 Man

2010-08-31T00:35:00.000-07:00

A day in my life from Mitsubishi Pajero R310 Man
Life here in Romania can be exhausting hot and dusty in the summer, freezing cold and icy in the winter with every other sort of weather thrown in between. In the summer I am choked with dust Driving in the winter sometimes my heater can only managed to keep the windscreen clear and on other internal windows, condensations turns to ice. I am thankful that the mud and snow tyres are kept on all year or I know that regular road tyres would not last on the flint tracks.
On Tuesday I was on the road before 8am. Driving out of town on the almost smooth road, it was quite pleasant a crisp bright morning and a refreshing 16C. But after 6k the road changed and we were on a stony country track, in places more like a river bed, 12.5 k over hill and dale heading towards the Ukrainian border. Ruth was driving, Chris Tomlin CD, struggled to stay playing with all the bumps. It was pleasant to have the windows open and crisp air drifting through the car, though Ruth had to put them back up quickly as soon as she saw another car coming towards us or we would have been choked by the dust as the other car went past.
We were going to collect a mum and 4 year old boy (see picture with Ruth), who are at present living (with husband and 3 year old daughter) in disused army barracks right on the border along with 15 other families who lost or had homes badly damaged in recent floods. They have such basic conditions and being so far from the main road less aid has reached them.
Gheorge needed to go to hospital in Botosani 53k away from where they live. Not an easy journey hitching and public transport with a fractious 4 year old. He was so happy to get in the car. We called at Cobila on the way as Ruth had to collect a man from the Hands of Hope houses who also needed to go to the city. He was very good at entertaining Gheorge on the journey.
First stop the children’s hospital, Gheorge was seen by the Dr and various papers stamped. We were then told to go to another office on the other side of town for more papers and then come back to the children’s hospital at 2pm. But this turned out to be the wrong place so we had to go back across town to another hospital. Gheorge was examined again. This time we were told that he would need more papers from his village mayor and family Dr to be stamped and brought back to city the next day. Thankfully Gheorge would not need to be seen again (until next year’s renewal), so his mum was able to get the bus the next day with the papers.
Ruth had Romanian worship music playing on the way home and I am thankful that little Gheorge soon fell asleep as he was exhausted and irritable after the long day. We dropped them off back at the camp stopping for a while to talk to the rest of the families living in the old barracks and promising to come back next week to spend some time balloon modelling for the children.
A peaceful drive back along the track to Dorohoi and my day was over.

Move to the Country

2010-08-02T23:46:00.000-07:00

Past few days have been hot. We have been busy visiting familes and working on the land at Cobila. Another field of hay cut and gathered in, one more field to cut in about a weeks time so hoping will have enough to keep cow and goat going through the winter. it has been really hot so yesterday we decided to sleep in the cottage at Cobila. we were working on the land until 8pm getting hay in and watering the garden so hardly worth coming back into town anyway. Supper in the garden, wash down with a bucket of water and sleep on mattress on the floor in the cottage. I just came back to the apatment to check email and no water here anyway! not sure why it is off or how long for! another hot day and at 10am 29C in the shade.

Saturday 24th July 2010

2010-07-24T11:36:00.000-07:00

What we did today...

The day started off at home doing admin type stuff, paying bills, bank bits n bobs and the like. Luckily a lot of this is done online nowadays unlike the employment papers which still requires us to drag round 4 different offices every month :-(

We then went to Cobila to the farm where we did some work in the garden, its all growing quickly now the castrovets (small cucumbers) seem to appear by magic overnight the tomatoes are ripening and we are on our second sow of salad. After weeks of rain we are now into the second week of high temperatures and one of the daily tasks is watering the garden and orchard! Luckily we get lots of help from the families in the village. The fruit trees were weeded around and the barrels of water for the garden filled with the pump for use in the evening. We do this to allow the water to reach air temperature before putting it on the plants and prior tothe pump it was all drawn by hand in buckets from the well.

Next stop was a quick visit to the apartment to shower and then pick up Camelia and her mum to do a medical run out to one of the small villages north of us. On the way we visited Roxanna and her mum, one of the families we meet at the Downs Syndrome Centre, they are busy trying to repair their house after the floods, they had over a metre of water and silt through the house and they now have no floors.

Next the medical surgery, this surgery was held in a tiny Pentecostal church and served about twenty people who could not make it into town nor afford the treatment. Blood pressure and sugar levels are monitored and if required an appointment with a doctor arranged. The folks in the village are so grateful for this simple service. The charity supports this work with drugs, paracetamol, aspirin, vitamins, ibuprofen etc. as well as transport and pill counting!

above: Outside the church
The church surgery
Entrance to the Container Village - Dorohoi

After we returned to Dorohoi we visited the “container village” near to the fire station where 80 families made homeless by the recent floods are being housed. The containers are fairly basic, a bit like site offices you might see in building projects. They have a toilet and shower block and an onsite medical facility. When we visited the temperature was still in the low 30’s and to say these units were hot would be an understatement. The children have no play area and many of them have had their heads crudely shaved to keep them cool, clean and free from nits adding a sinister air to the whole area. Some help is coming from the charities in the area and we are planning to go back and do some activities in about a weeks’ time. Above: Entrance to the temporary container housing - Dorohoi

That’s about it for today, time to eat and watch some English television, big thank-you to everyone who makes this happen whether it’s through donation, prayer, gifts cash whatever, noapte bună şi Dumnezeu să binecuvânteze.

Rain Rain and more Rain

2010-07-10T11:56:00.000-07:00

The clean up after the floods continues and is hampered by further thunderstorms and heavy rain. In Dorohoi houses which were beyond repair have already been demolished as they were unsafe. People have been given emergancy accomodation in container size cabins which have been put in another area of town. Many are still in shock and coming to terms with all they have lost-family, friends, homes, outbuildings, fences, possesions, livestock, businesses & crops. Aid is being distibuted in the form of food & clothing by many different agencies. But we know the hardest times are yet to come. the knock on affect of loss of jobs from businesses which cannot recover, poor crops so less food to feed the animals or familes over the winter. All that in an ecomomy where many are already unemployed and being stretched by increases in prices, (VAT up by 5% this month) and reductions in pensions and allowances.

This afternoon the sun came out for a while and the children at Cobila came up to play at the cottage. It was lovely to spend some time with them and I know it gave the parents time to do some clearing up. One of the families had been busy all day helping their mother clear out her house which is across the road from the Cobila Hands of Hope houses.

floods

2010-07-05T22:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we were out to visit families we know who had been affected by the floods. The water levels are going down and the full extent of the damage can be seen and SMELT. The silt and debris of possessions, rubbish and dead animals is devastating. Many of the houses had had flood water up to 1.7metres and these are single story dwellings. Everything wrecked and most families here do not have insurance. Everywhere in the areas we visited people were trying to salvage what they could with teams from the army and voluntary agencies helping. Aid is coming in from government, churches and charities. But this disaster has affected so many people were already living on the edge and with destruction and loss of crops the consequences will be felt for many months to come.

Floods in Dorohoi

2010-07-04T03:07:00.000-07:00

We had a good drive back across Romania on Tuesday. As we got closer to Dorohoi we began to see the affects of the floods. Bridges damages, huge areas along side the Siret river flooded, many homes damaged and crops destroyed. On Monday night the familes at Cobila had been evacutated by boat, but as the waters subsided on tuesday they had gone home to inspect damaged and start to clean up. we stopped there on our way home as as we arrived another thunderstorm and more torrential rain. we had congregated in our old cottage behind the Hands of Hope homes, slightly elevated and not damaged. The water levels started to rise again and it was decided that the mums and children should move out and stay with us in our apartment in town and the men stayed in our cottage. We were so pleased that the power and water were back on in our apartment and we could let them all have a hot bath and find dry and clean clothes.

The flood waters had reached up to window height in some of the houses, chickens drowned and crops damaged.

Dorohoi town also had areas of devastation with 6 people drowned, one of those was the 15 year old son of a familiy we had built a home for in 2008.

On Wednesday & Thursday Chris and I were busy working along with many other charities who operate in Dorohoi to distribute food, water and dry clothes. i have also had our washing machine on the go washing clothes which were soaked by the flood waters. The clean up continues and repairs will have to be made to some of the floors and doors in the houses.

what a week

2010-06-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

last week we had heavy rain in Dorohoi. Hands of hope homes had gardens flooded. thankfully the water levels went down and On thursday Chris and I left to spend a few days travelling across Romania then on Satuday met up with the parents and their children who attend the special needs Centre on Dorohoi. Hands of Hope had helped to fund a 6 night holiday at a thermal springs resort. An ideal time for the families use the facilities and have quality time together.
Today we heard that Dorohoi had had torrential rain. dams bursts, rivers broke banks, bridges washed away. Power down and no running water in Dorohoi tonight. the hands of Hope homes are flooded and families evacuated.
Chris and I have decided to leave early in the morning and drive back to Dorohoi. should take about 9 hours, but will be longer as we have to go in a different way than normal due to floods.
One of the families who are with us in Baile Felix for the holiday has heard that there house is flooded so they are coming wth us.
we will stop on the way to stock up with bottled water and food so we can distibute to those in need. if you can help fund this please get in touch or send a donation via the pay pal link on the web site. www.handsofhope.org.im

Bobby went to Dorohoi

2010-06-21T12:55:00.000-07:00

last year we had our female dog spayed, but not before she managed to have a litter of puppies, we kept one but decided to help keep down the dog population of Romania we would have him neutered. So on Thursday Bobby had his first ride in the car, we decided to put him in the back and Chris sat in the boot with him and a 20kilo gas bottle that we were taking into town to get refilled for one of the Cobila families.
when we arrived the vet came out to the car, checked him over and gave a sedative injection asking us to wait for 20 minutes for it to take affect. While we waited a man came into the yard with his sick horse which the vet examined. Chris in the meantime had taken out the modelling balloons and was making animal shapes for the vets son. I think the horse was either very sick or deaf! As it did not bolt when one of the balloons popped, which was a very good job as the vet was taking its temperature at the time.
Anyway the Bobby was eventually (after a 2nd injection) drowsy enough to be taken into the operating room, and I stayed with him while they did the operation, he was then carried back out to the car and we took him home to wake up. He seems fine and we hope he enjoys his 2nd ride in the car next week to have the wires taken out!

Dorohoi Dashes

2010-06-14T05:26:00.000-07:00

Had a great time with all the visitors here helping with the Hands of Hope house build at Cobila, amazing amount acheived in 11 days. Also the team from Parkinson who helped a family in a remote village to progress their house build. some pictures already on the Hands of Hope web site, more to follow later. Last week was also a busy week with many end of school year celebrations. Since the building team left last week we were very busy gathering in the hay, trying to get as much as possible so the cow has good feed for the winter. Not done so much in past couple of days as we both had gastroenteritus and both feeling like wrung out rags.

Loving the variety of life in Romania

2010-05-28T22:21:00.000-07:00

No 2 days the same, yesterday we had the joy of being at the Star of Hope Centre in Dorohoi and seeing the children from the unit taking part in music and dance preformances along with children from the mainstream schools. It brought tears to my eyes to see how far these children have progressed having had the individual tutition and guidance from the centre. They would never have been able to do this a few years ago, nor would the integration have been possible.
Today we are going on the Sunday school trip to Suceava, taking with us 3 of the children from one of the HoH homes who come to church with us.
Tomorrow James and his friend David will be arriving for the start of busy 2 week house build. look at the hands of hope web site for updates on the house build progress www.handsofhope.org.im

A cut above the rest

2010-05-27T11:50:00.000-07:00

We recently took delivery of a new piece of equipment for the farm, well I say new, its probably between 40 and 50 years old. An Allen Oxford Scythe Cutter, what an amazing machine, demonstrated above by our friend and assistant Vassi

I killed it

2010-05-16T13:06:00.000-07:00

It has been another busy week here in Dorohoi.
it was my birthday on Thursday and lovely to have cards in the post box and even a package delivered by the post lady. We had a "No alarm clock" morning, spent the afternoon with the families at Cobila, sharing the celebration of juice, fruit and biscuits with one of the boys who was 9 on the same day.

No two days the same. it was great to see the shoots appearing in the garden and on the fields at Cobila. the families had been busy while we were away and potatoes, corn, onions and beans had been planted. The weather is warming up and we have had heavy rain and thunder storms over past few days. hoping the colarado beetles are kept at bay this year and I am already on the watch for mole crickets, which are gruesome creatures about 3 inches long. I saw one when i was weeding the other day and shrieked, Chris realised what it might be and went to get the camera. But I am afraid he was too late!

We pray we will get good crops as we know the extra produce will be needed. it is so hard here for so many people, pensions are being cut by 15% & family allowances by 35%. food & fuel prices are going up, health care more expensive and unemployment higher. Can you imagine if your child attends school but because you cannot afford the school tie (£2) they are marked as absent, which affects their end of year results.
The financial struggles put such a strain on so many relationships.

2010-05-08T23:22:00.000-07:00

Just back in Dorohoi after 13 days away. Chris was working for a few days in Ireland and we were also able to spend a week at our Isle of Man home and attend David's passing out parade for the Isle of Man constabulory. A good journey thanks to cheap flights on Blue air and then a 7 hour train ride.

Sharing lives & Sowing seeds

2010-04-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

Another week has flown past and each day is so different. Chris has been busy supervising the laying of the foundations for 3 charity houses, and that alone brings a new challenge each day. ?

will the delivery lorry reverse too far down the drive and get stuck in the mud AGAIN!

Apart from today we have been blessed with dry weather, one foundation finished & other 2 should be done in next couple of days.

On Sunday it was wonderful to be back with our friends at Varfu church. Mum and 3 children from one of the HoH houses asked if they could come with us and the children enjoyed Sunday school & want to come back again next week. In the afternoon we took Mum & Dad from one of the families to Botosani so they could visit their 6 month old baby in hospital. Not practical for mum with 6 other children at home to stay at the hospital-even if it was allowed. We were only able to visit for 15 minutes.

Yesterday it was a lovely sunny day so Florentina and I were busy in the garden. Lots of seeds planted and the rest of the garden prepared, I think the Romania "sapa" or Hoe is fantastic and is thinking of bringing one back for Heidi's allotment on the Isle of Man.

This morning I took the grandmother from one of our families to the Dr and then the hospital for tests, an interesting experience especially listening to the conversations of others in the waiting rooms and what they thought of the service and costs.

This afternoon we had to take some offical papers to Botosani, the road is getting worse each day, pot holes galore and driving into Botosani itself the lorry route is fractionally smoother than the main road. It is quite the norm for cars to drive on which ever side of the road is smoother, darting back to their own side if there is oncoming traffic.

Busy in Dorohoi

2010-04-13T05:43:00.000-07:00

Amazing that we have only been back for a week. chris & I have been busy and yesterday foundations were started for 3 more homes, at least one will be completed this year. we have enjoyed unpacking and distibuting aid and catching up with friends and the families that we help.

It is lovely to have warmer weather after the hard winter. the hill at the back of the houses is a mass of beautiful wild flowers, mainly cowslips. We hope to be planting veg (tomatoes, courgette, beans, radish, onions, spinach, salad, herbs, potaoes, sweet corn, maize etc in the next few weeks). The families work together to grow the crops and then it is shared between them. Each family is also busy preparing the plots around their homes for cultivation.

It is great to have time to play with the children and on Saturday we had 16 aged from 1 to 13 in the resource room. In the afternoons the children have been riding the bikes on the field & it is lovely to see them out enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.

in Dorohoi

2010-04-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

Had a smooth drive across Europe, good weather, no hold ups and very little traffic.
8 hour drive today across Romania from Satu Mare to Dorohoi, pot holes in their 1000's but glorious scenery. Now busy unpacking:-)

Heading East & Easter greetings

2010-04-03T05:07:00.000-07:00

Enjoyed time with my brother in law in Birkenhead and left there 18.40 Friday evening. Got to Dover in record time and on an earlier ferry, leaving Dover at 2am. Had a smooth drive today with good weather and light traffic. So after 17 hours of travelling we are relieved to be at hotel East of Frankfurt and have a good rest before we set off again tomorrow, aiming to get to the Romanian border. May the Lord Bless you this Easter.

Serene but paddling like..................

2010-03-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

Loads to do before we leave! Thank you to everyone for your support and encouragement I know we are going to be able to ease the lives of many people and groups. I am surrounded by boxes, bags and lists of things to remember.

Today, thanks to the hard work of the Island Music group "Bree" we have been able to order some percussion instruments for use of the children at the day centre for children with special needs.

11 sleeps and counting

2010-03-21T14:19:00.000-07:00

Just had a busy week, spoken to youth group on Monday night, 2 home groups and then at church this morning. It is such encouragement to know we have folks supporting us both in prayer and practically. It has been great to have the time at home with our family and know it is going to be hard to say good bye but know we will get a warm welcome from all our friends and the families we help back in Dorohoi.

The bags and boxes are already gathering and soon it will be time to see how much we can fit into the Pajero on this run. I think it was around 600kilos last time and that was with 3 of us in the car. Only the 2 of us this time, so lots of room for aid (clothes, stationary, toiletries, medicines, toys, pushchairs) ,and a few treats for us & fellow mission workers.

Florists apprentice

2010-03-15T02:56:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy week, helping Heidi in the flower shop, it was so busy for "Mother's day". But it was great to be able to help with the preparation and delivery. On both Saturday & Sunday I was helping to deliver flowers all over the island with 3 other drivers. This week we are busy with talks on the work in Romania to 3 different groups. Also gearing up to the fact that we only have just over 2 more weeks before we leave.

Still Busy on the Island

2010-02-16T07:59:00.001-08:00

Strange to think we have been back for over 2 weeks. looking at the forecast it is still cold in Dorohoi with -13C forecast for tonight. Today we had the sad news that one of the fathers (age 35) from a family we help in Romania died suddenly in his sleep. He was a lovely man, please pray for his wife and 7 children.

We are busy here, yesterday I was talking to a group of lovely ladies at the Salvation Army. They had been busy collecting things for us and also knitting some beautiful blankets and baby clothes, all will be welcome in Romania. On Thursday evening we will be attending a members meeting and updating our church (Ramsey Baptist Church). The folks there are a real Blessing, supporting us with prayer & in practical ways.

Busy on the Island

2010-02-10T15:27:00.000-08:00

We have been back for over a week now and life here is as busy as when we are in Romania. It is also great to have time with our family & friends.
Last week we were taking part in the Manx festival of connections where around 20 charities had displays of their work. It was good to meet up with many friends and see what wonderful work is being acheived by IOM charities around the world.
We have also had various meetings and been collecting items donated for us to take to Romania. Thank you everyone for your support and encouragement.

Back in UK

2010-01-26T13:48:00.000-08:00

We left Dorohoi on Sunday morning, the temperature was minus 25C. but despite that the roads were all clear and we had a good run across Romania getting to the Hungarian Austrian border in 14 hours. The weather warmed up as we travelled west and by the time we were in Belgium the fields alongside the motorways were green rather than white with snow. Looking forward to a few days with family before we go back to the Isle of Man on Saturday. Hoping that all our friends in Romania are keeping warm and safe we heard that the temperature in Dorohoi dropped to minus 30 on Sunday night. Hard enough to cope with if you are living in a warm and dry home with plenty of food to keep you going, but many folks we know are living in one room shacks, with low stocks of firewood, food cupboards bare and have to go outside to get use the earth closet toilet & get water from wells!

Ready to go

2010-01-23T12:55:00.000-08:00

Its been a busy few days and a lot colder, about minus 12 now with minus 26 forecast for tomorrow. we have been out and about delivering food parcels and firewood.saying good bye to familes and friends, The Pajero is a star car and copes with all. though the condensation on the inside of the windows has been freezing as we have been driving even with air con on.

Aiming for an early start in the morning and all being well will make the Hungarian/Austrian border.

Food Parcels

2010-01-20T22:59:00.000-08:00

Babies born with low birth weight or in very poor familes often are not thriving at home. the babies can then spend time in the baby hospital to build them up. Each year Hands of Hope supports families for up to a year after they have gone home with a monthly parcel of food and cleaning products. The parcels are not just giving extra nutrition to the very poor, but are also an opportunity to offer counselling & advice on health and parenting concerns. Some families come to collect the parcels but for others in outlying villages this is just not possible especially in the winter. Yesterday Chris and I went with 2 of the social workers to deliver parcels to 5 families. We covered 103miles and as you can see from the photos we had a lot of snow. The Pajero was brilliant and got us much closer to the homes than the car the girls normally have to use for deliveries. Each family was just living in one room and in very harsh conditions.

Snow & Frozen veg

2010-01-19T01:14:00.000-08:00

It is chilly out this am, -9C and snowing. The local roadsweepers were out and about, but facing an uphill struggle. Chris cleared our apartment steps of about 3 inches of snow this morning but when we came back it was just as bad. Earlier this morning, Chris went down to the market to get some veg so I could make a casserole but the market was almost bare. He came back with a few hard frozen carrots, parsnips and onions. It is interesting to chop frozen onions! Casserole cooked and we took it to one of the families we help, a mum with 7 children, the youngest was born by caesarian in November 1.2kg. He is home now but very tiny and mum works hard looking after children etc. I was glad we remembered to get some water from the well while we were out. We use if for hot drinks and cooking with in the apartment as the tap water here is not good.

2010-01-18T12:45:00.000-08:00

We are aiming to drive back to the UK at the end of the week, and the forecast is.. snow and...
:-)

Saturday Night
Clear. Low: -27 °C . Wind light.

Sunday
Clear. High: -14 °C . Wind light.

Sunday Night
Clear. Low: -25 °C . Wind light. Windchill: -31 °C .

Friday 15th January

2010-01-15T05:27:00.000-08:00

Today we went out to visit a family in a village about 45 minutes drive away from Dorohoi. In December an electrical fault started a fire and their house was destroyed-all except the mud brick walls. Neighbours helped to put water on the blazing house, it took the fire engine from Dorohoi an hour to get to the fire. The man is working hard to try and rebuild the house and borrowed money to start repairs. His first job was a new roof which will protect the walls from further damage. His wife and 3 children have had to move to relatives in Botosani city,while he repairs the house. Their 6 year old girl was badly burnt by a previous fire when she was a baby and had to have her right hand and forearm amputed, she also has many scars on her face and body. Their baby was born over Christmas and as they are now living out of the village where they are registered the mother is having difficulty accessing a Dr who is willing to give the baby its vaccinations etc. We are liasing with other charities to help this family get the medical care they need and repair the home so they can all be back together. On our way back we passed an elderly lady that we know walking through the snow, aided by her daughter, to get a bus to go to the post office for her pension. She had a stroke a few years ago and walks with difficulty, they were very pleased to see us and we were able to give them a lift.

We then spent a few hours visiting the families at Cobila, running children to school, fetching gas bottle refills, giving people lifts into town and generally just being there. Chris is now at his desk working on a stabilty book and having brought the accounts up to date I am going to tackle the ironing.

10 days and counting

2010-01-13T13:30:00.000-08:00

It always seems that on every visit time creeps up on us and all of a sudden it is 10 days until we head back to the Isle of Man. we have a list of things to do before we leave and trying to plan here is not always easy!. today we went to the town hall in the village to complete some paperwork. we were there for around 2 hours and will have to go back again as the procedure has changed and we need to get other papers prepared before we can finish the paperwork which we thought would have taken only a few minutes!
This evening we had our Romanian home group here, it was good to have time & fellowship together and we watched an inspiring DVD about the work of Jackie Pullinger. I think her work and achievements put our day of minor frustrations in perspective.

back in Dorohoi

2010-01-02T12:59:00.001-08:00

It was great to have a couple of days off and we are now back in Dorohoi. This evening there were 10 of us for dinner (our Romanian Home group & others), we had a great time & are all getting ready to be back at work on Monday.
Annette, great to see you listed as follower to this Blog:), Marcia, David & Ian too.
Is anyone else following, if so I would be interested to know

La Multi Ani

2010-01-01T02:33:00.000-08:00

La Multi Ani- the greeting to say Happy New Year in Romanian.
We are enjoying a couple of days off, staying with our friends Ian & Sue at Volovat near Radauti.

Christmas decorations

2009-12-30T09:38:00.000-08:00

This makes a really special decoration in our Dorohoi home. The heart frame I bought with birthday gift money from Chris's parents. The decorations are hand crafted by Chris's mother (except the Hope & Peace words" & the pink cross which a gift from another friend. The centre piece is a beautiful piece of Handanger embroidery which was our christmas card from Mum & Dad for this year. It is all much too pretty to put away when the rest of the decorations come down

Christmas Holidays

2009-12-29T13:33:00.000-08:00

We have had a great few days over Christmas, attended Church services at Varfu & Dorohoi, meals out at various friends, watched some of our Christmas gift DVD's and visited many of the families we help. Chris has been back at work yesterday & today compiling a stability book for a pilot vessel. Another work day tomorrow hitching up the trailer and off to buy some firewood.

It is still a real struggle for many families here, social support is almost non existant, and even those with casual labouring jobs are laid off for 2-3 weeks over Christmas. It is normal for us to visit families with little or no food in the house & meagre supplies of wood to burn. We have had a good few inches of snow, the main roads are kept clear but most of the side roads and lanes are packed ice.

Astaz un copi ni s-a nascut

2009-12-25T12:24:00.000-08:00

Today a child to us is born!

Christmas Eve and we went carol singing with the younger members of Varfu Campului church. We started at 1600hrs and ended at 0230hrs the next day. We visited an old peoples home, lots of small houses in the villages, friends and the pastor. You can see some of the time at - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qko-Y-lZQ_o
A late brunch and opening of Christmas presents then a childrens service at Dorohoi Baptist Church. Wishing you all very happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

3.50am Chris is home

2009-12-16T17:46:00.001-08:00

Chris is back I had a smooth drive through the snow to collect him from Suceava, and his coach drive form Bacau was good too, A careful coach driver:). Minus 11 as we drove home. going to get few hours sleep then down to Botosani in a few hours, putting up a Christmas tree in the childrens hospital and giving out gifts.

Midnight -7C and Snowing

2009-12-16T13:57:00.000-08:00

Tonight Chris is due back from a business trip. he should have landed at Suceava airport at 22.15. but due to the heavy snow fall his flight was diverted to Bacau and he is now in a coach on the way to Suceava. due to arrive around 2.30 am. so I am about to leave Dorohoi to meet him. So pleased Pajero has nice chunky winter tyres on. check list- snow shovel, torch, warm clothes, flask & blanket.

Getting colder

2009-12-14T10:47:00.000-08:00

The days seem to be flying past. over past few days it has got a lot colder and temperature has not got above minus 2 for a few days and minus 25 forecast for Thursday night. Our apartment is nice and snug with heating on but many we see here are a lot worse off, even if they have electric supply, wood burning soba or calor gas hob, they cannot afford the fuel to burn.
The Pajero and trailer has been used to full capacity, it is such a Blessing to us here. Moving firewood (7 trailer loads) Moving a family and their possessions into one of the Hands of Hope houses, delivering Christmas shoe boxes to schools and kindergardens, giving folks a lift.

Baby Gabriel

2009-12-09T06:43:00.001-08:00

Today Iuliana and baby Gabriel came home he is now 2.2k and 6 weeks old. Dad Mihae was with us to bring their 7th child home. i think all the blankets he was swaddled in probably weighed more than the baby.

another busy week

2009-12-08T11:14:00.000-08:00

We are having a wonderful week, extremely busy. Today we visited 3 village schools distributing Christmas shoe boxes. We had loaded the Pajero and top box with 211 boxes, it was full to capacity. see report on the News page of the Hands of Hope site. http://www.handsofhope.org.im/

Maria

2009-12-08T11:10:00.000-08:00

Maria's heart operation was cancelled again on Monday as she had a cold. she has been sent home to Dorohoi and not likely to be scheduled again until January as the specialist surgeon is now back in Bucharest.

Prayers Please

2009-12-06T09:45:00.000-08:00

Update on baby Maria. The operation which was set for Friday was delayed again. It is now scheduled for tomorrow Monday. please pray for her and her Mum & family. the operation is due to last 7 hours.

A busy week

2009-12-02T13:51:00.001-08:00

Time here is flying past as usual. Carl a visiting fire officer from UK, is with us for a week on a scoping mission to see if they are able to provide any help with equipment & training. Yesterday we drove around the north of the county, taking notice of what (or should i say what NOT) was available. Today we had a very productive & interesting 3 hour long meeting with the County fire chief.

We are in the midst of Christmas shoe box deliveries, and over the next few weeks will be delivering over 600 boxes.These are going to many of the remote villages and poorer areas.

Tomorrow we are visiting the day centre for children with special needs. It is their Christmas celebration, a bit early in the month but all schools are finishing a week early and for economical reasons all teachers will be on unpaid leave for the week.

Please pray for baby Maria, she is 19 months old and due to have an 7 hour heart operation on Friday. The op has been delayed many times as they needed the right surgeon to be available and also for Maria to be bigger and stonger. The op will take place in Iasi hosptial 2 1/2 hours drive from here. Brindusa her mother is with her and though medical care is good, the hospital has no heating and no food. Please keep them both in your prayers, Brindusa is trusting in the Lord and very thankful for all your prayers.

Thanks for your interest, prayers and support, Noapte Buna from Dorohoi

2009-11-26T11:23:00.000-08:00

Spent much of the past couple of days catching up with families and folk we know. I think all of the families are being affected by the financial and political situation in Romania and many are finding life even harder. Despite all of this it is amazing how tough and resiliant the children are, pictured above is Chris and Peter with Georgi a 3 year old with hydrocephalus who was looking better than we have seen him for many months. We will be visiting all of these families again over the next couple of weeks as we have the great job of distributing 400 Christmas shoe boxes and other donated presents and supplies.

2009-11-26T11:18:00.000-08:00

Photo on the journey! It was just amazing to see this horse in the back of a pickup leaning into the corners as they wound their way down the mountain roads.... Caption competition??
Was it a Hyundai Pony?..

We have arrived

2009-11-23T11:38:00.001-08:00

arrived safely in Dorohoi late Monday afternoon. Tried out Chrs's alternative route on one of the last legs, which was rural and interesting!
called in to see one of the families in a HoH house at Cobila on the way to Dorohoi, it was lovely to have such a warm welcome back and we look forward to seeing everyone else tomorrow. our apartment was all spick and span and our friend Helen had pt fresh flowers and fruit on the table to welcome us.
Chris & Peter did numerous trips up and down the stairs to unload the pajero while i cooked tea. the apartment is now full of bags and boxes and the Pajero is sighing with relief. we reckon we came out with well over half a ton of aid etc. Now looking forward to distributing it all.

Family time

2009-11-19T09:00:00.001-08:00

Smooth journey off island and down to Dorset. Enjoying a few days with Chris's parents. Leaving UK from Dover on Saturday. See you soon Romania

2009-11-15T12:32:00.000-08:00

53 hours

2009-11-15T06:08:00.000-08:00

Pajero has new tyres-Chris eventually tracked down some more "grand trek", think we got the last 4 in the UK. they are chunky and good for general use but brilliant off road. the old ones served us very well, but had seen about 100,000km service.
off now to pack the car and very thankful that we have a dry and sunny afternoon, so will get it all sorted and just leave personal bags to put in on Tuesday. and oh yes MUST remember, leave some space for Peter who we collecting on the way through UK.

7 days

2009-11-10T07:12:00.000-08:00

A sure sign we are leaving soon, the house is full of bags and boxes and the list of jobs to do before we leave is getting longer.
in 172 hours time we will be on the ferry, looking forward to a few days with family in England then ferry from Dover on 21st.

A sad week

2009-11-06T07:21:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday we were devastated to hear that our good friend Dru had been killed in a road accident. Dru was a fantastic person and huge support and encouragement, she touched the hearts and lives of many people.
Thank you Lord for giving us the privilege of knowing Dru, and we lift her family and friends to you, praying that you will give you them your comfort and peace.

14 days and counting

2009-11-03T04:41:00.000-08:00

14 days until Chris and I leave the Isle of Man. We are so thankful for all the donations.
we already have bags and boxes ready to be loaded in the Pajero.
Ramsey Baptist Church have been a great support to us personally & the charity. Next week at the family service folks are being asked to bring items for us to use in the Christmas family parcels that we will be distributing through December.
Chris's brother Peter is driving out with us to Romania and will be with us for a few days, we are looking forward to showing him our Home in Romania and introducin him to the work of Hands of Hope.

2009-10-13T23:43:00.000-07:00

Busy on the Isle of Man today. collected 5 bags of clothes yesterday, so need to sort them out either to go with us in November or be put in store for next year. also looking forward to being with our IOM home group for the first time in 6 months.

Our First Entry

2009-10-13T15:59:00.000-07:00

We hope to keep you up to date with some of the stuff we get up to day to day as we work in Romania, travel backwards and forwards. share our ups and not so ups!

Lets see how it goes!