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

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 &........

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.