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.