Party With A Purpose

Tis the season for eggnog, cookies and parties galore. It's also the season for family, giving and goodwill. We were blessed to be the recipient of such goodwill in Raleigh, NC where an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party was held in honor of Firm Foundations Romania.

 

The Zorzi family - Heather and Abrianna Zorzi being volunteers for FFR - threw a lovely house party, inviting all of their friends to come celebrate the season while also giving back.

 

Food and drink were flowing, neighbors chatted and played games and a good time was had by all. Halfway through the evening, Sarah Vienna, Heather Zorzi and Jennifer Peterkin were able to share about FFR and sing one of Sarah's songs, "Seeds For Destiny".

 

 

Through something as simple and fun as a house party we were able to get people together, share about Romania, raise funds and recruit new volunteers!

Romania Fara Orfani by Sarah Peters

Sarah Peters is one of FFR's interns. She, along with fellow intern Izzy Hathaway, manage the volunteer apartment, help organize donations, supervise shifts in the hospital and lend helping hands wherever they are needed. We are so thankful for our interns!

 

This November, Izzy, Rachel and I had the privilege of attending a conference organized by the alliance Romania Without Orphans. At the conference, we heard from Romanian politicians, a director of social services, social workers, families who have adopted, charity workers, church pastors and young adults raised in institutions, now supporting other orphaned and abandoned children.

Here discussions revolved around these views:

•  Children should not be raised by the state, but in a family.
• Adoption is not currently viewed as a priority by many in Romania, so we need to motivate a culture of adoption across Romania, to care for the children in institutional care.
•  All children have a voice, and where some children may have lost theirs, we should help them find it.
•  Children who have experienced trauma in their lives need love, support and safety - all children deserve that.
•  Supporting families so they don’t have to leave the country for work, or abandon their children, putting preventative and early intervention models in place.
•  ‘Because God cares about the orphaned and abandoned children, ‘si noua ne pasa’, we also care.

It was a wonderful opportunity for us to network with other people working in Romania with the same heart, and it was so inspiring to see so many people, especially Romanians, committing to working towards 'Romania fara orfani', Romania without orphans.

FFR At The Circus!

Orlando's Circus came to town and the FFR team made a day of it. From acrobats to clowns and everything in between, we had a blast!

The gang with Orlando of Orlando's Circus!

Anxiously waiting for the festivities to start! We had great seats :)

Costel got to pet a llama!

Our fearless leaders take on the zebras

Orlando himself performed a gravity defying finale! Take a peek...

Bonding, Building & Pizza

Having the teenagers from our Teen Mentor Program living in Brasov is a great opportunity to get to know them on a deeper level, to develop individual friendships with them and to expose them to new cultures and new people - and vice versa!

That's why, once a month, our FFR Interns plan a dinner night with the teens, inviting volunteers to join as well! On top of the relationship building aspect, it's a great way for the girls to practice their English.

September marked the first "Dinner Night" - pizza was ordered, team building games were played and fun was had! It was really neat to see our teens bond with their flatmates and our volunteers. We're already looking forward to the next one!

 

Happy Heart Toy Factory

For every happy little toy purchased, another is donated to a child in need! 

You've probably come across this give-back business concept as made popular by brands like Toms and People Water.

Now, Grace Lloyd, from New York, is using the same model to help FFR! Grace makes hand made stuffed animals that can be purchased on Etsy. When a toy is purchased, another will be made and sent directly to FFR in Romania. The toys will then be given to the children in the Brasov State Children's Hospital.

Grace explains her desire to get involved:
"After learning about the high number of orphans in Romania and the hardships they struggle through on a daily basis, I decided that selling my crafts could mean much more than simply making a few extra dollars for myself... When you purchase a toy from the Happy Heart Toy Factory, another will be donated to Firm Foundations Romania and given to a child whose family does not have the means to provide toys for their children. My goal is simple: to bring a little extra joy into the world, and put smiles on the faces of children who have less than we do."

Thank you, Grace, for your heart and for using the gifts that God has given you! We encourage you to visit the Happy Heart Toy Factory website. Purchase a toy for yourself or for a loved one and know that you've helped make a difference in a child's life.

The Interns Have Arrived!

By Rachel Titiriga, Internship Coordinator

 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11

I am so very excited to introduce you all to FFR’s first ever Interns! 

Izzy Hathaway, 20, is from Fenton, Michagan, USA

Sarah Peters, 23, is from Stockton on Tees, Teesside, England

These young ladies have moved to Brasov to Intern with Firm Foundations Romania for one year.  The FFR Internship Program is a Christian Missionary and Discipleship Program.  Izzy and Sarah will be encouraged to grow in their walk with the Lord this year through Bible reading, group book and Bible studies, discipleship, accountability and prayer.  They will learn firsthand what it means to be a missionary as they serve alongside of FFR’s programs.  My hope is that by the end of this year these young ladies will have a heart for Romania and the people here, but more than just that, they will have God’s heart for the lost and hurting of this world, and that their lives will be transformed from the inside – out.

Both Sarah and Izzy arrived on Monday, August 10^th and we began our Orientation Week on Tuesday!  It was so fun watching them walk through the Intern Apartment that had been prepared for them.  Their excitement made all of the hard prep work well worth it! Thank you to the members of the Calvary Chapel Treasure Valley and Kingwood Bible Church teams for all of your help in getting the apartment ready!

 

During this past week the girls were introduced to an overview of FFR’s Programs and how they will be involved.  We went over the Internship Guidelines and House Rules, did a ton of walking to tour their new home of Brasov, and began our Romanian Language Training!   These ladies will be Brasov City and Romanian Language pros in no time at all!

There has been time for fun and fellowship too as Izzy and Sarah went on a Photo Scavenger Hunt across the city!  They did a great job finding all the places on their list!

 

We also had our first dinner and movie night together!  We had nachos and watched Peter Pan!

 

Friday night was our first Bible Study and time of prayer for Romania and each other.  We also began our Bible reading schedule with the hopes of reading through the entire Bible by the end of the year.  I am so honored to have the opportunity to be the Internship Program Manager and to be able to pour into the lives of these ladies.  I can see their desire to serve and grow in their relationship with the Lord and I’m excited to see what God has for them in the coming year!

VNO - Volunteers Night Out

One of the best things about working in Romania is all of the different people we get to meet! We have volunteers from all over the world come to hold babies in the Brasov Children's Hospital and to love on our kids in Budila. Every once in awhile, though, we get to take a break from that and spend time together as a team - having fun and getting to know each other! Thursday proved to be one of those times at Cafe Mado on Republicii.

Abrianna & Andreea

Raluca, Abrianna & Andreea

Dominique, Derrick, Ashley & Lauren

Erin, Becky & Holly

Rachel, Steffi, Melanie & Mary

Sarah, Heather & Loredana

The whole crew!

Costel with his sister, Andreea