Dear Friends,
Everything about today has been unexpected. First, the phonecall with my son’s father Jeremy. He told me this morning he has “Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss" that is permanent with 80% impairment in one ear. Doctors think it’s a result of covid. I’m the one who gave that to him more than six months ago - a few weeks before he lost hearing in his left ear. If they had seen him within 3 weeks and not put him on a six month waitlist, they could have prevented the permanent loss of hearing in that ear. I am devastated for him, and cannot help but feel a sense of responsibility. A basic hearing aid in New Zealand costs $2000 and I promised I’d get him that while I wait for my house to sell at which time I can get him something better (the better ones seem to be upward of $6000!)
Alina
While I processed this news, Alina (from the Caleb Foundation) waited for me in the lobby. I had to quickly pull myself together to meet with her. I got her some coffee and we sat out in the sun on the balcony of my hotel and talked. In the days leading up to my arrival here, I had been praying that God would show me what was needed and what I could give to the work of the Foundation and to Alina and Gheorghe who manage it. I want so much to be useful and to contribute something of value.
Warning: I am about to risk sounding like the crazy Christian again to some of you by disclosing thoughts that I would normally keep to myself, but I’m sharing it with you because to be quite honest, it feels like I am only telling part of the story to leave it out. If (like me) you have been hurt or damaged by Christianity in any way (as I have), I get it, and feel free to skip over these next few paragraphs.
Over the last few months when I phoned my New Zealand friend Christine who I pray with whenever I am able to, I came away with a few thoughts that stuck with me, and lately, they’ve been on my mind:
don’t forget to include God and invite God into the situation wherever you go and whatever you are doing
don’t dismiss the small things that you give or do as they may be more important than you may think
This has served as a reminder whenever I have wondered “what on earth can I bring to this situation that’s of any use?” which I can assure you, I frequently ask myself and God. This has led to little things like the idea to offer a pattern for reusable nappies and sanitary towels and remembering the contacts I have that might be able to help with that. It also led to the conversation I had with Alina today. Again, it was unexpected: the conversation went in a direction I hadn’t anticipated. Alina talked about some challenges she had been facing and the fatigue that happens so often when managing a charity. I was able to share with her some of the ways that I had approached this with my own charity and not only did the conversation confirm the direction she felt she should go in, it also gave her ideas as to the how which she had been unsure about. Alina asked me to share some of the tools I had mentioned that I used in my own work which I will pass on to her, and for online follow-up conversations with me in the future which I was more than happy to agree to.
And the final unexpected turn of events for the day: I saw Cristina outside the supermarket today during my evening stroll through Baile Felix.
Cristina
For those that may remember, I met Cristina in Baile Felix a few days ago with her two children aged 8 and 1yo. The man who I struck up a conversation with after trying to buy him dinner upon discovering him eating out of the rubbish bins had explained to me that Cristina was living on the street with her daughters. The next day I saw Alina who said Cristina belonged to the Lazareni village and that she must have chosen to go to Baile Felix to beg rather than live in the village. Alina had said that the rate of begging had dropped considerably since their support of the village, and that’s important because not only do we want Cristina off the street, but we don’t want her children growing up there, learning to beg themselves and to remain in poverty. Rather, we want them growing up in a safe environment where they can access their basic needs including education and better their lives. This time, Cristina followed me into the supermarket and asked me to buy her daughter some nappies, so I did. Afterwards, I talked to Cristina about her situation. I’d originally expected to go back to Lazareni village and hoped I’d see Cristina in the village so I could speak to her about the begging and see if I could persuade her not to - I wanted a different future for her daughters - one that the Caleb Foundation is working so hard to achieve. It ended up that I didn’t return to Lazareni last week and so I didn’t expect to see Cristina again, but I was really glad to see her tonight in Baile Felix and I decided to see if she would be receptive to what I had to say.
In my very simple Romanian (and a little help from google translate) I said that it hurt my heart to see her on the street with her children, that she needed to provide her children with a house and allow them to go to school. I said that Alina can provide her with love and family and that I felt that it was not an accident that I should see her again. Initially, she objected and took me to an alley close by to the supermarket where she had put down a mattress underneath the shelter of an apartment balcony and there she slept with her daughters. She seemed to think this was sufficient for herself and her children, but I told her it wasn’t enough - that her children needed proper shelter and a home and needed to go to school. “Te rog” I said, looking into her eyes, my hand on my heart: “te rog” (please).
In reply, Cristina tried to communicate with me and after lots of ‘nu inseleg’ on my part (I don’t understand), we figured out Cristina could speak directly into my phone and it would translate her words into English. “Please Alina help me” she said (possibly mistaking google translate for some kind of voicemail system or a direct phone call to Alina) “I need your help.” She asked me would I please ask Alina to find her a house and work in Lazareni? “Yes,” I said. “I will.” I gave them all a hug goodbye and thought about them all the way home. I hope and pray that they will get off the street and there will be a home for them all in Lazareni.
Suddenly it’s hard to leave Baile Felix tomorrow. What will become of Cristina and her girls? Will she find the work that she said that she needs to stay in Lazareni? Will there be enough housing there to accommodate her and her children? As the three of them snuggle up on a mattress in an alleyway just a 10 minute walk from where I sit on my comfortable bed and write this, what news will I have from Alina when she sees my message in the morning?
If money is needed to provide Cristina and her daughters with a home and a job, what can I do to help with crippling mortgage repayments a month away and a promise that I must keep to my son’s father to fund his hearing aid that he now sadly needs?
If like me, you want to financially support Cristina and her daughters to find a home and work in Lazareni, please give to my designated New Zealand bank account for the people I meet and the charities that support them:
Kristina Paterson 38-9016-0189582-00
Or go to my Givealittle page, particularly if you would prefer to get a tax receipt or you are not from New Zealand as they will accept credit cards:
https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/krissy-raising-money-for-romania
(Note: I am currently fundraising for supplies (materials) that would allow the Caleb Foundation to sew reusable nappies and sanitary towels that would go directly to those living in Lazareni. So people like Cristina wouldn’t need to keep her baby in soiled nappies because she cannot afford the 100 lei for disposables as I bought for her today.)
For those that have a faith or belief in God, I wonder what would happen if you included God or invited God into everything that you did everywhere you went? If you asked ‘what can I contribute to this situation that would be helpful?’ and then really paid attention to what that could be?
As always - thanks for your support,
Kristina
P.S. Givealittle has been a bit of a nightmare to deal with lately (I won’t go into a long explanation) and I’m not entirely sure whether they have refunded all the donations that were given by some of you to the Caleb Foundation recently as they have closed the page but I’m unsure if they sent the money onto me before closing it (I’m waiting on a reply from them)? If that’s the case and you have found a refund from Givealittle in your bank account, please can you re-deposit it either into my NZ bank account or the (new) Givealittle page link above? I have already given to the Caleb Foundation the amount that was raised.
Thankyou :)