We made it!  We did it!  We pulled through!  The pandemic of 2020 is not over, nor the wake that it has created, but we found out that we were stronger and more resilient than perhaps we thought we were.  Not only were my first thoughts when I had to leave Romania on an emergency basis in March, 2020 due to Covid-19, ‘would this be the end of Love From Above in Romania?’ – it was just the opposite.  God has blessed the ministry more than ever before!

I’ll start with December, 2020 and work backwards.  Ovi was able to hold two Christmas programs for children.  Enough of you gave generously that each child got a Christmas present and also goodies in their own separate Christmas bags!  THANK you!!

Christmas services were held with people flocking Canaan (our church in the village of Halchiu) wanting to know the Jesus Who is taught there.  And because of your generosity, we continue to buy food-stuffs for our folks at Canaan.

Corina and her brother, Alex (who worked with me for three years), were allowed to go to a little Christmas program at Barza Mica.  Alex and some of his co-workers bought several presents for each of the ‘kids’ including sweets.  Both Alex and Corina sent me many pictures of the festivity. (Tears flowed!)

Because the director, D-na Alina encouraged me to save whatever funds the ministry has for meds as we get deeper into the winter – and to not buy sweets, I still had such a great desire to give each of my precious ones something.  I sat at my kitchen table in MA, sketched some Christmas card drawings on 3×5 cards, emailed them to Corina asking her, if she would please have time to make cards at least similar to mine and hand to the ‘kids’ the day she went to the orphanage.  Her oldest daughter ended up making them for me – and infinitely more beautiful than I could ever have done.  (You can view them on my FB page.) On the top of each card was ‘Mama Dawn’ – and on the bottom, ‘Te iubeste’ (I love you).  I just had to let them know with something tangible!

We have continued to buy all the meds needed at the two orphanages.  And, I am thrilled to announce that none of our ‘kids’ at Barza had ‘the virus’.  I praise God that D-na Alina has fully recovered from COVID!!

Having worked my way back through December, 2020 – I would like to jump ahead to a new project we need to start immediately.  It has to be under agreement with the government that when a building is started, the upstairs has to be completed, too.  As you know, we have been in our new church, Canaan, for three years, but now must finish the upstairs, or the church will be shut down.  (How glad are you about right now that you live in America?!)   I just got the approximate figure, $20,000, needed to complete the project.  For me, once again, that amount is overwhelming.  But it will be so worth it (government edict, or not) when it is completed.  It will ‘house’ the following:

an office for Ovi  –  a spare bedroom for visitors from abroad – a bathroom – storage space – and a (small, by our standards) fellowship hall, AND a kitchen! 

I KNOW my God can supply all our needs according to His riches in glory!!  Would you consider being a part of this project I’m calling the ‘Upstairs Project’? 

A most Blessed New Year to you!

Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.  Remember the wonders He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He pronounced,… 1 Chronicles 16:11-12