Buna ziua Everybody,
I want to write and beg for your urgent prayers for ROCK right now. The hospital has been acting strangely about our work there since about last Thursday, out of the blue, but today was a full on battle as the hospital director waltzed in firing her ridiculous new rules that defy all logic as well as all heart. First it was our clothes. For some odd reason that ROCK has never encountered in the past 10 years it's been working at this hospital, they decided we need to wear white shoes, white trousers/skirt and a medical smock. It doesn't make any sense, really, but alright, so that's not a big deal... unless you're one of the Romanian workers who fights to feed your family on your wages as it is and haven't the luxury of being able to buy a uniform-- and ROCK pays well compared to most Romanian jobs! And what for? Only the babies ever see us and they could care less what we're wearing under our smocks...
Then suddenly after 10 years, they decided teams of volunteers shouldn't be here-- the day before a team of 4 ladies from New York who have been planning for and preparing for this trip for the past 11 months arrived in Bucharest... They're at the hospital now but it's touch-n-go... (They are so lovely with such hearts for Him and they have clearly been appointed as the team to be here for "such a time as this".)
Then, one day they came into the room and declared that we can no longer lock our cupboards. No buts about it, just don't do it. But, you see, if ever anything goes without being locked up, it is stolen in the night. Sometimes the nurses even steal the diapers we leave for them to change the babies with during the night when we're not there-- diapers that the hospital should rightfully be supplying but we do as we've taken on all the babies left abandoned to this hospital. How much more would they like to get their hands on all the American toys and clothes and vitamins and shoes and such that each team fundraises to bring for the babies?!
Then today was the clincher. It was only Carmen (a sweet Romanian worker) and I left on shift when the director, a sour-faced doctor, and the headnurse came in speaking authoritatively to Carmen. The director wanted everything out of the room except for the babies (and their cribs, obviously, because they seem to think the one ought to be attached to the other) and the workers in the properly-coloured clothes. And no more than TWO of us at a time. They demanded that we move the two huge floor-to-ceiling cupboards full of diapers and clothes and sheets and towels and vitamins and bathing things and physical therapy things and shoes and other such necessities out into the hall. NOW. And that everything else in the room that's not kept under lock and key-- like the baby swing, the two walkers, two entertainment centres, two high chairs, etc, be taken from the hospital premises.
We were floored. Carmen panicked and I fell into silent prayers over my Florica's head.
ROCK's guidelines ensure that we treat the hospital staff with respect and don't cause a ruckus. But this is just heartless and illogical! They simply do not care about the abandoned babies. The doctor who covers this wing, and obviously considers herself 'upper-class', doesn't even touch the babies when she comes in, except for Mario. Wanna know why? The rest of the babies look gypsy. Mario is the only blond-haired, blue-eyed baby. And he's the only child I've ever seen her touch. I've spent 6 weeks here.
Anyway, things are all unsettled and everyone's walking on eggshells. Please pray that He intervenes on the behalf of these babies!! And that we are the picture of His love to the hospital staff throughout the conflicts...
Also, would you please hold my little man Emil up before the Father? His mother's come back for him today after 5 months complete absense. The ROCK workers assume it's because the authorities discovered that she'd abandoned her baby and so withheld her welfare check or something equivelent. Meaning... the most perfect baby boy I've ever known is about to be thrust into a family that doesn't want him, can't afford to clothe and feed him, and won't show him the love he's now flourishing in with us. The thought of my little boy going hungry, or being achingly cold in the night, or missing his once daily baths, let alone the whole host of other abuses that routinely occur in loveless homes... I would have adopted that boy in a moment if given the chance. I've prayed over him for weeks now and I know that God will hover near to his life, but I so want better than this for him-- he is my special boy, my "son", the ROCK workers call him :)Please, please, please will you pray for him? My heart is breaking at the moment...
The enemy is having a hay-day with ROCK right now. In so many ways. Please, please, please, will you pull on the armour with me and cover us in prayer? I would be more grateful than I will ever have words to say... I wish I knew better how to beg. We're just trying to get as much prayer over this thing as we possibly can as soon as we possibly can...
Thank you so much!
Leah <><
p.s. I leave Romania on Thursday. I hardly know how to go about doing it... I will be in touch next from the UK, which will seem a very different place to a very different girl...
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Visit: www.rockministries.org -- www.redcliffe.org -- www.faithbaptistpr.com -- www.krbc.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk
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