Background
Word Made Flesh (WMF) was started by Shane Clark in 1991, as a non-profit organization that exists to serve the poorest of the poor around the world. In the first few years, Shane traveled through the USA preaching, evangelizing and raising awareness about the world's poor. In 1996 Shane stepped down from the position of International Executive Director to pursue studies at Oxford University and Chris Heuertz became the International Executive Director, a position that he currently occupies. WMF now works among the poor in Bolivia , Peru , Brazil , Argentina , Sierra Leone , India , and Nepal .
In 1996 David Chronic went to Romania and the Republic of Moldova as a student and made his first visit to Galati , Romania through the Christian agency Operation Mobilization
1998
From April till July of 1997, David lived in Galati , making relationships that led him to return in 1998. In January 1998 he began helping a local Christian work, the Bethesda Foundation, serving as a caregiver in an apartment with 4-5 street children and another Romanian worker (Lau Archip). After five months of living with the boys in the apartment, David begins to develop relationships and work with the children on the streets. In addition, David was the Servant Team Coordinator for Word Made Flesh.
Throughout the fall, David used an apartment that belonged to Heart of a Child (HOC) Foundation to meet with and help the street children. Together with HOC, David and Philippa began to develop a project to help children with AIDS who had been abandoned in the a local hospital. During the following months, David also developed relationships with the youth in Galati , which helped him identify persons willing to serve with him among the poor.
Milestones:
Fall 1998 ServantTeam: Philippa Curtis
1999
In 1999, the Bethesda Foundation moved the boys from the apartment to a newly constructed house. David then used the apartment as a drop-in center for the street children. Together with the Servant Team was a group of volunteers: Anca Raducan, Nina Sinca , Cristina Tudose, Bela Ispas and Nelu Stefan. The drop-in center was full of street children or children who spent their days on the streets begging and sometimes spending their nights at home. The daily activities included a hot meal, hygiene, art, education, and games (shag-ball, uno and connect 4 being the favorites among both kids and adults). Sometimes the meals came together with such creativity that the children asked, “What is this?” as they ate.
Though the program was busy, the team still met weekly to do a Bible study for the volunteers, friends and other local Christians. During the summer David, Lau and Cristina participated in a Discovery Team in India .
Because the rental contract for the apartment could not be renewed, most of the summer with the street children was spent on the streets. New volunteers came along to help David and Vali: Catalin Ispas and Will John .
When the weather turned cold, the team moved back into the apartment belonging to HOC, using it as a drop-in center. Some of the children were then registered for an elementary school. Danut Stefan began serving along with the volunteers. The activities developed with much effort invested in preparing the children for school.
Milestones:
Spring 1999 Servant Team: Philippa Curtis, Matt Ammerman, Joshua Batchelder, Daphne Eck , Olivia Reichert,
New Staff: Vali Stefan, Nina Sinca
2000
In the spring, children who had missed several years of school enrolled in a special program that allowed them to make up missed grades quickly. The drop-in center provided material assistance and educational support. Dennis Mills decided to stay after the spring Servant Team ended and served as Field Staff for another year and a half. Cristina Tudose participated in an internship in Peru for 3 months.
In August, the street children participated in a week of camp together with the team from the drop-in center and a Discovery Team from WMF. At the end of the summer, the number of Field Staff increased with the Klepac family: Joel and Monica. They came as the new Servant Team Coordinators.
Also during the summer, Cristina Tudose became full time staff, coordinating the education program and the community prayer letters. Nelu Stefan also became full time staff, assisting with homework, meals and soccer. The staff played soccer and shared a meal on the streets with the children five days a week, in wind, rain, snow and sleet. Despite some workers' and volunteers' lack of talent, the boys still enjoyed playing together.
In the fall, the community purchased an apartment where Nelu and Dennis lived and together took in Gabi Andrici, one of the street boys. In December, the construction of Bethesda 's drop-in center was finalized and the activities coordinated by David moved to this building. The activities at the drop-in center included art, education, woodshop, showers and warm meals.
Milestones:
Spring 2000 Servant Team: Dennis Mills , Tim Wade, Katy Daniels and Rachel Smith
Fall 2000 Servant Team: Matt Neher, Angee Kilmer, Teri Knittel, Susan Miles and Rachel Simons
New Staff: Olivia Reichert, Cristina Tudose, Joel and Monica Klepac, Nelu Stefan Dennis Mills
Teams: Discovery Team from Threshold Ministries, Wilmore , KY
2001
The collaboration with the Bethesda Foundation ended in February, two months after the new drop-in center began to function. The community then began looking for another place to continue their activities. During this period, the lessons with the students were done in the workers' homes. The community continued to meet on the streets with the children.
In March, the community purchased a home on Dogariei Street , number 111 and in the spring the renovation and refurbishment began. One of the first projects was draining the groundwater away from the house. This included digging a 9-foot deep trench in the garden by hand and installing a drainage pipe.
On April 12, 2001 the Fundatia Cuvântul Întrupat (Word Made Flesh Foundation) was established.
The first board meeting was held on April 20. The board members were: Lenuta Dodu (chairperson), Lau Archip (vice-chairperson), Anna Burtea (secretary), Bela Ispas (treasurer), Dana Ariton (auditor), David Chronic (executive director), Dennis Mills , Vali Stefan, Joel Klepac , Monica Klepac and Cristina Tudose. In addition to meetings, the community also participated in a seven-hour hike through the snow and ice of the Busteni Mountains .
In May, David, Dennis, Bela, Vali and Dana Ariton (president of HOC) traveled to India to participate in a WMF Discovery Team. They learned so much on this trip together, including how to stay cool in the tropics with water fights.
Milestones:
Spring 2001 Servant Team: Teri Knittel, Wes O'Callaghan, and Jen Hobday
Fall 2001 Servant Team: Matt Harrell, Will John , Sandy Methe and Beth Durrell
New Staff: Catalina Gatau, Bela Ispas, Lau Archip
Teams: Work team from The Faith Fellowship, Chardon , OH
Discovery team from Trinity Church , Omaha , NE
2002
Throughout these 2002 the process of renovation and refurbishment continued at the Community Center. At the beginning of 2002, Nelu and Olivia (who were married in November, 2001) moved to the USA .
In August 2002, Cristina Tudose was sent by Cuvântul Întrupat to Bolivia as Field Staff to serve with WMF for 9 months. Dana Ariton was sent by Cuvântul Întrupat to Calcutta to participate in a Servant Team, in September 2002. During the summer Cuvântul Intrupat, together with HOC, continued to organized camps for children assisted by both foundations. On December 14 , 2002 , David Chronic and Lenuta Dodu were married.
The activities with the children at the Community Center continued: showers, a warm meal, art therapy, education and games. The community also initiated a gardening project where the children learned about organically growing vegetables and were rewarded for their work. As the center was finalized, more of the rooms were utilized and allowed for the expansion of programs and improvement of activities.
Milestones:
New Staff: Seth and Kari Allgire, Rachel Simons
Teams: Discovery team from Trinity Church , Omaha , Nebraska
Work team from Vineyard Christian Fellowship, Wickliffe , OH
2003
In January of 2003, the community grew with the birth of Simeon Klepac. Joel and Monica felt led to begin a home for street boys, a place for 4-5 boys to learn what it means to have a family. In August of 2003, the community purchased a home and immediately began renovations. The goal was for the street boys to be able to move in as soon as possible.
In 2003 more children came to the Cuvântul Întrupat community and were integrated into the school system. There were six children in normal classes, five in literacy classes, and five in weekend courses. This increase stressed the community's need for more workers. The community welcomed more students who came as volunteers to help the children with their school work. The board of Cuvantul Intrupat continued to develop as Lau became Executive Director and Bela became Director of Administration and Valeriu Mihai became a board member.
As renovations were completed on the drop-in center buildings, the courtyard and landscaping were developed. This included several trips for the men to a granite quarry to hand pick and load 10 tons of stone for the garden retaining walls.
Milestones:
New Staff: Paul Rase, Rodica Vladoiu
2004
The drop-in center staff participated in various training sessions to learn how to address the specific emotional needs of street children and poor children. The community welcomed two Servant Teams who volunteered at the drop in center, on the streets, at the boy's home and at a home for youth with disabilities run by HOC. Through many hours of paperwork and changes, the Department of Health and the Department of Child protection gave approval to the drop-in center. In the fall, some drop-in center staff expanded the work on the streets to include another neighborhood of Galati . The boys home renovation was completed and the Klepacs began receiving boys.
Milestones:
Spring 2004 Servant Team: Bethany Sopenski, April Jones , Gwen Richardson
Fall 2004 Servant Team: Katie Cook, Toni Moore, Robin Thada, Rheanna Davis , Korie Campbell
New Staff: Emi Patriche, Geanina Gheorghiu, Magda Clopotel, Viorel Manolache
