Dec. 1, 2007

Thanksgiving

Dear Friends and family,

            Before anything else, I want to include our family's philosophy of support raising, which I think got cut off our last prayer letter.

Welcome to the Table
- an Invitation to Celebration

At the center of our daily lives is the table.  We break bread with children who often go hungry.  We do homework with children who have been called "stupid".  We draw with children who have been told they have no talent.  Scripture describes a day we will sit at a table together, and there we will all be loved and served as honored guests.  We have the privilege of experiencing a small taste of that now, as we live with and love children in poverty.  We are also honored to have friends all over the world who desire to take part in this feast.  Through prayer, giving and support, many people have taken their place at the table.  We do not see our friends far away as donors or the children amongst whom we serve as recipients but as fellow guests, all seated at the same table, utterly dependent on the lavish generosity of our Host.

An image that is important to our family, is that of Abraham and Sarah offering hospitality to the three visitors, an Old Testament reference to the Holy Trinity.  We believe our vocation here in Romania is to dwell within that sacred hospitality.  Just as we have been invited and embraced into relationship with Love Himself, we ask all our friends, both rich and poor, to pull up a chair and join us in this celebration.  We saved a place for you.

 

            That actually ties into what I want to talk about very nicely.  In a couple weeks we will celebrate Thanksgiving.  It is the one American holiday we really still hold onto here.  We will cook our hearts out, gather round a table and remember that everything we are and have is due to God's goodness.  We are here because He carried us.

            I thought about the story of Jesus healing the 10 lepers and how it would be to suddenly have the use of your limbs and hands back.  What would be the first thing you would do?  I would run to the loved ones I had been separated from and kiss them and hold them, knowing that I couldn't infect them.  Most of the lepers did that.  But one saw the situation correctly.  He saw that all he was and all he had was because of Jesus.  And he knew his first priority was to thank Him. 

            So for this month's update, I just want to share a list of things I recognize as pure gifts of grace from our generous Father.

-         Thankful for the healthy birth of Kira Wren McAvaddy.  She decided to come 3 weeks early, changing the plans of her birth in a nice, western clinic in Brasov to having her in the dilapidated, institutional, oppressive hospital in Galati.  After just 45 minutes in the hospital, she arrived at 5lbs 14 oz and healthy in every way.  She is a beautiful, growing baby and we are so happy to have her here.  Its nice to see some pink clothes for a change!

-         Thankful that L's baby, whom I shared about in a previous letter, has gotten to see a loving, helpful, Christian doctor.  This may not sound like much, but it was a real effort to get mom and baby to the doctor and usually doctors in Romania do not go out of their way to encourage and support a patient, especially if the patient is poor.  This doctor really wants to do all she can to help the baby and her older brother thrive, despite their difficult circumstances.

-         Thankful for the 30 school children who continue to come regularly to the center.  School has been in full swing for a couple of months now, and a few of the children who began the year coming regularly have now started to be absent more frequently.  We are thankful for the ones that have not given into pressure from siblings or friends and have persevered in coming everyday.  We see great changes in their behavior and improvement in their academics.

-         Thankful for C, a new boy who began coming a month ago. He has some developmental disabilities, but his quiet presence and shy smile are a blessing to our community. 

-         Thankful for a warm fall that has allowed Joel and Lau to get lots of work done on the house.  Granted, they would like to get a lot more done before the cold weather sets in, (well, my computer says its 43 degrees, so I guess that means its here).  I am thankful for an incredibly hard working husband who sacrifices time, energy and feeling in his fingers to build us a home. 

-         Thankful for a great start to the homeschooling year.  Simeon is learning so much and sounding out words as much as he can.  His imagination is amazing, providing us with many lego creations and original books everyday.  We are having a great time learning and exploring together.

-         Thankful for spunky, chatty Abram.  As it did with Simeon, the twos came early for Abram.  "Me! Me! Me!" is a common chorus around here and the full blown, on the ground crying fit is practically guaranteed with diaper changes, putting on coats and removing dangerous objects from his grip.  But, even with all that, he is still a bubbly, funny boy.  Full of smiles, silly antics and never wanting to be left out of what his big brother is up to.  Everyday is full of wonder and joy with them.

-         Thankful for YOU, our friends, family and supporters.  As we have shared our needs, we have been amazed by your responses.  I have come to tears when I see friends who have committed to monthly giving and have made it a priority through automated deduction.  A few friends have asked exactly how much we need, and we sat down and figured out that in order for our support account to be healthy, we should be receiving $1000 more each month than what we get now.  That is a lot, but we wanted to be honest about our level of need.  Thank you for giving.

We pray this season is full of joy, reflection and thanksgiving for you and your family.

 

Blessings,

Monica, Joel, Simeon and Abram Klepac