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The
17th October 2009 was an important and an exciting day in
the history of The Smiles Foundation, it was a conference for all the
existing and new Development Associates (DA’s), for which there was a
full attendance and our new DA from America, Greg Willis, even made
it!
 The
reasoning behind having a representative in each corner of the UK is
to help the flow of information to all the Smiles Foundation
supporters and to help raise awareness and support for the
organisation. As such, the DA’s are greatly appreciated and it is a
real blessing that they give of their time so willingly and freely.
The day
started (after the coffee and pastries) with Kevin outlining the
significance of this new structure of DA’s and the feeling that the
Smiles Foundation charity was ‘coming of age’ but very importantly,
still retaining the family atmosphere, which has always been something
of a ‘trade mark’ with Smiles.
The
current economic climate is not easy for charities to maintain the
same support as it was used too and the
Smiles Foundation is no
different. The level of financial support may be down slightly but
certainly the
 “heart” support is as strong as ever and because
of this the financial support will come back after this current crisis
has past. However, tough decisions do have to be made to use our
assets wisely, and as Trustees, we thank God that Kevin has the
heart and skills he has.
Following
the opening presentation by Kevin, several of the DA’s took it in
turns to share an aspect of the work they do. Each of the DA’s has
different strengths and it was encouraging to hear them share those
with everyone else.
“How do you get schools to support Smiles and sponsor Romanian
Children or organise a Container Challenge and get it shipped? How do
you organise effective fund raising?”
All these
and more were addressed, but I think most people were glad they didn’t
have the challenge of raising the awareness of the Smiles Foundation
and the plight of the Romanians in a territory as large as the USA!
However, having met Greg Willis and listened to him speak, I am sure
that God has prepared him for a time such as this. God bless you Greg.
We will be praying for you and will give you as much support as we
can.
 As
we listened during the day to the stimulating talks and conversation
it was great to be reminded to be thankful for all the small things.
God’s work in Romania is advanced one step at a time, with each parcel
of food handed out or with each toothache which is treated and back in
the UK, it is with each donation at a bag pack or each sponsorship of
a Smiles Club which allows these things to be done, so thank you
Lynda (Region 2) for the reminder.
Of course
we will continue to pray for the large donations which allow projects
like the Tileagd Complex to be completed. They are so much more
than a symbol of God’s Love because they show it in practice. The new
project of the ‘Joint Facility of Love’ – the Nursing Home and
Centre for Children with Disabilities may be on hold temporarily
but it is not forgotten but it is very important that existing
projects are supported and strengthened.
 Coming
from Northern Ireland it was good
to
travel with our local DA, Penny Kennedy who keeps everything
running smoothly in the province and has been busy this past year
building and supporting a group of local Ambassadors (Supporting
DA’s). Barbara Morrison is one of these ambassadors also
accompanied us to the conference to share the practical experience of
getting a container to Romania. As she spoke I was very aware that
despite all we do, it still wouldn’t all happen without it being in
God's will and having His blessing.
On
that note, I will wrap up my reflections from the conference and look
forward to the new developments in the year ahead.
God Bless you and Thank You for your support.
Brian
McKee,
UK Trustee
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