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Can you believe it? Officially IT’S SUMMER
TIME!!!
 July I
think is one of the most “wanted months” that every person is
expecting and waiting for all year. Holidays are booked and the fun
begins.....But what about me and my desk??
Well the great news
is that June, July and August are more like holiday months for me
even if they are the busiest months of the entire year in Smiles!
If you remember my
last update, I was getting ready for a visit to America ...so, lots
of travelling!!! Now while I’m writing this update, I do it from
the roads of United Kingdom, where we are with the kids from Tileagd
School on tour…. so lots to tell you about it! But how was June as
a “full month”, well, it started great but frantic and ended up at
the same speed!
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For
10 days at the end of May and beginning of
June I was in USA on a “promotion visit”. It was a fantastic time
where God’s blessings were seen at every meeting we had. Every day
we had around 3 or 4 different meetings and each day we were in a
different city!!! NEVER in my life have I spent soooo much time in
airports, on a plane....flying!!
One of the things that had a huge impact on me personally during all
my time in USA was a testimony from one of my friends, a person that
I do appreciate and respect very much. His love and commitment to
God, even in difficult times shocked me. Even though he had lost a
lot, had a heart attack, he looked at himself and asked God where he
missed the point of the lesson. His conclusion was so simple and
clear “that all the real blessings are coming from the Blesser not
from the blessings”. Many times we say: “I’m thankful for the good
job, nice house, car and the family are doing great. If those things
change or we lose something of them, we start to complain with
realising it is God Himself we must be thankful for. He NEVER
changes. He ALWAYS loves, cares and provides for us. This was the
important lesson my dear friend had learnt and shared.I want to say a BIG THANK YOU to all the
people that gave up at their time in order to meet us, and hope and
pray to see you all in Romania in the near future.
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Then, in the
first week of June, I came back to Romania for a Mission Trip...A
great experience and a great time with great people!! Life changing
experience like we are feeling every time!! I praise God for the
difference it made to one of the mission trip person which is a dear
friend of mine and Smiles. He knows us for more than 8
years....Many times he drove our vans full with aid from UK to
Budapest for the Romanian people but he did not manage to see them
face to face. He heard soooo many stories about Smiles, from his
wife and from us, he saw sooooo many pictures, but nothing could be
compared with HIS OWN TIME he spent with us. Thank you Derek, and
hope to see you more often in Romania and please don’t wait another
8 years for it!!
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For the first
time in Smiles History :) Mr Hoy decided to leave the Mission Team in
our “hands” without him being in the country at all.......That is a
true leader isn’t it?? But what did he do instead???
Well, I tell you, he did not send us on holiday but on June 18, 8 am,
me, Mr Hoy and 7 of the kids from the Tileagd choir got on the bus and
started our journey to the UK for 3 weeks of sharing our news and
story with different people and children in different places. This
time, very different than the other times, we decided to drive across
Europe, so our final destination was not Budapest but Leeds, and then
onto Belfast Ireland ....We had lots of fun.....The kids are great and
you can see lots of changes in their lives!
Our first week of
tour was very very busy but we did survive and got through the second
week also in England and Wales!! (while you read this we are in
South-East of UK visiting around 10 schools ).
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After 3 days of travelling on our first week we
visited schools from Ireland (Belfast, Ballymena, Gortin and
Ballynahinch etc). The day before we left Romania, one of the
children’s father came to me and asked me if “I’d heard anything about
the arguments that took place in Belfast and that lots of Gypsies and
Romanians have problems there”.... I told him no, and I tried to
forget about it!! |
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On our way out of the country on the radio it said “racist attacks
have taken place in Belfast and more than 100 Romanians are under
supervision and the authorities plan to take them back to Romania
”...well then I got a bit worried! First location of the tour??
BELFAST.... We were driving a Romanian car, Romanian number plates,
sign-written all over......We were plannng to live in Belfast in one
house for one week, go to schools there .......But I could not do much
other than pray!!
People back home
prayed for us, we in the van and people all over UK and the world were
praying for us every single day!! The prayers of God’s children are
stronger than any arms or guns and the week in Ireland was a FANTASTIC
WEEK. We had an AMAZING time, visiting all our friends new and old and
the time spent together could not be described in words.
We walk on
the Belfast streets, eat in the restaurants, families, went to
schools, and share Smiles story all over!!! People wanted to know
about us, so who do you think could stop us?? Nobody!
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 So
thank you very much to all the Irish people that made us to feel at
home....Thank you for your time, spent with us, your prayers and your
support!! The night we spent with many of you in Ballymena was a dream
that came true and you all are part of our family!! The family of God,
that one day we will all be together!! And I have a good news for the
Irish people that stressed me about it:)- I now have my own account on
face book so watch that space!!!!! |
June was a great
month with great experience. I did learn a lot of my relationship
with God and how short and insecure is this life we live on this
earth. One day we all die.....even Michael Jackson .....but it is
important how we die and where we are heading. One day while I was
in USA we were having a meeting in Starbucks. I had a cup full of
hot chocolate and while I wait for the drink to cool I read a quote
that really impressed me that says: “the way i see it
no 299 - There is a subtle difference between a mission and a
promise. A mission is something you strive to accomplish - a
promise is something you are compelled to keep. One is individual,
the other is shared. When a mission and a promise are one and the
same...that’s when mountains are moved and races are won” (Halla
Moddelmog)
 What
is your mission in this world? in your life? You know God’s promise
for you so are you moving in the same direction?? I hope so, because
I would like to see you THERE! And while we are here, we might not
change all the world and move mountains, but we can change the world
for one person and move the mountains from their life!!
Can you help??
I’m sure you do, and thank you soooo much for that!!!
Sincerely,
Maria Cimpoca
Smiles Romania
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Previous letters from Maria:
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
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