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SOUTH EAST OF ENGLAND DA's REPORT -
MAY 2011
David Lee - Development Associate for Region 4
 So
what has been happening in the Southern Region since the last report
in June 2010 …… well quite a lot! Having just returned from a mission
trip myself we have been engaged in mission trips, schools contact,
the Container Challenge and fundraising.
Mission Trips
Since June last year we have participated in three very different
mission trips.
During August a team of 22 left for Romania. All ages from 14 to 74,
some had been before but for 7 this was their first Smiles mission
trip experience. How did those that had not been before feel ……
excited but apprehensive! Excited, because they had seen the Smiles
DVD and spoken to those that had been before but, apprehensive because
they didn’t really know what the experience would be like. One thing
that I have found, I may be able to talk about and show DVD’s about
mission trips but until I get there I really don’t know what I will be
doing! I find this quite exciting! So what did we do? Built a wall at
the Arpasel Farm Project! A dividing wall needed to be constructed to
divide the area for the pigs from the chicken area. So with kangos,
pick axes and shovels in hand we went to work and we did it; well one
wall anyway . Brian one of our team members found himself drawing a
large picture of sunflowers whilst visiting the Day Nursery (picture
4), whilst others clambered up and through windows in abandoned
buildings to visit the homeless. A great mission trip! |
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The
December mission trip was quite different …. for example, the weather,
it was cold and snowy and there were only 8 in the team this time. The
main focus was on giving out the Sacks of Smiles which brought many
smiles, however visiting the homeless had a significant impact on
mission team members. We walked a long way through the snow as a
homeless couple wanted to show some of the mission team
 members
their ‘home’. Having seen the plastic sheet laying in the snow one
team member exclaimed in disbelief ‘that’s your house?’
The
mission trip this April was again different with 7 in the team. The
weather was on the cool side. As a small team, with two who hadn’t
been to Romania before, most of the Smiles Projects were visited in a
group. We were amazed to see the site, in the City of Oradea, where
the Container Houses for the Homeless will be located and hopefully
some of the homeless whom we visited will be living there very soon.
One emotional experience for me and my wife was to visit our family we
having been sponsoring. We were given a picture of the eldest daughter
now nearly 20 and on the reverse was written ’thank you for making
this dream come true, finishing school, love Susan’. Susan will be
participating in the end of school ball this May … I can’t wait to see
the picture!
During our mission trips we saw many smiles, evidence of changed lives
but also experienced some of the challenges facing Smiles on a daily
basis; for example meeting the mother and baby who looked more like a
doll despite being four months old who without the help of you and me
face a life on the streets of Oradea. |
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 Schools
I
have been really encouraged with the response from a number of primary
schools and after speaking to the Head Teacher have shown PowerPoint
presentations during the assemblies. One school has been comparing
their school and the environment with the Tileagd Community School and
its environment as a half term project. I had the privilege of taking
letters written by school children with me during a mission trip and
have brought back lettersfrom the Tileagd School for the school. For
the first time there are three teachers participating in the
Educational Challenge this May.
The Container Challenge
Finally I surrendered and decided to partake in the Container
Challenge adventure! The decision was made during the December mission
trip and we eventually launched the project on the 13th
March and within one week it was over half full! Through a contact we
were able to obtain many really good items for the Joint Facility of
Love Project. We are now a ctively
packing the container so that it can be dispatched by the end of July.
It’s exciting!
Fund Raising
Our fund raising this year is focused on the Container Challenge and
the target is £10000. This will be raised through a variety of events
including plant sales (£97 so far), pamper evening (£200), golf day,
sponsored walk and Family Fun and BBQ event and many more.
The
mission statement for the Tileagd Community School is ‘Building a
Brighter Future’ and I believe that is what the Smiles Foundation is
endeavouring to do for the people in Bihor County, Romania; it’s often
a challenge however ‘we can do what we can, and God does what we
can’t’!
David
Lee
Development Associate for the Smiles Foundation – Region 4
davidlee@thesmilesfoundation.org
Region 4 includes
Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire,
Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex
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Previous DA Reports
April 2011 -
North East, Area 1
March 2011 - North Midlands, Area 3
February 2011 - The South West
January 2011
December 2010
Scotland, November 2010
Wales,
October 2010
Northern Ireland, September 2010
North East, August 2010
South East, July 2010
Southern Counties, June 2010
North West, May 2010
North Midlands, March 2010
Scotland, February 2010
South East
Counties, January 2010
Southern Counties, December 09
North East, November 09
South
West, October 09
Northern Ireland, September 09 |
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