Mother Teresa said:
"Spread love everywhere you go… let no
one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living
expression of God's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your
eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting"
These words I’ve
remember many times in the last weeks, and I was trying to not let all
the difficulties, issues and problems that I was facing to stop me
from loving the ones I was visiting in their homes, as they need
special care.
In the
last 2 months, together with Mioara, I have visited about 15 people.
Many hard cases but one case was heart breaking.
Lady Rozalia, 74 years old,
was living alone in a house that belong to the daughter of the man she
lived with for many years. She had 4 children of her own, but they
didn’t care for her. In December lady Rozalia had hip surgery and
after she was released from hospital, one of the children took her in
their home, but for only a short period.
In the middle of
winter, they brought her to that old house where she didn’t have food,
fire or any care. Some of the neighbours came to visit her, feed her,
but most of the time she was alone and hungry. After the step daughter
called us, we went to visit her and we found her in a cold room,
without food, not even knowing if she will eat something that day.
The next day she was
in the centre!, because we couldn’t leave her in such a condition. She
had many medical issues and the biggest problem was that she wasn’t
insured, so for all the medicine and medical treatment we had to pay
the full price. She didn’t have any pension or social benefits and
nobody from the family cared enough to support any of the cost with
her. But we couldn’t see her just as a social case hard to handle, she
was God’s creation so we start spreading the love, being kind with her
and giving her a better life. The carers, cared for her in the same
way as for the other, even if she couldn’t pay, because even if her
family didn’t pay, somebody did! In less than a month of coming to the
centre, she left this earth, but I know that the days she spent here,
she was loved, she was happier, better cared for, secure and had all
the treatment she needed in order not to feel the pain she was living
with.
Doctor Diana
that we have on staff, came with me
to see this case and when we left she asked me if we can take this
lady in, as it was obvious she needed help, but she will cost us a lot
and she is not insured. I responded with a question…can you leave her
in this situation and not do the right thing?
The doctor couldn’t, I
couldn’t and I’m sure you couldn’t either and I know that - because
some of you are sponsoring our Elderly
Care in Romania. I am sure there are
many of you reading this and wanting to help this project, but you
think you can’t.
I have good news ...
you can, because God is not asking for more than He has already given
you. Maybe you have a good voice, come and sing ... maybe you can
fund-raise, maybe you don’t have money, but you have time, to pray, to
come and help with the work, to encourage the staff, the residents.
Maybe you don’t have time, but God blessed you with money…I encourage
each of you to give back just what God has given you in the first
place, in the same way the widow from the bible give all she had with
a loving heart and He will bless you much more. I promise you, I am a
living testimony to that.
Since we opened ECO,
the Elderly Centre Oradea,
we cared for 52 residents and at the moment we have 37 residents with
others on the list, waiting to come.
In Salonta, at
‘Doris’ Elderly Centre
we currently have 25 residents, as one was just on a short term stay
and this past month we had Lady Ana
(89 years) and
Mr. Gavril (82 years)
both died. Maybe those of you that came in Romania in the last 3 years
will remember lady Ana, first in Cihei and then in Salonta. On March
10th she went to be with her Jesus, her sweet Jesus, who
she loved so much!
In the last 2 months
we were so blessed with volunteers from UK and America but also
Romania that came and spent time with our elderly and show them that
they are not forgotten and they are loved, especially at Easter when
most of us are with our love ones. Also Chris, Pat and Tom
visited us in March to help the elderly improve their vision. Thank
you all for your dedication!
I will finish with
another quote from Mother Teresa
"There is always the danger that we may just do the work for the sake
of the work. This is where the respect and the love and the devotion
come in - that we do it to God, to Christ, and that's why we try to do
it as beautifully as possible."
I pray that everything
we do…to do it for Christ!
My God bless all of
you and help you to spread His love and be kind!
With great appreciation,
Georgi
Georgi Opreanu
Director of Elderly Care
georgi@thesmilesfoundation.org
Prayer points:
- For God to prepare the new residents that will come in the
centres and experience the love of God through the care we provide;
- For the new residents to adapt in the centres;
- For appointing the right staff as more residents are coming in
and to have sufficient money to pay the best staff we can find;
- For staff to have a loving and caring heart for those in need;
- For health and well-being for residents and staff as last month
we had many with flu;
- For the money to cover day to day activities;
- That all Smiles staff be able to show Gods love so all will get
to know HIM.
Please pray for us because when you pray God
hears more than what you say, answers more that we ask, gives more
than we can imagine in His own time and in His own way.