Updated Pictures and News!

Over Christmas break, our two Romanian families returned home and took a day to go up and visit Vasile & Maria. This, in and of itself, says so much about the hearts of these, our dear friends. They get to go home once, sometimes twice a year to see friends and family - and for them to take a day to go do this - is a sacrifice that they don't even see as such.

This was the first time for Simone & Marianna to go visit. For them, it was an emotional experience, especially for Marianna. They saw with their own eyes what they had only heard about or seen in pictures. They were able to take some of the funds that we've been raising as a church (together with some funds sent from the U.S.), to take some toys and gifts as well as to leave with the family for medicine and clothing.

The kids are doing OK, but their health is steadily deteriorating. The father is still not completely healed and continues to try to work though is leg should be resting. One of the things that tugs at our hearts the most was hearing that Vasile purposefully doesn't eat so that he won't have to use the bathroom as his mom has to carry him and do everything for him which is both very difficult physically but also very embarrassing for him.

We have begun talking about sending a small group from the church up this summer to help work on getting water from the well to the house to build an indoor bathroom - thanks for your prayers and support!

Daniel & Simona and Simone & Marianna on the road to the little town where the family lives.

Everyone in the family's living room.
From left to right: Daniel, Maria, Simona, Maria (mom), Simone,
a neighbor girl, Marianna, Vasile, Vasile (dad)

Vasile

Maria

More Bad News...Please Keep Praying!

Hello everyone. Thanks for your prayers. Our church continues to pray for and support this poor, isolated family in Romania. We recently heard that the mother (Maria) fell off a ladder and hurt herself. Then, about a week later, a neighbor was pushing the daughter (Maria) in her wheelchair (the battery-operated part no longer works) and she fell out and broke both legs!

It seems that someone or something is opposed to their well-being and that this is more than merely a case of 'bad luck.' In fact, we heard that a neighbor had placed some sort of hex or curse on them. Please pray with us that the Lord would shield this family by His power and that no force of darkness will be able to touch or harm them. Thanks for joining with us!

Long Overdue Update

Hello everyone, our friends, Daniel & Simona, got back a week ago from a 2-week visit in Romania. They were able to visit Vasile & Maria and bring back news and photos.

*The family made the 8-hour roundtrip to Cluj to visit the hospital to seek help for the father's swollen foot only to find that there was no room for them. This included the mom dragging the children onto the bus by herself...they weigh more than she does!

*Maria (daughter) seems to be stable, gaining weight and in good spirits. Vasile has lost too much weight and is losing mobility quickly.

*The father does his best to stay off the foot but also knows there is lots to do to take care of the family. He's still waiting, praying, hoping his foot will get better.

*We have made some contact with Remember the Children and they have offered assistance but we're still trying to work out the details - the family is pretty distant from the workers in the field. For example, they are offering therapy for the kids if they moved to Oradea, but they would need housing.

*Daniel & Simona are looking into options to bring them to Ancona, at least for the short-term to get the father assistance.

Thanks for keeping them in your prayers and any help you can offer. We hope to have some video up soon!

Update on the Father

I just got a call yesterday from Daniel who had called home to see how the family was doing. The father is in bad shape. Due to medical negligence, the father's condition was misdiagnosed and he now has thrombosis which will either result in the loss of his leg or in death. Daniel was very discouraged and asks for prayer. They are trying to figure out if they can move the family to his hometown of Cluj which is a larger city with more hospitals and options. The problem is not having someone who is able to care for them. Do you know of anyone in the area who could help? Any contacts or resources in the country and specifically close to Cluj that could assist this family?

More Pictures

These pictures were taken by Daniel & Simona during their visit last year.

Vasile (son) is sitting in the wheelchair while Maria is sitting on
Daniel's sister-in-law's (another Simona) lap.

The lady with the head covering is the mom (Maria).
Daniel's wife, Simona is in the pink and his sister-in-law is in the green.

Please Help!

Our church knows a family that is in dire need of help, encouragement and prayer. Let us introduce them to you: The Iusco Family. Dad - Vasile (46), Mom - Maria (36), Son - Vasile (13), Daughter - Maria (12). These are relatives of a precious couple who have been a part of the community in Ancona since the beginning - Daniele & Simona - who have a real heart for those who are sick and struggling. Can we tell you a bit about their situation?

Vasile, the son, has muscular dystrophy and has been living with it since he was 4 or 5 years old. He has been unable to walk since he was 8 years old. Maria has had it since she was 6 and has been unable to walk since she was 11. They both have a strong faith in God even though they suffer so much. They pray constantly for a miracle.

They are in need of lots of love, of real friends to help them not feel this suffering and to not feel alone. They are in need of moral support, of friends to help them forget what they are going through.

In addition, their parents are also ill and are unable to take care of their children in their condition. The father works to sustain the whole family and recently injured his foot and has been in the hospital. The mother, because of health and stress, has lost too much weight and is unable to care for family as she would like to.

Vasile has a battery-powered wheelchair, Maria's wheelchair does not have a battery and someone is needed to look at it to see if it can be fixed or upgraded.

They live in the town of Ieud in the area of Maramures in northern Romania.