Reflections from Meagan

Alo!

Five weeks ago our team of twenty-five artists started out from Herrnhut, Germany and have now made it to Sighisoara, Romania. Since reaching Sighisoara we have been involved in various ministries including playing with children in the orphanages, visiting Roma settlements, doing street ministry and practical ministry at local churches. We have had a taste of multiple types of ministries but often find ourselves looking for a way to connect into a ministry that uses the gifts God has blessed us with and the past experiences we’ve had in a new way. Recently a couple of our team members found one such way in a nearby town.

A week ago, thirty minutes outside of Sighisoara, God graciously gave three of our teammates an opportunity for ministry with the blessing of a unique relationship with a beautiful family. They left specifically going to meet Patrucia, a thirty-five year old woman who has muscular dystrophy. She lives with her parents, Peter and Lanuta, and her brother Flaurine. Eight years ago Patrucia suffered a stroke that left her blind and bed ridden. As a result of her condition Patrucia breathes through a tracheotomy tube. Although this hinders her speech it does not prevent her from living as a prayer warrior for others. Patrucia and her family live a life of generosity and faith with genuine joy in their hearts. Their generosity was clearly shown when our team members were greeted with pastries, refreshments and warm smiles. As our teammates greeted Patrucia the first words she replied with in English were “Thank you for coming. God bless you”. Despite the obvious cultural differences and language barriers an instant connection was made due to the bonding of the Holy Spirit and the body of Christ.

The afternoon started with small conversations about families and friends and then continued on to a deeper explanation of the situation they are in. The father explained to us that recently Patrucia’s suction machine (this clears the mucus out of Patrucia’s trache) broke. Peter, an electrician by trade, was able to make some adjustments to the machine to allow it to work temporarily. These changes are unreliable for an extended amount of time and with Patrucia’s life on the line the family is in a very vulnerable position. Their current machine was generously given to them many years ago and financially they are unable to afford a new one. On top of that, both Peter and Lanuta have medical conditions of their own that they are also unable to afford. It is difficult to understand this circumstance because in our own experiences we have seen similar problems arise yet in our minds these are issues quickly resolved due to the government support and healthcare systems of the countries we are from. For Patrucia’s family, receiving no support from the government, they are left on their own to find a solution.

After an emotional prayer time with the family and seeing their tremendous faith and love for God our teammates headed back to Sighisoara with a new urgency sparked by God. Something needed to be done. They are determined not to leave Romania without change. So many situations like this are pushed to the side and forgotten and as a team we refuse for them to be another forgotten family. Through contacts and research we have found some options for the family’s medical needs. We were ready to purchase the new suction machine and supplies when we got the news that a doctor in Holland had generously bought them a brand new one! We were blown away with this news and praised God for his goodness!

We would like to invite you to be a part of this ministry opportunity most importantly through your support of prayer and also finances. If you feel led to support you can e-mail either one of our teammates who are in charge of this project: Nicole Redmond (nicolecredmond@comcast.net) or Meagan Hildebrandt (meg.hildebrandt@hotmail.com). If you would like to hear more of the personal experiences of our teammates with this family or if you have any questions feel free to again e-mail Nicole or Meagan. We would like to thank you in advance for your prayers and support.

Love,

The Southeast Europe Team