No clean clothes = no school!

As we were delivering some food parcels this week, we went to see a family we have visited many times before. The parents don't have work and are both alcoholics. Father often is not at home and mother Vera is often drunk at home and than she forgets to look after her two children. So often Olguta (8 years) and Gheorghe (7 years) are just by themselves, being hungry and dirty. This time we found the children at home, their mother was ill they said and their aunt had moved in with them together with her child Tania.
Looking at the 3 children, all of them had dirty unwashed hair, dirty clothes and when they saw the food parcels their eyes lightened up. We chatted a bit with the aunt and she told us that today the children didn't go to school because they didn't have clean clothes and their mother didn't have any washing powder or money to buy washing powder.
I felt sorry for the children because their whole life they only have seen and experienced daily how it is to live with a lack: a lack of food, a lack of clothes, a lack of school supplies, a lack of attention and love and interest.....these children lack many things.....

At the end of the visit we invited the aunt to come to church and to take the children with her too. Than we left....I felt sad but as I looked back I saw how the children were taking the food parcel inside and hardly could wait to look what was inside.... At least they would have food again in the house and I prayed that their mother or aunt would prepare them a good solid meal instead of selling the product for alcohol.

We came back to the car and there we saw the washing machine that we were supposed to give to a family but they weren't at home so the machine was still in our car. Spiridon and I looked at each other and said together: let's give the washing machine to this family: 3 dirty children  who don't go to school because they don't have clean clothes....a washing machine would be a big blessing!

The aunt Olga, Olguta, Tania and Gheorghe

So we took the machine and went back to the house. We called the family again outside and the kids looked again curious at us and at to this big box. Spiridon helped to open it and showed how the washing machine is working. While the aunt was filling out some documents with Spiridon, I played with the children and the big box. And slowly some smiles came on their faces;-)

Let us pray for mother Vera, her small daughter Olga and her son Gheorghe, the aunt Olga and her daughter Tania (who is blind on one eye and her mother does not have money for an operation). This family lives in horrible conditions and it is a very depressive situation but we keep praying that they will put their trust in God and will find hope in Him!