By Andy Baker
Another year has passed under the cloud of an international pandemic, but we continue to see the faithfulness of God in the work of Remember the Children. As I reflect over the last year I see blessing after blessing as our team continues to work through incredibly challenging circumstances. What we have learned over the last two years is that we must challenge ourselves to rise to new levels of leadership, increase our communication both in the United States and our foreign fields, and be diligent about praying for God’s blessing and protection in all that we do.
As we began 2021, we had to finish our Christmas deliveries due to Covid restrictions. Christmas may have come late for some of our children, but through the generosity of so many RtC friends, we blessed hundreds of children. As we moved into the cold of February, many of our families in the rural villages of Romania needed help with food, and once again we were able to respond to this need and help many families.
2022 will bring to completion the building of our final house in our ten-home village community in Tanzania. One hundred and twenty former orphaned children will be living here with their new moms and dads and will have the opportunity to grow in a wonderful Christian environment. In 2021, we purchased several parcels of land this year, which gave us close to ninety acres for agricultural development. Our village community has evolved in what was once an overgrown desert area, so all the infrastructure had to be developed as the village was built. We now have a wonderfully paved road, water, and electric lines through the community, an irrigation system for our farming needs, a sewage/septic system that was incorporated into the natural surroundings, and many other modern conveniences which will prove helpful as the community moves towards self-sustainability.
In the spring of 2021, we celebrated multiple baptisms in Romania and Tanzania. We are watching from afar as many of our churches are seeing growth as people are searching for answers to life or even addressing their fears in a world that is rapidly changing. It is a blessing to see our team respond to the spiritual needs of people in the communities we serve. As we moved into the summer months, we had a brief time of relief from Covid where we were able to host our summer camps in Romania. Over two hundred young people went to camp this summer on scholarships from RtC, and the reports I received back simply stated that the young people needed this time away in a different environment together with their friends. I am grateful to our friends who helped make summer camp possible.
In Tanzania, we opened our first pre-school and graduated our first nine students. Nathan and Asha arrived as house parents for House #8, and we received ten new children in the fall. House #9 will have opened hopefully in December and House #10 by January 9, 2022. The parents have been interviewed and chosen and we are waiting to give you more news concerning the newest children and parents as communication has slowed a little as Christmas has approached.
House of Hope #1 was sold, and a new home was built on the property near House of Hope #2. There is a magnificent compound growing in Satu Mare with the two homes, a transition home, a guest house, an office, a barn for equipment storage, and a barn to house the vehicles. We are also farming on the property and in a neighboring village to help produce food organically for the children. House of Hope #2 was also renovated this year, and we were just able to complete some needed repairs and buy some replacement appliances this month through the generosity of our friends.
I am celebrating as well that Bianca Onita, who participated in our program in Tetchea has returned to the village and is leading the weekly program for children there. I am overwhelmed seeing a child who grew up under our care return to give the same opportunity to children that are coming behind her. We celebrate the excellent work of Bianca, and we are thrilled the church is growing again.
As the year has ended, I have called upon our teams in Romania and Tanzania to prepare for Christmas without the help of our annual mission teams. Once again, they have worked selflessly and diligently to make sure that Christmas 2021 is as special as any other year. I remain grateful, especially at this time of year, to all our partners who give generously, and to our teams overseas who manage the resources and keep the ministry moving forward and growing.
I hope this brief report from last year is encouraging. You were a BIG part of it. Everyone at Remember the Children thanks you and celebrates you, for ALL you have done. Thanks for making our 25th year of ministry one of great accomplishments.
Happy New Year!