The Team has Completed Their Work!

Well it is hard to believe that 9 of the teams 11 days have come and past. I have been doing these trips for 8 years and I continue to be amazed at how fast the days go by. I could not be more proud of the team and the work they have done over the past 9 days. Many people do not understand the emotional and physical toll these trips have on people. The work being done with the children is so emotionally taxing because of 2 factors. When you see all the good being done for these children you can't helped but be overcome with emotion. The team learns throughout the week the hurdles these children have to overcome just to get to a normal life. The second reason these trips are so emotionally exhausting is when you see the environment these children come from. Your heart fills with compassion for these children which causes you to work even harder for the Lord to give these children the Hope they deserve and were created for. As the trip leader and Director of Another Child I could not be more proud of a team. Whenever something needed to be done one of the team would step in a make the situation better.

The team was also very impressed with the Fundatia Buckner staff and volunteers. Having brought over a dozen teams to Romania over the years I have seen the staff grow in their confidence in the work they are doing for the Tarneveni community. Volunteers come and go due to the nature of the job but the latest group they have recruited are simply fabulous. ACF appreciates their efforts very much.

With all this being said I want to let all of our followers/readers know how much we need them to act upon becoming a prayer and financial supporter of his ministry today!! All the work being done by these mission teams is great; but if we don't have the financial backing to continue the programs we have accomplished nothing for our Lord. We are depending on YOU to come along side of ACF to continue this god work. So, would you consider becoming a part of our $12 for 12 program. The $12 for 12 program is simply people like yourself giving a monthly gift of $12 , $24, $36, or $48 a month to support the ongoing programs. We need your help today! So CLICK HERE to help us alleviate poverty in this part of God's glorious world. Together WE ARE changing the world like no one else!

Tim Oloffson- Executive Director
Another Child Foundation

The Ones Serving the One

We began our morning devotion time with the topic:  The Ones Serving the One.  This redirected our focus to the women's ministry for today of the parable of the Lost Coin.  We are reminded that we are all here to serve God as one body, always pointing to the love God has for each of them as individuals.  

In the women's devotional time I read the parable and pointed out to the women that the 10 silver coins were a gift given to a bride at her wedding, so the loss of one of the silver coins had a greater impact on the woman since it held special significance.  The women were reminded that they are just as special to God as the silver coin was to the woman.  

Our second devotional time was given during the self-care time was based on Proverbs 31, emphasizing that beauty comes from within and from a relationship with the Lord.  We will be using Proverbs 31:25 for our opening devotional tomorrow and will be able to expand on the proverb more closely.  The women all seemed to enjoy the friendship and activities presented today.

Many of these women came last year to the women's ministry activities when I was here in June. Jessica, Amanda and I were thrilled to see many of the friends we made last year which helped to set the tone for the day.  God certainly called me back to this ministry again this year to reconnect with these ladies.  

My fourteen-year-old son, Ian, has returned this year as well to fulfill his ministry at Point of Hope.  He has helped with VBS and worked on preparing a classroom for redecorating.  The friendship he has made with the teen translators has made this an exciting opportunity for him as well.  

The staff at Point of Hope are an amazing group of dedicated believers.  My friendship with them grow deeper with each visit I have made over the past five years at Point of Hope.  My goal is to learn more Romanian before my next trip!  

Janet Larson

We Met Victoria!

Today was a very special day for me as I got to meet our sponsored child, Victoria, at the Point of Hope.  We have prayed for her each week as our children in our ministry gave their offerings for her.  To meet her, see her smiling face and give her hugs was an awesome privilege for me.  These children are all so simple, so uncluttered and not distracted by all the trappings of this world . . . it was actually refreshing.

We were able to share the Gospel with the children during our Bible Story time and they were so receptive.  I stressed the fact that God made them, God loves them and has provided a way for them to be with Him forever through Jesus Christ.  It was such a sweet time.

This week has broadened my little world to encompass the beautiful people of Romania and I understand in a deeper, more profound way His unconditional, deep, deep love for all humanity that He has made in His image.  I am just beginning to understand what Christ’s sacrificial love really means.

Blessings,

Laura Smith

Apa Plata Va Rog!

Today we went to visit the girl's group home where I had the opportunity to meet the four young ladies living there, their wonderful tutor, and the group home parents. I could immediately see that all the girls had their own personalities and their own God given talents. It was truly a beautiful environment that I was blessed to witness. While there I grew close to one of the girls very quickly. We had a very fun and interesting conversation with each other. She knows just a little English and I pretty much only know "apa plata va rog," (flat water please) so we obviously didn't get very far. It was so much fun trying to figure out what each other was talking about. At one point I asked her to teach me words and that was a blast for the both of us as well as anyone around because I was awful. To the both of us all of that did not matter though because we found a way to show each other kindness and a type of love. I went there being very nervous because I don't know near enough of their language, but I wanted to bond and get to know them. Of course, God solved that problem very quickly. It is just so beautiful witnessing God's work being done here in Romania. I have been overwhelmingly blessed to have the opportunity to meet these wonderful people and learn about their culture. It has truly helped my personal relationship with God to grow by understanding more about the size of this world and the different kinds of people He placed here. I have also started to understand more about God's love after being introduced to the some of the Gypsies at church this morning. The reason being that most seem to be so very happy, but only have very little, which is all because of their love for the Lord as well as the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. I would challenge us as Christians in America to trust in the Lord even through our pain and suffering and to hand it all over to Him. He will take care of us the way He has always done and the way he is caring for people all across this beautiful world.

Thank you for your prayers for our team and this country.

-Kristian Simpson

Day 2 update

For those of you expecting to hear from one of our mission trip people I am sorry to report that the entire team has turned in early leaving me to give you the update on today's activities.

Most of the team rested very nicely last night but we did have a couple people that struggled with the sound of a wedding party next door as well as the slightly harder than normal beds we get to use. It was very nice of Dennis Lofton to offer a bit of sarcastic sympathy as he told the team that he was forced to sleep in his queen sized pillow top bed at the apartment he and his wife rent here in Tarneveni. The team took his little jab with a smile as they know Dennis as a very kind man who would sleep on the floor if a team member truly needed his pillow top comfort.

Today we started the day at the local church where many members have children attend our Point of Hope Development Center. The church atmosphere reminds me of a Pentecostal church in the US. It was obvious from the moment we stepped into the room used for worship that the Holy Spirit has filled the room. Team member Daisy Christiansen said she got the goose bumps as soon as she entered the room. I am sure the others felt the same way. The worship lasted 2 full hours but the time seemed to pass very quickly as the team witnessed worship in a whole new way. Team member Laura Smith volunteered to sing a beautiful rendition of Amazing Grace to the people in attendance. Once again it was a moment to remember as the presence of God was so very obvious. The Fundatia Buckner President Dacian Moldovan also had a chance to share with the congregation some Biblical thoughts that had moved him. The whole worship experience was awesome. As the team left the worship room they began meeting some of the children in the neighborhood. The team was amazed at how quickly the kids began interacting with them as they were also amazed on how quickly they be Mae attached to the kids. I told them that it only gets better as we move through the week.

After a great lunch the team headed to the Buckner Group home for an afternoon of building relationships with these beautiful girls. After a nice walk and some good pizza the team had to leave and hugs were plentiful as the team said their good-byes to these girls. Unfortunately the team will not get another chance on this trip to get to know these girls better. But the good news is that Another Child Foundation has some excellent group home parents and staff that work with these girls Oma daily basis. That is the strength of ACF. We never tell these kids good-bye we always tell them see you later as we know other mission trip participants will fill their shoes as we continue to bring hope to these beautiful girls.

I am really hoping to post some pictures to the blog tomorrow. Monday starts a week of ministry at the Point of Hope Center with up to 50 children and 30 mothers. The team is looking forward to the next round of building ongoing relationships with the children and moms. Keep the team in your prayers. Fortunately we have no specific prayer requests other than some good rest for the team and that the VBS activities go as planned and that the kids are open the the good news we bring to them.

Thanks for reading this blog post and look forward to hearing for a different person tomorrow.

Tim Oloffson- Executive Director
Another Child Foundation

Point of Hope mission team update #1

Well if you are arriving at this page to keep up with the activities of the mission team from Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas working at the Point of Hope Development Center in Tarneveni, Romania then you are in the right place. The team definitely had some travel issues to deal with that left half the team arriving in the early morning on Saturday to start the trip. But we preach flexibility and that if complications like this come up it means that God has something special planned for this team and Satan is working to keep that from happening.

Over the 7 days we will have different people posting their thought s and experiences on the days activities. Hopefully we will have some pictures for you to enjoy also. But for now just keep this team in prayer as they prepare the final details of the VBS we will be doing for the preschool and after school kids at the center.

I hope you enjoy reading their life changing experiences over the next few days, so I will catch you at the same time tomorrow with our first trip participants thoughts and reflections.

Tim Oloffson- Executive Director of Another Child Foundation

Project Respond 2014

Friends and Family,

It’s that time of year again! We are collecting humanitarian aid for the at-risk kids and families that we work with all year round in Romania. We work hard to educate children in one of the poorest regions of Romania by offering preschool, warm meals, showers, Bible teaching and more to encourage change in a positive way. These children are being given a new outlook on life with hope for a brighter future because they are being given a chance to learn and grow. I think we can all speak to the importance of an education. This year we are collecting 3 specific items, which will help the shipping container pass through customs a little easier. These 3 items are hard to come by for the families we serve and are often of lesser quality when available. As summer approaches and closets are cleaned out, I ask you to please save the following 3 items, so that they can bless children and families in need. These items are vital for health and safety in a community of soviet era apartment buildings that are open to the elements and broken roads.

We are collecting:

-       New, youth size shoes (for 14 year olds and younger)

-       New or gently used jeans, shorts and capris (for 14 year olds and younger are most needed, but we are collecting adult sizes as well)

-       New or gently used blankets of any size

Please let me know if you have items that you would like to donate or if you would like to be a collection site for Project Respond this year. It would be great if you could get your local church or organization involved! Feel free to pass this list along to others! Every item makes a difference! If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments section below.

Thanks so much for your help in passing along items to make life better for someone else!

International Roma Day

Tuesday, April 8 was the International Day of Roma throughout the world. I thought it would be good to post a couple articles that you all could look at to understand what Another Child Foundation is trying to do. It will also show you the difficulties ACF has and the time it will take to have our work bear fruit. Even with the challenges ACF faces we can already see the difference ACF and Fundatia Buckner are making to the individual children we help on a daily basis. I am sure that God

does not see these people as outsiders or people that should be on the fringe of our societies. So, as Another Child strives to be the hands and feet of Jesus, then us tending to the Roma's needs is imperative. Here is a couple articles that helped me understand the situation better.

Human Rights Europe

UN News Center

So, as Another Child Foundation and Fundatia Buckner continue to dedicate our ministries to assisting the Roma people keep the staff in Romania in your prayers as they overcome many obstacles with an unending devotion and Faith.

The Reason for Mission!

As many of the readers of this blog know the tag line mission statement of Another Child Foundation is reaching, teaching, and transforming. Another Child Foundation (ACF) uses these words because it is the foundation of what missions is all about. Jesus called ACF and Fundatia Buckner in the Great Commission to  "go therefore and make disciples of all nations...". Many mission organizations might slightly or totally miss the mark when they 'visit' the very people that God called them to serve and 'make disciples'. ACF takes the Great Commission very seriously in our call to reach, teach, and transform lives. Another piece of scripture that ACF uses to set our course is John 3:16 & 17 which says "for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

        Transforming lives is what God's church is called to do. However, it is only through the Holy Spirit, which intercedes on our behalf when we call on God, can do that transformational work. The way ACF describes the task of the church is to show people the full glory of Jesus Christ. So when people look at the church (the people of God not our buildings) they see the very embodiment of Jesus. They should see the One who in Word and deed is bringing healing to every part of the universe. I pray everyday that this is how the people who receive the gift of the Good News and the people ACF partners with see our organization. Pastor Arthur Bergren from First Lutheran in

Reconciled Children of God

Geneseo, Illinois has taught me very well that ministry, and the missions we are called to, is ALL about relationships. I titled this post "The Reason for Mission" because ACF feels it is important that people know exactly what and how ACF intends on being a vital and active part of God reconciling the world to His Son Jesus. God loves Romania and the all the people there who have fallen victim to the injustice the world likes to hand to people. God has called ACF to take the Great Commission to heart and to reach, teach, and transform the people God has called ACF to serve. ACF has never worried about the width of our organization but has focused on the depth of true relationship building. It is then and only then when transformation can happen. ACF realizes that doing ministry in this manner takes a lot of time but the benefits will have an eternal effect on the  Romanian people.

by Tim Oloffson- Executive Director
Another Child Foundation

March Madness Begins!

Well March Madness has begun throughout the country. Each March brings many of us the thrill of the NCAA basketball tournament. It draws us in because of its unpredictability and the thrill of the so-called underdog going deep into the tournament. For years March Madness in both the high school and college levels drew a lot of my attention. One of the most thrilling times I have ever experienced was seeing our local high school (Bureau Valley) make its push to be state champions. While the team came up short of its desired state championship the ride was a fun one. This year there will be many other people experiencing March Madness as their brackets come out on top.

For us here at Another Child we too are experiencing March Madness. This is the time of year when two of our big community development projects are getting ready to kick-off. First we have the organization of our SPEAK LIFE mission trips. These 4 mission trips take place in June and July in Romania. This year it looks like ACF will be sending upwards of 60 people to Romania to reach, teach, and transform lives as we build relationships with some beautiful children and their families. While the trips won't happen for another 3 months their is lots of planning going on behind the scenes. Fundatia Buckner does a great job of identifying the needs that ACF mission teams can fill. You see ACF and Fundatia Buckner do missions differently than some other groups. It is, and will always be, ACF's mission to compliment the ministry going on in Romania on a daily basis rather than trying to serve others with what we want to do. So ACF's mission trips participants go over to compliment the good work already being done by Fundatia Buckner by serving with an open mind and heart. ACF also strives to educate the mission trip participant on why things are as they are in Romania and what can we do to advocate for those in need.

The second project ACF is preparing for is the Project Respond humanitarian aid drives going on throughout the spring and summer. Last year, with the help of 30 churches and businesses, ACF collected over 9000 items that we distributed to the orphans and at-risk children in Romania. This year it is ACF's goal to get 60 churches and businesses involved. This year ACF will be collecting new pairs of shoes for children 3 to 14 as well as jeans and blankets. If you would like to help the Project Respond drive feel free to call our Mission's office at (815) 303-1725 to get involved.

So, as March Madness takes hold please pray for Another Child Foundation as we work diligently to provide life-changing ways for people to get involved in making a difference. You can also pray for my bracket which has Arizona, Michigan, Michigan State, and Syracuse in the Final Four with Michigan State cutting down the nets.

by Tim Oloffson- Executive Director (Another Child Foundation)

The Ongoing Challenge

It has been a while since me your humble Director has made a post on our blog. We have other very capable people doing this. However, I feel I have something of value to share with you today; and that is sharing with you the ongoing challenge Another Child Foundation and our ministry partner Fundatia Buckner struggles with on a regular basis.

Over the past 12 months the school we support in Romania (Point of Hope Development Center) has been given additional regulations to follow. While many of these regulations make perfect sense on paper they do bring some challenges that have the potential to do harm. The one regulation that I want to share with you is the rule that now says that anytime children are brought together in a community place, like our school, all the children must have papers saying that they have had the required medical checks/physicals and vaccinations up to date. To me this makes total sense. We don't want to infect others with any viruses or issues another child might have. This brings us to the problem. In February we shared with the parents the need to conform to these regulations and that their help was needed. These medical checks or physicals do have a cost associated with them. The cost is not high for an employed person, about 7 USD, it does cause a problem for some of the families that ACF supports at the Point of Hope. Many of these families live on a very small monthly stipend from the Romanian government. So choices have to be made by the parents. Where will they spend their monthly support? The daily attendance dropped sharply at the Point of Hope due to many of the children not having the medical tests completed. Sadly, most of the parents have some type of addiction to nicotine or alcohol so a portion of the money goes to support this habit along with a little bit of food and other material needs the family has. So, where does the money to have their children checked out by a physician and immunized come from? This is the CHALLENGE for ACF and Fundatia Buckner. ACF and Fundatia Buckner could easily pay for these physicals to keep the children in school since the cost is manageable. But, at what point do we turn over some of the simple but very important responsibilities over to the parents. Fundatia Buckner is already giving their children up to 8 years of education with no cost at all.

Lack of accountability is something in which people in all cultures are really failing to understand the impact. This is becoming more and more of a problem throughout the world. ACF and Fundatia Buckner are standing up against this problem. Fundatia Buckner has a social worker who has the responsibility of visiting each of the homes, who have children in our program, to speak to them about the need to provide for their children. This visit was very well received by most of the families and they now understand at a new level the need for them to provide these medical tests for their children. However, one family still does not see the need and now have their child begging in the streets of Tarneveni instead of attending the Point of Hope. This is so sad but clearly shows the challenges we have as ministry leaders as well as the people we are serving. Fundatia Buckner President said it best when he made the comment that "it is not our goal to simply educate the children, but to guide the parents to learn to provide, value, and love their children and give the Holy Spirit the opportunity to transform lives." Setting higher expectations for the parents proved to work. I realize that people will step up if we let them know what is expected from them. If we set no standard of expectations or accountability people will live up to them as well. Beginning next week we expect the attendance to be back to normal and a lesson learned by the parents that THEY need to provide for their children if they expect the children to prosper to a higher level.

So as we continue to move forward in reaching, teaching, and transforming lives please keep ACF, Fundatia Buckner, and all the people we serve in your prayers. It is the power of prayer and faithful action that is doing God's work in Romania and to all the ends of the earth. AMIN!

Sharing Smiles. Sharing Love. Sharing Jesus.

Another Child Foundation's February Newsletter is live! We are excited to share about upcoming mission trips, the arrival of the container holding the humanitarian aid collected during Project Respond last year and a story from a previous mission trip participant. Kayla shares about her time in Romania last summer. You won't want to miss it!

To read the February Newsletter CLICK HERE!!