Virtual Tour- Point of Hope!

Today we introduce to you a chance to tour the Point of Hope Development Center from the comfort of your home or office. As many of you know, Another Child Foundation has been helping fund and operate the Point of Hope for the past 8 years. Many of you have also visited the center at one time or another during a mission trip. But for those of you who have heard so much about this amazing place and have not yet had the pleasure of visiting this video was made especially for you. We hope you enjoy it!

A Day of Worship & Fun!

Bev Hart & Gabi Szabo at
 the Philadelphia Church in Tarneveni, Romania

WOW! What an amazing day of worship the Lord provided for us! We started our day with a delicious breakfast and a time of devotions. We worshiped with the gypsy population (Roma) at the Philadelphia Church. The team shared in their service with songs, testimonies, and words of encouragement. We all agreed that even though we cannot understand the Romanian language, the Holy Spirit was thick among us. PRAISE GOD!

After service we got to tour the Point of Hope for the first time. This is an amazing facility/school where we will be doing VBS on Monday and Tuesday to serve the children of the Roma population....Romania's poorest of the poor.  Without this facility, many of these children would be without education, food, shoes, medical assistance, etc. But most importantly, this is where they learn about Jesus and what the Christian life is all about. What a blessing to be able to work with these children and the staff! Thank you, Lord!

Team bowling!

After lunch, we were off to Targu-Mures, about a 30 minute drive. We had the privilege of meeting 10 outstanding kids who come from group homes (orphans), who are excelling in school and "earned" a wonderful night of bowling and a delicious dinner. These children are learning English and it was amazing to see the connection the Lord put in place, even with somewhat of a language barrier! Within an hour, we had connected with the kids and were"high-fiving" it through the evening. Several of the kids shared their favorite subjects in school...chemistry, trigonometry, etc.  Uh, are you getting the picture? We were feeling, shall we say, a bit intimidated! 😀 It was an absolute BLAST...a night we will never forget! We promised to keep this great group of kids in our prayers.

We closed our evening with group prayer and all agreed, stand in amazement of what the Lord IS doing and what HE is going to do. I wonder what is in store for us as we begin VBS tomorrow.
   -Bev Hart, Calvary Church of the Quad Cities

Roma women praying at the Philadelphia Church

Our tour of the Point of Hope Development Center

First Full Day- Sightseeing

An AWESOME team!

This morning the team was all bright eyed and ready to go. It was a very welcome sight to my eyes. The forecast was for cloudy with a good chance of light showers during the afternoon with a high temperature of 48 degrees. However, we were blessed with mostly sunny skies and a high temperature in the low 50's. What a wonderful autumn day it was!

After a great breakfast and a morning devotional the team was off the downtown Brasov. Brasov is a very historic city in Romania with many people visiting. Especially during the summer and fall months. The team got a chance to buy some Romania trinkets as well as enjoy a nice Romania lunch. The team was blessed and they didn't even know it. Typically the team eats at McDonald's (yes Mickey D's is everywhere) but today they enjoy a nice sit down lunch. After lunch the team made the final trek to Tarneveni. Tarneveni is where the team will call home for the next 6 days. To cap off the day the team went to a local restaurant and enjoyed some of the delicious Romanian soups that I talk about regularly.

Tomorrow the team starts the day at the Philadelphia Church here in Tarneveni and ends up enjoying the evening bowling and dining with a dozen kids from our Perform and Motivate program in Targu-Mures.

The final thing I want to share with you is that the team shared an extended time in prayer at the end of the day sharing with each other our joys, sorrows, needs and desires. I can tell you that this team has a tremendous level of faith and is coming together beautifully. I am excited to see what God accomplishes through this team.

October Mission Team has Landed!

The team has finally arrived in Romania. We are all safe and somewhat doing okay. We have a couple suffering from car sickness, which is not to uncommon after 16 hours of air travel and winding roads. But overall we are doing well and the team is resting well at the Hotel Dragului in Predeal, Romania.

We have had to adjust our sight-seeing schedule a bit to make up for the lost day but our missions coordinator Gabi has it all well planned. I am not sure what we would do without Gabi. So tomorrow we will go into Brasov for the morning and early afternoon for some trinket shipping and to visit the historic Black Church. In the mid-afternoon we will then finish off our drive to Tarneveni where the team will be for the next 6 days.

The prayers this team needs now is for their bodies adjust to the 8 hour time difference quickly and for some nice sight-seeing weather for tomorrow. I am sure the team would like to lift up the children they are preparing to help this week. Thanks to the entire Fundatia Buckner staff for hosting the team for the next 10 days.

Alicia, Emery, Kris & Bev enjoying first Romanian meal

Greg, Gabi, Tracey Jena & Lance also ready!

Emery and his Romanian cheese pizza!

October Mission Team UPDATE!

     The trip has not gotten off to the start the team expected but we seem to be back on track. Our flight on Wednesday was cancelled due to an emergency door not latching correctly. I guess it is better that they found that now compared to later.

     So it is 24 hours later than when we first arrived and we are now waiting at the gate for our Swiss Air flight to Zurich and then onto Bucharest. The schedule for the team really does not change much. Might miss a little bit of sightseeing but the ministry days will not be affected at all.

     Keep this team in your prayers as we travel and prepare to get involved in a ministry that is changing the lives of children on a daily basis in Romania. Fundatia Buckner does a wonderful job helping the children become the people they were created to be.

Some of the team enjoying breakfast in Chicago!

Our team: Tim Oloffson, Jena Neal, Lance Neal, Tracey Anders
Kris Long, Bev Hart, Greg Johnson, Emery Partlow, Alicia Carter

Child Spotlight!

Today we are featuring one of the 18 new children attending the Point of Hope Development Center in Tarneveni, Romania. ACF is blessed to be able to provide the educational opportunity as well as relieve some of the daily burden of keeping children healthy and in their families. This is what the Point of Hope Center was built to do.

Today we feature a young boy named Raul. Raul is just 3 years old and has only been in our pre-school program since September 12 of this year. The staff can already see a difference in his demeanor. To be able to help children like Raul with their needs we depend on people like yourself to step up a sponsor these children. This year we announced our Jump Start Initiative to get kids like Raul off to a good start to their pre-school education. The Jump Start Initiative is a shorter term commitment ($20 a month of 10 months) and will ensure Raul can stay in school until we can find long-term sponsors for them. To be a part of this program simply click the link below for details and instructions.

I want to be part of this program!

ACF's Fan Friday Part 4

Dyan, Dylan, Brock and Matt Schnaars

Live in Lafayette, LA and attend First Baptist Church in Lafayette

Became connected to ACF when they hosted Fundatia Buckner President Dacian Moldovan in their home during a visit to Lafayette

Our hearts were touched by the poverty and lack of opportunities for the children of Romania. We liked what ACF was doing to help provide training for future careers. We continue to support because we get regular updates through their Facebook page and can see firsthand where our money is being spent. We know in God’s kingdom, blessings are like ocean waves flowing back and forth. What you do for others will insure we will always have what we ourselves ever need because God is a Faithful God.

ACF is very good at planning and executing construction efforts and shipment of supplies into Romania for the children ACF ministers too. They minister to the families also. The implications of ACF’s effect on these lives will show fruit in countless generations to come.

I want to be part of this exciting ministry!

ACF's Fan Friday Part 3

Damian, Olivia, Darrian and Lisa DeKezel

Live in Cambridge, IL and attend Cambridge United Methodist Church in Cambridge

Became connected to ACF when ACF Director Tim Oloffson spoke at their church. Have been supporting ACF since this summer when Damian went on an ACF mission trip

Why should others get involved?

It is impossible to describe the experience of bringing children to God or watching them connect in a way they haven't before. You truly see God at work in a way that will change not only their lives, but yours forever. It's life changing for all involved. 

What does ACF do very well in your eyes?

ACF provides a support network that not only helps to connect you with an established mission, but also provides confidence and mentoring for those new to mission work. ACF also helped us to be able to continue the ability to support the mission following the mission trip. This helped us to allow our work to continue. 

Damian at work!

Why do we continue to support this cause?

James 1:27 speaks to us: Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. We feel called to extend God's love to those less fortunate - in particular God's children in need. After my recent mission trip, I was able to see how deep the need is.

I want to be part of this exciting ministry!

Best of 2016 Mission Trips!

What a summer it was. 5 mission teams were sent to Romania. Each team had a different mission and focus. Yet, each team had a common purpose. That purpose was to spread the love of Jesus to the people they came in contact with during the 11 days in which they traveled and the many days afterwards.

Another Child Foundation is a firm believer that the mission trip never ends. Every person in God's world is on his or her own mission trip each day. ACF tries to use the mission trips to the country of Romania as a catalyst to a closer walk with Jesus. The work being done during the 11 days of a mission trip are very important but we also believe that it is ACF's responsibility to "make disciples" here in the US and in Romania.

Below are just a few of the best pictures and quotes from this year's mission trips. I hope you enjoy them and truly see that the ACF mission of reaching, teaching and transforming are not just some words on the wall of the Executive Director.

Point of Hope Mission Team

The rewards have been many.  It's watching special moments - like kids hugging the team members and squeezing so tight, women laughing at each other as they use a facial scrub and relax with cucumbers on their eyes.  It's about visiting the homes of the people you are serving and watching the pride with which they welcome you into their homes.  The pictures they proudly show you of their families and seeing the crafts the kids made the past week displayed on the walls of their home.  It's sharing with these people the struggles we have and how they are similar to their struggles.  It's telling these people that the same God carries us through the tough times and through the good times.  It's about sharing the Hope we find in Christ. - Terri Harper

You can read the entire blog post HERE.

Kaylee sharing some wisdom!

Today was a great day. Yesterday I met two girls. Today, they opened up to me and told me many things about themselves. It's only the second day being with them and I'm already worried about having to leave them. These are just two of the kids out of forty. These two are great but ALL of them make me laugh. Back at home people usually have to tell me "Kaylee smile!" But here that doesn't have to happen. Just this week alone I think I have smiled five times as much as I have in the last 3 months. -Kaylee Towne.

You can read the entire post HERE.

A great picture of Damian DeKezel

"Things have changed in the community since I came in 2010," Jan said. "The children were incredibly dirty, and they didn't have the social skills they have now.  Point of Hope has really improved their standard of living." That's because Point of Hope takes a holistic approach to child development, as we have been learning by talking with the staff there.  Children aren't just put through an academic curriculum, but they are given showers, made to change into clean clothes and shoes upon arrival at the center, examined by a nurse for general wellness daily, given medical care when needed, and fed breakfast and lunch every day. Jan is convinced of the difference those things make in their overall attitude and outlook on life. She observed that the children today seemed more alert. "Just thinking about the name - Point of Hope," she recalled, "in 2010, I didn't see a lot of hope in their eyes. I didn't see a lot of joy or confidence. They seemed very distrustful and they wouldn't engage in conversations with the team. They were hesitant to participate in everything - games, music, crafts." "Now I see that they have visions of their future. They have hopes and dreams. They have success. They are more trusting.  I see that they are more focused and able to follow directions." - Monica Barrett & Jan Larson

You can read the entire blog post HERE.

ACF's Fan Friday!

Bob & Judy Dunn

Live in Lafayette, LA after relocating from Indonesia. Attend First Baptist Church in Lafayette

Became connected to ACF following a Mission Trip to Romania in 2009, and have supported ACF since that time

Why should others get involved?

ACF is an organization that really does good work with great success. It is a spirit-led group. ACF relies on the Word to operate and function as all of the staff are Christian and operate as such. This organization changes the lives of children for the better. The cause could not be better or more appropriate.

What does ACF do very well in your eyes?

ACF does, in fact, funnel the vast majority of funding to the program itself. There are no huge overhead numbers that we have experienced with other organizations. ACF also, is a very good and efficient planning organization. Finally, ACF is a good educator – as is evident in the results of the children.

Why do we continue to support this cause?

We continue to support primarily for three reasons.  Firstly, we believe that God commands us to help others and if we have been able to contribute to a change for the better in the life of one Child, it is all worth it. Second: We know that all of our money goes directly to the Children – we have seen this ourselves. Finally, we believe that children are truly the future and that we must do all we can to help them.

I want to be part of this exciting ministry!

ACF’s Fan Friday

The Lind Family

(Jackson, Elijah, David, Payne, Candy, & Josie)

Live in Walnut, Illinois and attend Walnut Community Bible Church

Family members have traveled with Another Child on several mission trips

Why should others get involved?

ACF can be a life-changer.  I have seen my children grow tremendously in their faith through the their experiences with the Romanian kids. Even months after the trip, my son Jackson can't talk about his experience without tearing up.  Josie looks at many kids here in Walnut and sees the faces of our little Romanian children.  That's a big reason why she is so involved with youth in our own community.   I have also seen Romanian children grow in their faith through the experiences that ACF has provided.  A small picture of this?  At camp this last summer the powerful lesson of the cross and what Jesus did for us was taught.  In a time of prayer, the kids were asked to raise their hand if they were willing to accept this gift of salvation for the first time.  Twelve kids raised their hand, accepting this gift of Jesus as their Savior that morning.  With God's leading, lives are being changed through the experiences ACF are providing.  This organization is making a difference!

2015 Mission team

What does ACF do very well in your eyes?

The mission trips are so organized.  Because of this organization, all of the focus of the trip can be completely on serving Christ.   No worries need to be spent on travel, language barriers, or finances while on the trips! When I think of the mission trips in which we have been a part, I absolutely know that these trips have been one of the best experiences that I could offer my children.  To take time to step away from our every day life -- ball games, dance practices, laundry, etc... -- and just focus on God's path for us that day is something everyone should do.   When we put forth the effort to remove life distractions and focus fully on the Lord's path, then He will move greatly through us.  At such a crucial time in my children's lives (their teenage years), these trips have shown them the only thing that really matters:  doing what God wants.  In addition to my two children who have taken the trip, my other two have also been greatly touched.  They have been able to see how God provides when the finances of the trip were up in the air.  They made sacrifices at home so that we could go.  They prayed for the trip and for the kids we would meet.  They, too, were able to completely see God through it all.

Josie & company!

How have you seen ACF make a difference?

I like knowing that our money is really making a difference in individuals' lives.  After visiting the Point of Hope and seeing the conditions in which the Roma people live, we see a great need that is being reached.  When Josie visited Point of Hope in the summer of 2015, she was able to meet the little boy that she has grown to love through her support of ACF.  Actually putting a face to Denis, to be able to hand him extra treats that she brought for him, and to be able to give him a hug makes the support seem so much more real.

I want to be part of this exciting ministry!

"A Good Start is the Key"

               

Alina with the youngest children at
the Point of Hope Development Center

            The staff at Point of Hope are some truly amazing people. Over the next few weeks we are going to introduce you to some of them. We are going to start with Alina, the Groupa Mica teacher. Since coming to Romania in September, I’ve worked very closely with her. Her love for the children is obvious when you watch her class.

“I want them to learn what others their age learn.”

Amanda & Alina

Alina was born in Tarnaveni and has lived here her whole life. She attended a specialized High School in Targu Mures with a focus on music. She went to University in Targu Mures as well and continued studying music. Her love of music is evident in her classroom, where songs are used to teach as well as have fun. Alina has taught at Point of Hope for three years. She chose to teach there because she likes to work with children and wants to work on their character and education. She hopes she is making a difference. She says, “I want to teach them, and through them their parents, hygiene, how to speak with others, and to teach them what their Romanian counterparts learn.” She strives to talk with the students as she would talk with her own children.

            I hope you enjoyed getting to know Alina a little better! I look forward to introducing you to our staff and some of our students over the next few weeks!