The Evergreen Foundation

Happy 10th Anniversary , Home of Hope and Bethel Home!

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 06:05:49 +0000

This year, 2010, both the Home of Hope and Bethel Home children’s homes of Romania will celebrate their 10th year anniversary. Isn’t that a startling fact? A full decade has passed, and both children’s homes have withstood trials but God continues to bless the lives of both the children and the staff members who serve them.
On December 24, 2000, the Bethel Home children’s home of Giurgiu, which is about an hour south of Bucharest on the Danube River, first welcomed 10 children rescued from a special needs state orphanage in Giurgiu. The children arrived with their possessions in one small sack. Even the clothes they were wearing had to be returned to the state orphanage they had just left. Four months later when the children participated at the dedication of the newly renovated children’s home, the Mayor of Giurgiu, Lucian Iliescu, who had initially expressed his disapproval of providing a home for orphans with special needs, marveled at the remarkable changes he could already see in the children. God continued to work in the lives of these special children, and in the children who have continued to arrive at the Bethel Home through the years. Each child has been changed by the love and acceptance they have found in this warm and nurturing family.
The Home of Hope children’s home in Braila, several hours east of Bucharest and also on the Danube River, was dedicated in April of 2000 with one family which quickly grew to two families. Today there are four families, each with 12 children loved and cared for by a mother and father, each family living in a home surrounded with walkways, gardens, and play areas. The approximately 48 children living there were placed at Home of Hope by Romania’s Department of Child Protection from state orphanages, but now they come from broken and dysfunctional families.
Over the years since the children’s homes were established much has changed in Romania. Many of the appalling state orphanages have been closed with the children returning to their families or being placed in small group homes. In 2007 Romania became a member of the European Union, ushering in a brief period of economic boom. But when the economies of the world began to slide in 2008, Romania’s economy tumbled with them, as Jerry mentions in his President’s Letter. Circumstances in both Romania and America worsen and improve, but Jerry and I are so thankful that the fortunes of the children’s homes of Romania are not tied to the economic and political conditions of the world. Instead, we focus on the reliability of our God who built the children’s homes and continues to care for them.
Through the years God has always provided for the children’s homes–not always in the ways we expected or understood, but always in the ways He knew were best. We have learned over the years to trust, to pray, to reach out for help as He directs, to wait on Him, and to thank Him in everything because His Presence is always with us, drawing us close and building our faith in Him. As a quote that Jerry and I love by an unknown author says, “I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow.”

Summer News- 2010

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 05:56:56 +0000

Dear Friends of the Romanian Children,
Writing to you today I’m coming from a different point of reference. For a variety of reasons, the volcano in Iceland being one, Kendrick and I have not made our every-other-month trip to Romania this year. It has been three months since we have been there; although, we are going again in July. This note relies on frequent conversations via the internet and Skype to share the following:
Our next trip to Romania in July will be filled with a variety of different activities. While we will visit both of our children’s homes in Giurgiu and Braila, we also will participate as staff at a mountain retreat for youth from Bethel Home and the Holy Trinity Baptist Church of Giurgiu. Additionally, on our return to Bethel Home we will participate in the wedding of one of our Bethel Home young women, Ileana Cercel.
Following the time at Bethel Home we will journey to Braila and the Home of Hope. Two of the young Romanians who graduated from Lindsey Wilson College in Kentucky on Evergreen Foundation scholarships, Dani Burlacu and Anca Verona, will have their engagement party and they have invited us to be a part of that happy celebration. Also, we hope to put the finishing touches on a scholarship application to Lindsey Wilson College for one of the young women at Home of Hope, Gabi Parnica. This will be a milestone at Home of Hope because she will be the first young woman from that children’s home to attend college in America. Please pray for God’s direction as she moves to this next chapter of her life.
While in Braila we want to visit Mia Stefanuti, the widow of Pastor Josif Stefanuti. Some of you may know that Josif passed away in early May from complications of cancer and heart disease. Josif had been the pastor of Holy Trinity Baptist Church in Braila and was one of six pastors who openly resisted the Communists in 1989 during the Romanian Revolution. His passing has been a great loss to Romania and America alike.
On the economic front, Romania seems to be faring much worse than even the United States, and I think we can all agree our economy is fragile at this time. In Romania taxes are increasing, pensions (our equivalent to Social Security) are being cut, and the government is reducing personnel and the salaries of those remaining by 25%. I am so thankful for both the prayer and financial support of you, our faithful Evergreen Foundation supporters. While economically things seem to be deteriorating in Romania, the US dollar is getting stronger and is at its highest level of exchange in 2 or 3 years. The children’s homes are doing well, life for the children goes on and they are mostly unaware of the uncertainties surrounding them. I wish all children could have that same comfort level.
Through all that has been shared above, I see and experience the Mighty Hand of God weaving the fabric of all our lives and connecting us to our brothers, sisters, and children of Romania. I am reminded of Ecclesiastes 3:1 where the writer says, ”There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under Heaven.” Then he continues on in verses 2-8 to share examples of those times. God is there with us during all those times, both the good and the bad, and we can trust that He will care for all our needs.
Thank you for generously responding to His invitation to participate with us in the lives of these young children of Romania. May God bless you richly with His love.

In His Service,
Jerry McCandless
President
The Evergreen Foundation

Miles of Sunflowers: Summer in Romania-2009

admin — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:02:06 +0000

There are some sights that force me to take out my camera and snap pictures year after year: a giant stork’s nest perched on top of a telephone pole, a tall mama stork busily feeding her babies; a tiny shaggy donkey effortlessly pulling a wagon loaded with a massive pig; giggling children jostling each other to be photographed on a dusty village street. But the most entrancing sight of them all in Romania is a field of sunflowers in full bloom. This year, because of abundant rains, was the most beautiful I have ever seen! The sunflowers with their gold and black heads face the sun, stretching all the way to the horizon for miles and miles. We were traveling during the first part of our trip with this summer’s young Home of Hope children’s home intern, Dana DeKrey, and she, like most visitors to Romania in the summertime, was stunned by the sight of the sunflowers lining the road and encouraged Lori Erbatu, our driver, to stop the van so she could pose for snapshots next to towering sunflowers.

Sunflowers in Romania

The weather was very predictable this trip. The day began cool and sunny. But as the day progressed it grew hotter, and clouds began to form in the distance. In the late afternoon the clouds would grow dark and distant thunder would begin to roll. Little by little the thunder grew louder and the lightning closer to each thunderclap. (Jerry and I were sitting with some friends one day and a clap of thunder exploded so loudly that we all jumped. Laughing nervously, we glanced around to make sure we were far enough under the open structure where we were sitting.) Finally it would begin to rain heavily for a while, making it cooler again. But it also made it humid; the mosquitoes were thick and voracious this year!

I love that at both the Bethel Home children’s home in Giurgiu and Home of Hope children’s home in Braila we spend lots of time outdoors enjoying watching the children play. One evening after having dinner with friends, hosted by Ina Popescu, the Director of the Home of Hope, we all went for a walk in a nearby park where we were joined by lots of other families enjoying the beautiful evening. Summer is such a pleasant time in Romania. Our children at the Bethel Home and Home of Hope were finally freed from school in mid-June and they are looking forward now to camp in the mountains, a short vacation at the Black Sea, and lazy days of fun and sun.

Everyone here complains about the economy: jobs are scarce and money is tight. Three of our older children at Bethel Home have lost their jobs (Claudiu, Mariana, Ileana) but they continue to stay busy by working full time at the Bethel Home. Both of our children’s homes, probably as a result of a bad economy, are accepting new children. At Home of Hope Mariana & Vasile’s family now have a full house with the addition of four siblings a few weeks ago. Jerry, Dana & I had dinner with Mariana’s family one night during our visit and enjoyed meeting Costel, Ionel, Marian, and Dana. (Everyone loves our intern, Dana, since she has a Romanian name!) We are also told by Marius Radulescu, the Director of the Bethel Home, that they too will be accepting four siblings before school starts in the fall–a twin boy and girl, age 6, and two sisters, age 9 and 12, (I think).

Others who have visited the Bethel Home will remember Nicu and Madi, Lori’s sister and brother-in-law. Madi is expecting a baby any day now–a boy this time to join their daughter, Daria. The other piece of news we should pass on is that Lori & Dora are in the process of building a small home onto his parents’ home. It was impressive to see how quickly the bricks were going up in the few days we were there. They are hoping to be near completion near the end of the year. Lori & Dora have been living with Nicu & Madi but, since their family is growing, it is time for them to find a place of their own.

Our trip was brief this time since Jerry didn’t want to be away from his business for long but it seemed that we still were able to accomplish so much this visit. In fact, our last day in Giurgiu we were able to have a visit with our dear friend, Lucian Iliescu, the Mayor of Giurgiu. Lucian has struggled with health problems in past years but this time he looked wonderful–relaxed and tanned. It was interesting to hear him talk about his frustration with policies affecting the Romanian economy. He told us that even though Romania could feed most of Europe (In fact, Romania once was known as the breadbasket of Europe.); now Romania imports 70 % of its food. Crazy!

To me, Romania is all about relationships: the joy of once again seeing people that have become dear to us over the years, the joy of seeing our children here grow and change. But Romania is also a series of pictures in my mind: snow piled on the gazebo in the backyard of the Bethel Home and the children throwing snowballs at each other; the sunset casting shadows as the children play soccer in the driveway of the Home of Hope; an old lady in a long black skirt leading a single cow by a rope down the road where she will tether him to eat the grass; the children dressed for school in their uniforms, their backpacks fat with new school supplies. I believe that if I flew in an airplane over Europe I could recognize Romania below me. At first the ground is a geometric pattern of green and brown strips like a parquet floor. But as the airplane flies lower I can see clusters of tiny houses hugging the roads like thumbtacks on a bulletin board. Descending even lower I can see the Danube River slicing through the land and the red roofs on the houses that nestle in the villages and towns. It is only as the plane begins to approach the runway that I can see that the grass needs cutting and the buildings need repairs, but that is not important. Jerry and I are eagerly looking forward to seeing Lori & Dora Erbatu, our dear friends, who are waiting for us in the airport arrivals hall.

Please continue to pray for the staff and children of the Bethel Home and Home of Hope, that despite the recession that is felt in both America and Romania, we will continue to receive adequate support to meet the needs of our children’s homes. We are also praying that we will begin to receive funds to insulate our original two homes at Home of Hope and complete a soccer field in the back of the property for our children to play on. God has been so good to us in the past that we are confident that He will continue to bless the children’s homes. It is you, our dear prayer partners, that I think of when I read these words from Philippians 1: 3-6, “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Love in Christ-

Jerry & Kendrick McCandless

Lindsey Wilson College

admin — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:58:40 +0000

Lindsey Wilson College

Mana Deschisa Ministry

admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 21:24:25 +0000

Mana Deschisa is a Christian rehabilitation center serving the homeless and hopeless youth of Romania. The center is based in Campina, a small town surrounded by hills approximately 60 miles north of the capital city of Bucharest.

Several orphans from the Home of Hope and the Bethel Home have been students at Mana Deschisa.

Click here to visit the Mana Deschisa web site.

Ina and Eugen Popescu- Director of Home of Hope

admin — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:52:50 +0000

Ina Popescu is the director of the Home of Hope in Braila, Romania. She and her husband Eugen, as well as their daughters Laura and Ronella, live and serve alongside the other house parents and families who call the Home of Hope their home.

Ina and Eugen Popescu with daughters Laura and Ronella

Below are images from life at the Home of Hope. Employee names are included in captions here, while the names of children are included in the photos associated with their respective Home of Hope families.

Home of Hope exterior

The McCandlesses and Popescus

Svetlana Parpalova is a part-time teaching assistant

Inside the Home of Hope

Home of Hope gathering space

Ledia Petrov is a social worker.

Home of Hope exterior

Home of Hope bathroom

Ligia Trandafir is Administrative Assistant at Home of Hope

How many meals per day do you guess Cornelia Ioan cooks at Home of Hope?

Ben and Ana Boingeanu

admin — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:08:29 +0000

Ben and Ana Boingeanu are house parents at the Home of Hope in Braila, Romania. They and their son, Tibi, live with and serve several children in the home.

Ben and Ana Boingeanu, with their son Tibi

Here are photos of the children of the Boingeanu family.

Eugene Coman

Iulica Istrati

Iulia Coman

Marian Ciorasteanu

George Toma

Gabi Parnica

Dorian Coman

Daniel Coman

Cornel Coman

Florin and Cati Gheorghe

admin — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:05:10 +0000

Florin and Cati Gheorghe are house parents at the Home of Hope in Braila, where they and their sons Florin Jr and Andrei share life with the Home of Hope kids.

Florin and Cati Gheorghe, with kids Florin Jr & Andrei

Daniel Scarlat

Eunice Boingeanu

Estera Boingeanu

Fanica Scarlat

Florentina Cojocaru

Ion Cojocaru

Iulian Scarlat

Lucian Cojocaru

Maria Scarlat

Marius Scarlat

Sandica Scarlat

Victor Cojocaru

Vasile and Mariana Aliman

admin — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:03:09 +0000

Vasile and Mariana Aliman are house parents at the Home of Hope in Braila. They and their kids, Andreea and Samuel, live and serve with several other children who comprise their Home of Hope family.

The family of Vasile and Mariana Aliman.

Alexandru Dragan

Casandra Coriie

Daniela Capiceanu

Diana and Florin Radu

Ionut Dragan

EDGE Outreach

admin — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:28:56 +0000

A Christian ministry focusing on clean water, vision, and mercy. Visit their site.