CITC Community Review - Senior Student's Column

Over the summer I had the privilege of travelling to Romania for my College Summer Placement. Through the two weeks with the Smiles Foundation, I saw the tremendous growth of the gospel where previously there had been oppression. One of the highlights of the trip was being in Tileagd Community Church, on the edge of a gypsy village. Together, we praised God – a small fulfilling of the vision of John where he saw every tribe, people and language (Rev 7:9). In the time of open prayer, people prayed aloud to God in English, Romanian, the Gypsy language, and even a flurry of Ulster-Scots! My time in Romania enlarged my vision of God, affirming that ‘Our God is a great big God!’ But more than that, it demonstrated the words of Paul to the Colossians – ‘All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth’ (Col 1:6). We who have been called to preach the gospel can find heart that the gospel of Jesus is powerful and effective, and is still bearing fruit!

Making More Smiles

Just a bit of information about the concerts coming up, organised by the Smiles Foundation. The Tileagd Children's Choir will be in concert next weekend in N0rthern Ireland - Enniskillen (Cathedral Hall?) on Thursday 27th; Terrace Row Presbyterian in Coleraine on Friday 28th; and Richhill Presbyterian on Saturday 29th.

Tickets are £5, and the concerts start at 7.30pm (except Coleraine which is at 8pm).

For more information, click here.

Romania Update 3

Dear friends,

Sorry that it has taken me so long to email again with an update from Romania. Things were busy and I didn't get back to the office for internet. When I returned to Dromore again on Thursday, my internet wasn't working there either!

Firstly, I want to thank you for all your prayers and support over the past couple of weeks. It has been encouraging to know that people are praying for me and the work out in Romania. I hope that you will continue to remember the work of the Smiles Foundation in your prayers in the weeks and months to come - and maybe even go on a trip yourself some time soon!

So what all did I get up to in the remainder of my time? On one day, we had a tour of the Tileagd Community School, meeting some of the teachers and pupils who came to school during their summer holidays! The pupils are so keen to learn and to go to school that they don't like holidays, so during the summer the school operates 'summer school' on two days of the week. We then moved on to the Gypsy village in Tileagd, before visiting a psychiatric hospital in Bratca. The patients have been in medical care practically since birth, most being abandoned due to physical or mental disability. They simply wanted to play with someone, which we did!

Another day it was like being on the set of 'Changing Rooms' - we cleaned and painted an elderly man's house, bringing transformation to his one-roomed dwelling. The paint that day was blue, and on a different day, I was covered in yellow paint as I helped work on the nursery in Tileagd, inside and out. (But I wouldn't call on me for any home decorating jobs, if I was you!)

Several days were in the Children's Centre in Cihei, helping to put smiles on the faces of the children there - and also digging out a sandpit for them to play in (although it seemed they were happy enough playing in the hole, before any sand came!)

Ours was the last mission trip of the summer, but the work of Smiles continues - with the social workers still providing food and clothing aid; the school and nursery units teaching kids; the Children's Centre developing young children; the emergency housing unit providing shelter for those left homeless; and the kingdom advancing in the Community Church in Tileagd.

Please pray for Kevin, and all the staff of Smiles as they struggle to make difficult decisions about the allocation of funds, and in all they do. Pray also for the mission trippers as we share with friends the news about Smiles and seek to support them in their vital work.

In three weeks time I will (DV) be back in Dublin for the start of the new year - my final year in college! More prayer updates will follow. If you prefer not to receive these emails, please letme know.

Blessings,
Gary



http://garymcmurray.blogspot.com

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Reflecting on the trip

I'm still processing the experiences from the mission trip, and promise they will shortly be up on the blog! In the meantime, I was called on to give a short report on my trip tonight in the Cathedral. No preparation as such, just got up and talked a wee bit about who the Smiles Foundation is, and what I was doing. Hopefully I'll be able to put a powerpoint presentation with photos together for a fuller talk in the near future.

Some of my photos are now up on Flickr! Click here for the Romania photo set!

Romania Update 2

Dear friends,

Just a quick update but I haven't got long on the net! Firstly, thank you for all your prayers so far - we are knowing the benefit of them out here.

It has been a challenging time so far - from the heat and strong sunshine (with me forgetting my sunglasses... left in the car at Dublin airport), to the language barrier when meeting Romanian families. I've also been challenged about how much we in Northern Ireland have, compared to our brothers and sisters with virtually (or actually) nothing at all.

On Sunday we went to the Tileagd Community Church for the morning service. This is a church primarily for the gypsy community, and we were warmly welcomed. The choir is made up of young people from the congregation, and they sang in English and Romanian - the choir is also coming to the UK on a tour in September/October time - more info to follow!

Yesterday I was out on one of the Family Care Project teams, taking food, clothes and toys to fmailies who need them. I was struck by one 'house' where six people were living in a room little bigger than my college room. We also saw families where the father has died, leaving a wife and eleven children who are struggling to cope.

The kids were so appreciative of what we brought - taking great pleasure in simple things like a soft ball, or balloons or a toy car. One wee lad even came to give us the ball back when we were leaving - his face lit up when he was told he could keep it! The Smiles Foundation cetainly brings smiles to the faces of the families they are helping.

Today I was out on Operation Hope - the elderly visitation and friendship scheme. We spent about two hours with a 94-year old lady who told us stories of her life, and was deighted to receive a gift pack of juice, biscuits, yoghurt, bread and other stuff - which came to the grand total of about 4 pounds sterling.

As I've said earlier, the weather is warm - my tan is coming along nicely, but we've also been seeing tremendous thunder and lightning storms. I think we've had some every day so far - last night was the worst. At about 2.45am it was directly overhead and lasted maybe up to an hour - the chimney on the building I'm staying in was hit (we reckon) and the top half fell. This has now been replaced, but it was close enough for comfort!

Thankfully I haven't been bitten so far by mosquitoes, but Lynsey is suffering from quite a few bites.

On the prayer list - please pray for Kevin and the Smiles staff as they reach out to those in need, extending the kingdom; for the team as we work together across the language barrier; for safety on the sometimes scary Romanian roads where cars will overtake with very little space to do so; and for us as we see some horrific things.

Hopefully I'll be able to update again soon - keep praying, and be assured that you are in my thoughts and prayers as well.

God bless,

Gary


http://garymcmurray.blogspot.com

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Romania Update

Dear friends,

Just a quick note to say hello and to request some prayers as I head off to
Romania for my College Placement. In a matter of hours I will be heading
down to the airport to jet off to work with the Smiles Foundation. I'll be
part of a team of about 40 people from across the world, helping with their
various projects.

Please pray for me and the whole team over the next two weeks that we will
gel together, knowing the unity of the gospel as we seek to share God's
grace with the people we meet.

Pray also for Kevin and the permanent mission team of Smiles as they
co-ordinate our work and follow the call of God on their lives to serve in
this part of the world.

Thank you in advance for your prayers - hopefully I'll be able to send a
couple of email updates during the time, but if not, I'll report back on the
trip when I return home!

Blessings,
Gary

http://garymcmurray.blogspot.com

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