Craciun Fericit! ( Merry Christmas)

No, I have not lost my mind, nor I am not trying to rush time. But, I must confess, I am thinking about Christmas. It’s not that I miss the familiar colors, the festive decorations, or even the mouthwatering taste of traditional Holiday treats.

I am thinking about Christmas from the vantage point of thousands of abandoned Romanian children. These children look forward to Christmas Eve as the one night a year that they can be normal children, without fear of being hurt by their pears, cursed at, mocked, and chased by adults, and police officers. For one night these children join with nearly all the children from their small villages, and shivering, yet beaming with excitement, they trod through the frozen streets, from one apartment to another, lifting their young voices in festive carols for nuts, and other hunger quenching Christmas goodies.

For many typical Romania children Christmas Eve marks the beginning of their Christmas celebration. Like most children they crawl into bed with excitement and wonder anticipating the first glimpse of dawn, and the opportunity to discover what sort of goodies Father Christmas has left in their newly shined shoes that were so delicately places by the door the night before.

For the orphan however, the clock striking midnight on Christmas Eave gives a harsh reminder of reality. Slowly these children make their way back to their government run apartment complexes; many have nothing more then the fond memories of this dreamlike night to keep them warm. With sadness they too leave their tattered shoes by the door; with hopes that by some miracle, Father Christmas will have remembered them too.

Due the generosity of many Americans, and the corporate efforts of various relief organizations, such as Samaritans purse and Heart to Heart International Ministries, many of these children wake up on Christmas morning with not only gifts awaiting them, but with a “home cooked” meal in the afternoon, a time of paying organized game with their friends, and they go to bed at night having heard the Gospel story, and having been assured that though their earthy parents may not be actively engaged in their lives in their lives there are people who care about them. And most importantly they have a Heavenly father who will never abandon them.

In order for these children to have the joy of experiencing all that I mentioned above I need to be thinking about this now. The gifts that these children receive are hand picked, donated, shipped and then had delivered to the children. In order to assure that the children will receive gifts this holiday season all donations need to be received in the Heart to Heart office by September5, 2008. This is why I am thinking about Christmas.

To learn more about the 2008 Romania Christmas Project click here.

Because He Loves Them,