We have so much to be thankful for. God is good, His mercy is evelasting, His love endures forever, He never leaves us, He always forgives, He is patient and kind with us, and the list could go on and on! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with fellow missionary friends. The kids all behaved (another thing to be thankful for) and we had a wonderful day.
This year for the first time ever, we the Howertons put up our tree before Thanksgiving. I know the Romanians think we are crazy. They put theirs up the week of Christmas most wait until Christmas Eve. Some people who can't afford a tree just buy a branch to hand candy on for their kids. I have most of my Christmas shopping done. We have received many glorious packages with goodies from American and are playing Christmas music. We are blessed to have many friends and family who think of us and send us things to bring us Christmas cheer even though we are far from home! We are thankful to have many gifts to share with the needy children that we work with, many do not get a gift other then the gifts we give them.
Christmas always comes and goes so quickly. I just hope to enjoy each moment, not get impatient, not have a to do list a thousand miles long, and enjoy the true reason we celebrate, the King of kings was born. He left his throne in heaven and lived among us. I love how John puts it, "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." That is pretty amazing to think that the Word put on skin and came down to show us how much He loves us. It is mind boggling to think of how much our Creator loves us. Lets return that love by obeying Him and pouring out that same love we have received to others!
About Me
- Joyce Howerton
- We have lived in Romania for 16 years now. We have 6 kids. The top photo of our family is the day we met the twins, just before their 4th birthday. We were granted custody of them on their 5th birthday.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
November 16
Today was the big day. I didn't think I was nervous but I didn't sleep at all last night. I think it has to do with the cold I have and the tea plus medicine I took last night that made me not sleep. We arrived at the court house at 8:30 and found the room. We had no lawyer and the jurist from child protection wasn't even there (he did show up later though). There were quite a few adoption cases but we had to listen to custody cases first. There were about 12 or more custody cases where children were being removed from a home and only two parnets showed up, the rest didn't even show up to contest it. Then we watched as one young mother signed over the rights of her 8 year old child to be adopted. She probably has never had custody of him before but it was still hard for her to sign him over to be adopted by someone else. Then the judge cleared the room of everyone but adoption cases. We were number 13 on the list and she called the first 9 and none of them even were there! I was so amazed that people didn't show up for their adoption court date. When she got to case number 9 the official from child protection finally showed up. We did not pay to obtain a lawyer because it was an open and shut case and we felt we would just be wasting money. We were called up and our case was unusual in that we were the ones declaring them adoptable and adopting them (this is something that the child protection in the county the twins came from told us we were not allowed to do but they were wrong). She asked us why we were changing their names and we told her and she was pleased with our answer and even gave a pleasant smile. Not many people walk around in Romania with smiles on their faces. I try to smile and say hello to people but I get little response so I was happy to see a smile on the judges face. Then we signed a paper and that was it!
We should receive the official paper declaring them ours within 30 days. Then there is a 15 day waiting period when someone from the family can come attest it if they want to. After those 15 days, we go to the courthouse in Timisoara again and get a stamp on the paper that says irrivocable then go to the city hall in Lugoj and request new birth certificates. This could be done before Christmas if we get our paper before 30 days is up.
Our next big hurdle is figuring out the American side of things. We heard from someone today that to acquire a visa for them to enter America it will cost $400 a piece!! We have to go to Bucharest the first of January so we will make an appointment at the embassy and ask all our questions then.
On a lighter note, the court secretary I guess you would call her, she is the one who types all the papers out, well, she can't type. She just pecks it all out with her fingers and really takes quite a while. It would save the court on time if they would provide a typing class for all their court secretaries.
On another lighter night, we were behind a drivers ed car today and it said on the back: "I make abrupt and unnecessary stops." I thought that was funny.
Time for the pizza party and cookies now!
We should receive the official paper declaring them ours within 30 days. Then there is a 15 day waiting period when someone from the family can come attest it if they want to. After those 15 days, we go to the courthouse in Timisoara again and get a stamp on the paper that says irrivocable then go to the city hall in Lugoj and request new birth certificates. This could be done before Christmas if we get our paper before 30 days is up.
Our next big hurdle is figuring out the American side of things. We heard from someone today that to acquire a visa for them to enter America it will cost $400 a piece!! We have to go to Bucharest the first of January so we will make an appointment at the embassy and ask all our questions then.
On a lighter note, the court secretary I guess you would call her, she is the one who types all the papers out, well, she can't type. She just pecks it all out with her fingers and really takes quite a while. It would save the court on time if they would provide a typing class for all their court secretaries.
On another lighter night, we were behind a drivers ed car today and it said on the back: "I make abrupt and unnecessary stops." I thought that was funny.
Time for the pizza party and cookies now!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
November
I know that everyone says this but, wow, this year has really flown by! I can't believe we are coming upon Thanksgiving in just two weeks! It really is one of my most favorite times of the year. It took a while getting used to being away from family and friends in America but this is our 10th Thanksgiving/Christmas being in Romania and for quite a few of those we have had family visiting. We are blessed beyond measure! Lord willing we will be in the states celebrating with our family next fall/winter! Please pray for us as we have a lot of details to work out and a lot of money to raise for 8 plane tickets! Also, please pray as we look for someone to fill in and translate for us while we are gone. Please also continue to pray that our co workers, the Louks, support comes in soon!
We are just days away from our much anticipated court date. We know that God is in control and most of the time at the final court date everything is done and there are no kinks to work out so we are just hoping and praying that this is the case for us!
We are excited to announce that some new people are coming to church. Some who are already saved and some who aren't saved yet. Some new children also. Please intercede on behalf of the people of Romania. It is such a religious country and many people "believe" that Jesus is the Savior but they also add to what they need to do to be saved and so they are blinded to the fact that they need to trust in Jesus ALONE to be their Savior!
God is good, He is our provider. He is with us in the day to day tasks that seem menial. We are called to live a holy life set apart from the world. Pray for us as we strive to do that and bring glory to God. We pray that you also, will live a holy life set apart unto God for His service wherever you are!
Happy Thanksgiving!
We are just days away from our much anticipated court date. We know that God is in control and most of the time at the final court date everything is done and there are no kinks to work out so we are just hoping and praying that this is the case for us!
We are excited to announce that some new people are coming to church. Some who are already saved and some who aren't saved yet. Some new children also. Please intercede on behalf of the people of Romania. It is such a religious country and many people "believe" that Jesus is the Savior but they also add to what they need to do to be saved and so they are blinded to the fact that they need to trust in Jesus ALONE to be their Savior!
God is good, He is our provider. He is with us in the day to day tasks that seem menial. We are called to live a holy life set apart from the world. Pray for us as we strive to do that and bring glory to God. We pray that you also, will live a holy life set apart unto God for His service wherever you are!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
October
I am finally writing an entry for October and the month is over! The weeks are flashing by before my eyes! The weather has been beautiful and we are enjoying our school schedule of 4 weeks on and 1 week off. Our week off this time took us on a one day trip to Bear Cave. It was a beautiful drive and a nice chilly day. If you want to see pictures I posted them on Facebook.
The two oldest boys are studying the eastern hemisphere this year and we have signed up for this short program called my passport to India. Our oldest desires to be a missionary there someday. Each week we watch two short videos about what life is like in India. If you are ever tempted to complain you really should find information about life in a third world country. It will stop you in your tracks and make you sing a song of praise to God for all the wonderful blessings you have! Take for example the bathroom situation. Just today as one child was taking forever using the bathroom and another was waiting in line to use it, I was tempted to complain...I actually said, "brother, we really need to get that other bathroom fixed, this is ridiculous." Almost immediately the Lord brought to my mind something I just learned, that in Mumbai, India there are 17 toilets for every 1 million people. I quickly realized my mistake and thanked God for the working bathroom we have for the kids. Most of the things I complain about are so trivial. People all over the world live in such filth and poverty. Even a lot of people that I know here in Romania use an outhouse, don't have indoor plumbing, have only cold water, etc.
The next time you are tempted to complain about one of life's little inconveniences, do a search about India or some other poor country and you will quickly be reminded of how rich even the poorest Americans are in comparison to the rest of the world!
The two oldest boys are studying the eastern hemisphere this year and we have signed up for this short program called my passport to India. Our oldest desires to be a missionary there someday. Each week we watch two short videos about what life is like in India. If you are ever tempted to complain you really should find information about life in a third world country. It will stop you in your tracks and make you sing a song of praise to God for all the wonderful blessings you have! Take for example the bathroom situation. Just today as one child was taking forever using the bathroom and another was waiting in line to use it, I was tempted to complain...I actually said, "brother, we really need to get that other bathroom fixed, this is ridiculous." Almost immediately the Lord brought to my mind something I just learned, that in Mumbai, India there are 17 toilets for every 1 million people. I quickly realized my mistake and thanked God for the working bathroom we have for the kids. Most of the things I complain about are so trivial. People all over the world live in such filth and poverty. Even a lot of people that I know here in Romania use an outhouse, don't have indoor plumbing, have only cold water, etc.
The next time you are tempted to complain about one of life's little inconveniences, do a search about India or some other poor country and you will quickly be reminded of how rich even the poorest Americans are in comparison to the rest of the world!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
BIG, WONDERFUL, EXCITING, MIRACULOUS NEWS
If you can't tell by the title of this blog entry...I'm a little excited! Why you ask....let me share it with you...WE RECEIVED OUR FINAL ADOPTION COURT DATE! Our experience with the court system in Oradea was s...l...o...w... so I assumed it would be the same here in Timis county. Baron finally received our adoption file completed just a little under two weeks ago. We hoped to hear something within 30 days but it took about 4 or 5 months to get a court date in Oradea. I expected when we did get our court date it wouldn't be until sometime early next year. When we received our custody court date in October of 2008, it wasn't until Jan, 2009. But, in less then two weeks after putting our file in at the court house we received a court date for NOVEMBER 16...2010!!!! Yes, that is just under two months away! We are excited. The twins don't understand the bigness of it because they feel they are already part of our family. Joey asked..."do I get my blue passport now?"
We called our social worker to give her the news and asked if we could bring all the kids to the courthouse...no just Baron and I should come. The judge will ask us a few questions and hopefully that will be that. They will be official Howertons!
What a wonderful Thanksgiving we will have celebrating the newest additions to the Howerton family! God is good.
We called our social worker to give her the news and asked if we could bring all the kids to the courthouse...no just Baron and I should come. The judge will ask us a few questions and hopefully that will be that. They will be official Howertons!
What a wonderful Thanksgiving we will have celebrating the newest additions to the Howerton family! God is good.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Kids Club
This is Ana, Andrea, Adina, and Claudia.
This is Alin. I believe he is 12 years old.
Gabi is to the far left. He is 11. Sebi is 14. He told Baron that he accepted Christ and that he wants to be a preacher!
Nicu is in the blue sweat suit. He is 10 and has had a rough life. He is a very needy boy. Alin is on the otherside of Zach. He is Zach's buddy, they went to camp together. He told Baron after camp that he received Christ in his heart. Costica is the other boy in the picture. He also told Baron that he received Christ. Please pray that these 3 boys will continue to come to kids club and grow in their relationship with Christ.
This is Alin. I believe he is 12 years old.
Gabi is to the far left. He is 11. Sebi is 14. He told Baron that he accepted Christ and that he wants to be a preacher!
Nicu is in the blue sweat suit. He is 10 and has had a rough life. He is a very needy boy. Alin is on the otherside of Zach. He is Zach's buddy, they went to camp together. He told Baron after camp that he received Christ in his heart. Costica is the other boy in the picture. He also told Baron that he received Christ. Please pray that these 3 boys will continue to come to kids club and grow in their relationship with Christ.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Religious Freedom in Romania
What does religious freedom mean to you? To me it means being able to choose your religion and go to church where you want and get batpized where you want. In Romania, if a child is in the system the law states that they can not choose to "change their religion" until they are 16. That means any orphan or abandoned child, or child that has been abused and removed from their home cannot choose to be baptized at any church because they were baptized as babies in the Orthodox Church. Now, as babies did they have a choice, no, they were forced to become an Orthodox. It doesn't matter that most people who claim to be Orthodox don't go to church. The Orthodox church is not going into to try to minister to these kids but they do not have the freedom to choose a different religion until they are 16.
Baron went to talk to the director at the state run home today about a club for the kids who went to camp this summer and he got a lecture from the director. The director pointed out the law and said these kids came back from camp wanting to "change their religion" and be baptized. He told Baron, that he was breaking the law if he let these kids come to a place where they were pushed into "changing their religion". Baron at that point thought our ministry to these kids was over but praise God that wasn't the end. It is exciting to know that these kids came back from camp excited about what they learned and sharing that they had made decisions to follow Christ.
We are happy that we will be allowed to pick up these 13 kids ages 10-14 and have a club with them each Saturday. We will teach them English, do a Bible study, feed them, and play games with them. We will stress to them that they need to learn how to follow God from the Bible but not go back to the orphanage saying they wanted to get baptized or they will not be allowed to come anymore. We will tell them that we can teach them about God's way and baptism and they can make the choice of baptism when they are 16. We will let them know that no one can stop them from making a decisison to follow Christ and live for Him.
We praise God that these young people will know that true freedom comes in Christ. Please pray that they will understand what it truly means to repend and turn from a life of sin to Christ. Please pray that the Bible/English Club will train these children to follow after Christ no matter what obstacles lie in their way.
Baron went to talk to the director at the state run home today about a club for the kids who went to camp this summer and he got a lecture from the director. The director pointed out the law and said these kids came back from camp wanting to "change their religion" and be baptized. He told Baron, that he was breaking the law if he let these kids come to a place where they were pushed into "changing their religion". Baron at that point thought our ministry to these kids was over but praise God that wasn't the end. It is exciting to know that these kids came back from camp excited about what they learned and sharing that they had made decisions to follow Christ.
We are happy that we will be allowed to pick up these 13 kids ages 10-14 and have a club with them each Saturday. We will teach them English, do a Bible study, feed them, and play games with them. We will stress to them that they need to learn how to follow God from the Bible but not go back to the orphanage saying they wanted to get baptized or they will not be allowed to come anymore. We will tell them that we can teach them about God's way and baptism and they can make the choice of baptism when they are 16. We will let them know that no one can stop them from making a decisison to follow Christ and live for Him.
We praise God that these young people will know that true freedom comes in Christ. Please pray that they will understand what it truly means to repend and turn from a life of sin to Christ. Please pray that the Bible/English Club will train these children to follow after Christ no matter what obstacles lie in their way.
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