Newsletter march-april 2001

My name is Phyllis Parker and I have been a hair dresser for 26 years. I come from Colorado, USA, but now live in Marghita, Romania. God has blessed me with two families. The first one has grown up. The children have moved away from home and have their own families. When my husband died five years ago God filled the empty space with mission work in Romania. After four one-month visits involving teaching in Romania I knew God wanted me to move there.

Every time I came I had taught young Cadea boys hair dressing. God had put a love for these boys in my heart and I kept finding myself thinking about them. Do they have enough food? Are they cold? Who comforts them when they are sick?

When I sold my hair salon and my house in January last year, it was the beginning of a new family. From the boys that graduated from Cadea in 2000 there were twelve who didn’t have anywhere to go. Ani, one of the foundation’s social workers, and I moved to the camp site in the Black Forest together with the boys and became like a family. Ani left us at new years for another job. Four boys were placed in the transit home in Marghita and two in the transit home in Chiribis. There are still six boys living in the Black Forest. They learn skills beneficial to daily life such as cooking, setting the table, washing dishes, cleaning, keeping themselves and their clothes clean etc. We read the Bible every morning before breakfast and pray together at every meal. Some are just learning to pray. Others pray with empathy and power.

Every week I take some of the boys from Cadea to the dentist. After one year now two boys have new front teeth where there used to be holes. Some have had broken or infected teeth pulled out and others have had teeth repaired. The boys in the Black Forest also join me to visit Cadea once a week. We cut hair and spend time with the boys there. Those who have had their birthday that month get to invite four friends and we bring food and a birthday cake with candles. They love having their photo taken. It’s a memory to keep. It really gets to be a special day, and for some it’s their first cake.

All of these are tasks that God has given me while I wait for the hair salon to be ready. When it is, and I hope it will be soon, two of the boys from the Black Forest will work there together with me. They have attended the classes I held at Cadea. God’s plans were greater than I could imagine.

Many people are involved in the design of the inside and outside of the hair salon. Bernt from Lammhult is making the furniture. Someone else has donated washstands and barber chairs. All details have been put together by the Master designer, the Lord our God. My prayer is to remain in his will with my life.

Phyllis Parker