Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
James 1:27
February, 2015
Dear Friends,
After the busy holiday season, this past month has been a little less hectic. The children finished their first semester of school at the end of January. So, they had a week break in between semesters. One day during the vacation, we took them to Aqualand, an indoor waterpark about 2 hours away. Some of the younger children had never been. They all loved it. Afterwards, we took them to MacDonald’s which was a first for some of them, too. It was a fun day for everyone. Another day all of the children helped us to put together a box of clothes for each family in Pesac. It took several hours, but they all stuck with it. We plan to do a program again for them this month and give everyone a box of clothes. Unfortunately, it rained a lot of the vacation so they had to play games inside. We were given a new TV when we were in Germany and it had games on it. So, that was nice for them to play some new games.
We received three more boys this month. They are brothers. Their names are Marcu Mihai, age 9, Jacob Buidos, age 6 and Moise Mihai, age 3. They have never been to school or had any structure in their lives. They also have never been to church or heard anything about the Bible. So, we have a lot of work to do to plant seeds about Jesus into their lives. When they saw the roller blades and skateboards and bikes, they were ready to try right away. They weren’t afraid at all and learned all three in a few hours. It was amazing. Now, we have 17 children plus Bianca. We are waiting to hear about five more siblings. If that works out, it will fill us up to the maximum of 22 children.
We continue to go to the volleyball games with the children. They now have an Australian girl also on the team. Both she and the American girl came out to spend the day with us. They both tower over Karen. It is the first time in her life that she has felt small.
Ruben made a quick trip to Germany to pick up furniture, a washing machine, a couch, clothes and a few other things from a friend of ours. He wanted to give them to us free so that was a real blessing. He even gave us money for gas! We needed more wardrobes and dressers for the children to put their things in, especially with more children coming. We are also looking to buy another van so we can transport all of the children to church and other places. Please pray with us that we find just the right one to meet our needs.
We celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary this month. We are thankful for one another and the gift that God has given us in each other. We are also thankful for each of you and your faithful support and prayers. Thank you for being so generous.
With our love,
Ruben, Karen and Bianca
Beraca Foundation, P.O. Box 674, Jacksonville, IL 62651; karenpopet@gmail.com