Karen & Ruben Popet – Beraca Orphanage in Jdioara, Romania

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

January, 2021

Happy New Year!

We brought in the new year with our own party at the orphanage. First, everyone got to make their own personal pizza, putting whatever toppings on it they wanted. They turned out very delicious. Then, we had snacks and a couple of movies. At midnight, we went outside to watch the fireworks being shot off all around us. After that, everyone was so full and tired that we called it a night.

We had planned to go to Pesac to take the children there presents again this year. Unfortunately, the group from Germany could not come because of COVID-19 restrictions. So, we were not quite sure how we were going to come up with 170 presents. But God came through in an amazing way, with half of them coming from a Romanian group that wanted to help. Some churches made gifts and we received some shoebox Christmas gifts, too. We ended up with extras which was a good thing because there were 200 children there to receive gifts. It had been a long time since we had seen some of them. It was wonderful to see the smile on their faces. God is always so faithful.

Christmas was a little quieter this year. Since we could not go caroling, we went to visit our American friends and sang carols to them. Of course, we stayed for food, our teenagers’ favorite part. The village did have the “pitarai” which is basically singing from house to house for candy. Our children came home with overflowing bags. They still are eating candy from Christmas. On Christmas Day, we had a meal with the workers and all of us. Afterwards, we played a game with switching and trading presents. It was a lot of fun. And everyone ended up with the present that they wanted. The day after Christmas, we were invited to a friend in Timisoara. He and his wife made the best hamburgers and fries for everyone. They also had a present for each of the children and teenagers. We played games with them for a while. It was a fun evening. Finally, after church on Sunday, we went to the mall to see the decorations. They were beautiful. The next two weeks were school vacation.

School is still online, with three weeks left in the first semester. Please pray for the children that they can concentrate and finish well. We want to thank you for all your prayers and financial giving. They are greatly appreciated. We pray you all have a wonderful year.

With our love,
Ruben, Karen and Bianca

Beraca Foundation, P.O. Box 674, Jacksonville, IL 62651; karenpopet@gmail.com

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