Report 2009

In the beggining of year 2009 we started to think about the summer camps. After a very hard camping last year when for different reason we had to stop, it was really difficult continue and think about the blessings. We two, Attila and me, prayed for the leading of God and see what is His plan for year, especially for summer camp. We knew in our mind, camps are very important. Some friends , sponsors and also gypsy churches were asking us about the camps. If there will be camps in this summer? We said yes, even after a lot of disappointment we believed God will bless summer camps. But we were little bit afraid, because we did not have any cooks. For to run the camps we had to change some things was working wrong, especially find good teams. We were sitting together and worked out some new expectation what is very important for better work. You know at the begining we start camps there was a goal to help to the gypsy churches and when there opened some schools, also we would like to help them with camps. That means there are work with children during the year and children who went every day to school and visited church services they can come to the summer camp for one week, as a reward for their hard work and good studiing. But after years everybody forgot this goal and more and more children came camping not only from churches and schools. In this time leaders started to neglect importance of summer camp and they did not see: this week is continuation of there work they were doing at home. That is why there were problems with children and also leaders. That is why often teams were workiing very bad and instead of makiing unit they made only difference in teams.. So we sit together and wrote down some new expectation and rules everybody had to keep during the camp week. Pastor in the congregation has to organise team of leaders, make plans for week, prepaire programs and decide who will do what during the camp( teaching, singing, games...) Team of leaders can come only with ready programs they prepaired at home. Team can be 10-12 adults. Team has to make a list of needs for the week( for hancraft, papers, pencils, games, toys) They have to make a list of children and leaders and also organise travelling of them. In a week there can come 40 children. In the preparation of summer camps we saw Gods blessings because when Attila visited Gypsy churches and was talking abouth the summer camp, lot of leaders were agree with our new ideas. Attila asked all the pastors and leaders work together and fix a date when they would like to come with their children. We saw also Gods blessing when in May a lady from the village came to ask if we need cooks because there are some women who would like to cook in the camp and they heared we did not have cooks. It was so surprise for us, we did not ask anyone, like last year. But God was taking care of us, of everything, He new our needs, He saw we need cooks and He sent 4 very nice lady for cooking. First week started June 1-6. Children and leaders came from Gát and Nagydobrony. They were 55 people. All together 60 people. It was a really quiet and blessed week. It was quiet because children had more spiritual programs, like talking in a groups at the room. In these programs children can talk about what they understand from the teaching, ask more and open their harts before Jesus, talk about their problems, situation, families, ask helps, pray together. We could see children, how they are important before Jesus during the week. Pastor Jenei Otto is a very spiritual man and when he makes camp there are always more attention to God, to Jesus Christ. It was a blessed camp and children were crying when they had to leave. The first week was an exam for new cooks. We were little bit afraid how everything will be and they were also afraid. Day by day we were talking together about the meals, and we knew each others more and more. They were very open to us, to the gypsys, what is very important, even for Evangelium. Every afternoon we made a short Biblestudy, when we could talk tohether about God, they had a lot of questions, we prayed every day: for camp, for children, for their families. I remember one day we had a control from goverment and in the afternoon I forgot we did not have Biblestudy with cooks. I only enter the kitchen and immidiately they asked, can we sit and have Biblestudy. Oh, of course, I said lillte bit amazed because I forgot. During the camps we have to controll everything: how is the work in the kitchen, what we need for meals, for next days what we have to bye, for leaders and the same time for kids, for our kids... During all weeks we worked together with cooks very well. They are very nice people. They waneted more camps because they liked to come here. It is very nice when you have a nice team and we can work together for gypsys, for glory of God.. At the end they asked if they can come next year, because they would like to come. Oh, sure, I will only ask you next year, I said them. Other three camps, where there were also about 60 people, went also well. It was less tiring that between two camps we had one free. Before the last camp in the free week we organised camp for Papi children, we organised every year. Our cooks were also coming and help and there were some mothers in the kitchen. During the week there were 80 children every day. It was also blessed week. At last week there were a little bit problem with leaders. Because some leaders did not know what are their work children were also disobey. After some years camping we can see how the leaders are workiing and thinking, and also children, we drew inferences that children are listening when leaders are workiing and children do not listen when there are lazy leaders. So children are like their leaders. All together we think everybody, adults and kids, had a nice summer camps in the Mission Centre. For last week we had guests from Holland, a youth team with 16 poeple, with nice people. They were workiing a lot with children in the afternoon programs. Children were very intereseted and involved in different games. Thanks for their hard and lovely work. They were workiing from harts. We could see that when in the end of the camp children leave the camp the Dutch team was crying... They really loved those children. All the blessings I wrote you we really could feel from our Lord, His taking care day by day. At last night after a hard footbal game, one boy was ill. After 10 oclock somebody came and call us for help. As we went to saw the boy He had a hard hart problem. He lost his mind. One doctor was immidiatelly coming and she made the first aid help. After 15 minutes the boy started to be better. The doctor said we have to take him to the hospital because it is very danger if he stays at the camp, there could be more problems. Attila took him to the hospital in Beregszász where his relatives waited them. After some days we knew the boy is better, but he often has to go to the controll and take medicine. One of the problem when children come to the camp,they say: they did not have any healhty problem. They say because they are afraid we send them back. On first day doctor sees all the children and adults, because we want to know who is little bit sick, who has some problems, during the week, we have to be more careful with sick children and we give them medicine. You have to know gypsy children, mostly, are sick. They are sick, because they had some sicknesses before but they did not take any medicine and you can see the hint of inflammation of the lungs, or chronic tonsilitis and so. Sometimes we are really afraid if somebody of the children is sick and ask what to do, it is a very big responsibility, we have to make decision: if the child can stay or he(she) has to go back. Only one God we believe, can keep these children from sicknesses and during the camp. Before the children come to the camp they have to see doctor and ask a permission they are healthy to go to camp. But these are only officially work. Often the children told us, doctor had never see them, did not ask if somebody is sick or not. Often we have documents with writing on : child is healthy, and when our doctor sees them she sais, child has a lot of problems . That is really crasy. In this year we made summer camps officially, through the foundation “Chance for Life” registarted by government. There were more work of officially paper work. The money came to the foundation bank account and all the money we spent we had to keep checks, make contract with all the workers, pay taxes and every day make paper work in the kitchen. That was the most difficult work:very day make paper work in the kitchen. From the government asked to write down 3 times in a day, when breakfast, lunch or supper how the meal was prepaired, was it made in a good order and way, was there made the norm for children, how it smells, what is the color of meal, is there enaugh vitamins, how many vegetables you bought and how many used for one time.....a lot of craisy and we think unpossibile things. But we had to make it every day, these work had to make one person sitting every day in the kitchen. Two times we had controll from government, but we did not have any problems. They controlled clean of the kitchen, sleeping rooms of the kids , bathrooms, eating place, outside toilets, place where children are playing if there are any danger things we left.... It was not so easy. To make summer camps through the foundation was more paper work, but there was a book keeper in the village, he is one of Attilas friend, who helped us a lot and he said as a volunteer he wants to help us. It was a really big help from his side. All together we can say there were about 330 people (gypsy kids and adults) from 8 Roma churches, who had been in the summer camps and they could hear Gods word every day and spend nice time together. A part from this in Szernye church there were 80 children every day for to listen Gods words. They could not come to Csonkapapi because there were only three leaders who wanted to come to camp and they decided to organise a Bible vacation week at home. It was also blessed by our Lord Jesus Christ. Now it is little bit quiet. The summer went so quickly but we think we spent summer very nice and with blessing of God and for Glory of Gor. Thanks for our Lord, Jesus Christ, we can only glorify Him, for His blessings, for taking care of summer time, takiing care of children and their hart, that they can serve Him and live for His glory. Our brothers and sister in Jesus Christ. So nice to know you are standing before God and praying for us, for camps, for gypsys, for Mission. Thanks for that. Please keep us in your prayer and give us encouragement when you have it from Lord. Thank you for your material supports, you were giving your support for the needs of camp. May God bless you and keep you in His hand. With Christ love Attila and Livia Tomes

Greetings in the name of Christ! We are Attila and Livia Tomes, missionaries in the Reformed Church of Transcarpathia in Ukraine. Six years ago we started our ministry among the Roma people. Roma people are very poor people without any education. They live in groups, in very small houses on the outskirts of the villages. In the families there are usually a lot of children, about 5-8 in a family and they don’t go to school. The Roma people have darker skin and they are discriminated against by people and the government. We as missionaries started to work with adults and tried to talk about God, about Our Savior Jesus Christ. At the same time we called adults and children to teach them reading and writing. That was not very easy work because we encountered very different customs, thoughts, and laws in the Roma communities. Three years ago, the Reformed Church bought a building to serve as the center of the Roma mission for the region. The Reformed Church wanted to lift up the Roma nationality and work with them as people. The leaders of the Reformed Church asked us to organize this center while living another town. In order to focus more on the programs and make it more effective, we decided to move here with our family, including three daughters, one year ago. One of our main programs is to bring together the 15 Roma Reformed congregations. Also we organize leadership trainings for adult laypeople so that they can assist the pastor by leading Bible studies and working with children. This program has been running for three years. Since this Mission Center has been in operation, in summertime we have had summer camps financed by support from abroad. During one year of summer camp, there are 450 children and 50 leaders that come from the congregations with the children. During this summer over 400 children came to the summer camp. Throughout the six weeks, there were three weeks with children between the ages 7-11 and three weeks with 12-16 year old children. The money that you gave was very helpful in our financial problem. Not only did you support the camps this year, but through your generosity we will also be able to develop the camp facilities at Mission Center. We want to thank you very much for your support. Before the summer camp in June, we didn’t have enough money to run the camp. Thanks to Our Lord, through you, the camp could continue! May God bless you and your generosity to help in our Ministry. If you are interested in our ministry or would like to further support our work among Roma, you can visit our website at http://ref-romamission.blogspot.com or contact us by email at tomes@citromail.hu.