Even though in December we could not really enjoy the winter because of the lack of snow, in January we had everything that the children could have liked: snow, gifts and vacation!

          Even if they played in the snow, building houses, the children also cleaned up the yard full of snow, they did this job with joy, like a play. We had a few cold days when the wagon and horse were among the only “means of transport” that did not disappoint us. They went over the “mountain” of snow and did not get stuck. (1-4)

          In January, because we are not so busy as December, we managed to go out with the children to the skating rink in Piatra Neamt. We went with them twice. It was an indescribable joy for them, for some this was the first time they experienced skating. They had a nice time together when the "most experienced" taught the little ones to skate, they have competed with each other, they improve their course, or ... they just learned to skate. However, all were left with nice memories! (5-12)

          Dear ones,

       With the passing of December, the year 2017 has also passed. It was a blessed year and it has been deprived of unpleasant events, with the exception of Vlad`s loss and also loss of part of the financial support. We know that God is in control of all things and we want to thank Him for this!

       December was, as usual, a month loaded with work and events, but all was done

with joy in the hearts, so it was a nice time. We think the images can describe better

than the words the December's atmosphere so we want you to enjoy with us some pictures:

- decorating the rooms and the house, (1,2)

- purchasing a new generator for electricity, (3)

          The autumn with its rich fruits came to us! We almost managed to fill the cellar and pantry with food and grain for the winter. We thank God that this year also gave rain in the right time, and we also want to thank the communities of Ciohorani, Oboroceni, Helesteni, Urecheni and Suceava, who also donated part of their crops to the children in Casa Ray. God should reward all tenfold, at least! (1-9)

          At the same time with the arrival of October came the specific activities of this season. Especially activities that relate to beautifully colored leaves: sweeping the alleys full of leaves, photographing the leaves, filling the bags with leaves, which we used as an animal bed, playing with the leaves etc. (10-14)

          Besides these, sculpting in pumpkins (15), reconditioning rusted fences (16), correcting behavior by repeating in writing things that should not be done, such as "I'm not allowed to give nicknames to children!” (17), dish washing (18), homework (19), practicing English language (20) and so on.

          Bustled by the turmoil of daily activities, time has gone unimaginably and with rapid steps we have stepped from summer to autumn. The holiday is over and the school has begun, the intense green of the trees has left the warm autumn colors and so we are passing the years and we are flying.

          The passage of time has set footprint in these two months also over two brothers, Florin and Vasile, who turned 15 and 12 years respectively, and over two sisters, Dumitrita and Gabriela, who turned 13 and 10 years respectively. The kids enjoyed each other together, played "Happy Birthday," they made wished, they blew candles, took pictures, they laughed in a word, they felt good on the occasion of each anniversary. (1-8)

          Denisa comes from a concubinage relationship that resulted in two more younger children.

          The children were abandoned by the mother, and she remarried in December 2015.

          After the mother's abandon, Denisa and her other siblings stayed for a short time in the care of their parernal grandmother, and because the old woman could not take care of their growth, they were taken by the father.

          Until July 2016, Denisa lived with her father who is an alcoholic drinker and who has aggressive behavior towards her, even threatening her with death.

          Matasa sisters come from a disorganized family with 8 children, of which only 3 are currently minors. Children lived a relatively normal life, except for modest living conditions, until the time of the father's death, namely November 2013.

          After the unfortunate event, the girls remained in the care of their mother, who is drinking alcohol and who is not involved in raising and educating children. She was often absent from home, the girls remaining alone, unattended, and under hardly imagined conditions, endured cold and hungry.

           From 11/24/2016 the life of Dumitrita and Gabriel changed well with their arrival at Casa Ray.

           Thoughtful at first and slightly skeptical about life in the children's team, they were warmly welcomed and quickly integrated into our big family.

          "Looking back, we can say that we had an excellent month, even if there are some big problems that we are facing, we will bring them to your attention another time. We now want to enjoy these beautiful memories together. "

          This is the phrase with which we closed the June report. We did not know that the big problems we were facing would be overcome by other bigger problems in such a short time.

          We were going to let you know that the thermal installation is a big problem (pic.1-4), and the windows are also really affected by the passage of time (pic.5, 6), but as we already have informed you, the withdrawal of 44% financial support is a problem that gives us even more headaches. However, we are confident that God will find the best solutions for us and as He has demonstrated to us over time, He is the orphan's defender and will not abandon us even now. He will certainly find suitable people with whom we can continue to work for the good of these children we care for.

          The beginning of June had an expected event for children all year round: the end of the school!!! With the help of God, all our children have graduated this school year, some with good results and others have hardly gone "the finish line.” We are, however, glad that everyone has graduated! Also on June 1 we celebrated the day of the child in Romania. We marked this day with a barbecue and ... play! (1-4)

          Doinita and Florin are teenagers who have gone to another level. They graduated from the eighth grade and have now been admitted to high school. Up to this point, they had extra work for the capacity exam and had the festivity, which marked the completion of the gymnasium school. We are glad for them two to have been able to enter high school and wish them success. (5,6)

          After a break of one and a half year we managed to go back to McDonald's with the kids. They honored the invitation to the Pentecostal church of Margineni and were rewarded by a member of that church with a visit to their favorite restaurant. On this occasion, we also celebrated the birthday of Constantin Butoi, who was 15 years old. (7-12)

          April 1 is the day of the fools in Romania, and most people make fun of each other, so… there are many unexpected things to happen, but the most unexpected thing that happened, and that surprised all the Romanians, was 24 hours of abundant snow.

          This happened exactly in the middle of spring, when the trees were blooming and the flowers in the garden were spreading their fragrance for some time. It was a very strange phenomenon to see both snow and flowers at the same time. We hoped that apples, plums, cherries, sour cherries would not have been affected, because it would be a real loss for us. Hundreds of trees broke in our area because of the weight of snow and unfortunately this also happened in our orchard. (1,2)

          But the glory of the Lord as snow was only for three days, then very quickly melted because of the great heat that followed. This way we could continue working in the garden without too much delay. (3)