Last year many of you joined us for our supporter tour to Ukraine.   This year we’re off to Romania.    Our aim is to go in September but the final arrangements have not yet been made.
Romania was the first country where we saw plight of the children in ‘orphanages’ just after the collapse of Ceausescu’s regime.   There were often four or five children to a cot and desperately neglected.   That was when we started our Child Sponsorship scheme.   Together over the years we’ve been able to help thousands of children.
You’ll visit some of the children’s institutions we support, and may even have the opportunity to meet your sponsored child.  You will have the opportunity to see other aspects of the work of Mission Without Borders and take in the sights.
Please let us know if you are at all interested.   There is no commitment at this stage.   Just contact us and we’ll send you more information.
Many of you have already expressed interest, but it would help us if you would let us know you’re still interested.
See you in Bucharest!

On a sponsor tour to Moldova, Terry Crabtree was so moved by the conditions the children were living in, he was determined to do something about it.
There was a particular children’s Home in Grinauti where the dormitories were icy cold.   On a closer look, Terry discovered that the window frames were barely holding the glass in.   No wonder the children were freezing.   And, of course, the glass could drop out any moment.
When he came back home, he cajoled all his family, friends and anyone whom he knew.  And they came up trumps!   They were all as moved as Terry was.   Within a couple of months he sent us a very generous cheque.   This meant that the windows could be replaced in the boy’s dormitory.   Just look at the children’s faces.   Their smiles say a big thank you to Terry, his family and friends.
A lot can be done when one person is determined.

After a summer of drought in Romania, food and vegetables became more expensive.  But while the prices rose by 40%, pensions and the minimum salary increased by only 10 – 15%. With rising gas and electricity prices too, the fight for survival became too difficult for many of the poorest families. So this year in particular, Operation Christmas Love became a lifeline to many.
The Christy* Family of 6 is one of the needy families who received an Operation Christmas Love parcel that made all the difference.
The monthly cash income of this family is about £40 and the OCL parcel they received was a wonderful surprise for them. The basic food helped the mother to prepare a Christmas meal and she said that with the sugar, the oil and the white flour, she could make buscuits for her boys. The children couldn’t believe it when they saw the chocolate and the sweets.  Christmas became something they could look forward to. 
* name changed to preserve confidentiality

“Thank you and God bless you!”

That’s the message I’ve been asked to pass on to you by so many of the people you’ve helped in 2007. Your involvement in Mission Without Borders has changed their lives.

This Christmas picture was drawn and sent here by one of the children sponsored through us. I hope you might like to cut it out and keep it as a reminder of the gratitude felt by many thousands like her.

As I write, our workers are still busy preparing the Operation Christmas Love boxes so that they will be ready for delivery over the Christmas period. We aim to distribute 30,000 boxes. There has been a marvellous response to our appeal already, and although we still need a lot more to pay for everything, we’ve gone ahead in faith that everything necessary will be provided.

So on behalf of all of us at Mission Without Borders, may you have a blessed and joyful Christmas 2007.

Happy Christmas!

 The 26th St Albans Rainbows are a very caring group of girls aged between five and seven years.  Each year they choose a charity to support at Christmas.  We’re delighted they’ve chose Mission Without Borders for the second year running.

First of all, they lovingly decorated envelopes.   They then packed them full of exciting presents for despatch to Eastern Europe.  As you can see from the photographs, they had lots of fun.   But it will be nothing compared to the joy they will bring to children abandoned to ‘orphanages’.

Under the guidance of “Snowdrop” (Julia Fryer) and “Poppy” (Janice Dyer), the 26th St Albans Rainbows have kept their promise:

THE RAINBOW GUIDE PROMISE
I promise that I will do my best to love my God and to be kind and helpful

We think that the 26th St Albans Rainbows and their leaders are very kind indeed.
A very special thanks to you all!

Torrential downpours bombarded Valcea County a week ago.  The already swollen rivers burst their banks washing homes completely away.  Crops were submerged, roads and bridges were destroyed.    Families were made homeless, facing the oncoming winter with nothing more than what they wore.
MWB was the first to offer them a helping hand.  We were able to provide insulating materials, beds, mattresses, warm blankets and food.
The Humuzau family were fast asleep when the waters hit their house.  They just had time to snatch their little baby and run.  They lost their home, all their possessions including their livestock.   “We lost everything, but we’re so grateful to God that we’re alive!” Elvira Humuzau said.
Maria, the mother of three, added  “Government aid for flood victims is usually slow in reaching those in need.   You acted instantly.  Thanks to you, we have a bed to sleep and my children have something to eat. Thank God that there are some big-hearted people like you!” 
Thank you everyone.   It is you who helped the homeless after the floods.

Across Eastern Europe, from Albania to Ukraine, children on our Summer Camps made Thank You cards to express their gratitude to all the people who made it possible for them to have the time of their lives.   These cards were then sent on to may of you with love from the children.

But that wasn’t the end.   So many of you wrote to us delighted with the cards.   I would like to share one particular note with you:

 “I am emailing you to say thank you very much on behalf of my mother and I for the cards you sent to us, which have been made by the children at this year’s Summer Camp.  I cannot tell you how delighted and thrilled we are to receive them.  They will be so precious to us and we have put them on display where we can see them every day as a daily reminder to pray for the children who made them and for the people of Eastern Europe. 

 Thank you so much for arranging to have them sent to us.  It was so kind of you and so thoughtful of the children to make them.  We will treasure them.  We are pleased to play a small part in helping these children.  I am sure they are very precious to God. 

 If I had a message for them I would say: “Do not give up hope. God loves you and He will provide for you.  May you come to know Jesus as your personal Saviour and may He be real to you and may you trust Him to manage your life.  He loves you and will take great care of you and you are precious to Him.   We are thinking of you and praying for you.  We love you very much.  We are so glad you were able to go to Summer Camp this year.  Thank you for our cards. It was so kind and thoughtful of you to make them for us and we will treasure them and look at them every day and think of you and pray for you.  May Jesus come into your life and improve your circumstances and bring you great joy and peace. 

 Love from Janet & Marjorie”.

November is the first anniversary of our move to Tower Bridge Road.  We are blessed to share the building with London City Mission and Pilgrim Homes.   This move has halfed our rent per square foot and helped us keep costs to minimum.  

Some mail still goes to our old address but will no longer be forwarded after December this year.   So please note our only address is:

Mission Without Borders
175 Tower Bridge Road
London
SE1 2AG

Why not look in and see us.   (Please ring first to make sure that we’ll be able to give you the time you deserve.)