Talita Kum 

Wary and bemused, 4-year-old Madalina squats in the doorway of her home.  Who are these people?  And what’s in these brightly wrapped boxes that they have brought?

 The knitted hat and mitts that Madalina has found in her box will help to warm her up.  The sweets will give her energy and the toys will stimulate her hands and her imagination.

Come September, four of the children from this family will be enrolled in Talita Kum, Blythswood’s after-school programme for children from low-income homes.

Madalina should be joining them by the time she is seven, if her mother agrees to let her go to school.

Blythswood – September Update 1

Talita Kum

Adrian Popa was brought up by Christian parents and came to faith himself as a teenager.

After studying Theology in Bucharest, he came to Wales to continue his studies and was introduced to Blythswood through a student there. 

 Returning to Romania, he was profoundly affected by how an old man, a new Christian, cared for poor children in his building.  Through that experience, he was eventually led to start Talita Kum with the help of Blythswood.

Daniel Centre

Balazs Csiszer was the son of atheistic parents but began to seriously question Marxism as a teenager. 

Through his experiences in the army at the time of the fall of Communism and his getting to know active Christians, he finally came to full faith in Christ when it sunk in that Jesus had died for his sins.

After working for some years with alcoholics at the Bonus Pastor Foundation, he met Blythswood in 2002 and is now their Chief Executive in Romania, spending much of his time in the Daniel Centre.

Blythswood August Update 2

Talita Kum 1 & 2 and Daniel Centre

Give thanks for another year completed by Talita Kum 1 and Talita Kum 2 projects in Romania.

They are closed for the summer holidays now. 

Pray for the Daniel Centre team in Romania who work closely with the boys.  Pray that the boys’ lives will be transformed.

Give thanks for the Bonus Pastor Foundation, Romania working among addicts and pray for their clients’ healing.

Pray for Pastor Dan Micula and his ministry among the poor and displaced in Popesti, Romania

Talita Kum 1 & 2 and Daniel Centre

Give thanks for another year completed by Talita Kum 1 and Talita Kum 2 projects in Romania.

They are closed for the summer holidays now. 

If you would like to run for Romania, you don’t need to wait till next year.  There are Big Fun Runs and Dog Jogs (5K) in towns and cities around Scotland and England during the summer and autumn; and the Kelpies Supernova in November in the dark, with three dates to choose from.

More information at www.blythswood.org or contact Margaret on 07970 863533 for a charity place.

 If you are taking part in any running event, why not pledge to support Blythswood Care and have a t-shirt or running vest to show the world? 

Blythswood Update 2 – July 19th

Talita Kum 1 & 2 and Daniel Centre

Give thanks for another year completed by Talita Kum 1 and Talita Kum 2 projects in Romania.

They are closed for the summer holidays now. 

Give thanks too for their time away at camps. 

Congratulations to Lenn, Pam and Helen Urquhart who all ran in the Edinburgh Marathon Festival on May 28th.

Lenn took part in the 10K event and Helen and her mum ran in the 5K.  Together they have raised well over £500 for Blythswood Care projects in Romania.

And they have already signed up for the 2018 event, when they will be joined by Carol-Anne, all running 5K before Lenn takes on the half marathon the following day.

Blythswood Update 1 – July 5th

 

Talita Kum 2

 His mother has problems with her lungs.  His father is in hospital, suffering from kidney failure.  His elder brother is disabled.  Cristi is the only one able to keep the family business running.  He uses his horse and cart to transport a whole variety of things to enable his parents to pay the rent.

Talita Kum, Blythswood’s after-school programme, encouraged Cristi to stay in school and helped him to catch up.  Now he attends Talita Kum 2 which helps young people of secondary school age. 

His favourite subject is maths and his grades in this subject are very good after several years of progress.

Blythswood Update 1 – July 5th

 Daniel Centre

Marian, now 21, is glad to be at Blythswood’s Daniel Centre in Cluj, Romania.  Unlike most of the young men who come to the Daniel Centre, he already had a job, working in a car wash.  And he had already completed two years at trade school, studying to be a motor mechanic.

But young people in Romanian’s care system inevitably miss out on some things –  learning to cook, learning to budget and handle money, learning to build lasting relationships and learning to know themselves.

At the Daniel Centre, there are regular group sessions where boys and staff evaluate their behaviour in an open and constructive way, learning to build trust and to identify ways in which they can change for the better.

Blythswood Update 2 – June

 Talitha Kum 2

With the benefit of one-to-one tuition at TK2, Jeno can read, write and do basic arithmetic. He knows his times tables and likes to play chess. His Blythswood tutors are confident that he is more than capable of fulfilling his childhood ambition of becoming a tractor driver. 

“Without the support of TK2, Jeno’s reading and writing would be non-existent,” says Carmen Popa who has watched his development in recent years. “He would probably have resorted to stealing like he used to, to feed his younger siblings when they were hungry. 

“You don’t need a driving licence to be a tractor driver, but with learning support Jeno is fully capable of passing the test. We are already speaking to farmers to find one who might be interested in taking him on.” 

Blythswood Update – June

The modified “therapeutic community” approach, in the Christian environment of the Daniel Centre, enables young men to integrate into society. They learn to cook, wash and iron, to keep their rooms clean and tidy and to help with jobs around the Centre. They progress to semi-independent living in on-site apartments while learning to budget their money and take care of themselves. 

Those who have achieved independence still regard the Daniel Centre as home, knowing that there is always an open door.

Blythswood Update – May

The Suits on Bikes Group (Businessmen who do sponsored bike rides on behalf of Talita Kum) held a sponsored ride at Royal Deeside on 12^th May.

Blythswood is requesting prayer for a planned extension to the Daniel Centre and for the necessary permits and funds to come in good time. 

A team from Inverness Royal Academy will be leaving for Romania on 24^th June to help with the Talita Kum project.

Other teams will be going out to Romania at the same time from Culloden Academy and Millburn Academy to help out with other Blythswood projects.