Romania

2008 Trip to Saslig Romania

Fri 25th July - Emma Lewis, Sally Inglesant,  Mike & Anthea Beeden, 4 other adults and 39 students  will  travel by coach to Dover for the night ferry. In Dover they will pick up Bob and the other driver who will have driven ahead the day before to get some sleep.  They will drive on to Hungary for their overnight B&B on 26th.  After a good nights sleep they will continue their journey to Salsig in North Romania.

For the next 11 nights the group will be staying in a former orphanage in Girdani, the village close to Salsig. They will be carrying out various jobs to complete the final stages of the school building in readiness for the official opening on 5th August.  They will also be doing activities with the Gypsy children each day. Phill & Maggie Vickery fly out to join the group on the 29th July, and will help with the work, liaise with the church leaders, and meet up with gypsy people in the community, praying and sharing worship with them where possible.

 Please pray for the whole groups’ safety and for productive meetings and that the Holy Spirit will fill them with wisdom and discernment, and that they will be a powerful witness to both the gypsies and the local villages of Salsig and Girdani.
On 7th Aug at 6am they will depart from Salsig stopping in Germany for an overnight B&B and finally returning to Haverfordwest on Sat 9th Aug at about 9am.    Sally

Romania trip 2007

During August 2007 a group of 41 teenagers from Pembrokeshire travelled by coach to Salsig to lend some support to the building project at the school.  The young people, many of whom were working on their Duke of Edinburgh Gold award, were able to get stuck into jobs like plumbing underground pipes, plastering, nailing and rendering, as well as general labouring.  It was quite a challenge for all but not only was it beneficial to the young people to work so closely with this deprived community, and to learn new skills, but it has benefited the project immensely due to the extra funding that the young people had raised.

When the teenagers had to leave, money was left behind to pay the Romanian builders to continue to work on getting three of the classrooms and a staff room ready to use by the start of term. It was also fantastic to be able to give enough school uniforms, and stationery supplies donated from UK retailers, to ensure that every child would have new clothes to go to their new school and new pens and exercise books.
The good news came when we heard that a part of the school was ready in time for the start of term in September, and that another donor had offered to pay for new furniture for the three classrooms.

The furniture has been delivered at the start of February 2008, making the rooms look very professional.  This is a community of people who have always had the leftovers in life and are not used to getting new things especially for them, so this has been a real blessing

WHAT IS BROAD HAVEN BAPTIST CHURCH DOING IN SALSIG, ROMANIA, & WHY?

The main focus of the project is the building of a new school, medical facility, community centre and church to serve the gypsy community of Salsig, and to develop an ongoing partnership with all the people of Salsig.

The gypsies in Romania have for generations been poor and have been denied education under the former communist regime. They are subsequently excluded and are at a disadvantage when it comes to finding work.

The school will be a place where young gypsy children can receive an education alongside other Romanian children, so that they develop the skills early on to be able to integrate fully into society. They will also get a meal at lunchtime, and have access to medical facilities in the purpose built centre.

Those who have visited Salsig experienced very powerfully the kindness of the people and the abject poverty they deal with. The facilities are so basic; their possessions are limited to elementary needs only. Yet they smile, they love you to be there, they give of all they can and are generous with what little they have.