I am praying that God's blessing will be upon you every day of this New Year!

In spite of the "great recession", last year was our best ever at The Village of Hope – and it happened because of the generosity of friends and partners like you. Thank you!  

Here are some of the things we accomplished together:

1. We rescued over 300 children from Romania's state run orphanages, streets, and the sex trade. We also reached the goal we set a few years ago, of doing this for 1,000 children by the end of 2012.  We are now one of the most respected children's ministries in Europe.

2. Last June through September, 500 children got to attend 10 days at our best summer camp ever. It was a life changing experience for so many of them.

3. In December we distributed about 600 Christmas parcels filled with warm clothes, food, and toys, etc., to the poorest foster families who have taken children during the past few years.

4. We provided tutors throughout the school year for kids who had gotten behind in their studies when their home fell apart, or their parents abandoned them to go look for work in another country.

5. We provided financial assistance to foster parents who couldn't have taken one or more children without our help.

6. Each quarter 65,000 copies of our daily devotional, The Word For You Today were published in Romania.  These were given freely to all who asked including prisons, rehab centers and hospitals.

7. The Village of Hope received a national award for the work we do among the children – and was featured in newspapers and on television.

And here's some wonderful news. Last month Mariana and her team interviewed 57 potential new foster families who are interested in taking one or more children this year.

But we urgently need "family sponsors" to make it happen!

Please consider sponsoring a family at $43.20 a month or $518.40 for a year. If you've already done this, would you go the extra mile and do it again for another child?  

Even if you can only do it for a month or two, it will get a child into a family while we look for a permanent sponsor.

Now I'd like to talk to you about something!

For the last 20 years Debby and I have done the same thing at the beginning of every year and God has blessed us in amazing ways for doing it.  

We make the first check we write each year a gift to God’s work. We pray over it and sow it as "a seed for the harvest we want God to give us in the coming year."

This is a scriptural thing to do. The Bible says, "If you sow generously you will reap generously." (See 2 Corinthians 9:6).

Since this is the start of 2012 we sowed $2,012. In earlier years when we were struggling financially we would have sown $212, or even $20.12. Regardless of the size of the seed you sow, God promises "you will reap generously."

As we begin this year I invite you to join us, and ask God to bless a specific area of your life where you need it most. It may be in the area of your health, your marriage, your career, or your finances.  

Whatever your need is the Bible promises that: "God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory" (Philippians 4:19).

Notice the word "all". The God we are talking about is bigger than any banker, broker, doctor, judge, or employer – and He wants to prove that to you this year.

I urge you to take a few moments and send us your needs for 2012. Our staff will join Debby and me in praying for you throughout the month of January.

We do this every year and receive wonderful letters and stories of how God has miraculously answered prayer.

God bless you.

Your friends and partners,

Bob & Debby

Christmas greetings!

The first time Jesus spoke in public was at His home church in Nazareth. Here’s what He said: “God sent me into this world to bring the good news of His love to the hurting and the helpless, and to heal the brokenhearted” (See Luke 4:18).

Jesus’ “to-do list” included body and soul...physical and spiritual...temporal and eternal. And through the generosity of friends and partners like you, we address both needs too. How?

(1) By publishing 5 million copies of The Word For You Today each quarter in over 25 languages; (2) By rescuing hundreds of children each year and placing them into families.

I try to get photos of the children we rescue from orphanages, the streets and the sex trade, with the families who give them a home so you can see the impact your giving makes.

One couple who took three children— 6-year-old Joseph, 4-year-old Isabella and 18-month-old Andrew — already have two grown children of their own. But they love children and all they needed was a little help from us to be able to provide a home for these children.

The second couple, who took 7-year-old Alin and 5-year-old Maria, have been trying for years to have children of their own. The new mom says, “Now our joy is complete!”

By the end of this year we will have placed a total of 1,000 children into families.

You say, “Bob, what can I do to help?”

This Christmas we’re endeavoring to provide 500 of our neediest foster families with a “Christmas Parcel” filled with clothes, toys, candies and books.

Each parcel costs $35.

So far we’ve been able to do it for 280 families.    But I need your help to do it for the other 220.

And there is still time!

You can send your check today, or call us at 1-800-964-9846 and put a gift on your credit card, or go online and give through our secure website at bobgass.com/ donation. That way we’ll be able to bless all 500 of these deserving families.

Debby and I pray you’ll have a wonderful Christmas and we look forward to hearing from you.

Bob & Debby

P.S.    If you (or your business) are considering a “year-end gift” for tax purposes, please consider sponsoring a foster family in 2012.
You can do it for just...$518.40. We have children waiting to be placed in families, and qualified families willing to take them. Your gift can make it happen.

Thank you.

Christmas greetings to you!

This year 50,000 children across Romania will spend Christmas in a state-run orphanage.

Some of these institutions are reasonably comfortable and clean, but in others children suffer each day from untreated illness, hunger, neglect and abuse.

Most of them are placed there by the authorities because their parents abandoned them and they ended up on the streets or in the sex trade. Their stories are heartbreaking!

We have just been informed that 68 Romanian children who were trafficked to the United Kingdom will be arriving shortly at The Village of Hope.  

Even though the government doesn’t give us a penny of support, we are still the first one they call – because they know we will never turn a child away.

By the end of this year we’ll have rescued 1,000 children and placed them into a foster family. It’s an amazing achievement – and it would not be possible without the generosity of friends and partners like you.

Each year we give “Christmas parcels” with toys, food, clothes and books to hundreds of children in orphanages, and to others in loving, but very poor foster families. It’s one of the high points of our year and our staff of 30 loves it!

Let me tell you about two of our children.  

We just placed 3-year-old Sophia and 6-year-old Gabriela into the home of a lovely couple who live in the countryside in a small village. These kids now have a mom and dad who, though struggling financially, really want them and love them.

Here's another story.  

Anna Maria and her husband couldn’t have children of their own, so they took 8-year-old Lansci and 5-year-old Alexandra. Can you imagine what life is like for a child without a home and no hope for the future?

Besides rescuing children, we conduct seminars across the country to raise awareness about these problems. We also teach people how to intervene and help rescue children in the towns and villages where they live.

This month I really need your help.

Would you prayerfully consider sending your biggest and best Christmas donation to help us give 500 children a “Christmas parcel”? Believe me, it will be the only one most of them will get.

You can give by check, or call...1-800-964-9846 and put a donation on your credit card, or go online and give through our secure website at bobgass.com/donation.  No donation will be too large or too small. 

Don’t put it off! Get in touch with us while it’s on your mind. Thank you.

Your friends and partners in a great cause, 

Bob & Debby

P.S. For just...$35...you can provide a child with a “Christmas parcel” filled with toys, food, clothes and a book. If possible, please think about doing it for several children.

Happy Thanksgiving!

When the apostle Paul wrote to those who supported his ministry he expressed his gratitude with these words: “Every time I think of you, I give thanks...I pray...for... you...for you have been my partners" (Php 1:3-5 NLT).

And that's how Debby and I feel about you, and every friend and partner that God has given us!

Through your generosity last month we rescued another twenty four children from the streets, the sex trade, and state-run institutions and placed them into foster families.

Our social workers make regular visits to these families, and when needed, assist them with things like heating oil, medical and dental needs, school supplies, counseling, food and clothes, etc.

Let me tell you about two families with whom we recently placed children:

Family one. This couple has two children of their own, yet they are taking three of our children - one boy and two girls: siblings, ages 4 to 7. That's remarkable, because as Romania's economy deteriorates it's getting harder and harder to find couples to take more than one child.

These new foster parents and their children stayed with us at The Village of Hope for the past two weekends. This is so they can spend time getting to know the children, and our workers can observe and help them transition.

Next weekend they'll take all three children to their farm outside Timisoara. After that, we believe they'll be ready to take them home permanently.

Family two. Six year-old Anton and three year-old Alina were abandoned and left begging for food on the streets. Often children like this get picked up by pedophiles or are sold into the sex trade by pushers and pimps.

When the police brought them to us at The Village of Hope we found a family to take them. Today, you should see the joy on their faces!

At the moment we have quite a few children waiting for families, and qualified couples willing to take them. But to make it happen, we need more "family sponsors" who'll commit to giving $43.20 a month ($518.40 a year).

Would you prayerfully consider becoming a "family sponsor" for one year?

Even if you can only do it for a few months, it will change the life of a child. Perhaps your church or the company you work for could sponsor a family.

This month begins six months of winter in Romania. Our expenses for heating oil, warm clothes, etc. go way up. So your gift in any amount will be a real encouragement to us.

You can call 1-800-964-9846 and put a donation on your credit card, or give through our secure website at http://www.bobgass.com/give.php.

We appreciate you!

Bob and Debby

Last month we placed 24 more children into foster families – that’s a huge achievement!

It takes our staff of 30 people, two to three months to do the required background check and process the paperwork for each child.

Meanwhile, we work to rehabilitate and re-socialize them so that they can function in a normal family setting. Just learning to trust again, is one of the biggest hurdles these children face.

During the last four years we have rescued about 250 children a year, and given them what every child deserves – love, hope, a home, and a future. Our goal is to do this for...1,000 children...by the end of this year – and we’re on track to do it. (Thanks to the generosity of friends and partners like you.)

Many of our children are found wandering the streets, frightened, hungry, sick, abandoned by parents who were supposed to love and care for them. Some come from government-run institutions with conditions animals shouldn't have to live in.

Increasingly, we are getting more and more children who have been sold into the sex trade by their own family.

Last week our director at The Village of Hope, Mariana (we call her "Mother Theresa"), was called in by the Border Police to help them when they discovered two different families where the mothers had sold their 12 year-old daughters for about $75,000.

Even though the parents can go to prison for this, one girl was sold to a French couple and the other to an older man.

I have a granddaughter called Caity; she’s "the apple of my eye.” She's the same age as these two little girls. I ask myself, "How can a parent do such a thing to their child and live with themselves afterwards?" But it’s happening everyday in Romania.

The old saying goes:  "Better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness." And that's what we try to do.

When a 6 year-old boy named Costel was found abandoned, living on the streets, he was brought to us. We worked with him for two months, and found a lovely couple with two sons and three daughters to take him. So now he has a ready-made family.

Our social workers make regular, unannounced visits, to each foster family to be sure the children are well cared for. They check that each child is in school, has the required uniform and books, and is making good grades.

If not, we bring in after-school tutors to help them. (Many of our kids come to us with little or no schooling at all.)

This month I am asking for your help with two things:

1. I want to buy two small pigs. The cost is $275. Mariana knows the owner of a catering service and he’s promised to give us all his left-over scraps. That way we can fatten the pigs and have food for the children this Christmas and throughout the coming winter months.

2. I am asking God for 100 more "family sponsors" by year’s end. We have children in need of a family and we have couples willing to take them.

Increasingly, most of our new couples need assistance with things like heating oil, winter clothes, food for another child, etc. For just $43.20 a month you can "put a family together!"

If you are already sponsoring a family, would you prayerfully consider sponsoring another one? Or sending the very best gift you can?

You can call us at 1-800-964-9846 and put a gift on your credit card, or donate through our secure website at http://www.bobgass.com/give.php

Your gift, large or small, is a lifeline to a child in need!

Thank you for being my partner in a truly great cause!

Bob

The other day someone asked me what we do at The Village of Hope in Romania. I explained that our staff of 30 does three things around the clock:

1. Rescue children.
We get calls from the police, Child Welfare Services and neighbors
about children in distress. Some have been sold into the sex trade;
others have been abused or abandoned by their parents.

2. Find foster families. Due to Romania’s
economy, it’s getting more and more difficult to find foster families.
In the past we had many qualified couples who didn't need financial
assistance, but now almost all of them now do.

3. Keep children together.
State run orphanages, often a nightmare for a child, are seeing foster
parents bring increasing numbers of children back because they’re out of
work and can't care for them. You can imagine the heartache for both
parents and child!

In
spite of this, by year’s end we’ll have placed around 300 more children
into foster families, making a total of 1,000 children in the past few
years.

We
have two apartments at The Village of Hope where foster families who've
lost their job and their home can stay temporarily while they look for
somewhere to live.  

These
apartments are also used as a place for new foster families to spend
the first few weekends with their child, before taking them home
permanently. That way our social workers can observe and help them.

When you consider all of this – the $43.20 a month it takes to be a "family sponsor" goes a long, long way.

Let me tell you about two little girls who are living with us while we try to find them a permanent home.  

Sasha
is 6, and Marie is 7. They came from extreme abuse and neglect. Even
though they're not sisters, they've bonded together and become best
friends. It's a joy watch!

Right
now we’re interviewing a lovely couple interested in taking them. The
process takes 2-3 months. During this time papers are filed, we run a
background check, and they receive training on how to handle the unique
needs of the child.

Jesus said: "I am come that they might have life, and... have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). It's in loving the least, the lowest and the lost, that we show our love for God.

This month I am praying and asking God to give me more new partners! Would you prayerfully consider becoming one?  

Whether you give $1,000...or $100...or $10...it will be an answer to my prayers, and the prayers of a lot of kids waiting for a family!

Please get in touch with me this week – don’t put it off!

Your friend and partner,

Bob

The other day someone asked me what we do at The Village of Hope in Romania. I explained that our staff of 30 does three things around the clock:

1. Rescue children. We get calls from the police, Child Welfare Services and neighbors about children in distress. Some have been sold into the sex trade; others have been abused or abandoned by their parents.

2. Find foster families. Due to Romania’s economy, it’s getting more and more difficult to find foster families. In the past we had many qualified couples who didn't need financial assistance, but now almost all of them now do.

3. Keep children together. State run orphanages, often a nightmare for a child, are seeing foster parents bring increasing numbers of children back because they’re out of work and can't care for them. You can imagine the heartache for both parents and child!

In spite of this, by year’s end we’ll have placed around 300 more children into foster families, making a total of 1,000 children in the past few years.

We have two apartments at The Village of Hope where foster families who've lost their job and their home can stay temporarily while they look for somewhere to live.  

These apartments are also used as a place for new foster families to spend the first few weekends with their child, before taking them home permanently. That way our social workers can observe and help them.

When you consider all of this – the $43.20 a month it takes to be a "family sponsor" goes a long, long way.

Let me tell you about two little girls who are living with us while we try to find them a permanent home.  

Sasha is 6, and Marie is 7. They came from extreme abuse and neglect. Even though they're not sisters, they've bonded together and become best friends. It's a joy watch!

Right now we’re interviewing a lovely couple interested in taking them. The process takes 2-3 months. During this time papers are filed, we run a background check, and they receive training on how to handle the unique needs of the child.

Jesus said: "I am come that they might have life, and... have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). It's in loving the least, the lowest and the lost, that we show our love for God.

This month I am praying and asking God to give me more new partners! Would you prayerfully consider becoming one?  

Whether you give $1,000...or $100...or $10...it will be an answer to my prayers, and the prayers of a lot of kids waiting for a family!

Please get in touch with me this week – don’t put it off!

Your friend and partner,

Bob

Last week our social workers spent 17 hours at the Timisoara airport, working with the border police and Child Protection Services. They processed 40 children who had been sent back from France. We took 32 of them to The Village of Hope.

When the European police find a child wandering the streets without identity papers, they routinely deport them back to their home country.

Some of these children had been sold into the sex trade, others taken out of Romania by their parents in search of work and abandoned. The look on their faces was one of terror and trauma.

Since they have no papers it will take our social workers weeks, or maybe months to find out who they are. We will try to find living relatives with whom we can safely place them.  

Until then, all 32 will stay with us until we find qualified foster families for them.

Because of the economy, it's getting harder to find foster families in Romania who don’t need our financial assistance with the things like food, clothes, utilities, medical and dental needs, etc.

This blog is an S.O.S!

I'm praying for more "family sponsors" at $43.20 a month ($518.40 for a year). If you are already a family sponsor, would you pray about taking on a second family, or sending "an extra gift" for a few months until we can find a permanent sponsor?

I've been doing this work for 20 years, and I still struggle to understand how a parent can turn their back on their own child. But the problem that infuriates you and unlocks your compassion – is often the problem God has called you to help solve.  

So as long I have friends and partners like you, I'll keep working to rescue these children.

One little boy named Darius, puts a face on the story. Since arriving at The Village of Hope, the light has literally come back on in his eyes. He laughs and plays again, and he sleeps at night.  

He eats enough food for 10 kids, and does it in about 10 minutes. Our workers love him, and have nicknamed him "the magician."

Every month, for years, we’ve placed between 12-20 children like Darius into a family. Our team of social workers makes regular, unannounced visits to ensure every child is well cared for.  

By the end of this year we will have placed 1,000 children into homes where they are being loved and cared for. Thank you for making it possible!

In closing let me tell you two things: 

First, we just finished our final week of summer camp. 50 more children attended, including 19 "special needs" children. Health care workers were on hand to assist. These camps transform the lives of so many children.

Second, school starts on September 15. Earlier this month we had 225 foster families who needed help with clothes and school supplies, etc. Through your generosity, that number is now down to 73.

Can you help?  

Your gift, large or small, will enable us to assist these deserving children with another year of education.

Your friend and partner in rescuing children, 

Bob

One of our ministry team members just returned from Romania, where he spent 4 days at The Village of Hope.  

He was able to see our summer camp in progress, hear about new foster families taking children, and assess the needs we face.

So far this year we’ve helped rescue 356 children from the streets, the sex trade, state-run orphanages and other at-risk situations.

That's about 50 children a month! We are accomplishing more than I thought possible. Thank you for making it happen!

Here are the stories of two of these children:

Romanian Child Protection Services contacted us about a little 6-year-old girl named Valencia, who had been abused by both her father and her uncle.  

After taking her out of the home they asked if we’d take her. We said "yes." So far, we've never had to say "no" to a child. Thank God!

At first, she was traumatized and very withdrawn. But after spending time with our social workers and being around other children, she's beginning to laugh and play again – and feel safe.

In a few weeks she will start school.  

We are interviewing couples and believe we'll find a home where she'll be loved and find healing and hope for the future.

Nine-year-old Anton was taken to Germany by his parents (most likely in search of work). They abandoned him on the streets, where the German police found him wandering around crying, hungry, and scared to death.  

They sent him back to Romania where the border police called and asked us if we could take him. We did, and he just attended our summer camp.  

This year, members of the Timisoara Fire Department came to camp and played tug-of-war with the kids and taught them rope climbing. Anton loved wearing a fireman’s safety helmet and gear as he slid down the slip line.  

Please pray that we can find "just the right family" to take this little boy.

We are finding it much harder to get families who’ll take a child. The Romanian economy is in terrible shape. The only way we can find foster families is by promising to help them financially.

Would you prayerfully consider "sponsoring" a family for $43.20 a month?  

If you can do this for a year, or even a few months, it will make a difference. Maybe you could share this need with your church missions outreach, or a friend.  

The school year begins September 15^th and we need to purchase school clothes and supplies for 225 children of our neediest foster families.

To do it we'll need an extra...$2,000. Can you help?

10 partners giving $200...20 partners giving $100... 40 partners giving $50...or 100 partners giving $20...will meet this need.  

Thank you for caring. I look forward to hearing from you soon. 

Bob

Last week Marianna was honored at a gathering of business and government leaders. The event was to celebrate The Village of Hope and the almost 1,000 children rescued and placed into families.

Marianna told them: "The partners of Bob Gass Ministries made it all possible!" Thank you!

Our children's summer camp is its in 12th week. Hundreds of kids have eaten, slept, played and prayed together. For many it’s life changing!

Along with our 30 regular staff members and volunteers, 5 college professors and 13 teachers donated part of their summer vacation to work with us.

Some will get "credits" toward their degree and most of them want to come back again next year – they loved it!

We’ve been asked to extend the camp two more weeks so that another 50 children can attend. It wasn't in our budget – but we said "yes."     

Can you help? We need $750 to make it happen.

Please consider sending a "special gift" to make this dream come true for 50 more kids. Perhaps your church or business could make it a special missions project.

Yesterday, our social workers drove to Timisoara airport to pick up two more children who were sold into the sex trade in Macedonia. They were sold by family members.

The Bible says in the last days "Evil people will become worse and worse" (2Ti 3:13).  Such evil breaks my heart, which is why I stay involved.

I feel it deeply because I was molested twice by age twelve. The shame involved makes you feel flawed and want hide, and leaves deep scars on your soul that only God and time can heal.

When Debby and I first went to Romania 20 years ago during "The Romanian Orphan Crisis,” it was at the invitation of a friend who had adopted a little boy. When we saw the abuse and suffering, we promised God we'd do something about it.

And we have!

With the help of friends and partners like you, we rescue 12 to 20 children every month, place them into foster families, and support those families. Our social workers visit regularly to ensure each child is well cared for.

Right now our biggest need is “more family sponsors." We have qualified foster parents ready to take children, and children waiting for a family.

Would you pray about this?

For...$43.20 you can place a child into a family for one month. For...$518.40 you can place a child into a family for a year.

Even if you can only do it for a month or two while we find a permanent sponsor, it means a child can begin a new life.

Please get in touch with us.

          You can give by check, call 1-800-964-9846 and put a gift on your credit card, or go online and give through our secure website at bobgass.com.

Your friends and partners,

Bob & Debby

Here's an amazing story of love.

In the past we've had foster parents take as many as four children, usually because they are siblings and we want to keep them together. But a young couple, unable to have children of their own, just took nine of them!

You should see them..."one big happy family" living together on a farm, complete with chickens and cows. Last month some of these children were living on the streets, begging for food.

Recently someone asked me what we do at The Village of Hope. I said, "We put families together.”

Another couple, whose children had grown up and left home, told us, "The house is too empty - we need some excitement in it".

So at the time of life when most of us think of slowing down, they took 6 year-old Lila, and 4 year-old Matthew and started parenting all over again.

Every month we rescue 12-20 children from the streets, the sex trade, and state run orphanages and place them into families.

Our phones ring around the clock and our minivans are constantly on the go, picking up children. We never say "no" to a child. 

Our team at The Village of Hope consists of about 30 workers. Some are paid staff and some are volunteers. We have medical doctors, child psychologists, social workers, maintenance staff, drivers, gardeners, “cooks and bottle washers.”

Every foster family is visited regularly to be sure the children are healthy, in school, and well cared for.

How do we do it?

Through a program called "Family Sponsors." Friends and partners like you, giving $43.20 a month...or...$518.40 a year, make it possible for these parents to take a child.

Can you help? Even if you can only do it for a month or two, it will change a life. Our goal is to have rescued 1,000 children by the end of this year.

Through your generosity, we will do it! 

Bob

P.S. Marianna, who heads up The Village of Hope in Romania, says she has 50 more children who want to attend summer camp. So we’re extending it through the first week of September.

 To do it, we need...an extra $750. Your gift, large or small, will make it happen.

Romanian Child Protection Services found 11 children living in an old barn about 100 kilometers from Timisoara and brought them to us at The Village of Hope.

They survived by begging on the streets. Some ran away from home because of physical or sexual abuse. In other cases their parents left them to find work in another country and didn't return.

It’s happening everyday in Romania!

Our doctors and psychologists examined them, and apart from being shy around strangers, their overall health is good. Kids are so resilient; but sadly, some of these children may have wounds within that will never heal.

Our next step is to check for school records and get them ready for classes next month. We’ll also look for any living relatives with whom we can safely place them. If not, we’ll find foster families to take them.

Meanwhile, they'll get to attend 12 fun filled days of summer camp with us.

Every month we place between 12 and 20 children into foster families. By the end of this year, our goal is to have done this for...1,000 children!

And we couldn't do it without friends and partners like you. Thank you!

Besides the $43.20 a month ($518.40 a year) needed to help support a foster family, we’re increasingly being asked to help with clothing, utilities, medical and dental care.

If you've raised a child, you know the needs are endless – but we must to do it to keep these families together.

Five years ago my assistant Tom Lissak visited two little girls we'd placed in a foster family. Lila was 3 and Maria was 4. They are now 8 and 9 years-old and loving life with their new Mom and Dad, and two older brothers.

They excel in school, and are excited to be spending the next 12 days in summer camp with the other kids.

As you know, summer can be tough financially for ministries like ours, as many friends and partners are gone on vacation.

Would you prayerfully consider giving "something extra" this month to help our foster families, and to send a child to summer camp?

Today I was reading what Jesus taught about caring for the weak and needy:

          "Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn

           away."                                          Matthew 5:42 NIV

You can give by check, or call my office at 1-800-964-9846 and put a gift on your credit card, or go online and give through our secure website at bobgass.com.

Your gift, large or small, is needed this month!

Bob

Every 12 days this summer, 50 children who’ve been taken out of situations of abandonment and abuse, will be treated to a life-changing experience at our summer camp.

They’ll enjoy trips to the zoo, hiking, games, arts and crafts, swimming, campfire stories and Bible based character lessons.

Our prayer is that when they go back home they’ll have a whole new sense of accomplishment, self-worth, being loved and “belonging.”

Our summer camp recently gained international attention when the French ambassador visited us. We were also recognized by the High Commissioner of the United Nations. Mariana, who heads up our team, was given an award and featured in the press.

For 21 years she has fought child trafficking, kept families together, and placed hundreds of throw-away children into loving families.

This has been made possible through the kindness and support of friends and partners of Bob Gass Ministries. Because of you - we never say no to a child!

Last week 11 more abandoned children were brought to The Village of Hope after the police found them living in an old barn.

What do we do with them?

First, we see if they’ve any living relatives. If not, our doctors and child psychologists examine them, and we look for a suitable foster family.

As Romania's economy deteriorates it's becoming harder to find foster families. It’s only when we let a couple know we’ll help support them, that we’re able to find homes.

So, your monthly gift of $43.20 (or $518.40 for a year) is the backbone of our ministry. Even if you can only do this for a month or two, it will give another child love, hope, and a future.

Every summer ministries like ours struggle because their supporters are gone for the holidays, and funds get low.

So if you can "do something extra" this month and next, I'd really appreciate it – so would our kids.

You can give by check, or call 1-800-964-9846 and put a gift on your credit card, or go on line and give through our secure web site at bobgass.com.

Your friend and partner in a truly great cause,

Bob    

Or team of workers at The Village of Hope was recently awarded “Best Humanitarian Workers of 2010” by the French Government.

Marianna, who leads the team, planned on going to Bucharest to meet the French ambassador at her residence. However, the ambassador decided to make a special visit to Timisoara on May 18, to present the award and give Marianna a check for €3000 to help with our children’s summer camp this year.  

This is an answer to prayer because we need help. Feeding, caring for (and sometimes clothing) 400 hundred children is a huge undertaking. But it’s worth it – the children who attend this camp are truly changed and carry the memories with them for the rest of their lives.  

For $75.00 you can sponsor a child for 12 days of arts and crafts, sports, Bible studies, singing, campfires, etc. The truth is – I need several friends and partners who will sponsor two or three children.  

Would you please pray about sending your very best gift for this worthy cause?  

As I told you in my last letter, May was a record-breaking month in which we rescued 30 children from orphanages, the streets and the sex trade. Let me tell you about one such family.

Petro and Mary already have three children of their own. Since they could not have any more children, they visited The Village of Hope and saw nine month-old Sophia who had been abandoned by her parents.

It was love at first sight. Petro and Mary’s faces were beaming with joy as they took Sophia back to their farm where she will have three ready-made sisters who already love her and treat her like a star.

We have been rescuing children in Romania for 20 years, and even though it can be stressful and extremely demanding, the joy on the faces of these children is the reward that keeps us going.

Jesus attracted children like a magnet. One day some of His disciples thought He was too busy and drove them away. But Jesus rebuked them and said:

          “Let the little children come to me, and do not

           hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs

           to such as these.”           Matthew 19:14 NIV

You are never closer to the heart of Jesus than when you reach out to love a child.

Right now we need more family sponsors who will give $43.20 a month or $518.40 for a year, enabling a family to take a child into their home.

Would you prayerfully consider doing this?

Your friend and partner,

Bob

At the beginning of this year I asked God to help me rescue a total of 300 more children from Romania’s orphanages, streets and sex trade. My goal by the end of this year is to have done this for...1,000 children!

Last month we took a big step toward that goal by placing 30 more children into families. It was our biggest placement month in 20 years of working in this country. Thank you for your help!

Our team in Romania truly loves children. Many of them work 24/7 as they believe God has called them to do it.

Of the 30 children we rescued last month, there are four sets of siblings. Let me tell you about two of them.

Eight month old girls, Jinny and Gia, were left on the doorstep of a baby hospital in Timisoara by their teenage parents. A nurse heard the babies crying. She fed them and then called the authorities, who brought them to us at The Village of Hope.

We have found wonderful foster parents to take them - Isabella and Andreu. This couple has two grown daughters of their own. And what’s truly amazing is, last year they took 4 year-old Lia and 3 year-old Sasa (two other abandoned children) into their home.

Now with the help of their grown daughters, they will be caring for – four children. What can you say about such people? They have hearts as big as the ocean! 

We have many other foster parents just like them who need our support. For just $43.20 a month ($518.40 a year) you can help these couples to give a child love, hope, a home and a future.

Whether you do it for a few months or a few years, you’ll be showing the love of God to some of His neediest children. God values children so highly that the Bible says:

          “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a

           reward from him.”             Psalm 127:3 NLT

This month we begin our summer camp program. We plan to bring 400 children for twelve days of recreation, sports, arts and crafts, Bible studies, singing, campfires, etc. It’s a life changing experience for children who have known only fear, abandonment and abuse.

And I need your help to put it all together.

For just $75.00 you can send a child to summer camp. I’m praying that some of our friends and partners will sponsor two children for $150.00 or three children for $225.00.

Your gift, large or small, will give a child wonderful memories that will last for a lifetime.

You can even go on line and do it on our secure web site at bobgass.com.

I would love to hear from you in the next week.

Bob

Last month we placed 23 more children into foster families. It was one of our biggest and most successful months ever.

Every day we got calls from the border police, neighbors, and the Child Welfare Services asking us to pick up abandoned and abused children and bring them to The Village of Hope. In every case we said yes.

We also planted our vegetable garden. This means we will have fresh fruit and vegetables for the children all year long. This saves a ton of money.

At Easter we distributed 350 “blessing baskets” to the poorer foster families who need our assistance.

Each basket contained clothes, food, toys, and a Bible storybook that was published by the team that translates and prints 65,000 copies of The Word for You Today each quarter in the Romanian language.

We just celebrated Mother’s Day, I’d like you to prayerfully consider sending a special gift to help some truly heroic mothers and grandmothers in Romania who are stepping up to the plate and saying, “I’ll take that child, love them and raise them.”

For just $43.20 you can give a child a family for one month. For $518.40 you can do it for an entire year. Your gift, large or small, will change their future

Speaking of the mother that God honors, the Bible says:

          “[She speaks] up for those who cannot speak for

           themselves...She opens her arms to the poor

           and...to the needy...her works bring her praise.                                                     Proverbs 31:8;20;31 NIV

You can call 1-800-964-9846 and put a gift on your credit card, or donate through our secure web site at bobgass.com.

Bob    

Last month we placed 23 children into foster families. It was one of our largest placement months ever. Normally we average 15-20 children a month.

It takes 2 to 3 months to complete the government paperwork for each child.

Our team of 30 people at The Village of Hope includes social workers, doctors, lawyers, bus drivers, cooks, cleaners, gardeners, and maintenance staff.

Some of them are paid and others volunteer. But all of them are heroes dedicated to one thing – rescuing children.

We qualify each foster family thoroughly. Then our social workers make regular, unannounced visits to make sure every child is well cared for. Our commitment is ongoing.

By the end of this year our goal is to have placed a total of 1,000 children into foster families. And you can be a part of it!

Let me tell you about two children who are presently with us at The Village of Hope.

Mariela is 4 years old and her baby sister Oana is 1-½ years old. Their mother abandoned them to go work in the sex trade in Spain and has not been heard from in eight months. We don’t know if she’s dead or alive, and nobody knows where the father is.

Either we find a family to take these two children, or they’ll end up in a state run orphanage where they could be neglected and abused.

We won’t let that happen!

For $43.20 a month, or $518.40 a year, we can place these two little girls into a family – and end their nightmare.

Can you help?

Your gift, large or small, is what makes it possible for me to continue this work.

This past January I turned 67. Someone asked, “Are you thinking of retiring?” I replied, “I’ve too much to do, and I love every moment of it. I’ve still got too many devotionals to write and children to rescue.”

Jesus loved children. When His disciples tried to drive them away thinking Jesus was too busy, He rebuked them and said:

“Let the little children come to me, and do not

hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such      

as these.”                           Mark 10:14 NIV

Simply stated: when you love Jesus you will love children and care for them.

Right now I need your help. Please write, or call and place a gift on your credit card, or give on line through our secure web site at bobgass.com

Bob

A wonderful thing has happened. Ambassadors from 17 nations visited The Village of Hope last month to see our work with the children.

As a result, the French government awarded us “The Best Human Rights Workers of 2010.” Our Director, Marianna, will be presented with the award at a dinner in the Romanian Ambassador’s residence in Bucharest.

For 20 years we have rescued at-risk children from orphanages, the streets and the sex trade and placed them into families.

We do this for 15-20 children every month!

One of the most heartbreaking cases we’ve had recently is of a 5-year-old boy named Ronaldo. He was kidnapped by a relative, sold into the sex trade and trafficked to Germany, were he was raped and ended up in the hospital.

The German authorities called the Romanian police, and they contacted us and asked if we could help locate his parents – and we did! Little Ronaldo is now safe and back home in Romania with his mother and father.

Every day we receive texts, faxes, e-mails and telephone calls asking us to help abandoned and abused children.

Last week we held a conference in Timisoara to recruit new foster families, and help those who have already taken children.  

Up to 50 children at a time stay with us at The Village of Hope. Our therapists and social workers rehabilitate them, and look for qualified foster parents to take them.

This month we need an extra...$2,000...to purchase food and clothing for foster families who need assistance.

Your gift, large or small, will meet this need.

We are also in need of “family sponsors” who will send $43.20 a month, enabling a family to take a child. Even if you can only do this for a few months, it will give a child a new home.

Jesus said that when we reach out to the hurting and the hungry: “What you did for them, you did for me.”

                                                                                Matthew 25:40

Please send the most generous gift you can.

I appreciate you.

Bob

The Ambassadors from 17 different European countries came to The Village of Hope last month to see our children’s work firsthand.

They were very impressed with the facilities, the foster family program, and the work we are doing rescuing children from the sex trade.

They saw the children’s dorm rooms, the kitchen and dining hall, and bathroom facilities. Some of the ambassadors were so excited they promised to come back this summer and work at our children’s camp.

The Village of Hope was an old communist children’s hospital that was abandoned and falling apart. When Marianna showed the ambassadors photographs of it, they were amazed at how we have transformed it.

She explained to them that this was due to the generosity of Bob Gass Ministries and its partners. The Romanian press and TV were on hand to photograph and share the story.

All across Europe people are hearing about what’s happening at The Village of Hope. Marianna also met with members of the Romanian Parliament to discuss legislation regarding child protection. She is a fighter for the rights of the children!

As we near Easter, let me share a story of a little boy called Sasa who we rescued from the misery of a state run orphanage.

After spending time with us at The Village of Hope, we placed him with a wonderful foster family who want to adopt him.

Every month we place 15-20 children into foster families, and help support those families financially, emotionally and spiritually.

By the end of this year we’ll have rescued 1,000 children and given them love, hope, a home and a future.

You say, “Bob, what can I do to help?”

We need $500 to purchase seeds and fertilizer to plant summer vegetable gardens. This saves us money and provides healthy food for the children throughout the year. Fifty partners giving...$10 each...will pay for this.

We want to put together 350 Easter packages for the children at The Village of Hope, and for many of the foster families who have taken children. For just...$7 per child you can make this happen.

We need “family sponsors” who’ll commit to give $43.20 a month so we can continue placing children into families. Even if you can sponsor a family for two or three months, it will make a difference for a child.

Today I was reading the story of the Good Samaritan who rescued a dying man on the Jericho Road:

          “When he saw the man, he felt compassion for him.

           Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his

           wounds...and bandaged them. Then he...took him

           to an inn, where he took care of him. The next

           day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins,

           telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill

           runs higher than this, I’ll pay you.’”

Luke 10:33-35 NLT

Jesus finished His parable in these words, “Now go and do the same” (Luke 10:37 NLT).

You can call us and give a gift on your credit card, or give through our secure web site at bobgass.com.

Thanks

Bob

Every month we rescue 15-20 children from state run orphanages, the streets, and the sex trade in Romania and place them into foster families. By the end of this year we will have rescued close to...1,000 children.

None of this would have been possible without the generosity of friends and partners like you. Thank you!

Here are three things we accomplished last month:

1.       Winter clothes. We purchased coats, boots, scarves and gloves, etc., for the children living with us and for many of the children we placed into foster families.  

2.       Improvements. We installed a new tile floor in the dining hall to better insulate the room from the cold, and gave it a paint job.

3.                  Education. A photographer has volunteered to give free lessons to the older boys and girls. They are so excited. Now we’ll be able to get more pictures of the children e-mailed to us. 

Each week we get calls to come and get abandoned children. Without us they would end up in state run orphanages.

For example, seven-year-old Isabella’s parents left her with her grandmother to go abroad in search of work. Sadly, they never returned. When her grandmother was hospitalized, Isabella was brought to us at The Village of Hope. 

We are looking for other relatives who could provide a safe home environment. If we can’t locate any, we will find a qualified foster family to take her. In the meantime, she’s attending school and making lots of new friends!

Next month our goal is to distribute 350 Easter baskets. Each basket will contain fruit, candies, and a children’s Bible story book in the Romanian language. The cost is...$7 per child. Your help would be appreciated.

We continue to need “family sponsors” who will give $43.20 a month ($518.40 per year) enabling a family to take a child.

Would you prayerfully consider doing this?

Even if you can only sponsor a family for two or three months, we can place the child, then look for a permanent family sponsor.

Today I was reading these words:

“God loves a person who gives cheerfully. And

 God will generously provide all you need. Then

 you will always have...plenty left over to share

 with others.”               2 Corinthians 9:7-8 NLT

Debby and I appreciate your prayers and your support. The truth is – we couldn’t do it without you!

Bob & Debby

The Village of Hope can handle up to 100 children at a time. The average child stays with us two to three months while we process their paperwork and find a suitable family to take them.

Children who have been physically, mentally or sexually traumatized sometimes stay longer as they need extra care from our team of volunteer doctors, psychologists and social workers.

Every month we find a new home for 15-20 children and help to support the new parents. It’s a big undertaking.

Recently Ana, Bernice, Lavinia, Florica and Camelia came to The Village of Hope. Each of these little girls had lived through their own personal nightmare.

But through the love and generosity of friends and partners like you, those days are over and now they have hope and a future.

Twice a week an art teacher comes to The Village of Hope to give lessons to the children. What’s interesting is that he grew up in a particularly bad state-run orphanage where the kids were mistreated and abused.

He says, “I wish The Village of Hope had been around when I was a child.”

Last week the authorities called us from a small village called Marginia about 120 miles from Timisoara. They asked us to come and get ten children, age’s seven to nine, who had been abandoned by their parents.

Right now our two biggest needs are:

1.       Family sponsors, who will give $43.20 a month to enable a foster family to take a child. Even if you can do this for a only a few months, it will really help.

2.       Aid for a local baby hospital. For the past few years we have worked with this hospital placing abandoned newborns into families. They are in urgent need of things like infant cardiology stethoscopes, bed linens, diapers, etc.

Please consider sending the largest and most generous gift you can to help us meet these needs.

Bob

P.S. Please pray for Marica, a 30 year-old mother in Romania, who was diagnosed with advanced cancer. We are caring for her three children--Elena who is ten, Louis who is nine, and Isabella who is just four. This mother needs a miracle, and we will take care of her three children until she gets one. 

The newspapers in Romania are reporting that an estimated 6,000 children have been abandoned by their parents. They left them to go find work in other European countries.

It’s hard to comprehend. I have two children and three grandchildren, and I’d gladly give my life for any of them. I know you feel the same way about yours.

These parents hope the government will take care of their children, but it doesn’t. So they end up on the streets begging, or worse, being sold into the sex trade.

In the past three months we have placed 59 more children into foster families and promised to support them.

Unfortunately, as Romania’s economy deteriorates, more and more qualified foster families are telling us that they can’t afford to take another child.

So your support has never been more important. Thank you for all you do.

Last week three little boys were found begging on the streets and brought to us by the authorities. Gelu is five, Mikai is six, and Ronaldo is eight.

Here is something very touching: even though each boy has his own bed at The Village of Hope, they sleep together in one bed for security, like they did on the streets.

You should see them now; they have warm clothes and new boots, they eat and play together and go to school. It’s a wonderful sight!

Right now we need:

1. $750...to purchase additional heating oil to keep the children warm through the remaining winter months. Because of the unusually cold temperatures, we are going through it faster than normal.

2. Two cardiology stethoscopes at...$146.99 each...for a doctor from a local pediatric hospital who comes and examines all the new children when they arrive at The Village of Hope.

3. More “family sponsors” who will give $43.20 a month so that qualified foster parents can take a child into their home.

Jesus began His ministry by standing up in His home

Church and announcing that He had come to help the poor and to heal the brokenhearted. (See Lk 4:18).

Through your support for The Village of Hope, you are continuing His ministry to hungry, hurting and heartbroken children, making them whole.

Bob

Last month we distributed boxes of warm winter clothes to 500 families suffering through one of Romania’s worst winters. For many of them, it was the difference between life and death as they have barely enough to survive.  

Every day our minivans deliver food staples like flour, oil, rice, sugar, etc. to families that are hungry and destitute.

Besides putting families together, we keep families together!      We don’t want children to end up abandoned on the streets, or placed into state run orphanages.

As we enter another year of demonstrating God’s love to some of the world’s neediest children, I’m glad I have friends and partners like you.

Your monthly gift of...$43.20...($518.40 a year) makes it possible for us to place a child into a family and give them what every child deserves...love, hope, a home and a future.

In the past few years we’ve done this for 700 children. This year we want to place 300 more, and reach our goal of 1,000. With your support, we’ll do it!

Recently the authorities brought us eleven-year-old Madelina and her eight-year-old brother Robbi. They were living in an old apartment with no electricity, water or heat.

Their parents had been trafficked into slavery in Greece, and an elderly aunt came by three times a week to bring them bread and milk.

Right now they are living with us at The Village of Hope, going to school and making new friends. Children have such God-given ability to bounce back!

For the next month our team of psychologists will work with them, and we’ll process their paperwork through Child Welfare, and get them ready to live in a new foster family.

Every month we rescue 15-20 children. To my knowledge we’re the only organization in Romania doing this.

Right now our biggest need is for more “family sponsors” who will send $43.20 a month or ($518.40 a year). We have qualified foster families willing to take children, and children arriving on our doorstep almost daily.

But we need your help!

Even though my family was considered poor when I was growing up, my mother stood on God’s Word and believed Him to meet all our needs. And He did. One of her favorite verses was:

“He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and

 so all went well. Is that not what it means to

 know me?” declares the Lord.   Jeremiah 22:16 NIV

Would you prayerfully consider sending the largest and most generous gift you can to help us this month?

Bob

On the 15^th of this month I turn 67. Where has the time gone?

Fifty years ago I left my home in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and came to America with two sermons in a briefcase, twenty five cents in my pocket, and a burning desire to preach the gospel.

Recently someone asked me “Are you thinking of retiring yet?” I said, “I don’t have time, I’m too busy.”

Every day I spend hours writing the The Word For You Today devotional. I am about 4-½ years ahead in my daily writings, and I love every minute I spend doing it.

This year we will publish between 16-20 million copies, in 25 languages around the world.

And I have another goal this year – I want to rescue 250 more children from Romania’s orphanages, streets, and sex trade and place them into families. (Last year we rescued 211 children).

I pray that you will join me in doing this.

For just $43.20 a month ($518.40) you make it possible for a family to take a child out of despair and into their family.

Even if you can only sponsor a family for a few months, while we look for a permanent sponsor, it will change a child’s life.

Last week the Child Protection Services contacted us and gave us a list of 175 families that are at risk of breaking up due to unemployment, poverty and starvation. It’s heartbreaking!

Many people in Romania still have the old communist mentality and expect the government to take care of them. But the government is not doing it.

As Romania sinks deeper and deeper into debt, more and more children end up begging on the streets, being left on the doorstep of state-run orphanages, or sold into the sex trade.

Right now The Village of Hope is “the last hope” many of these children have. Our in-house staff and social workers get calls 24 hours-a-day.

Through the generosity of friends and partners like you, we are able to keep saying “yes.”

In addition to placing children into foster families, we “keep families together” by providing food, clothes, medicine, and heat for families at risk.

In the Bible God says to us: “Feed the hungry! Help those in trouble! Then...the Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy you with all good things, and keep you healthy too.” Isaiah 58:10-11 TLB

Some friends and partners have sent...$67...to celebrate my birthday. Thank you. But since I don’t personally need anything, I invite you to send a “birthday gift” for The Village of Hope.

You can give by check, or call and place a gift on your credit card at 1-800-964        9846, or go on line and give through our secure web site at bobgass.com

My staff and I will be praying over your needs throughout the month of January, believing God to give you “a year of great blessing.”

Bob

A blessed and happy New Year to you!

At the beginning of each year Debby and I ask God for a Word we can stand on, and also share with our friends and partners.

Here’s the Scripture God gave us for 2011:

“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.”                     Isaiah 48:17 NIV

When it comes to your life, your children and grand-children, your health, your finances, your struggles, your dreams and goals, God has promised to give you “what is best for you,” this year.

When God gives you a promise, He says: “I will stand by my word, I will watch over it to see that it is fulfilled” (See Jer 1:12). 

God says He will “teach you” and “direct you.” Your job is to listen to Him, believe Him, and follow His guidance.

Last year, in spite of Romania’s terrible economy and the great challenges we faced here at home, God helped us to rescue...211 more children and place them into families. It was our greatest year ever.

We built and paid for a new wing at The Village of Hope which will accommodate 50 extra children. It was a year filled with miracles.

Last week Child Protection Services brought 12 abandoned children to our door, the biggest single group we’ve ever taken in at one time. I thought, “Wow, this year is starting off with a bang!”

But when you act on what God says, He becomes responsible for taking care of you.

So, what do you want God to do for you this year?

If you will write or e mail me your Goals for 2011, my staff and I will pray over it each day of January.

Jesus said, “If two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven” (Mt 18:19 NIV). Here are two things I’d like you to do:

1.        Send me your goals for 2011 and I will agree with you in prayer. 

2.        Start your year out right, by giving God the gift of gratitude for what e He He did for you last year – and a seed for the harvest of blessing you want Him to give you this year.

The first check Debby and I write each year is always to God’s work, claiming His blessings throughout the year. Last year we sowed $2,010 into The Village of Hope. This year we will sow $2,011.

This year I invite you to join us and sow...$2,011... or $200.11...or $20.11...or whatever God leads you to do.

If you’ve never done anything like this before, do it. God won’t disappoint you. He always rewards an act of faith.

You can give by check, call and put a gift on your credit card at 1-800-964-9846 or on line at our secure web site at bobgass.com.

Your friends and partners,

Bob and Debby Gass

P.S.    When you sow a seed, it’s important that you sow it into “good ground.”
In 50 years of ministry I have never found a more worthy cause. Through The Village of Hope we rescue children, give them love, hope, a home and a future. Thank you for partnering with us.

Merry Christmas!

Four year-old Angelica and 5 year-old Maria came to us a few months ago. They had been abused and abandoned.

But love works miracles.  Today they have two parents who love them, a new home, and even a Grandfather who adores them.

That’s what we do at The Village of Hope, and we do it through the generosity of friends and partners like you.

Jesus was one of the busiest people who ever lived – but He always had time for children. He picked them up, held them, talked to them and blessed them. Then He said: ”When you do this for a child, you do it for me” (See Mt 25:40).

Right now I’m working to put together 500 Christmas boxes for families who took a child from The Village of Hope, and gave them a home.

These parents are heroes. Many of them are poor and struggle financially, but they have big hearts.  I want to make sure that they’ll have a Christmas box with clothes, toys, fruit, candies and books to give to their children on Christmas morning.

And I’m inviting you to join me.

For $35 you can put a big smile on the face of a child, and win Christ’s smile of approval while you are doing it. Perhaps you could do this for several children.

Through your generosity we just built a new wing for 50 children, and purchased oil to fill our big heating tanks for the winter.  Wow – where does all the money go?

Right now I’m asking you to send the most generous gift you can to help give these families “a real Christmas.”

If you are considering giving a year-end, tax-deductible gift, this is a wonderful opportunity.

Debby joins me in wishing you a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year.
Bob & Debby

We just rescued our 700^th child and placed her into a foster family.

Let me share something very touching. Many of the children we rescue have lived in fear, not knowing where their next meal would come from. 

When they first come to The Village of Hope, some of them “sneak” slices of bread from the supper table and hide them under their pillow.  That way they will have something to eat the next day. 

So while we process their paperwork and look for the right family to take them, we work to remove their fears and heal the emotional scars caused by abandonment and physical and sexual abuse. Our goal is to give each of them a sense of security and self-worth. 

Every one of these children has such potential!
When my dad died, I was just 12 years old. My mother raised us on a welfare check of $40 a month. Today all three of her children are contributing authors of The Word For You Today, which publishes 16 million devotionals around the world each year, winning thousands of souls to Christ.

This year we want to give “Christmas boxes” to 500 of the children we have placed into foster families.

We have a team of 30 workers at The Village of Hope, including doctors, nurses, lawyers, social workers, cooks, cleaners, drivers and maintenance people.

This is their favorite time of the year as they get to visit the foster families and distribute Christmas boxes filled with clothes, toys, fruit, candies and books. For most of these families it will be the only Christmas gifts they get.

We can put together a “Christmas box” for just...$35. Doing this for 500 children will cost...$17,500.         

Can you help?

When you give, I’ll send you a copy of The Treasure of God’s Word. This beautiful, hardcover, leather-bound book is filled with the greatest promises God ever made to us. It will grace your home or your coffee table.

It’s our way of saying “thank you” for supporting the Village of Hope in Romania.

Debby and I pray that you will have a wonderful Christmas and a very blessed New Year. We look forward to hearing from you.

Bob & Debby

You’ll soon be receiving your December-January-February edition of The Word For You Today. God is using it in an amazing way.

Today we received word from our friends at The Dove Christian Broadcasting Network in Oregon, saying that one of their customized editions of the devotional found its way into a school in Nigeria. And the results were staggering!

They wrote from Nigeria to say that not only did they read it from cover to cover, the students also “memorized every word of it.” As a result, ninety students committed their lives to Christ.

They asked for ninety Bibles, which have already been sent, and said: “We have never read anything like it. We will carry its message to everyone living in this area.”

As the author, I’m thrilled and humbled. “This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes” (Mt 21:42 NKJV).

Here’s an idea! Why don’t you order an extra one or two year subscription for a friend – it makes a wonderful Christmas gift and it could change their lives.

Besides rescuing 15-20 children each month and placing them into families, almost 100,000 editions of The Word for You Today are being printed in Romania each quarter and many souls are being won to Christ.

Thank you for helping us to complete the new wing at The Village of Hope. Now we can accommodate an additional 50 children and find families for them.

Let me tell you about three children we recently rescued. Lisa is eight months-old, Maria is seven years-old, and Matthew is eight years-old. They were being cared for by their ailing grandmother and their aunt.

When the grandmother passed away, Child Protection Services was called when a neighbor noticed how bad the living conditions were.

It turns out, the aunt was desperately trying to care for the children of her sister, who had left to find work in Germany and never returned.   

Baby Lisa is now being cared for by one of our social workers. We will keep them together until we find a suitable foster family to take all three.

You say, “Bob, what can I do to help?” We have two special needs: 

(1) It takes $11,100 to heat The Village of Hope for the six months of winter. A church in New York generously donated $5,000 – so we need $6,100.                               

100 friends and partners giving $61...or 200 friends and partners giving $30.50...or your best gift, will meet this need.

(2) We are in urgent need of “family sponsors” who will commit to sending $43.20 each month. By doing this, you enable a foster family to take a child. 

Even if you can only sponsor a family for a month or two, it will allow us to place a child into a family while we continue looking for a permanent sponsor.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. In spite of these economically difficult days, hasn’t God been faithful to you?  

Out of the blessings which God has given you, please consider giving a special gift to change the life of a child.

You can give by check, or call 1-800-964-9846 a gift on your credit card, or give on-line through our secure web site at bobgass.com 

Debby and I depend on your prayers and support, and we appreciate all you do.

Bob & Debby

This year we are on track to rescue another 200 children from Romania’s orphanages, streets and sex trade, and place them into families.

That’s an average of 16-17 children every month. For a small ministry like ours - it’s an amazing accomplishment. And it’s only been possible through the generosity of friends and partners like you. Thank you!

Here are two more stories from The Village of Hope:

(1) Colin is a little seven-year-old, blond-haired boy from the city of Arad. He was abandoned by his parents. Neighbors found him outside his apartment and called the police, who brought him to us hungry and Traumatized.

You should see him now. He’s doing well in school and excels in English. We are interviewing a lovely couple who want him.

It usually takes about three months to complete the paperwork; in the meantime he has his own bed, clean clothes, and doesn’t have to worry about where his next meal will come from.

(2) Adina is a thirteen-year-old girl who was sold into the sex trade one year ago by a relative. She was arrested in Hungary for prostitution and sent back to Romania.

By the time we got her, a pimp had her hooked on drugs, beat her regularly, and sold her to about twenty men a night. When the border police brought her to us she was pregnant.

But her story has a happy ending.   Adina gave birth to a baby boy named Stephen, and we were able to place him with a young couple called Maria and John who will love and care for him.

Some of our social workers came from lives of abuse, prostitution and drugs, and they will be able to care for Adina and help her rebuild her life.

Next week we complete construction on a new wing in The Village of Hope. It will accommodate an extra 50 children.

We need...$20,000 by the end of this month to pay the contractor and open the wing – debt free.

Can you help us?

200 friends and partners giving $100...400 giving $50...or your best gift, will meet this need.

The Bible says: “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). It’s in giving that we show our love, and become most like God.

Bob & Debby

In the last few years we have rescued around 620 children from Romania’s orphanages, streets and sex trade, and placed them into families. We find homes for about 12-20 children every month. It’s an amazing accomplishment.

Two things make it possible: (1) Generous friends and partners like you. (2) A heroic team that “works around the clock” to find families, train them, help them financially, and place children in their care.

In two weeks school begins in Romania and we need to buy books, schoolbags and uniforms for about 100 children. The cost of outfitting each child is...$85.

Can you help?

The children at The Village of Hope range in ages from kindergarten through tenth grade. Let me tell you about 13 year-old Maria and her 7 year-old brother Robert.

Their mother abandoned them and we have not been able to locate her. Their father is an alcoholic who cannot care for himself, much less the children. We will find a family to love and care for them.

Recently someone asked me what we did at The Village of Hope. I answered, “We put families together.” And we are always in need of “family sponsors” who will give $43.20 a month or $518.40 for a year...to make this happen for one more child.

To those of you who are currently sponsoring a child, “thank you” from the bottom of this Irish heart. If you haven’t yet considered this opportunity, I invite you to try it for one year. The joy you’ll get is beyond description.

The Bible teaches that we are to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, care for the sick, and show compassion to those in need. Jesus said that when we stand before Him He will say to us:

“I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of

the least of these...you were doing it to me!” Matthew 25:40 NLT

Remember, you can give by check, call 1-800-964-9846 and put a gift on your credit card, or make a donation through this website www.bobgass.com.

Thanks.

Bob

Last month, through the love and kindness of friends and partners like you, we were able to rescue 18 more children and place them into loving families.

Where do these children come from? State-run orphanages, the streets, and the sex trade.

Romania is where predators, paedophiles and pimps go to find children because so many of them are abandoned and homeless. When I think about my own grandchildren, I feel a mixture of sorrow and anger. No child should have to experience that pain!

Last month 16 year-old Madelina and her 3 month-old baby boy Stephen were brought to us by Child Protection Services. A few years ago, Madelina was sold into the sex trade and ended up as a prostitute in Ireland.

This teenage girl’s short life has been a nightmare of being drugged, beaten, and sold to several men every night. When she ended up pregnant, her pimp kicked her out and she returned home to Romania.

She’s badly “damaged” and incapable of trusting anyone. Our greatest fear is that she will disappear and leave her baby boy. If she does, we will find a family to take him.
Right now we are building accommodations for an extra 50 children. This means we can handle 100 children (including special needs children) at Village of Hope #2. Our contractor and his workers have been on the job 6 days a week, 12-14 hours a day.

By lowering the ceilings, updating the electrical heating, and replacing the windows we will be able to save on energy costs this winter. To maximize every dollar, we are using more volunteer social workers and growing our own vegetables.

I need your help.

In addition to our regular monthly overheads and staff salaries, I need...$20,000...to finish the building and open the doors debt free!

You say, “Bob, what can I do?”

Your gift of...$100... $50...$25...$10...or your best gift will help me finish this project.

We are all feeling the effects of the tough economy. But your worst day in America or Canada is still 100 times better than these children’s best day in Romania.

In the middle of a worldwide famine, the Bible records:

“The believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters in Judea, everyone giving as much as they could.” Acts 11:29 NLT

Today I’m asking you to give “as much as you can” to help me get these rooms built. You can give by check, call and put a gift on your credit card...1-800-964-9846, or at this secure website.

Be sure to request a complimentary copy of one of my favorite books... God’s Wisdom For Your Every Need. It’s my way of saying “thank you.”

Bob

P.S. Our summer camp was a big success. Hundreds of children attended it.

Please pray that God will raise up more “family sponsors” who will commit to giving $43.20 a month. We have children, we have qualified families; help us put them together.