In 1998 we were introduced to the Ene family. At that time Cornel & Rodica Ene were establishing a new church in the village of Tortumanu. Having handed that to a young pastor, in 2000 they moved on to another village, Poiana, about 20 km from Constanta with the aim of establishing another new church. Poiana is a rural village of around 400 houses. The previous Communist rulers removed all of the trees to increase the amount of land available for farming and Poiana is now surrounded by plains. The community rely on the land for employment and there is little work available during the winter months. There is a school in the village which provides an education for the children in the early years but then they have to travel to Constanta for their High School. The majority of families cannot afford either the travel costs or the books needed and so many of the older children do not complete their education.

One of the families, some of whom attended the new church, lived in two containers in the fields outside the village. Thanks to the generosity of our members we were able to provide the money for them to build a house towards the end of 2006. The house was self-built in the traditional way, from mud bricks, which they made themselves and was completed in early 2007. Although relatively small, they have electricity and other amenities and it is a vast improvement on their containers.

In 2006 Alex & Heather Chalmers and their family moved to Poiana from their home in Wales to work with the church. They have developed the children’s and youth clubs started by the Ene’s and now live above the church. You can view the latest information on this work at www.thechalmersfamily.co.nr which we continue to support. See their latest newsletter here.

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