Bonus Pastor Foundation Nieuwsbrief

Various
The Bible Study School started on the 17th of March.
On the 18th of March we celebrated the 2-year anniversary of the DTC’s opening.  We thanked God for His work through the Foundation and His love to all of us.
We need volunteer workers to take over many areas of the work, e.g. fundraising, PR, organizing the summer work-groups.
We are planning for the summer which includes, among other things, the activity of many visiting work teams.  If you know somebody interested in volunteer work in Ozd, please contact us at the following e-mail address: volunteers@bonuspastor.com.

Drug Therapy Centre, Ozd
In March we had to face a lot of difficult cases and situations. Some of the former clients, who experienced a relapse, came or are planning to come back to the Centre.  This is a special situation for the house, and the staff needs a lot of wisdom in order to handle it. Some drunken new arrivals to the Centre got lost halfway in a pub, so we realized that we need to pay more attention to and to organize better the arrival of new clients. We wrote a manual about handling such issues. Because of the increasing number of residents, the therapy program needed some modifications. We found and used new therapeutic tools (the “trial”), and together with the residents changed the structure of the afternoon session.

“G., a client of the DTC was not yet at the stage where he could go home by himself.  But he was longing to see his family, so his mentor, H. Mari decided to give him a lift to Udvarhely as she was going to see her mother in Csikszereda.  However, Mari’s car broke down halfway and finally she decided to let G.  go home alone.  He has problems with trusting people, and when he received such a great trust from the staff, he gained new energy for his therapy.  Also, his visit with his family was a successful one!” (Teri Sz?cs)

Case Study

“I was the mentor of one of our clients (V. M.) who left before completion of the therapy session and now is working in Hungary.  He is an abstainer and tries to live on his own.  I am satisfied with the client’s progress made during the therapy session.  He is still keeping in touch with us.” (János Tánczos)

Farm development, Ozd
It is important to note that the farm still does not have the needed permits from the state, and this summer will be crucial in finishing the developments which are the basis of the permits (a silage store and a number of smaller things).  The silage store is very expensive and we have concerns if we are able to raise the needed funds. Martin Douma (former volunteer working for three years at the Farm in Ozd) visited Ozd for two days.  It was good to meet and also to evaluate together what had happened at the farm since he left and the new plans.

Request
In 2005, Attila Balogh, a Christian businessman in Tîrgu Mures, started a second business, a construction company.  From the very beginning Bonus Pastor Foundation owned 10% of the company, in keeping with Attila’s wish to provide financial support for the Foundation. We don’t have to invest in the company, but 10% of the profit comes to the Bonus Pastor Foundation. Of course, the company needs time to grow.  In 2006, our share was about 500 euro. Now Attila is searching for some construction equipment which is hard to find and expensive to get in Romania. If you know of any possibility of his acquiring second-hand equipment as a donation, please contact us. What is needed: external scaffolding (preferably made of aluminum) and resizable supporting pillars used for pouring concrete floors.

Praise points
For the increased number of clients
For our new colleagues
For the local groups

Prayer points
For Teri Sz?cs, who is leaving to work on her Ph.D.
For wisdom concerning the former clients who have relapsed
For the Aftercare Conference in April
For the State Accreditation of the Foundation