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November 2001
All I want for Christmas is My Five Front Teeth
Dear Friends,
In August I began working with the NOROC foundation as a mission
co-worker forthe Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). I’m assigned
to the orphanages in Tulcea County Romania. "Noroc"
is a Romanian word that means "God less you. The acronym
stands for New Opportunities for Romanian Orphaned Children. NOROC
is an approved Presbyterian mission with the ECO (Extra Commitment
Opportunity) number 051603. It was founded by members from First
Central Presbyterian Church in Abilene, Texas, but now receives
spiritual and financial support from all levels of the Presbyterian
Church, as well as from individuals all across the nation.
Gathering of young adults who have left the orphanages with Mary,
far left
Each day as I enter the front yard of the St. Andrew’s Home
for Boys, I am greeted by a chorus of "Doamna Mary, Ce Faci"
(How are you?) Among the chorus of voices, one young man with
a charming smile always greets me—Marus. Marus’ eyes
crinkle when he smiles and his whole face lights up.
You can only imagine my heartbreak and dismay when I arrived
one afternoon to find out that Marus had been beaten by a gang
of bullies in a vacant lot near his school. Five of his front
teeth had been knocked right out of his head. Thus began our long
ordeal of trying to get Marus’s mouth fixed. The night it
happened I e-mailed some friends in Texas, who e-mailed others,
and by the next morning a very generous Presbyterian church in
Florida responded with a donation to NOROC—through the proper
channels—earmarked for Marus’ teeth. I received letters,
calls, and e-mails around the United States from friends who were
touched by Marus’ story. I heard from my support team in
Louisville. This case has been a testimony of our Presbyterian
connectional system at its best. I am reassured that I am not
serving alone, and Marus knows people as far away as America care
about him.
With the confidence that we could afford the best dental treatment
available, the remarkable cooperation of the Department of Protection
of Children in Tulcea County, the emotional support from the Romanian
staff in the Boy’s Home, and our tremendous Romanian NOROC
staff, we began to help Marus heal. We began searching for a dentist
in Tulcea who would do the work. I won’t bore you with all
the details but after being told by one dentist his teeth would
grow back and after seeing another one coming from an apartment
where she worked wiping her hands on a dirty apron we have decided
to take Marus to another city for the work. Meantime Marus is
without his teeth in half his mouth. Without our Presbyterian
presence in this remote part of the world, in this out-of-the
way orphanage, Marus would probably be partially toothless the
rest of his life.
All of my work is not filled with pain and despair. NOROC has
begun working with a group of young adults who have recently left
the orphanages. Again, this is a coordinated effort with full
cooperation and support from the Department of Protection, the
staff at the Boy’s and Girl’s homes, and numerous NOROC
workers. Besides providing the opportunity for these young adults
to continue their education, we meet together often for fellowship
and mutual support. These young people are full of hope, love,
and laughter. Without our support the girls would probably all
be working in a sewing factory and the boys would be construction
workers—each living on $60 a month. While these are very
respectable careers, some of us (me!) could not sew a straight
seam or hammer a nail if our lives depended upon it! It is important
that youth have a chance at further education, if they have this
dream.
As of this writing, Marus does not yet have his mouth fixed.
We go tomorrow to a dentist in Galati, a larger city about 100
miles away. While we can get his teeth restored, his life will
never be fully restored. He is 17 and has never been taught to
read and write. He grew up in a children’s home in a very
remote village. Recently he was brought to the Tulcea boy’s
home to be "reintegrated" into society before he has
to leave at 18. I can’t and we can’t make up for the
years of neglect, but God has surely heard his cries and the cries
of the millions of neglected children all over the world. I can’t
help but wonder if all the cries of the children drown out all
the hymns and prayers we sing on Sunday mornings. The only way
for our beautiful anthems to be heard won’t be for us to
sing louder, it will be for us to stop the cries of the children.
Thank you for allowing me to be your witness in this remote place
of this eartt, but there are hungry, abused, neglected children
everywhere. Only together can we stop their cries. It takes money
(thank you!) but it takes more than money, it takes getting involved,
it takes reaching the children one at a time through the presence
of someone who loves them. Marus can still smile because he knows
we care. There is a Marus in your backyard.
Peace on Earth,
Mary Ferris
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