Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Merry Christmas


December 10, 2008

We send our warm Christmas greetings to you. By looking at the picture below you can see how blessed we are to be celebrating this wonderful season with the most beautiful, intelligent and fun-loving grandchildren in the world. Alyssa, Davis, Siena and Hawkins all live close by, and when we are home we get to see them often. It is also a blessing to see their parents Doug and Amy, Adam and Haven living for the Lord.

Matthew tells about Three Wise Men from the Orient who came to where Jesus was staying after his birth in Bethlehem. The wise men first arrived in Jerusalem and reported to the king of Judea, Herod the Great, that they had seen a star heralding the birth of a king. Further inquiry led them to Bethlehem of Judea and the location of Mary and Joseph. They presented Jesus with treasures of "gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

As we celebrate Christmas let’s give to Jesus more than gold, frankincense and myrrh. Let us give Him our true treasures of devotion, worship and love. Don’t let this time be deflating, but instead let it be a time of rejoicing and renewing your commitment to our Savior.

This Christmas brings many challenges! We have just lived through so many in the last few months. Economic crises, the election, world events, wars, terrorism and who knows about tomorrow? God knows and He holds our future in His hands. This passage out of Matthew gives us the opportunity to honor Him with our true devotion and like gold give Him our very best we possess by recognizing that Jesus is our King. We bring frankincense to worship Him even in the midst of our brokenness and uncertainty. Like myrrh we see His love as He has identified with us in our pain and sorrow. He could do that because He was like us, human! We all face many challenges, but Diana and I believe in God and we trust Him for our future to help us with the challenges to come. How about you? So this is why this time of the year is special! It is CHRISTMAS, a time for renewing and recommitting ourselves to the Lord with hearts of celebration that we are His and He is ours.

Thank you and know that there are many lives that have been changed because of your prayers and giving. Your friendship and kindnesses shown to us and to our ministry over the past twenty plus years has been a real encouragement. Have a joyful Christmas!

Your servants in Christ,

Rick and Diana Wilson

Monday, December 1, 2008



Philip’s House helps orphans and abandoned children. It has turned out to be one of the best ministries we have partnered with. We have helped 18 children who were abandoned or orphaned. These children were taken in at different ages--some as young as 3 years of age.

I had mentioned a couple months ago that I would relate some of the children’s stories. I want to start by telling you of two children that I have known for 8 years. One is married and the other is working on the chicken farm that Samuel and Mihai (directors of the project) have in Romania.

Nicoleta and Vasilica were born into a good family, but when their father and mother died in a car accident they were given to the state and put into a state home. For years they were neglected and abused. They had one aunt who was able to take their older brother but not the three younger ones. Sadly, no one knows where the youngest is or what became of him.

The older brother who was raised by the aunt is a lawyer living and working in Timisoara, Romania and is normal in everyway. Nicoleta and Vasilica grew up in our small orphanage and are doing well, but they have never bounced back completely from the abuse and the neglect they experienced in the state home. They have suffered with issues of abandonment to almost total despair. Socially, they never felt a part of the group. They closed themselves off and were very withdrawn. However, as adults even though they still have some issues, they are doing quite well with jobs and are looking forward to a brighter future. Nicoleta is now married to Ioancy, but still has a very difficult time thinking and reasoning. Some would say she is mildly retarded, perhaps because of the harsh existence she had before coming to Philip's House and to the Lord. I have talked to her many times and I have seen her grow and interact more with others. She is not the same girl that she was before, and with her husband’s help, she is doing well. They have their own work and are living in a small village outside Timisoara.

Nicoleta’s younger brother Vasilica has many of the same problems and it hard for him to be around people because of his early years. He is working and living on the farm. His hopes are to have a wife and family one-day. They have had to work through many issues, the hardest being why the aunt didn’t pick them and why they were left to the state. Through you all and the work of God there, these young adults now have a future full of hope. Their lives have improved tremendously!

We have put Bettina (a young woman we met a few years ago and grew up as an orphan) in touch with one of the Vice-presidents of P&G. What a testimony of God’s grace for this young woman that a Christian in another part of the world is willing to lend a hand! She is currently working on her resume and is hoping to get a job with the company. She has some big decisions to make about this job and a move. Pray for her.

We also helped our fellow workers, Mihai and Samuel, by putting them in contact with the P&G logistics group in Romania and they are working on potential trucking routes that could possibly financially aid Philip’s House even more! So you see, our work in Romania is building the kingdom one person at a time with the help and support of people like you and Daniel Myers who works for P&G. Thank you Daniel!!! Pray that the trucking contract would go through.

Thank you ALL for being a part of our work through your giving and prayers. “I can no other answer make, but, thanks, and thanks.” William Shakespeare

God bless,

Rick and Diana Wilson