Dear Friends

Apologies for being a few days into the month before having chance to update you with all the news of what has been an exceptionally busy and exciting month.

It is remarkable to think it’s only 23 days ago that the Tileagd Choir returned from the American Tour. A week later, we began our
Regional Conferences around the United Kingdom which was a wonderful experience. The day after the Conferences finished, we headed back to Romania to begin preparations for April Mission Trips, which are already on the way – and of course, the final days of completion on the Farm Purchase!

The most amazing aspect of working with The Smiles Foundation is seeing God at Work in miraculous ways and once again in March, we witnessed the Powerful Hand of God on all our needs.

Most remarkable was perhaps the challenge to raise £275,000 ($440,000) in 90 days from when we launched the initiative in January to March 31^st, when we were scheduled to make the down payment on the purchase.  

It was quite a timetable. Having seen a Farm in October 2009, agreed terms in December 2009, launched the appeal in January 2010, we were scheduled to Complete on March 31^st 2010.

As is sometimes the case, the start was slow and at March 1^st, with 30 days to go, we were at £130,286 / $201,943 which left quite a gap to fill.

During March, the rush was on, Donations, Loan commitments and Pledges were being received almost daily. By March 31^st - £303,025 / $448,477 was in the Bank! Praise be to God.

Through-out March, our Romanian consultants and attorney were working hard to complete all the legal paperwork to ensure the Foundation could proceed in confidence with the Purchase.

We knew the challenge of completing the paperwork was a difficult one, as the Farm was previously controlled by the Romanian State and following the Revolution in 1989, after the Fall of Communism, former State assets was sold into private ownership. Documentation was not always taken as seriously as we would and indeed, some documents just didn’t seem to exist.  A real challenge for the attorney to sort out!

Well, they certainly worked hard at it and as we met in the Cihei Conference room on March 31^st – we all still wondered what the outcome would be.

   After 5 hours of discussion and ploughing through papers – it was concluded by Smiles Attorney that the Documents were not sufficiently prepared and complete to sign a Contract on a 100% secured basis.
The fear was that some pieces of land having incomplete papers to prove ownership beyond doubt left the Foundation vulnerable. Whilst often in Romania, such issues are accepted as part of the ‘risk’ in buying – The Smiles Foundation was not prepared to take such a risk with the Purchase and Financial Commitment of the
Farm acquisition.

Yes we were disappointed and if honest, a little frustrated as we had worked hard, investing hours and funds in attempting to Complete, but in the final analysis, we had to take our Attorney's advice - after all, that is what we were paying for!

The meeting closed with the agreement that every effort on the part of the current owner would be made to finalise the documentation by April 30th. We had little alternative than to agree and accept the situation. Now we wait to see the outcome later this month.

Interestingly, the following days, April 1st & 2nd, we were advised of 3 other possible options of Farms up for Sale. So we visited and were most interested in a couple of options. Extremely similar facilities and opportunities as the initial Farm offered, but with the assurance that the Paperwork was in order to facilitate a Sale!
We agreed to talk more and now we are considering all the options and hope to see a final decision by April 30th 2010.

Maybe God has something even better planned than we initially imagined. There is a reason for everything and we trust God in this situation to lead and guide according to His Perfect Will. 

Meanwhile, we must continue to raise the funds in line with our original budget which requires another £246,975 / $431,523 by September 30^th 2010. Further details are on the Farm Web-page but we need Donations for the Farm, Loans to the Farm at 0%-5% annual interest and for supporters who do not have the funds available immediately, support can be pledged for a later date.

Thank you for the amazing response to date. We trust for God’s continued provision to complete the Purchase once all the Documentation is ready for whichever Farm we finally purchase.

Details of the Farm initiative were featured every day at each of the Smiles Regional Conferences.

The Conferences were also a new idea. In previous years, Smiles had held a National Conference in Leeds (close to HQ) where up to 150 people would attend, travelling from all around the country. For 2010, having split the United Kingdom into 9 regions last year, with a Development Associate appointed for each region, we decided to travel to every reason allowing more people to attend and hear the Smile Updates.

As before, we were delighted to have as special guests, members of our Romanian team a part of the Conference programme. This year, joining Chief Executive Kevin Hoy was Adi Matis (Smiles 100 Love Club manager) and his wife Gloria along with Mioara Turas (Social Worker for Smiles 100 Love & 200 Hope Clubs).

Maria Cimpoca (Director of Operations) was also with us until she left to represent Smiles with Georgi Opreanu (Deputy Director of Operations) at the wedding of former Smiles Missionary – Sarah Urwin. Working with us in Romania provided the opportunity for Sarah to meet Zoli and now they are married!

Sarah and Zoli – we pray God’s Richest Blessing on your new life together in England.

We also have a special report page from Adi and the DA’s on their Regional Conference experiences and memories.

It’s been slightly different this month for our American DA – Greg Willis.
Possibly a little quieter than the 5 weeks he spent on the road with the Tileagd Choir that finished earlier in March. But maybe not so quiet? Read Greg’s report to find the facts.

No month is ever quiet for our Director of Operations in Romania – so be sure to catch up on Maria’s News with her ‘Anniversary’ report.

The Conferences highlighted lots of Events being organised to raise funds for Smiles – so be sure to check them out and support all you can. Events Page.

As we said at the start, Mission Trips are all in full-swing now – with more than 30 visitors at the Cihei Mission Centre this month. Another 30+ are scheduled for May and numbers are way up for the year with 377 current reservations through 2010.

Some trips are now full, but space remains on several trips so just check with the office – telephone or
e-mail, and get connected to a trip to ‘Change the World’ for someone in Romania and
possibly your own in the process! (Mission Trip Page).

 As we publish the Update around the Easter week-end, we pray you will know the Resurrection Life of Jesus in your own life and in all you do.

With sincere thanks for all you do to help Smiles and others.

God Bless You


The Smiles Foundation