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Overview:
Mocrea is a villiage about
an hour's drive outside the city of Arad. Its main feature is the psychiatric hospital located there. The
hospital houses about 150 patients, with men on the ground floor and women on the first floor . There are several types
of paitents who come to Mocrea. Some come for a short time, until they get their medicines adjusted. Others are
'lifers' who are admitted to Mocrea and are either too severely ill to leave or who have no one to take care of them.
Each floor is divided into a lockdown unit and a regular unit, where the patients are free to roam the grounds.
The first time I went to Mocrea in the spring of 2006, I went with Jackie and some
others who were delivering food. Soon I was going with them every month, and sitting outside visiting with patients
while they unloaded the food. Eventually I convinced both Jackie and the director of the hospital to let me
go inside and spend time with the patients who were unable to leave the building.
Currently, I go to Mocrea every other Thursday, and take any of the other missionaries
who would like to go as well. We do things like coloring, crafts, make-up, dancing, manicures, even hair-cuts.
I have also started bringing them Christian books and crossword puzzles. The main ministry at Mocrea is spending time
with the patients, to let them know that even though the world seems to have turned its back, God has not forgotten them.
Projects:
- Jackie's churches buy and deliver food and hygene supplies every month.
- The women enjoy 'make-overs' with donated make-up samples.
- After the make-overs everyone had their picture taken. The next visit, we made picture frames.
- We had a visiting hair stylist who gave everyone a trim.
- Giving out Bibles in Romanian and Hungarian.
- Visiting the bed-ridden, and bringing them flowers.
- Praying for the patients.
- Christmas (complete with Santa) came to Mocrea this year, and every patient received a gift.
- Building and maintaining relationships through which the love of Jesus can be spread.
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