Smile has been working in Romania since 2002, in partnership with Rev Istvan Gergely. Smile has provided humanitarian aid, shoeboxes, computers and sewing machines to help the church in their outreach to the Roma people. Our volunteer Step Out teams have helped by running holiday clubs for children and Gospel concerts.

Margita, aged 47, is the wife of a Baptist pastor who oversees three churches in Oradia, Romania. They have 25-year-old son and a 10-year-old daughter. Nine years ago she had sight problem in her left eye causing headaches and much pain; five years ago the doctors in Romania, due to lack of specialist equipment and training, diagnosed this as a cancer and told her she did not have long to live.

Smile brought Margita to the UK in where she saw a specialist in December 2007. To her great delight, this was found to be not a life-threatening cancer but a tumour behind her eye. She spent 20 days in February undergoing radiotherapy at St Bart's Hospital in London, which has been successful. We are very grateful to all the staff at St Bart’s for their care during the treatment throughout February.

Margita returned to the UK in June 2008 and was given the all-clear by the specialist, for which we praise God.

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. (Deuteronomy 7:9)