Today Roni took us to harvest honey from their hives. Some of you may already be familiar with this process, but it was all new to me! The family has 2 sets of hives located outside the city, one a short drive, and the other a long and winding 35 mile drive.  It was at the most distant location where we harvested today. The family was particularly excited as we would be harvesting rare black honey today, which fetches more money than other types.

Marion and Viorel are the 2 oldest boys in the house and as such, are expected to help with the bees. Viorel, age 15, especially enjoys this work and proudly tells us he is going to have 100 hives of his own one day! He and his brother arrived at Ana’s House just one year ago; it is clear he has not only found a family, but also a sense of purpose in helping with bees.

Roni was patient with us as we donned bee suits for the first time, sometimes backwards, and laughing quite a bit! Once dressed (and Pastor Joy murmured a quiet prayer to protect us from stings – thank you, Joy!), we watched Roni pry the bee glue off the box, take off the lid, and examine the wax frames inside. As Roni worked, he showed us baby bees as they hatched, the queen with the glowing spot on her back, and how to tell if a hive is healthy.

I couldn’t help but draw parallels to the work Roni is doing to build his hives and keep his family of bees healthy, and what he and Rodi are doing to build and keep their family healthy at Ana’s House.  He says, “We give children a home, love, they learn about God and how to work hard. This is abundant life. Then they must choose for themselves to continue path to abundant life.”

Wise words, indeed.  And judging from the smile on Viorel’s face today, he is choosing well.

Sweet blessings,

Nancy

Roni and Rodi

Viorel, future bee farmer

The harvest: 2 heavy boxes full of honey-laden frames

Joy using the comb to release the honey prior to centrifuge