Entries by Comunicare MLI

,

A Winter Journal at Alpiniș Leadership Center

Winter, with its unique tranquility, offers us the opportunity to turn our attention inward. It is a favorable time for introspection, where each fallen snowflake can be a metaphor for renewal. At Alpiniș, we support and encourage development on multiple levels, thus providing the necessary framework for spiritual growth, educational formation, and leadership training, among other things. This journal will be a witness to our journey, a place where we have gathered thoughts from our experiences.

The month of December began with a Bible course for a group of pastors and workers, which brought together 21 participants. They spent three days deepening their knowledge of the Bible to strengthen the Christian community.

On the December 13-15 weekend, the resident doctors from Sibiu County Hospital had a Team Building event with 26 participants at Alpiniș. This activity strengthened relationships and motivated the team.

On December 28,  we hosted the end-of-year celebration of the Sanctus ProDeo Choir, an event that brought together 40 choir members to celebrate the achievements of the year and prepare plans for the upcoming year.

Around the New Year, ALC hosted a five day camp for the youth from Izbânda Brethren Church in Bucharest. 66 young people spent the New Year Eve night amidst activities and moments of reflection, marking the transition into the new year.

January was marked by a series of ski camps, starting with the family ski camp from the Bethel Baptist Church in Timișoara, which took place in the first week of the month, January 4-7, and gathered 65 participants excited about winter sports and meaningful sharing in the gospel.

The following weekend, January 10-12, a group organized by Missio Link International came to ALC for a ski weekend, gathering 61 participants who wanted to enjoy the snow, mountain activities, and fellowship.

CLA also hosted a course for families, attended by 56 people, focused on developing healthy family relationships.

Between January 23-26, a group of 71 participants from the Bethel Baptist Church in Mănăștur, Cluj, came for a retreat that combined relaxation and skiing with planning and evaluation sessions for the church’s ministries, creating unforgettable memories. Their impression after this experience is encouraging:

“Last weekend, we enjoyed a time of recharging and reconnection alongside the leaders of the ministry from Bethel church, during a retreat at the Alpiniș Leadership Center. This location was perfect for our meeting, providing us with the necessary place to completely disconnect from the hustle and bustle of the city and daily distractions. The proximity to the ski slopes allowed us to have a great time in the snow.

In addition to the reflection and planning sessions, we enjoyed the hospitality of the Alpiniș Center, the delicious food, and the facilities that provided us with the great environment  for relaxation and reconnection. The impressive view of the Făgăraș Mountains was also a joy for us, especially since we had excellent weather during our stay there.”

We continue with a series of equally captivating events. During the weekend of January 31 – February 2, we were visited by a group from Harvest Church in Timișoara, which gathered 57 participants, delighted by fellowship and the fresh mountain air.

During the weekend of February 7-8, we hosted the Vox Dei youth group, consisting of 47 people from the Betania Church in Sibiu. Here is their encouragement:

“This is our second visit with this group at the ALC location, and we are grateful, immensely blessed, and very happy to have such a place near Sibiu. We thank God for those who had a heart for this work and vision to create an environment for spiritual growth for the many souls passing through here. The youth of our church are built up in faith because of the faithfulness of those who have fulfilled such a vision.”

In the same month, from February 12-15, the young families group organized by MLI returned to ALC for another ski camp, where 51 participants enjoyed mountain activities.

One of the most anticipated events was the Alpiniș, an adventure with purpose Ski Camp, which took place from February 17 to 22. This was the third edition of the camp, and the participants enjoyed a fairy-tale like snow. The theme of the camp, “Hidden Treasures,” added a touch of magic to the evenings spent together, inviting each family to value and use their own “treasures”, while exploring the treasure of the Gospel.

Every morning we gathered for a devotional time in which we shared the Word of God, being encouraged by one another and by the depth of His love. Daily activities included crafts, board games, a movie night, and a bonfire evening where participants enjoyed roasted marshmallows and sausages. Outdoor winter activities included plenty of fun in the snow and sledding.

A special moment was the music night when four girls from the camp played the ukulele.

At the end of the camp, skiers had the opportunity to participate in the Alpiniș Cup, a ski competition with the charitable purpose of raising funds to purchase a ping-pong table for the girls at Deborah House.

We thank the Lord for the Alpiniș Leadership Center, which is a gift from God and a reference point for local communities, churches, youth groups, schools, and organizations in Romania and beyond. We are grateful for the partners that God has chosen to make all these blessings possible. We appreciate the active involvement of everyone and rejoice in every moment spent together!

28 February 2025 by
,

Deborah House Live Art Auction

Deborah House 2 was inaugurated in September 2006. For 18 years there wasn’t any work done at the exterior of the house so a renovation and roof repairs were long overdue. 

Our partners from Missio International (MI), USA, heard about our need and in a very short time, someone who has been alongside Deborah House for over 20 years has donated over 65% of the amount of money needed for the project. For the remaining funds, a group of volunteers from MI organized a Live Art Auction on October 12th 2024, an online fundraising event.

Fourteen established artists and amateurs from the USA and Romania donated photographs and paintings, taking us closer to reaching our goal. Six of them were from Romania and they donated a total of fifteen art works. One young lady was from the Republic of Moldova, now living in Timisoara, and she donated three paintings. 

Three artists from the Romanian group have participated in national and international art exhibitions: Radu Clețiu, Adrian Sabău and Sorin Onișor. Sara, one of our girls, has also donated two paintings created by her in therapy workshops.

In less than four months, the $50,000 renovations and repairs were completed, due to generous people and artists from two different continents who came together for a common goal. The total amount of money raised through the auction was $7,535.

We are encouraged by the positive and prompt response of the artists who happily and generously donated their works of art.

Thank you to all our partners, donors and friends who bid on this fundraiser. Your generosity and active involvement has been overwhelming. Now, in such a short time, we can see the results of your heartfelt gestures.

ÎNAINTE

DUPĂ

13 January 2025 by
,

Thank You for a Wonderful Christmas!

Dear Friends,

During this time of Winter Holidays, we would like to express our sincerest thanks and appreciation for the unconditional support and generosity of our contributors.

The girls at Deborah House truly had a special Christmas. We are grateful for the gifts received from First Baptist Church of Clinton, USA, Megan Moore, Serve Youth, Hebron Free Presbyterian Church Ballymoney, Northern Ireland, Rev. David Park and the local community: The Timisoara Food Bank, MMTCG, Rotaract Club Timisoara, the medical team at the Maxillofacial Clinic and Bethel First Baptist Church. Each present brought joy and smiles on their faces, reminding them that they are loved and supported. The gifts reached all our children from our CAR programs. 

Your generosity made this celebration unforgettable not just by giving the children gifts, but also warmth, hope and encouragement. We thank you for being there for them and for choosing to express your empathy through such acts of kindness. 

We also thank the Holy Trinity Baptist Church of Timisoara, which supports Deborah House on an ongoing basis, and all the companies that contribute to the various needs. 

We are grateful for each of them and for all the efforts they put in to make our community better.

27 December 2024 by
,

Trauma Healing 2024

On October 21-24 2024, at the Alpiniș Leadership Center, we organized a new session of Trauma Healing training with the support of GROVE Group, Memphis, TN and Christ Church, Oak Brook, IL (ChristChurch.us). Participants who wish to implement this course for healing and reconciliation in their communities, came from different areas of the country. We thank Stephanie Moore from GROVE Group, Memphis, TN and the American Bible Society, and Prof. Cornel Boingeanu from the Interconfessional Bible Society in Romania for facilitating the course. 

During the same week, John Moore from GROVE Group, Brett Sutherland from Oxford, TN and the MLI team visited some of our church partners involved in the Leadership Development program in Alexandria and Giurgiu areas, southern Romania. John and Stephanie Moore are a great encouragement to the Leadership Development program. Their dedication and consistency to the ministry in Romania is very impressive.

25 December 2024 by
,

MLI visit to Uganda

Zionsville Presbyterian Church, IN has been in partnership with MLI for more than 25 years forming a life long friendship. ZPC are involved in Leadership Development, mission trainings, youth camps, supporting pastors and church planting. ZPC have many focus areas in the world other than Romania, one of such focus area being Uganda. 

ZPC invited Emil Toader and Nicu Bragadireanu from Giurgiu (south of Romania) to join them on a mission trip in September 2024 to Lira (Uganda), where they have a flourishing holistic ministry serving hundreds of orphans, planting churches, providing medical care and community development projects. This work in Uganda is being done at Otino Waa (Our Children) under the leadership of Path International.

The common question amongst the team members during this was “how do we transmit; how do we even talk about what we see here?”. We met people that are filled with so much joy amidst severe poverty and suffering. There was a lack of basic infrastructure like roads, utilities and services. A place surrounded with death and sickness caused by AIDS and other tropical diseases. Hundreds of orphaned children smiling, interacting politely and depending on school for daily meals and care. The needs in such a place are overwhelming. 

We were inspired by our partners as we saw the impact they have by providing education, housing, loving care, meals and even providing spiritual nourishment to a community church. The community development projects provide clean waters through wells, medical care and farming projects. Seeing the work done there made us want to open ways for Romanian churches to give, support, visit and be a part of the work in Uganda. 

During our stay, we preached in churches encouraging our friends, but we learnt from them about having joy and stability in dire circumstances. We were able to develop friendship that was based on trust. We experienced that Joy was not only spoken, it was expressed in passionate worship and dancing. The Ugandan church and culture don’t see dancing as a form of entertainment but as an expression of joy, worship and a form of therapy. It was a blessing to see them dance with so much joy and passion regardless of all their surroundings and situations. 

We were assigned to join a home of children with their social mothers every day for lunch. Mama Becca and seven special girls always laughed and sang, stealing our hearts during our stay. We were able to teach about Romania in school, four classes would not stop asking questions about us. At Otino Waa, they have a total of 700 children, 300 residents and 400 from the community. The level of conversation and the quality of the teachers were truly impressive. We were able to see through the involvement of our ZPC friends, a true expression of Church in Mission. 

This is an invitation to churches in Romania to come alongside our brothers and sisters in Uganda to invest in transforming lives as this trip definitely was a life-changing and eye-opening. Romania has so much to offer remembering that we have been blessed to be a blessing. We pray for God’s guidance in this new partnership with the Ugandan churches. 

23 December 2024 by
,

Pastoral Conference 2024 – Alpiniș Leadership Center

The Pastoral Conference organized by MissioLink International on September 2-6, 2024, gathered together about 45 pastors’ families. It was for the first time that the conference took place at the new Alpinis Leadership Center. This was not the single “first” of this conference: for the first time in the history of these conferences, the dynamic was different. We had more than one guest speaker and we organized different workshops in order to offer the participants a variety of subjects and interactions. 

The main guest speaker was dr. Emil Bartos, who led a few main sessions about temptations in the life of ministers. He also led a workshop about how to approach those who suffer.

Pastor Daniel Bulzan and his wife Ina (drd. in theology), from Timișoara, led a main session about some tools for pastors in relation to people suffering from mental illness. Each of them had the chance to go deeper about this topic in a workshop with a smaller group. Beyond this, Ina introduced the importance of the narrative in the Old Testament, a new approach to understand better the passages in the OT and to find relevant application for the people in our churches and beyond. 

Pastor Radu Campean from Sibiu had a main session about how to deal with the tension between serving and keeping a good relation with our own families. More exactly, how not to sacrifice the family on the altar of success. 

The dynamic was good, the feedback was great so we think it was an awesome time together! 

Here are a few testimonies from the participants…

For me this year’s conference was a new opportunity to rejoice and encourage together with my brothers. It is a crossroads moment in my ministry and the topics touched by dr. Emil Bartos on Intolerance and Br. Radu Câmpean on Weeping Victories helped me the most. (Emy Cira, Cluj)

We are grateful to God for MLI! Again this year we were challenged and encouraged! Given that we minister in Roman, the city with the highest percentage of people with mental illness relative to population, the workshops on shepherding people with mental illness were very helpful. As usual, the speakers’ willingness to listen and advise was encouraging. Thank you! (Teo and Monica Tifrea, Roman)

Peace and many blessings from the Lord God.  Every time I come to Paltinis I am deeply motivated to serve God. The way God sets things up with regard to teachers is amazing to see how God emphasizes the theological needs, God sends the right people that you rarely meet. To live for a few days under the authority of the Word of God, transmitted by dr. Emil Bartos. It is a great privilege. I have enjoyed very much the Grace of God poured out through dr. Emil Bartos.  God bless you! (Bebe Prica, Ciuta, Buzau)

The conference in Alpiniș was an opportunity to experience the manifold grace of God demonstrated in the work of MLI. Everyone’s willingness to be at the Lord’s service is demonstrated by the beauty of His work as the years go by. We pray that the Lord will bless all those who have allowed themselves to be guided by the Lord during all this time and pray for His guidance and continuation of His work! (Cristinel Popa, Panciu)

We are getting close to home but our thoughts revolve around what we have gathered these days at Alpinis; such a wealth of learning. Thanks dr. Bartos for the lesson of authenticity offered and how to relate to the suffering of those around us, to the Bulzan family Ina and Daniel, for “the helpers at hand to the pastor in need.” We have been probed by the message of br. Radu and the danger of sacrificing family on the altar of public success. And what a narrative lesson Sister Ina gave us from the book of Jonah and we realized that we can use the Old Testament in a wonderful way to make it known to those around us. Thank you Emil and Florin and all the team. We wish that God will bring to your team people who are equally dedicated to the vision of MLI, whom you in turn will train under God’s guidance, so that nothing of MLI’ Legacy is lost. God be with us all until we meet again. (Cornel and Veronica Mosman, Tulcea)

There are many other testimonies and feedback comments, but we will stop here. This is just a taste of what we experienced for a few days in close fellowship with the Lord and with other ministers from different areas in Romania.

In addition to the conference we had a special night (Thursday night) when we shared with the participants the guided prayer from the International Conference of Mission. Andrew Jit visited us in May 2024, shared a few things about ICOM and we kept in touch with him all this time. We The Communion, the songs, the prayer time was organized as a part of the bigger picture – the mission that is taking place all over the world. We prayed for us, our families, our churches, our nation and for the global mission, knowing that in November, 14-16, in Lexington KY, Romania will be part of the conference.

We are so grateful to all our partners who prayed and expressed their generosity in order to have the opportunity to organize the pastoral conference. May God bless you all and continue to make you a blessing wherever you are!

23 December 2024 by
,

Short Term Mission Teams – Connect, Experience, Serve

Partnering Christians in Witness and Action is at the core of our work at Missio Link International. In essence, our partners from the USA, UK and other countries, take part in ministry in Romania through support, prayer, sharing in the vision and visiting. Although not always possible, visits are appreciated and nurture lifelong friendships and a better understanding of the ministry. As part of our partnerships, at MLI, we treasure visits and short term mission teams (STMT), people from the churches we partner with, who come to connect, experience and serve alongside us in Romania. 

Visiting teams serve in our Children at Risk programs: they spend time with our girls at Deborah House, visit the children and families from disadvantaged communities in the Recaș area, and the youth at the Buziaș Educational Center, one of the largest juvenile detention centers in the country. The experience may also include a visit to the Alpiniș Leadership Center in Păltiniș, the beautiful mountain resort setting near Sibiu, or visiting partnering churches. Not lastly, groups connect with our MLI team and learn about our rich culture and history. 

We gratefully share a few highlights from groups that served with us over the past year, offering encouraging stories of their experience with MLI. We pray that our partners are as blessed in their experience as we are, we see the bond of Christ uniting us in witness and action. 

Please click on the link below to see the playlist of testimonies shared by our friends who visited us. You may subscribe to our channel to hear more about MLI.



Click Here

17 December 2024 by
,

Gratitude Trophy for Missio Link International, offered by the Timiș County Council

 

On 26.07.2024, we were honoured to participate in the festive meeting organised by the Timis County Council on the occasion of Timis County Day, an event that marks the establishment in 1919 of the Romanian administration in the county.

During the event, several organisations were awarded for their significant impact in the fields of culture, social assistance and education.

The Missio Link International Foundation (MLI) received the Gratitude Trophy for the efforts made in the field of education through the projects Back to School and Mom’s School, implemented in partnership with the School Center for Inclusive Education (SCIE) Constantin Păunescu Recaș. MLI was represented by Mrs. Fivi Dănălache – Coordinator of Services for Children At Risk (CAR-MLI).

We are grateful for the 20 years of partnership between MLI and SCIE Ctin Păunescu Recaș, and for the change in the lives of the children and their families. The local authorities thus recognise the major impact on access to education in the lives of the children from the rural areas and the fact that Christian education and activities have added value to the learning experience of the students from the SCIE Ctin Păunescu in Recaș. 

 

Happy Birthday Timiș County!

https://www.cjtimis.ro/

29 July 2024 by
,

Moms’ School – The story of a community

“I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old – things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands” – Psalms 78:2-7

It was perhaps a little before the beginning of the 2004-2005 school year. The teachers from the current Constantin Paunescu Inclusive Education Center, Recas, Timis county (School), shared their concern with us about the high rate of early school dropouts among children in the administrative area of Recas. Children aged 10 -12 dropped out of school even before graduating from primary school to help and work with their parents in agriculture. We then understood that one of the causes of this phenomenon is the precarious economic situation of the uprooted families as a result of the communist demographic policy. This was the moment, our partnership with the school went beyond the limits of the former Recas Placement Center, moving towards the children of the community. It is worth recalling that the former communist orphanages had their own schools. It was only later on that the school and the fostering centers were separated and the children from the community and those from the orphanages were integrated together. The Bible education workshops that we are running in the foster care center, exclusively with the resident children,  would move into the classrooms of the school and include the children from the community. In order to respond to the material needs of the children in the community, in partnership with the school, we have implemented a scholarship system, consisting of basic food and hygiene products, school supplies, and clothing. The scholarship is awarded based on attendance and results at school. This is how Missio Link International (MLI) started the  Back to School program, which continues to this day annually serving over 200 children, ages 3 to 18, coming to the school from eight different villages adjacent to Recas. 

Over the years, not only has the early school dropout rate decreased, but also the academic situation has improved with more and more children graduating from secondary school and then vocational school, being the first generation in the family to have completed more than four classes and even with a professional training. The passage of time, the closer relationship with the school and also with the families of the children in the program, helped us understand that they are actually the children of a second generation of illiterate adults without a qualification. These adults were displaced from other areas of the country or were former children raised at the children’s home in Recas, one of the communist orphanages. We thus understood that school dropout was a consequence, the root issue was the lack of healthy parenting models based on values and principles that can break not only the cycle of poverty but also of abuse and juvenile delinquency in the communities where children and their families live.

For over ten years, we could see the fruit of the Word of God in the lives of the children we worked with at Recas,we saw them flourish, trusting in them, having dreams and making plans for the future.

During every visit, these children amazed us and still amaze us by reciting Scripture and even poems composed by some of them. We are moved to tears hearing them sing with all their heart and with all their strength “Amazing Grace”. The children and grandchildren of uprooted adults without a home of their own and without a place to return to, would find their identity and belonging in Christ, and not because they were told so in Bible education classes, but because during the course spent in school, they feel loved and valued both by the staff and volunteers of MLI and by the teaching staff of the school. The harmonious relationship between the adults in their surroundings gives them a different model of life. We thus understood that in order to change the paradigm in the communities of these children, we need to help the parents to find their identity, and where else can we start but with the mothers.  

With the support of the school, we identified a group  of 15 mothers with whom in the Fall of 2015, we started a new project at Recas called “Moms’ School”. Twice a month, Christian psychotherapists Mariana Mitrofan and Adriana Ciacia working with MLI and the school’s speech therapist Dana Oros, met with the mothers included in the project in parental counseling sessions, helping them understand how to be mothers according to the will of Christ. Counseling sessions were alternated with hands-on workshops where mothers interacted with their children using the newly learned principles. The power and importance of prayer, valuing the child but also disciplining in love, games that show mother-child relationship, were just some of the themes addressed until the end of 2019. Unfortunately, the pandemic prevented us from continuing the project, but was resumed in the spring of 2024, with a number of six mothers who together with Psychotherapist Adriana Ciacia, went through the Circle of Safety program, a program that they successfully completed on June 11, 2024. 

The Circle of Safety is an intervention program in educating and raising the child, based on over 30 years of research in Attachment Theory, which teaches that the child’s relationship with parents plays an essential role in their well-being. A secure relationship will help the child form the patterns on which he/she models relationships in adult life. Although the course is aimed at parents and educators, Adriana Ciacia also integrated practical workshops with children’s involvement. She brought Emily, a German Shepherd trained for therapy, as her assistant. “By integrating Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) with the Circle of Safety (COS) program, mothers and children can benefit from a multi-faceted approach to building secure attachment, improving communication and reducing stress. The presence of the therapy dog can serve as additional support, strengthening the secure foundation that COS aims to create in the family. For example, the “command and reward” activity aims to build trust and improve communication skills. Thus children learn to give commands to the therapy dog, such as “sit”, “lay down” or “fetch the ball”, while mothers guide their children to give clear, calm commands and praise the dog’s obedience. The dog’s role is to respond to commands helping children see the immediate impact of clear communication and positive reinforcement. This activity reflects the confidence-building aspect of the COS’’ – explains the psychotherapist. 

We congratulate the mothers for completing the Circle of Safety course, being convinced that their children will have a safe environment in the family. We desire to meet with them and other groups of mothers again in the Fall.

We are honored by the almost 20 years of partnership with the Constantin Paunescu Inclusive Education Center in Recas. Our collaboration in educating the children in the Recas area and the change in their lives led churches, companies, individuals from the country and abroad to join us in offering spiritual and financial support to continue the programs in the Recas area. 

Together we learned and showed others that everything is possible with God.

5 July 2024 by

Mission Conference with Dr. Stan Johnson

When we think of the word “conference” we imagine all sorts of pompous things like the lecturers, stuffy materials, participants aspiring to a higher level of knowledge, professional sessions, presentations, etc. That’s correct, because all of this is influenced bi-directionally both by the level of expectation of the participants and of the organisers. However, the conferences organised by Missio Link International are much more than that, as it is influenced by the long-term relationship between us, the speakers we invite and that partners to whom we provide the framework which helps them develop. 

 

A recent example is a series of two regional conferences organised in Giurgiu and Cluj, adding to it is an intensive conference held at the Alpinis Leadership Center. Stan Johnson from Zionsville Presbyterian Church, Indianapolis, an old friend of MLI and of partners in Fetesti, Giurgiu, Cluj and other areas, approached the study of the book of Mark in a highly relational and interactive way. In Giurgiu (April 12-14) and Cluj (April 19-21) only those from the area participated in the regional conferences, but at the Alpinis Leadership Center (April 15-18) we had pastors, missionaries and ministers from Giurgiu, Fetesti, Alexandria, Zimnicea, Medgidia, Timisoara, Cluj and other areas. In his blogs (LINK HERE), Stan demonstrates exactly what was mentioned earlier: the conferences were not just about learning and intellectual development, but also about relationships, fellowship, rest, fun and relaxation. The fact that our Romanians immediately found nicknames for him (Stanel, Stanica, Stanisor) highlights the depth and history of the relationship between Stan Johnson and the conference participants. Stan and those from ZPC have been coming to Romania for decades, in partnership with MLI, collaborating on various programs and supporting projects that would have been difficult to appear on MLI’s agenda without their support.

 

One way of evaluating these conferences is the feedback we receive from the participants. Beyond the usual thanks and messages of gratitude, this year the participants surprised us with their words: 

 

“It was a heavenly atmosphere, these blessed days has to be repeated.” (Ficioru Family from Giurgiu)

 

“Stan’s proposed study method is the one that surprised me – it helps me a lot to visualise the biblical contexts and to connect all the details of the text.”

(Mitroi Cătălin from Alexandria)

 

“I went home with the thought and desire to put into practice what I have learned, especially when its about obedience to the Great Shepherd.”

(Mirela Moisa from Alexandria)

 

“It was an experience that helped us better understand our relationship as a part of the Shepherd’s flock, but also our relationship with the one who is the Great Shepard.” 

(Cira Emy from Cluj)

 

Nothing is more satisfying than to see that each conference achieves its goal: to create a space for transformation, for relationship and for the effectiveness of the ministry, and the testimonies of those who participate confirms this every time. We hope that the dynamics of these events will continue to remain the same in the future. Yes, we serve people, we are at the disposal of the churches, we want the Kingdom of God to grow, but the ultimate goal of all these events we organise was and remains to glorify our God.

To Him be all the glory forever!

30 May 2024 by