Another Mentor Teen is Baptized...

This morning was a baptism service at church. There were ten people being baptized and one of them was our very own Ani Florea.


Ani came into our care from the orphanage in Ludus about a year ago. Even before she came, she was one of the few teens at Ludus who was open about her faith in Jesus and was glad to talk to anyone about it. She has been involved in the youth Sunday School at church this past year and today was able to show her faith to all...


It was sweet to watch our little church surround this sweet girl and encourage her. She was greeted with love and congratulations from all of her LOC family. Her mentor, friends, and others were glad to be a part of this day with her! Ani is currently working and going to night high school. She is one who desires to take full advantage of all the mentor program has to offer. Pray that Ani will continue to grow in her faith in the months and years to come!

Ani's Baptism...

A fun morning of Sunday School...

This morning was a little different than most in Sunday School. The little kids joined the teenagers for a little Bible competition! Bruce Thomas, our founder, led the class in this contest which was based on stories that the younger children had been learning.

When the points were added up at the end of the class... the Little Kids WON!!! They were so excited and proud at all they knew about the story of Esther and others from the Old Testament. Our church here in Targu Mures has been a huge blessing to this ministry as it has opened its doors and its heart to all 45 of our children and teens as well as many others who have come because of their connection to our ministry.

It speaks volumes about this church that they would truly open their doors and lives to "the least of these." It is so sweet to see the older ladies in the church often hold one of our kids by the hand and have them sit with them in church. It has also been a blessing to see the children learn so much about God and his word each week.

Then and Now...

This picture was taken in September of 2004... a few weeks after the opening of our first group home, Casa Rebeca. I love looking back at pictures of our kids when they first came to us. It shows me how much they have grown and changed in just a few short years!

Then... Stefan was only five. He had been in state care since infancy and had many language and developmental delays from his lack of interaction with others. He often rocked himself for comfort and we were told that he would need at least one extra year before being ready for first grade.

Kati came into our care with her little orphanage hair cut and a heart full of fear and a longing to belong. Kati often had nightmares her first year here of being abandoned and alone in the woods with her siblings. The saddest part about this bad dream is that it was really a bad memory for her. She was with her natural family for the first years of her life, but it was a life of abuse and abandonment.


Now... Stefan is about to finish second grade! He is very talkative and loves to be in the middle of whatever is going on at the house with the older kids. He still rocks if watching a movie or sometimes singing, but is easily brought back to the reality of having others around him by only a quiet whisper of his name. He loves Superman, riding his bike, sharing a room with his "big brothers" and having moms who love and care for him!


Kati hasn't had her repeating bad dream since the night that her nightmare truly turned into a dream... That night, the dream began the same way... Kati along with her siblings going through the dark woods, alone, cold, hungry and scared and then... Bruce (our Founder) came and picked them all up and brought them home to Casa Rebeca... laid them in their beds and tucked them in. He told them that they never had to be alone again because they were home. Kati truly has a home now... She knows that we love her, but most importantly, she knows the love of her Father, who will never leave her or forsake her!

This is what this ministry is all about... Taking the abandoned and alone and bringing them into a home... a safe place... giving them a place to belong!

A Scavenger Hunt

This week is Spring Vacation from school for all of the children in our care. Most of our children used to dread the breaks from school because it amounted to a week of time sitting in the orphanage fearful of what may happen to them. There was too much time on their hands and many of them got into trouble or had older kids who were looking for trouble all around them.

These days things are different! Breaks from school are anticipated by our kids! As you can see the week has started off with some fun activities that have allowed our kids to socialize with the community and each other. All three of our group homes came together for a fun scavenger hunt today!

You can see that they had some tasks like... fitting the whole team in a phone booth, a picture with a policeman, a photo at McDonald's and some even found our Founder, Bruce Thomas with baby Graham!

Easter in Romania

Easter in Romania is often a few weeks different than American Easter due to the Eastern Orthodox calendar, but this year they happened to be on the same Sunday! Traditionally in Romania families will go the market (or the backyard) to get a lamb, that their family will have for Easter lunch. The traditional religion of Romania is Romanian Orthodox and you will see many people walking around the church or following other ritualistic traditions on Easter and other holidays.

For our kids, it is a great day when they are reminded of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is very common to be greeted on Easter morning with the phrase, "Hristos a inviat!" to which one would respond, "E adevarat, a inviat!" Which means, "Christ is risen"... "It is true, He is risen!" The children in our care attend church weekly, but just as in our families, Easter is a special day to celebrate our Savior!






As you can see, we also have the added family fun of waking up early for Easter Egg hunts, yummy Easter candy and all the other things that kids enjoy! It is so fun to watch the children in our group homes come together as brothers and sisters and share special times together!

Please pray with us that each of these children will come to know Christ personally as they learn to trust and to understand His amazing love more and more.

Welcome to Livada Blog...

Welcome to the Livada Blog. This is a spot where you can come at anytime and see the latest pictures, stories, prayer needs and news about the ministry of Livada Orphan Care in Romania. We will do our best to post new information here at least once a week… so check back with us often to see what God is doing in the lives of over 600 orphans that we work with in state care each week, the 45 children that we call our own, summer camps and more!

Thank you for visiting the Livada Blog… come again!