Giving Back...

Many of our staff and all of our kids attend a little church here called Biserica Libertati... It is small by most American standards, but pretty good sized as Romanian churches go. This church has many older people in it and some young families. When we began to open our group homes three years ago, the body of this church welcomed our children with open arms. As we brought more and more kids into our care, they have continued to be a welcoming place. It is not odd to see an older lady in the church standing next to one of our little ones showing them the verse being read from the Bible or to see one of our kids singing along next to a couple from the church.

It has been such a blessing to have this church embrace our kids even through the rough times and love them. This week it is exciting to have a team here that is pouring back into the church. The Wasson family and friends are here for a week and in addition to doing a day camp with the orphans at Zau, they are also spending time each day doing a VBS program for the kids from our little church.



As you can see, all kids love to be encouraged, played with and loved. This team is an encouragement to the ministry and is helping us give back to the church that has welcomed us with open hearts! We are thankful!

The Royal Children...

Yesterday during our day camp time, these special girls had a special time just with the girls. They were able to have their nails done, their hair fixed and even a little touch of make up. These girls may never get a second glance in society and may always be judged for their scared faces or slower minds. It was great to have the opportunity to remind them that they are daughters of the King of Kings and that in his eyes they are beautifully and wonderfully made, special beyond words and loved forever. It was also a good time to remind them of how they should be treated as princesses as their teenage bodies begin to pass up their little girl minds.


Pray that God will help them to remember how important and loved they are. Pray that they will know their value and worth in Him.


The boys had a special time with the men from the team yesterday as well. They learned about David and his bravery at a young age. They also learned about Joshua and how even when times were hard, he followed God and God used him to lead the people of Israel into the promised land. Pray that these young boys would know that God has a plan for them and longs to be their father and care for them and give them the strength to stand for Him and to be men of honor. The world tells these boys they are not worth much, but God says they are sons of the King!


Pray for sweet little Dorel. He came into the care of this state group home this week after he was taken from his family. The family is already petitioning to take him back. I wonder if God brought him here to this state group home... this week... for a special purpose... It is no coincidence that little Dorel's only time in state care might be the week we were here to share the good news of Christ with him and to show him God's love through us. What an honor to be a part of God's plan.

Praise & A Call to Prayer

Praise the Lord with us that God has provided over and above our needs to finish out our camps and other summer ministries strong! It is such a blessing as we have had two weeks to run without the support or help of teams and have divided out kids from next weeks camp into this week and the last week to make it all work. God has shown once again that all things are possible as each child in our county will have the opportunity to be with us in camp this summer!

Please pray as well... Behind the scenes of all the great things God is doing and the busy summer activity... many of us who work here in Romania on a full time basis are weary both physically and spiritually. We are so encouraged in many ways by what God is doing, but need prayers as well. It is clear that we need God not just to work in our kids lives, but in our own lives and in every aspect of our ministry.

We are struggling with the decrease in the value of the dollar. It has gone from 3.3 lei for each dollar when I first arrived in Romania to only 2.2 lei to the dollar this summer. I am no economics major, but basically this has placed a big hurt on our budget and funding for living. We also have entered the EU which means things are getting more expensive and salaries are going up around the country. We need to begin to pay our staff a more competitive salary that allows them to live in this changing economy... with the drop in the dollar this is even more difficult. Pray that God will provide a way to meet this needed increase in our budget as the falling dollar cuts what we have to work with on an ongoing basis.

Pray that we will be a unified staff... that we will work together to be a light to the community that God has called us to... It is difficult to work to protect kids that are being hurt, while also maintaining a good working relationship and being a light to those who allow these things to happen to them. It is a challenge to love them and see that they are not beleivers and can not be expected to act like they are or see these kids through God's eyes.

Pray that our board and our leadership in Romania will seek God's face for the direction, leadership, ways to parent, ways to be a light, ways to build up an isolated and tired staff and many other things as we continue on in this ministry that God has called us to.

We don't know how He will provide the sponsors we still need to care for the kids He has given us... We don't know the best way to handle every parenting decision or mentoring decision that needs to be made in regards to the over 40 kids and teens in our care... We don't know the best direction to take and how to best use all of our gifts and talents to bring the most fruit in this minsitry... We don't know who God has for us as a shepherd for the staff or a financial/accounting administrator... We don't know many things.

We know God is in control and that all things that He wills are possible even when we don't know... who... how... when... why... and all the other questions. We know that He hasn't brought us this far to leave us... We know He has a plan for us... plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us a hope and a future. And not only for us, but for this ministry and these children. Pray that we will trust His plan even when we can't see it right now. Pray that as this verse goes on to say... you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Pray that we will seek God with all our hearts. Our hearts are heavy at times for this ministry, they are weary from the busyness of ministry, for many of our Western staff, their hearts are lonely as well. Pray that even with these sometimes heavy, weary and lonely hearts that we will seek Him with all that we have... even when it seems like very little.

It is just another reason that God asks us to, "Be still and know that I AM GOD." He is the only way that anything good comes from any of us and from this minsitry. To GOD be the Glory through the hard times and the blessings!

Another Day Camp...

This week we have Day Camp with the sweet girls from Campentia in the mornings... this is a home of 9 girls that we have worked with for many years. These girls all came from the special needs orphanage called Big Blue several years ago. They have great house parents who care for them. This week we have a great team here from The Gap who is pouring into these girls as well as...



The boys who live in another state group home in Santana. There were only 6 boys in this home until the morning we started day camp. An adorable 8 year old was brought to this home of boys on Monday morning. He is eight years old and was quiet at first, but after a few minutes was joining right in with his "team." We mentioned to the mom, as she told us how hard her job was, that we were glad that Dorel would have a fun week to help him get to know his new "brothers." We are so glad that during his first week here he has the opportunity to hear about Christ! What a great opportunity.



Please pray for these boys and girls this week. Pray that we will take each opportunity to share God's love as his hands, smiles, hugs, love and encouragement. Pray that we can also be an encouragement and assistance to the parents who work with these kids daily. Pray that God would break down walls and allow this week to be the time He uses to call them to Himself. Thank you for your ongoing prayers for our camps, day camps, baby hospital ministry and all the other ways that we have the opportunity this summer to touch kids lives with God's amazing love!

Outward Bound...

There were a few scared tears at first... but mostly huge smiles as the kids tried and accomplished new things!

LOC kids at camp - The Transformator

The Transformator... This is a special machine that "was found" and brought to camp to show the kids it's "amazing powers." This machine could take a ripped & dirty shirt and make it whole and clean... it took an empty wrapper and turned it into a whole candy bar... it took a tiny little cookie and made it into a whole big bag full.


As you may have figured out the Transformator was used to teach the children about the Real Transformer of our lives... Jesus! This wonderful visual example gave a clear picture of how Jesus takes our dirty, broken, empty, little lives and makes them clean, new, whole, full and bigger than we can imagine! The Transformator of our lives has a mission that He wants each of us to join Him in.. pretty amazing message for our kids and all the kids who have come from state care to camp this summer!


It is so nice to see Simona, our oldest child in the group homes letting down her "teenager guard" and having fun with Angela!



The last night's party and Super Secret Agent competition wrapped up the week with lots of fun and laughs! It was an incredible week with the kids!

LOC kids at camp - part 2

A few more fun ones from camp... I hope that it is true for you as it is for us... that a picture speaks 1000 words. These smiles, one on one times and campfire times singing praises to God... they are all an incredible testimony of what God is doing in the lives of our kids!

LOC kids at camp - part 1

The kids from our LOC group homes were at Camp Vetca last week. Here are a few fun shots from Wednesday... The kids had a great time singing, competing as teams, and playing on the slip and slide! It was a hot week, but the kids kept cool in the water. We were so thankful to have enough water this week to play water games.

Day 1 of "Week 1"...

Yes, if you are keeping count, this is really week 5 of camp, but in our Secret Agent Training Camp... every week is "Week 1!" The camp team wants to be sure they treat each week as if it is the first week of camp, since each week it is the first week for the children who are coming...

This "week 1" is the week that the Livada Kids go to camp! Today was Day 1 for our kids... As you can see the disguises are out already for these secret agents...



The staff came in as secret agents to challenge the kids with their task for the week and get them fired up for their mission possible training!



How cute is Fanel in this hilarious wig?!


The last relay and training task of the day was a disguise relay... all the kids could barely run, they were laughing so hard!

It was a great first day and the kids are ready to go for the rest of the week. Please pray for our kids this week. These 30 children have lived away from the orphanage for two or three years now, but still many of them deal with issues from their past or have walls up in the area of really trusting or accepting the call of Christ in their lives. Please pray that this week would be used by God to draw those of our kids who don't know Him to the LORD and challenge those who already have a relationship with Him to draw closer. Thank you for your prayers and faithful support of this ministry and these children.

Wedding Day for Elvis...

Today was the wedding day of Elvis & Ana Maria. Elvis was in our mentor program and graduated last fall. He has been living independently since that time and today made a commitment to be a family with a sweet young lady named Ana Maria. This young couple is expecting a child in about six months. While we would not have chosen for them to begin their life together already expecting a child, but we are so thankful that Elvis has gained a concept of family. We are proud that he is taking responsibility for his wife and child and is committing to love and care for them.

Romanians must get married in a civil ceremony before they can do any other personal wedding in a church or other location. This morning we had Elvis' civil ceremony at the "Casa Casatorilor," which is the "House of Weddings." There was a room with the wedding march playing on a loop with a very official lady who conducted the ceremony. The whole thing lasted about 15 minutes, but our young couple was very happy!



Elvis' dad came to the wedding as did Ana Maria's mom & siblings. It was very sweet though to hear Elvis say that he wanted to take a picture with his family and then call all of us from Livada over to take a picture with him & his new wife.



Please pray for this new family. They have many obstacles yet to overcome, they will be learning to be family after having only a few good examples themselves. Pray that they will be willing to learn together how to be a family and how to love each other and their child. Pray that God will draw them each to Himself in a real way and that they will call out to Him in times of need.
Here they are... Mr. & Mrs. Elvis Vizi...

The Final Day...

The final day of Sports Camp brought the game of "football" aka soccer... the favorite Romanian sport! It was also a day of receiving metals for good attitudes, good sportsmanship, and good effort throughout the week.

Meanwhile... back at camp...

Our friends from Curtis Baptist were at camp last week with children from Ludus, Zau & Petelea... Here are a few of their fun pictures! Apparently wigs were quite the fashion last week!