Valentine's Day... a little late!

This year to celebrate Valentine’s Day at Casa Rebeca we had a very special party. The kids were first split up into two teams, and they competed as teams to win prizes and the joy of being on the winning team!

We played many games from a heart relay race, a make-up contest where the boys had to put make-up on the girls, a game where they each got a piece of a broken heart and had to find their perfect match to make the heart whole again, a clay molding contest, and a balloon toss to see who could get their balloon closest to the bull’s eye which was a giant heart. The games were a blast, and they kept the kids entertained, excited, and laughing a lot!




After the games, we had prepared a special table with drinks, chips, and special valentine’s cookies. The kids sat around the table as a family and shared ways in which they know others love them, how they know that God loves them, someone they know who loves them, and someone who they love.


It was so neat to hear the different kids share how much they love their sponsors, the moms of the house, their educators, and the other American and Romanian staff of Livada Orphan Care. It was truly a blessing to hear the kids share their hearts and to hear them talk about love.

It is such a joy to see them as they realize how loved they truly are by so many people! Thank you all for the impact you have had and will continue to have on the lives of these children. They feel your love in a very special way!

Messy Night at the Underground

We had a great turnout of over 70 kids at the Underground, and had a very special night in store for the kids. We decided to do a night that was full of games, most of which were quite messy!

Instead of telling the kids what exactly they were volunteering for, we came up with “alternative” ways of announcing the games, and the kids were a little shocked sometimes by what they had gotten themselves into. For example, for the first game, we asked two members of each team to come up who would make the best doctors. In this game, they had to see who could best repair a chopped up banana to its original form.



The most “colorful” team member had to get jell-o from a plate to the inside of a plastic bottle. The kids with the “best team work” had to feed one another yogurt while one member was blindfolded.


In the game that served to be the highlight of the night, we asked for the “strongest” member of each team. The kids proudly came to the middle to compete. They were told the competition was to see who could be the first to do 10 blindfolded sit-ups. However, when they were doing the sit-ups, another member of their team put a pie in their face!


The kids LOVED getting a little messy with these games and several more. They also loved that they could yell and cheer the other members of their team on, as they are a VERY fun-loving group of teenagers!

The Vetca Olympics 2008 – Go for Gold!

"Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus!" Hebrews 12:1b-2


In this Olympic year who needs Beijing when you have the opportunity to be a part of Livada Orphan Care’s Vetca Olympics. Preparation is already underway for what promises to be the best summer Livada Orphan Care has ever seen and in just over 4 months the games will begin!

In June our very own Olympic Village, in Vetca, will open and approximately 400 ‘athletes’ from the orphanages and group homes around Mures County will be bussed in to train at our camp and take part in ‘the games.’ After an Opening Ceremony even the Greeks would be proud of, there will be sports, games, songs, talks, challenges, crafts, camp fires, prizes and much more. At the end of the week there will be a very special Medal Ceremony and each athlete will take away a special Olympic goodie bag.

The kids are as excited as ever about the prospect of coming to camp this year and it’s only February. By the time ‘the games’ begin the energy will be high and they will be ready for a fun filled week!

But we can’t do it alone, to run these camps we need you ‘the coaches!’ to be on a team… no prior training is necessary, no sports expertise required, no physical fitness test will be given, all you need in order to be a part of this life changing experience is to love God, love kids and have a heart that is willing.

If you are interested in hearing more about bringing a team we would love to hear from you. Please contact our Livada Orphan Care Missions Office at (864) 292-0811 or email Brian Briley at brian@livada.org.

A Scavenger Hunt...

The kids in our group homes have come a long way in working together, in trusting adults and each other and in just letting go and having fun together... even if it is silly fun!

This week all three houses competed in a scavenger hunt all around town. This was not a scavenger hunt to find things... this time they had to complete different activities and photograph themselves doing it! They had a great time going all around town to complete the tasks set out for them like...

Have your whole group pose like a statue in town...



Kiss the hand of a stranger on the street...


Get your whole team in one shower and turn it on...


And, spell out LOC for Livada Orphan Care (Fundatia LOC) using the members of your team...


Everyone had a great time and learned to work together to accomplish a common goal. Please continue to pray that our children and teens would learn that they are not alone and we are all part of their team to help them to become and to do all that they can in life.

Baking with love...

During the semester break from school last week there was time to play, rest, and to think of others. The kids from Casa Ana & Nadia each spent a day baking cookies, cupcakes and other treats at Becky Kyle's house and then went all around town delivering these special treats to the moms & educators from their houses as a way to say thank you for all the time they spend and love they share with them. It was a special treat for each of these adults to have a visit from the children at home and to know that they are appreciated by the children!