Graduating...

Four of our "kids" graduated from 8th grade this week. It is a big milestone for our kids and they were very proud. Adi, Cornel, Maria & Simona all finished 8th grade and celebrated with a special ceremony. It was extra special for Cornel, Maria & Simona who are brother and sisters and finished eighth grade together. They started school once they entered the orphanage and all began at the same age although they are several years apart.






Please pray for these young people who are looking into which high school's they will attend next year or what further courses they will take. Pray for them as many of them will be looking for their first summer job this year as well. Thank you.

Boys becoming Young Men...

This week as school was wrapping up our older boys had a little night out. They took in the last soccer match of the season, where CFR Cluj played Gaz Metan Medias. The beloved CFR team lost, but still came in 4th among the Romanian teams.



It was an extra special outing for these boys as Cornel is moving into the mentor apartment with Marian and their mentor this week. Adi will be moving in this fall before school starts, so they are enjoying some bonding time all together.



Please continue to pray for these boys who are searching out their way to becoming men. Pray that they will make good choices, follow the lead of their mentor and other positive influences in their lives and look towards Christ as they navigate their way forward. Pray that these years will be meaningful and will prepare them for life.

Incredible Moments...

On Sunday, four "brothers and sisters" who have graduated from our mentor program returned to their first church in the town of Ludus where they grew up together in the orphanage there. The Maranatha church in Ludus was the first church who reached out to them when they were young and brought them in. Today it played an important role in Nicu's life once again...


Nicu was baptized Sunday morning in this church, where the pastors asked about many kids by name, and were blessed to baptize Nicu who they had known for so long. It was a special day for Nicu as his former mentor, Dani and his wife, Rodica came to share the day with him and affirm his decision.


Nicu shared that he felt that God wanted him to take this important step in his life now and to commit himself to God and to telling others about him.



All those who attended were blessed to be a part of Nicu showing the church and his friends his commitment.




Please pray for Nicu as he continues to live independently and make his own choices. Pray that he will continue to choose to follow Christ for the rest of his life. Pray that he will be an example to his friends and co-workers. Thank you for continuing to pray and to invest in these kids... sometimes the fruit takes a while... but what a joy when you see it!

The Annual Livada Family Picnic...

Every year right before summer begins we bring all the staff & kids of Livada together for a big annual family picnic! Everyone enjoys a meal together, the staff enjoys the cooking contest and everyone enjoys the fun prize giveaway! We also take the opportunity of having everyone gathered to update our family photo album...

Casa Rebeca

Casa Ana

Casa Nadia

Our Foster Care families who are caring for Madalin & Daniel were also able to join us for the picnic this year...


With the Mentor Program it is a little harder to tell who are the kids and who are the adults as they are all growing up so much. Kati & Ani from the Mentor Program will graduate the summer and several more of our older teens will be moving up from the houses to the apartments in the months to come.



We are so thankful for our Follow Up Staff who spend so much time investing in the over 400 children & teens that we work with in state care. They do weekly programs with the children, help provide dental care and meet other needs and are currently getting geared up for our summer camps which begin in less than a month!

We are thankful for a new addition to this team... Sarah Meszaros moved to Romania in May and will serve on our follow up staff and as the Camp Administrator for the coming year. Please pray for her time of adjustment as she adapts to a new culture and jumps into camp all at once.


And last, but not least, all those on our administrative staff who help keep the ministry of Livada going here in Romania. We are so thankful for each of them.


Thank you for being a part of this amazing family by partnering with us in prayer and through your giving. We are blessed to be a part of what God is doing in the lives of so many here in Romania.

Life Skills and Fun... all rolled into one!

Each week the young adults in our mentor program get together on Thursday evening. Sometimes it is just for games or a movie, but other times they have the chance to put what they are learning into action. This past Thursday was one of those nights.



The mentor apartment teens were partnered with the older kids from the houses who are preparing to move into the apartments in the next year. They were given 50 lei, which is a little under $20 and each team had to think through their food needs for a week and purchase all that they thought they would need with the money they were given.



Some thought through each meal and tried to make things that would last for the week. Others were enjoying the freedom of making their own choices and chose some "real" food items and then added soda, ice cream, gum, etc. The teams worked together well and enjoyed their time trying to complete their task.



In the end, a few teams had to put some items back at the register because they hadn't calculated their total ahead of time... others were right on the money and so proud. The kids were able to keep the items they had purchased for their apartments. The only catch was that the winning team received all the groceries purchased by the last place team.



Please continue to pray for the two young ladies, Kati & Ani, who will graduate from the program this summer and for several of our older "kids" who will move into the apartments soon.

The NGO Expo...

Earlier this month our city of Targu Mures in Romania held their 7th annual NGO Expo! It was two days of booths set up throughout the Center of town, meetings with area leaders and even a parade!


We found out about the Expo only a few days before it was set to take place, so the staff all worked together to prepare a booth filled with pictures, information, new brochures and more. The kids had a great time marching through town in the parade along with other Non-Governmental Organizations who help in the area in all kinds of different ways.


We were thankful for the opportunity to share "Fundatia LOC" with others in our community. Although we are very involved in their community with the orphaned and abandoned children, many had not heard of us and were interested to learn more. There were opportunities for them to volunteer with us and to join us through giving. This is still a growing concept in Romania and we are thankful that the leaders in the community are encouraging awareness of the work of NGO's in our area. We look forward to all that God is going to continue to do through us in Targu Mures and all of Mures County for years to come!

The First Walk Outside!

Since spring has arrived the hospital staff is allowing me to bring the babies outside in the park. I was amazed by the many different reactions that the babies showed in their time outside.



A few the babies forgot their last experience outside which was last fall. Olimpiu (3 years old), Oliviu (2 years old) and Sebi (18 months) have only experienced cement floor under their little feet so when I brought them to the park they were actually afraid to walk on the grass. The grass was not the only thing that they were afraid of, Oliviu Started crying when a small bird came close to us.



During their time outside the babies (Oliviu in particular) were shocked by the outside sounds of the passing cars and the daily noises and kept trying to understand what was going on. They live all their days in one room and when I left the hospital door with Florin he started crying. After we arrived in the park he settled down but he was so scared of the outside that he did not want to leave my arms, the entire time. Most of the little ones that I took outside fell asleep really fast and they enjoyed a nice nap in my arms.



A new baby girl has been brought to the hospital directly from the maternity ward last week. Her name is Adela and she is a precious four week old baby girl. The reason why she was left at the hospital and not taken home with her mother is that she is sick and needs treatment that the mother cannot provide having a really poor financial situation. I do not know how long she will remain in the hospital or if she will be healthy again or even if her mother can find the help she needs to take her home. All I know is that she needs our prayers and I ask you to join me and pray for Adela and all the other babies abandoned in the Ludus hospital.