God Alone

Walking one day I passed a man & woman who had been digging in a dumpster and offered them warm gloves, hats, & some fruit.
They both had bags loaded with molded bread and other tossed out items. The lady thankfully accepted the warm socks, hat, & gloves from me with a look of embarrassment. The man also thanked me, with his hands full of bags of others’ trash—his treasure, then he quickly looked down trying to hide his embarrassment. Seeing their broken spirits and wounded dignity I was reminded how the real ministry is God’s. I can feed them and lend a hand, but I can’t restore their hearts. Only God!

Everyone Has a Story...More Stories

Alice, Leah, and their younger brother were abandoned at a young age and all grew up in the orphanage, but it is the Hand of God that got them there. Their mother locked her three small children in the pig’s pen, sold her house without telling the new owner that the children were there, and left. Thankfully they were found before starving. Today Alice has graduated from the University with a degree as a social worker and has volunteered with Belief in Motion. Alice and Leah have both come to trust Jesus and the scars in their hearts are healing.

Giţa was found when he was seven years old, begging in the streets with no shoes or coat on a cold, rainy day. His mother died when he was young, so his alcoholic father sent him out with no shoes or coat so he could get more money, not caring that Giţa would be sick from the cold, as he was when they brought him in. Giţa had never been allowed to go to school, so he is behind where he should be academically. At fourteen years old, he has never known a mother’s love or a father’s approval.

Patrick is in government care because his mother simply got tired of having kids. He is a smart and cute 12 year old, but emotionally he is wounded and immature. His prayer has been that his mother would get convicted and return for him, and he was recently crushed to learn that she had left to work in Spain without even coming to tell him goodbye.

Alex has a similar story. His father died and mother didn't want him. When he was six she decided he was too much trouble and took him to an orphanage. There he was abused and molested by older boys. Now 16 years old he is a hurting young man, trying to find his own way, but needing healing only Jesus can give.

Every child we meet has a story, many of them too heartbreaking to tell. We are so blessed to be a part of Belief in Motion and have the opportunity to share with these abandoned children the good news that they have a Father who will never leave them. Please pray for these wounded hearts who are so dear to their Heavenly Father.

Little Reminders

I’ve reached the point where I had to buy a new rolling pin here in Romania. For some reason that’s been a holdout for me. It symbolizes for me the end of an era—baking with my own kids; and the beginning of a new one—baking in Romania without them. I have this opportunity to bake with a few kids at the Minor Center who are not in school yet, so I am taking it, but there is a sadness too. A rolling pin reminds me of cookies & biscuits & all the fun things I did with my kids. I miss my kids & those days incredibly. Now I’m trusting the Lord for new memories with other kids, kids I already love, though none can ever replace in my heart the feelings & special place Cricket, Adam, David, & Kelsey hold and my grandkids Bryce, Brittany, & London.

Driving Romanian

Driving in Romania has always been different from the US. For example, red lights and stop signs are treated more like suggestions. You’re more likely to get a ticket for talking on your cell phone than running a red light.

Tickets are also different. You have pay on the spot convenience, and if you have the money to do so, your ticket will only cost half as much.
The roads are also a fun way to experience the thrill of a roller coaster. Pot holes eliminate the need for aligning your car, though road crews work hard to keep a few select sections of the road paved and have been known to pave, jack-hammer and repave a section of a road as much as 4 times in one month.
We learn to laugh and say as our Romanian friends do, "Only in Romania...."

Being "Dad" & "Mom" to the Fatherless & Motherless

Many of the young adults who were raised in orphanages in the 1990s are now young parents, ill-equipped to raise children, impoverished, and hopeless. A single mom named Helga that we know from the local market told us, “I have a hard life and no family other than my 13-year-old daughter. My mother died when I was two. I grew up in the orphanage. I work all I can to give to my child, and I cry every day because my life is so hard.” On many trips to the market, Helga has poured her heart out, and Joy has been able to encourage her and share the hope and love of Jesus.

Pat meets twice weekly with boys at the orphanage, Tuesday for a small accountability group and on Friday to teach English. Tibor, one of the college-age orphans that Pat meets with said that he hates his past. He doesn’t understand God and wants more of his questions answered. He is seeking, and only God has the answers he needs. Pray for Tibor's understanding and Pat as he continues to share truths from God's Word.

On one of our many trips to visit the Minor Center, 16-year old Niţa had a needle and thread and was attempting to sew a hole in a pair of pants. She didn’t know how and asked Joy to help. When the other kids saw her mending clothes, many ran to their rooms and got things that needed mending, so while Pat & Kelsey taught English, Joy was “mom” to the kids with torn clothes. We realized that these neglected orphans, have never had a mom to fix their clothes or teach them how to sew. God has given us such a love for these kids, we know it could only come from Him, and we are so blessed to be a part of their lives.

We were blessed to meet Asad Ali, a 14-year old boy from Pakistan who fled his country in the back of a truck with 10 men, all trying to reach Western Europe. When a bomb destroyed his home and killed his grandfather, Ali had no one, no identification papers, and his only hope was to reach Italy or Spain where his uncles live. His parents had fled in one of the bombings, and now no one knows where they are. We were able to share God’s word with Ali for several weeks, and even though he is Muslim, he willingly stayed and listened. On our last visit to the Minor Center we learned that Ali had been moved to a facility in Timisoara, Romania. He didn’t want to return to Pakistan to the wars and violence he’s always known, but the Romanian and Pakistani embassies are sorting through the legalities, and a judge will decide Ali’s future. Please pray for Ali, for God to continue to direct his path, and for the Word of God to take root in his heart.

These children are runaways, prostitutes, drug traffickers, homeless, beggars, and thieves. Their only hope for a different future is a changed life through Jesus…of course, He’s the only Hope for us all.

The Heart of Romania

The spiritual heart of Romania is very hard. Abused orphans, children digging in dumpsters for food, and families living on the streets are so common that the government and wealthy citizens have become insensitive to their needs. Abortion is the country’s solution to unwanted pregnancies, reducing the orphan population, poverty, and homelessness. Romania has the highest abortion rate in the world, with 75% of all pregnancies ending in abortion.

Because of the large number of children in government facilities there is little supervision, and physical and sexual abuse is common from workers and from other kids in the facilities. Every child we work with has a story of some type of abuse, and much of it is ongoing. Our answer is God’s answer—changed lives through relationships with Jesus.

We have been blessed to minister in Topa de Sus and Mierlau (Romanian villages with many impoverished, elderly, and shut-ins), Chereciu (a Hungarian gypsy village), the Minor Center (a youth detention center), the Transition Center (a center for older orphans and the homeless), the Maternity Center (a shelter for moms & children in crisis situations), Government Housing, and the Orphans in the facility, with small groups and weekly Orphan Church at the Bruski’s. Pat also does construction with Aaron three or four days a week. We also teach English in the orphanage and take the Minor Center kids on outings.

God has opened so many doors for us to share the hope of Jesus with these broken people. We are so blessed to be part of His work in Romania.