Cheri Maddox
MISSION TRIP TO ROMANIA, SUMMER 2009
Cheri Maddox
This summer, my daughters and I were privileged to go on our first mission trip together to Romania where we helped with a camp for orphans. Caring for orphans and the needy is an issue close to God’s heart. The Bible has over 60 references pertaining to this issue. We wanted to put our compassion for these kids into action.
Livada Orphan Care (www.livada.org) is a Christian ministry in Targu Mures, Romania which currently has two primary areas of focus. They provide Christian residential care for 30 orphans living in their group homes. They also are actively involved in an outreach to the orphans living in state care throughout their county. They provide some weekly tutoring and Bible clubs for the kids in these state care facilities. We were blessed to be able to love on the kids in both of these groups.
Our primary focus during our stay was to help with a VBS camp for the kids at Livada’s group homes. These children were pulled out of abusive conditions at a state care orphanage 4 to 5 years ago. They are being loved and cared for in ways that are bringing healing –physically, mentally and spiritually. It was great to see the seeds of hope that have been sown into their lives.
Our VBS theme was “ROwrestleMANIA” where they learned about the importance of spiritual training through prayer, reading and memorizing God’s word, and having the right friends. Each morning we sang songs, did crafts, played games and learned Bible verses. In the afternoons, we had fun activities like cupcake decorating, swimming, and messy games. One day we took the kids to a nursing home to give the ladies flowers and sing to them. The kids enjoyed practicing their English skills with us.
When the teenagers get to a certain level of maturity, they move on to Livada’s mentoring apartments. Here, two to three teens have a mentor who helps teach life skills, provides accountability, helps oversee their budget, and assists them in meeting their educational potential and in finding employment. We spent a couple of evenings with these teens.
On the weekends we got to spend time with some of the kids in the state’s care facilities. Since babies under the age of two cannot legally be placed in orphanages, these unwanted infants stay in baby hospitals. We were able to spend just a short while holding and praying over some of these little ones. They receive very little contact with their caregivers and spend most of the time without any supervision. We also did nails and makeovers with some teenage girls from a special needs facility. At another orphanage, the contrast between the kids at Livada’s group homes and the state care facilities was very apparent. The care that these kids receive, their maturity levels and behavior were utterly depressing.
Orphans are treated with little respect in Romania. They come from very poor conditions and most are from gypsy descent. Gypsies have a bad reputation and are at the bottom of the social scale. The last weekend of our stay, we got to visit a gypsy village. It was an eye opening experience to see their poverty. The kids enjoyed the attention our group gave them.
We were blessed to see God’s provision again and again. First, the Lord provided for us financially to even be able to go on this trip. All along the way, His hand was evident in working out the many necessary details, from making connecting flights with less than an hour to spare, to having a taxi driver playing the song “Mighty to Save” during our ride. Our biggest blessing, though, was being able to see firsthand what a difference can be made by providing kids a loving Christian environment. What started out for them as dire situations of poverty, abandonment and abuse, God has turned into opportunities for healing and a hopeful future. We were so happy to be a part in their lives.