The Children of Romania
Jesus said, “Suffer the little children to come onto me and forbid them not; for such is the kingdom of Heaven.” (Mark 10:14) What an amazing verse! I have had the privilege to meet children on 4 different continents during my 20 plus years of ministry and I am always amazed at their curious minds and playful spirits. The children of Romania are no different.
I have always had a curiosity about the life of a teen-ager in other parts of the world. It seems that Christian teens I have met in new places, have a different level of commitment to their faith than the typical teen I have worked with in the US. I could probably attempt to explain it away, but I know that I would never hit the nail on the head and besides, who wants to take away the mystery and wonder. This especially rings true in Romania.
Part of the motivation for the Glory Gates Quartet to come to Romania the first time was to be an encouragement to Kelly Stark from Orange County, California who runs a ministry called “Isaiah’s House.” Kelly has been rescuing children off the streets of Romania for over 10 years now and she shelters them at Isaiah’s House and overwhelms them with the love of Jesus Christ nurturing them as one of her own. In fact, she has even duplicated herself with children who have grown up under her care and they too are now rescuing children with the same dedication and motivation that God has instilled in Kelly. Social services in Romania have gotten to know Kelly very well as she has adopted some of the children and given them her name, to the point that they now come to her begging her to take in even more children. The conditions in which Kelly lives in the village of Petrosoni, does not stop her from effectively sheltering, nurturing, and lovingly care for each one of them. Her home has been under major renovation for some time now and she is currently utilizing a make shift outdoor kitchen. Funds and volunteers are desperately needed to complete the project. (Feel free to contact me if the Lord leads you to help out Isaiah’s House in any way. You’ll be glad you did!) I wish that you could see the faces of each one of these precious children, feel their hugs and hear their happy laughter. Thank you Lord, for giving that opportunity.
We traveled into the mountains to a camp owned and run by Ben and Maria Medrea. Ben is the brother of Pastor Corneliu from the Bethlehem Christian Center in Hunedoara. What an amazing couple and what an amazing camp! There is a group of autistic and handicapped children at the camp this week along with a devoted staff, which includes a large group of teens who had to take the week off of school to volunteer. I learned that the majority (approximately 80%) of the gospel preaching churches in Romania do not believe that children can be saved. Not Ben and Maria and certainly not Corneliu. Thank God for their vision and their ability to allow God to unfold it in their own lives and ministries! You would not believe the facilities God has provided for this camp in Varmaga; they are truly amazing! I wanted to break out singing songs from the movie “The Sound of Music” when we first arrived. Actually, I was kind of expecting to see Shirley Temple and the Grandfather come strolling down the path of the mountain. The camp can sleep up to 90 people including staff and counselors. Churches from all over Europe are involved in volunteering and raising scholarships. 50% of the children who come to “Casa Harului” or “House of Grace” in English, come from poverty stricken homes, but are never turned away because of their inability to pay. God always provides! However, they only accept about 40% of the children who want to come because they just do not have the room for more at this time. Ben and Maria’s vision that God has given has not been completed as yet and they continue to wait on the Lord and they continue to expand as God provides.
Most of our group is staying in an apartment at the Bethlehem Christian Center. The Shoemakers and Roberta and I are staying in an apartment in town that was recently donated to the center by a Swiss ministry who has closed up shop here. Our meals and trainings have been at the center. Children are in and out all day and evening long. The children of Romania only go to school for 4 hours per day; some in the morning, and some in the afternoon. The center has programs every day of the week including what we commonly refer to as latch key programs; helping the kids with homework and keeping them off the streets. In the evenings the grounds are filled with families who just hang out because it is a safe harbor and has a great reputation for families. The center feeds, bathes, trains and nurtures not only children, but young mothers as well. They too need funds and I can direct you to them if you are so led. We support the center from Paloma in several ways, not only financially, but Roberta takes in all of their US donations, receipting donors and providing the center with the list of donors so that they can properly thank them. Corneliu has mentioned several times this week what a blessing Roberta has been to them.
Children all over the world need to hear the good news of the gospel. After all, they are the future leaders of the church of Jesus Christ. Romanian children need our prayers and our support. Ask God how you might be a part!”

Thanks Pastor Al!

Rich