by Jayme Metzgar
At Romania Reborn, we're thinking a lot about refugees lately. More than three-quarters of a million Ukrainians have thus far crossed the border into Romania, with many staying in the country to wait out the war.
The crisis has demanded an "all hands on deck" approach from Romanians, and our ministry partners have stepped up. With your help, we've equipped refugee shelters, sent relief supplies into Ukraine, and even transported refugees across the border.
“Abandoned children, like refugees, have been caught up in the chaos and strife of forces larger than themselves.”
But this situation is also shedding new light on our primary ministry: orphan care. In many ways, abandoned children are like refugees. They too have been caught up in the chaos and strife of forces larger than themselves. Helpless, they are left adrift in the world. More than anything, they need a safe place to belong. But, adding to the urgency: they are always children.
Two sisters we recently placed illustrate this reality.
Nita & Ava's Story
Two-year-old "Nita" and one-year-old "Ava" were the youngest of six children. Born into a family of severe abuse and dysfunction, neighbors eventually reported the situation to police. The Romanian child welfare system removed all the children from their home and placed them in two separate foster families.
Because Ava has a medical condition, her foster family decided they couldn't keep her. The local child welfare department currently has an excellent policy in place: before placing any child in an institution, officials are required to contact all local non-government social workers, to see if a family can be found.
That's how we got the call about Ava. Immediately, our director, Corina Caba, thought of a family.
They were a young, Christian couple, struggling with infertility and eager to grow their family through adoption. Frustrated by a year spent waiting to adopt through the state, they had reached out to Corina.
After learning about Ava's medical needs and spending time in prayer, this young couple said an enthusiastic "yes" to take Ava in a pre-adoption placement. As our staff worked on the case, they learned about the other children. Given the superiority of adoption over state foster care—and the importance of sibling relationships—we asked Ava's new family if they might consider taking one more of her siblings. Maybe the closest in age? They prayed—and said yes. The sisters are now reunited in a forever home.
Orphan ministry is full of brokenness and imperfect solutions. But, like the refugees streaming over Romania's eastern border, each life saved is precious. Thank you for helping us provide safe homes, and the love of Christ, to these smallest refugees.
Click to learn how you can support our work with abandoned children.