“He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy; then it went well. Is
not that what it means to know Me?” declares the Lord." – Jeremiah 22:16
Haven’t we all been afflicted and needy at some point in our lives?
Compassion on those who are hurting requires that we remember those times
in our own lives, and how the Lord helped us through. Twelve years ago, as
a new Christian, I didn’t want to dwell on my own past, but on the bright
new future that lay ahead, a new life in Christ Jesus. But the future the
Lord had planned for me lay grounded in the hope and faith I learned to have
in Him as I recovered from much abuse in my own life. He led me out of the
darkness into the light of a new life in Him. My own road to recovery and
a Biblical based standard are the roadmaps we now use to help other women
learn to walk in the newness of life at the River of Life Care Home in Romania.
Romania is a country with one of the highest per capita rates of
abortion. Adoptions of children to foreigners are illegal and the orphanage
system is still a horrible nightmare for the children growing up in them.
Because of skyrocketing prices and easier freedom to leave the country for
work, record numbers of children are being left in orphanages when their parents
leave to find work elsewhere. Romania is a country with a lot of social challenges.
Our goal is to help women to be able to keep their children and raise
them, and not to abort or abandon them. We’ve helped over 100 women and
children through our care home so far. It seems that in most cases there
is a pattern of generational family dysfunction that brings the women to
the point of crisis where they are in need of help. Some type of abuse, either
in the forms of physical, emotional, sexual or mental, is usually what lies
at the core of the problem. As in the beginning, when the Fall occurred,
sin still destroys what God made good. But God’s plan for people, relationships
and families is still restorative and healing. We want those helped in our
care home to find faith and healing in the Lord and to learn His ways, and
for them to heal from their abuse and to learn a better way to live their
lives.
This type of intervention, of successfully integrating a woman back into
society, requires an intentional and intensive involvement and investment
(of time and resources) in the life of the mother and her children. We provide
a safe, supportive and loving Christian family living environment. We provide
clothes, food, and shelter, medical and dental care. Our professional and
experienced staff work as a team to asses each individual and then work together
to assist and support them with the material, emotional, and spiritual help
they need to be able to transition into a healthier functioning life. We
provide Biblical based counseling as well as training on women’s health issues,
child rearing, family issues and other practical skills needed to equip them
for their future.
A positive change can only take place in a woman if she is willing to
accept responsibility for her life choices and wants to change, grow and
learn. This is the key to a successful transition. We can help her, but she
has to be willing to want to do what it takes to allow God to transform her
life, for her sake and for the sake of her children. A restored and transformed
life brings hope and the prospect of healthier family relationships, ends
the generational cycles of abuse and dysfunction and brings glory to God in
the process.
In His love,
Doug and Roberta Moore and Antonio
Nr. 261
Sat. Cornesti
Jud. Timis
307,307
Romania
e-mail- carehome@mail.dnttm.ro