Romania is in the process of decentralizing children from large institutions into smaller group homes nearer to relatives, when possible. That's better for the children, hands down. However, caregivers in these homes are as poorly trained and even more isolated than their institutional counterparts.
Many of the caregivers from the four large orphanages we work with are exposed to the Gospel and to the influence of believers who truly love God for the first time when they come to our camps. We would like to see those interactions happen all throughout the year, not just every other Summer when they end up at camp.
After talking and praying about these things, we had an unofficial start our ministry to caregivers at the beginning of the Summer. We set apart time during the teen camp to sit down with the four or five workers who were there, sharing our hearts with them and asking them for their feedback. It was a good start
When I think about that interaction, the situation with John and many other comments from caregivers and conversations we've had with them throughout the summer, I imagine a field. I imagine it with soft rich soil in some places and rocks and weeds in others, one where some plants are just shooting up out of the ground and others are like golden wheat ready to be harvested. I pray that compassion for these caregivers will continue to grow in all of our hearts here at Pas cu Pas and that we would walk in wisdom to water, sow and reap at the right time!