VNO - Volunteers Night Out

One of the best things about working in Romania is all of the different people we get to meet! We have volunteers from all over the world come to hold babies in the Brasov Children's Hospital and to love on our kids in Budila. Every once in awhile, though, we get to take a break from that and spend time together as a team - having fun and getting to know each other! Thursday proved to be one of those times at Cafe Mado on Republicii.

Abrianna & Andreea

Raluca, Abrianna & Andreea

Dominique, Derrick, Ashley & Lauren

Erin, Becky & Holly

Rachel, Steffi, Melanie & Mary

Sarah, Heather & Loredana

The whole crew!

Costel with his sister, Andreea

Idaho Visits Romania

FFR is so thankful to the team from Calvary Chapel Treasure Valley for all of the time they spent working with us in our different projects!

The team began their week by running a VBS for almost 40 of our 1st – 4th grade kids! They sang songs, taught Bible lessons, played games, face painted and did crafts with the kids. Everyone had a great time!

Then the men of the team worked together to lay some cement on the outside of a home in the Roma village where we work. The foundation of the home was dirt and rats were digging their way into the home and biting the kids at night. The family had already poured cement on the inside of the home but did not have enough materials to finish the job. FFR was able to purchase the remaining materials and this amazing group of men helped to pour cement on the outside of the home to be sure that the kids would be safe.

The next day the men helped with painting an apartment and putting beds together to get ready for our first set of FFR Interns who will be arriving in August!

While the men were hard at work, the ladies in the group volunteered their time holding babies and playing with the kids in our Hospital Program.







We were so blessed that the team took time out of the other ministry work they were doing in Romania to work with us! And we thank Nicu and Silvana Hagiu for connecting us and setting everything up!

English Camp

Juliana, Andrei & Lyndsey

For one week in July we were so fortunate to have Lyndsey Marcu come to Budila to run an English Camp for our teens. Lyndsey hails from Northern Ireland but currently lives in Hungary with her husband, Simon. In Hungary she is a teacher and during her summer break she travels all across Eastern Europe, holding camps for at-risk youth.

Lyndsey's camps promote teamwork, good social skills, manners and sharing. The kids are encouraged to participate in reciting verses, playing games and singing songs. Teams are created the first day of camp (with each team picking their own name!), giving the kids incentive to work hard for points. Additional incentive is the "Star of the Day" certificate that is presented to one boy and one girl every day of the week for exceptional hard work and a willingness to work with others.

Close to 40 teens attended the camp and we feel so blessed. This is the second year that Lyndsey has come to work with our teens and we are grateful for her! We also want to send a huge thank you Juliana Timofte and Andrei Pintilie for volunteering their time and energy to this camp.

Thank you Lyndsey! We hope to see you again next summer...

English Camp 2015 Theme Verse:

Let us run the race that lies before us. 

Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.

Hebrews 12:1-2

Reflections on Codlea by Melanie Gray

Recently, FFR has been blessed with the opportunity to be able to go into the handicap orphanage in Codlea in order to serve the children that live there. We are equally blessed by the short and long term volunteers that have given their time to be with these kids, if only for a few hours a day. Melanie Gray is a returning, short term volunteer who has a such a heart for all of the children we work with in Romania - but especially in Codlea.


In December 2014 I worked in Codlea orphanage for disabled children as a volunteer for the first time. Last week, I returned. I'm not sure that I have the words to describe my thoughts and feelings but I'll try! Always keep in mind that I'm a short term visitor and this is just a 'snapshot' of what I’ve seen.

There are approximately 40 children in the orphanage. They range from babies about 1 year old to young people aged 17. Most of the children have profound and multiple disabilities. These children will live here until they are 18. There is also a small but lively group of toddlers with medical needs rather than disabilities who will move on. The children are grouped in small rooms by age and they are cared for by a small group of friendly staff who it has been a pleasure to get to know. As a special needs teacher in the UK I'm used to working with children with disabilities. However, Romania is a much poorer country and some of the sights - such as a girl with hydrocephalus (a large head due to fluid on the brain) and lots of children with wasted muscles unable to move at all - shocked me.
Medical interventions and daily physiotherapy can’t be taken for granted here. Now, I tend not to notice differences - I just see the child in front of me with their own personality!

One likes to be tickled, another likes throwing a ball and another rough and tumble. We stroke hands, sing gently, try a gentle massage. Other volunteers like Erin, an OT from Canada, do some gentle stretches. Holly, a pre-school teacher from America shares a drawing. It's a real privilege for me to be able to sit quietly alongside someone with severe disabilities simply enjoying their company.

Sometimes too, I really seem to bond with a child and we share some intense mutual face to face studying! It may not sound much but it's a heart language and I feel so blessed to be here. The children have grown since December; some have made progress sitting and standing. Yes, it would be great if the children had access to daily physiotherapy, communication and self-help programs. More staff and volunteers with time to interact, nurture and care would be wonderful. Each child having a family would be fantastic. But I can see progress since December and that can only be good!

If you are interested in volunteering in Codlea, please email mail@firmfoundationsromania for more information.

SPOTLIGHT on Katie Greiner

You've all read about the projects, the kids, the hospital and life in Romania. Now it's time for you to read about us! That's right, we asked the staff of FFR a series of questions so that our friends and supporters could know a bit more about us. Next up is Katie Greiner - donations master and expert baby cuddler, offering the yummiest baked goods to FFR long and short term volunteers alike!

How long have you been in Romania? 
Since March 2011

Where are you from originally? 
Eveleth, Minnesota

What brought you to Romania? How did you start working with FFR? 
I had always wanted to work with babies and children, especially those who have been orphaned, abandoned, neglected, or are just in need of love. God started calling my heart towards Romania when I was in my teens, but at that time I had no idea where to begin or how He was going to bring that about. I found FFR while Googling different organizations in Romania and came out to Brasov in the fall of 2010 to volunteer for 2 months. On that 1st day with the babies in the hospital, I knew that this was exactly where God wanted me and that this would be my 2nd home. I finished out those 2 months, went back to MN and started making plans, and returned to Brasov 4 months later. I was originally just going to stay in Romania for 1 year, but 4 years later this is still my home and I can’t imagine leaving yet ☺.

What’s your favorite FFR project and why? 
It is a close tie between the hospital and Kids Club. 
Hospital – for the chance to love and take care of the babies and toddlers, be there to comfort and make them smile and laugh. It is still amazing and beautiful to me the difference it makes that we can be there for them. 
Kids Club – watching these kids learn and grow and hear about Jesus is such a joy and the highlight of each week for me. Also seeing some of the kids that I knew from the hospital as babies and now as 4 and 5 year olds in our group is very special. I love that we are still able to have this contact with these little ones and their families and continue to be a part of and make a difference in their lives.

What’s one thing from “home” that you miss? 
Going to church without a language barrier. I can understand most of what is said, but speaking still doesn’t come fluently to me.

If there was one food or drink that you could bring to a Romanian grocery store, what would it be?
Peanut butter M&Ms ☺

Where’s your favorite vacation spot in Romania? Outside of Romania? 
Inside of Romania would be Peştera and the surrounding area. Beautiful hills and mountains and breathtaking landscape. I haven’t travelled much outside of Romania, but at this point Taormina, Sicily is at the top of the list.

If legality, finances and logistics weren’t an issue, what’s one project you would love to see FFR start? 
An emergency placement center or something along that line.

If you had to pick a Romanian name for yourself, what would it be? 
Luminiṭa

What’s your favorite traditional Romanian dish? 
Sarmale

Approximately, how many diapers would you say you’ve changed in the Brasov Children’s Hospital?
3,674… give or take a few ☺

If you could spend the day with anyone in the world, living or dead, who would it be? 
Mother Teresa

Who is your hero? Why? 
Corrie Ten Boom. Her stories and how God used her amazes and encourages me every time I read anything about her.

What about the Roma people inspires you to continue working with FFR? 
The way that our Kids Club and After School kids greet us with such bright smiles and big hugs each time they see us, no matter what kind of home or life they are coming from. I love being a part of their lives and seeing the difference that is being made and how far they have come.

If you were granted one wish, what would that wish be? 
To be able to adopt and be a mother to at least one of the babies I have fallen in love with here in the Children’s Hospital.

Seeking A Broken Heart - A Volunteer's Perspective

Below is a wonderfully written piece by one of our volunteers, Holly, who is here with us in Romania for 7 weeks. Her ability to capture some of the emotions experienced when volunteering in the Brasov Children's Hospital is incredible. We thank you, Holly, for being able to put to paper what so many of us have not been able to express!

The second week at the hospital has ended. I am a wordy person who loves language and grammar; finding words to describe working with sick and abandoned children leaves me at a loss.

What can be said about a diaper rash so severe, the child's skin peels off and blood seeps onto the crib sheet?

What words accurately convey the sight of babies desperately trying to pull themselves up and cling to crib bars in attempts to reach the arms of the grown-ups peering down at them?

What words set the scene for an infant quietly staring at the ceiling, a single tear spilling down its cheek, the only evidence of distress because it has learned its cries will not be answered?

What words describe the attachment issues when a toddler calls a just-met volunteer, "Mama"?

What language portrays the weariness and frustration of nurses who faithfully work around the clock, yet cannot hold every crying baby or interact with every wailing toddler because there are not enough hours in the day or hands to accomplish the work?

Those are some of the experiences from the past two weeks.

It shouldn't be that way. But it is.

People can ignore. Indifference can be the order of the day. Yet reality remains, even if everyone on the planet refused to recognize it.

It hurts. Hearts break at the sound of their cries. It isn't fun to witness pain, suffering, and sadness.

But broken hearts won't kill us. Trust me. Mine has been broken many, many times, and here I am typing away on my nine-year-old laptop.

Hiding from the suffering of others does not make it go away. Only by coming alongside is the burden eased.

Will every orphan find a loving, stable home? No.

Will many of the babies we hold at the hospital die young from disease and malnutrition? Yes.

Will every child grow up knowing they are valued and irreplaceable? Hardly.

Leaving it at that is exactly what satan desires. The deceiver wants us to be indifferent, close our eyes and stop our ears, doubt our actions have any real meaning, make excuses, and give up. It is overwhelming knowing many of the babies, statistically speaking, will not lead happy, balanced, healthy lives. I go back and forth with God all the time about this subject. I just flat out don't understand why millions of children are born into a lifetime of suffering. None of us get to choose where or to whom we are born. I was born into a white, middle class, American, Christian family. I could easily have been born to the lowest caste in India and died at the age of five from eating raw sewage to fill my growling stomach. Or I could have been one of the sick babies at the hospital where I volunteer, screaming until my cries became hoarse and barely audible. Instead, I was raised by two loving parents; never went hungry; always had a warm, safe place to sleep; enjoyed being a kid; was highly valued, disciplined, and protected; and was granted an excellent education. I did nothing to deserve any of that; nor did these babies do anything to deserve their current circumstances. I do not have it all figured out. I go to God all the time with big, aching questions. Some of those questions will never be fully answered this side of heaven.

This I do know, though. We must take action. Push back against the darkness. Set the world ablaze with light. Jesus said to give a cup of cold water in His name. He did not say, "Give every single thirsty person on earth a glass of water, and if you aren't up to that task, just stay home and forget it." He kept it simple and personal. One cup of water. One person at a time.

One crying baby snuggled. One diaper changed. One rash soothed.

That is what I hold on to when the doubt creeps in and I wonder if any of this even matters.

Will that person be thirsty again? More than likely.

Will that diaper need changing again? Absolutely (wipies are heaven-sent and whoever invented them deserves an award).

Jesus instructs us to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. If I had been abandoned as a baby, I pray loving arms would have come to find me, even for a few hours a day. If I had kids and for whatever reason was unable to care for them, I pray kind people would welcome them into their home and reserve a space for them at the supper table.

Love is not merely a word. It is action. And a broken heart is exactly what we all need.

Are you interested in volunteering with Firm Foundations Romania? 

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Yikes, Bikes!

We are currently looking for a team to come as early as Fall 2015 to set up a bicycle workshop  for our children in Kid's Club and the After School Program.

 This workshop will include bike safety, proper technique and hands-on teaching with our kids. If you are interested or know someone who is, please email us at mail@firmfoundationsromania.com