Patricia was 3-weeks old when she arrived at the Oaza home for children in Romania. Born to a homeless mother, she arrived in critical condition—poorly clothed, fevered, and in need of medical attention. Laura, the director of Oaza, wrapped the infant in her own winter coat and rushed her to the hospital, where she stayed for two weeks before being released into Laura’s care.
A year later, the same homeless mother had another baby, Fernando. Culturally, as a boy, he was more valuable than his sister. She brought him to the Oaza Daycare Centre daily to receive care, but kept him in a makeshift home among underground heating pipes. Fortunately, government intervention rescued him from these dangerous conditions, placing him with Laura permanently. This brother and sister grew up together in a loving Christian home. Laura is their mum.
Skip and Jan Garmo visited Oaza many times. They met Fernando and Patricia over ten years ago, when they were between the ages of 5 and 7. Their smiles were captivating. Skip and Jan recognized them immediately when they visited again last fall. They saw these siblings as teenagers serving alongside Laura in the Oaza Daycare Centre. They were fully invested in the lives of young children in need.
Model, Mentor, Multiply
Next month, the Oaza staff will be trained in our Cultivating Character curriculum. This training will equip them to model Christlike values to the children in their care, many who are Roma children facing extreme poverty and significant social and economic disadvantages. The staff will also be equipped to pass on their training—to teach these children the value of Christlike character and mentor them in the life skills they need to be successful.
Most importantly, our character training provides opportunities to talk to these children about Jesus. We pray they come to know him as the only source of life and salvation.
Patricia and Fernando are great examples of the power of Christlike character to change the trajectory of a child’s life. They have not only been rescued from a life of poverty, neglect, and risk—they have received the love of God modeled through Laura’s loving and sacrificial care; they have been given the tools to grow in Christlike character themselves; and they are coming alongside other at-risk children with the encouragement and guidance they need to thrive.
