In 2018, when the Child Protection Agency contacted us, our team went to the local emergency center for single mothers and met Dumitru and Teodora. Their mother had been beaten, her eyes dark and swollen from all the bruising, with one ear cut, and barely able to speak. With the bit of strength she had left, she implored us to take her children and protect them.

The sight of the children next to their mother was disheartening. Lost glances, tears dried on their cheeks, and hardly able to mumble their names...the children were afraid to speak at all. They were on constant alert and ready to flee at the first sign of aggression. Their father hit them violently anytime they tried saying something, and now they are mere images of the children they should have been. Having witnessed much violence, abuse, and hardship, Dumitru and Teodora were reluctantly watching us from a corner of the room, uncertain of the future.

One realization sent shivers down our backs – the children were supposed to return to their abusive father in a few weeks. Though the local authorities had called him in for questioning, he was not charged and was only given verbal reprimands.

We decided to take the siblings into our care and offer them a place of safety next to Robert and Ionela, their older siblings (who had already been with us since 2014). By God's grace, we have witnessed the children miraculously surpass the trauma in their lives and grow up harmoniously even when there seemed to be no real chance of that. We knew we had to be a hand of help and offer these two children the opportunity to live in a loving family.

Teodora (Teo, as most of us call her) was born in August 2012. Being two years older than her brother, Dumitru, we noticed how diligent and caring she is with him and how she always looks after him with a genuine maternal instinct. It took us almost two months to see her smile for the first time.

Teodora is a very timid and sensitive girl. Surrounded by the loving care of our staff, she has made steady progress in various aspects of her life – social, emotional, educational, health, etc. She is cautious in making new friends, and we are glad to see that she was able to build up solid friendships with other children from our center.

She is part of our center's orchestra (playing the flute) and wishes to continue learning and practicing it. Teo is also actively involved in household activities like cooking and cleaning.

We thank God for working in her life in such an amazing way!

It was precious to witness seeing the mother at peace, knowing that her children would not have to spend another day in a dangerous environment. With your help, they were now safe, and we thank you for making these testimonies possible.

Please join us in praying for Teodora and her family that He would guide their steps and keep them in His arms all their lives.