I never thought it would be possible to fall in love in less than two weeks. But it happened. I can’t say that it was love at first sight, but to use an unoriginal term (especially in Romania, birthplace of the Vampire myth) it was love at first bite. I don’t know what I love most about Marius because there is just so much to love! He has an incredible servant’s heart; a brilliant smile, a passion for the Lord and a heart for worship. He sings like an angel and his cooking… yumm, yummm, yummmmm! He would spend all day in the kitchen if he was allowed (you should have seen him teaching Mark how to make omlets). But because he is 11, he does have to go to school for at least part of the day.
Marius is an incredible young man, for the aforementioned reasons. His background and how he came to be at Case Shalom makes his story more incredible. When he was two an a half years old, he was living in an infant/toddler orphanage. There were 50 children living in one small room. An Orthodox priest, in an uncharacteristic move, contacted Becky at Casa Shalom, and asked her to take some of the children, because he knew that Casa Shalom was a better environment for children. Marius was one of the 5 children who were chosen that day.
For many years, Marius knew nothing about his family. He knew only that Becky had brought him from a state-run orphanage into to a loving home. He learned about Jesus, and he has incredible faith. But he still wanted to know how he made it to that orphanage in the first place. For years, he prayed that he would find his real parents. About two years ago, God answered his prayer, and he was introduced to his biological father. Marius learned that his mother had passed away two years before that, and that around the same time, he was singing in the same church his father and sisters were attending. Unfortunately, not every child who meets his parents encounters happy results, and Marius was one of those unlucky ones. After learning about him, and having him visit a few times, Marius’ father told him that he never wanted to see him again. At age nine, this young, vibrant, child of God was told yet again that he was unloved and unwanted.
Now, two years later, Marius is switching homes again. Romania recently became part of the European Union, and they have different regulations for orphanages and children’s homes. The cost of conforming to those regulations was too much for the supporters of Casa Shalom to bear and Becky has had to find new homes for all of the children who were here only a year ago. Marius and one other boy, Catalin, are the only two who remain. And after today, it will be only Catalin. Because Marius is leaving.
He is going to a different Christian-run home. Last night we had a goodbye party, though I am not sure the title party is deserved; every person in the room had tears streaming down their face. I have to trust God that it will be fine. That He will keep Marius safe, and that He has a plan. But right now, I don’t get it. I don’t understand why such an amazing young man can’t have a place to call Home. I don’t think there was a single World Racer in the room who didn’t consider adopting Marius (me included) and giving him that place. One of the girls said she could call her parents and they would take him in a heartbeat. One of our men said, “I kept thinking, so what if I am 23 with an 11 year old?” We all desperately wanted to show him how loved his is. Sadly, Romanian laws have tightened in recent years, and Marius can’t be adopted outside Romania. So Marius sang for us, and told us how much Casa Shalom means to him, and then we spent a long time praying over him.
Last night was hard. But tonight will be harder. Because this evening we will all pile into the vans and drive across town to a Christian Children’s home that isn’t Casa Shalom. We will look around the place, and know that it is where God wants Marius right now. But it won’t make it any easier when we come home with one less shining light in the car. And my heart will go from slightly broken to shattered.
Marius and Dan
