Where did you grow up? Did you have
parents and relatives that loved you and taught you in the way you
should go? Did you have a home? Well I know some kids who do too,
now.
This month we’ve been working with an
amazing idea that has changed lives and it’s fruits are only just
beginning to ripen. The idea is called Caminul Felix, which means
Happy House in Romanian. The idea is to take kids from local
orphanages or through other means and put them in families. This
isn’t another orphanage, but an actual family they are entering. A
set of parents who love Christ are selected and given a home in one
of their three villages. The parents are then given around 15 kids of
varying ages, and a family is born. Along with helpers who clean and
cook and tutors, the parents raise their kids for life just as if
they were their own. This isn’t a program until the kids graduate
high school or college, but this is for life. The parents stay in
communication and love on their kids for the rest of their lives.
Caminul Felix has been around since
1990 and the first batch of families has run it’s course. The kids
have all grown up and moved out. New parents have been put into the
old families homes and new children have been brought in to be
raised, and the whole amazing idea begins anew. There are now two
villages here in Romania with 16 houses in total and another village
that recently opened up in Thailand to help after the 2004 Indian
Ocean tsunami. They are also trying to begin construction in
Zimbabwe. In order to keep this idea running they have to raise
support, so each child has a number of personal supporters. The
children here in Romania have formed a choir that travels all around
the world to spread the idea of Caminul Felix and to raise support
for this ministry. They also raise support online, which if you feel
prayerfully led to support them can donate here:
Romania:
http://www.caminulfelix.ro/index.php?hl=en&menu=11
Thailand:
http://www.caminulfelix.org/th/index.php?hl=en&menu=11
Since we’ve been here, we’ve been
working on construction for some new homes they are building for some
of the children who have grown up and begun their own careers. We’ve
also been hanging out with the current set of kids in the villages by
playing sports with them, talking to them, and just having fun with
them trying to show a little of Christ’s love. Christ is all up in
this place and there is so much joy and love here. I hope and pray
this ministry catches on all over the place. Kids need more than
homes, they need parents and families who love and support them for
the rest of their lives. We all need this. Spread this idea somehow.
