Opening Your Heart

Before I went to Romania the first time I asked my doctor if I needed to be immunized against any disease. After going there I have realized I was infected by something no shot can prevent. When you go somewhere where children are without the care of their parents your view of the world changes. Perhaps more accurately your view of your place in the world changes. I have many times heard that life is meant to be enjoyed. This summarizes how you might view the world before you visit the orphans. After your visit you realize life was meant to be shared. What you feel when you are visiting the poor means very little in the long run. What matters is what you do when you get home. Your actions will tell you if your heart was changed for life or merely touched for a moment.

God’s perfect plan for the changed heart that is “all in” for the care of the helpless is a cycle which goes something like this: Love for others makes us content with what we have and discontent with what we have done for others. When we then invest in the welfare of others we find that we love them all more. Again love for others makes us content with our physical things but insatiable in good works. Paul urged the Corinthians “Open wide your hearts!” [2 Cor 6:13]. When we open wide our hearts to the needy God pours a stream of blessings through us, much more than we thought we

could do. Those who need a meal, who need to hear and see the gospel are like a field of opportunity in our work for Christ. Jesus was consumed with zeal for God’s harvest work when he showed us how God views the role we each play : “ My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. ” [ John 4:34-37]

Thank you for your interest in Bread of Life Ministries. We have been able to accomplish a lot with the help of our supporters around the world. There is still more for us to do. Please prayerfully consider how you might help support Bread of Life as we provide support to children and families in need.

Become A Partner

Other articles you may be interested in

Little Miracles in the Middle of Winter

By Dorin Ciocan BOL Children’s Pastor • May 6, 2026
Winter in our region is long and bitterly cold. Snow, ice, and freezing temperatures make even the simple walk to school difficult — especially for children who only have thin summer shoes. At Bread of Life Children’s Home, we are dedicated to meeting the daily needs of the children in our care. During the winter months, heating, utilities, and food become urgent priorities. At times, because of these pressing expenses, replacing personal items like clothing or shoes must wait. Yet even in these moments, we see God working quietly behind the scenes.

The Silent Struggle of Winter

By Cezar Miron BOL Volunteer • May 6, 2026
In northeastern Romania, in Botoșani County, winter does not ask if anyone is ready. It comes suddenly and harshly, with long nights and a cold that seeps into the bones. For many elderly people in isolated villages, each day is a silent struggle — with the cold, with scarcity, with loneliness. Pensions are small, help is rare, and the silence inside their homes feels heavier than the frost outside. In Baranca, Hudești commune, we entered a home that has stayed with us. An almost 80-year-old man, struggling to stay mobile and weakened by illness, lives in very difficult conditions. Yet he is not alone — he cares for his 50-year-old son with a disability, completely dependent on him. A frail father who can barely move continues to carry the weight of caring for his child.

When Winter Should Be Ending… Survival Is Still a Fight

By Alin Panican BOL Co-founder • May 6, 2026
In March, spring begins to appear across America. Days grow longer. Temperatures rise. But in Eastern Europe, winter often lingers — and this year it has been one of the longest and harshest in recent memory. As winter stretches on, the hardest reality sets in. Food reserves are gone. Firewood is nearly finished. Strength is fading. What should be a season of transition instead becomes a test of endurance.