Thanksgiving in Romania

When you visit the Bread of Life orphanage you notice something different about the children there. It is something more than just their Romanian culture and language. There is a simple unspoiled innocence in how they relate to you. There is a hunger for your company. They are not saturated with attention and so they appreciate what you can give. Another thing you notice is the unbridled enthusiasm they show in worship. When they sing they really sing. When they sit for meals they really pray, thankful for the simple foods they have. Visit at Christmas and you will see children excited to open a shoebox of small gifts which most American children would consider an appetizer before the big gifts came out.

The children might forget the poverty, neglect, and filth that was their life before they came to Bread of Life but they have reminders. Many of them visit their relatives and their home village at least once a year. When they return to the orphanage they must again be treated for lice. The Bible in several places and in several ways describes a basic fact of the human heart: The person who is given or forgiven much loves much in return. Thanksgiving in Romania is not a single day or a holiday tradition. Rather, it is everyday and spontaneous. It is the voice of the orphan calling out and giving thanks to God with a grateful heart.

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

By BOL Team • September 24, 2026
There is something special about watching a child open a Christmas gift.  I have had the privilege of watching children receive Christmas shoeboxes many times over the years, but the excitement never gets old. A carefully wrapped box lands in their hands, and suddenly the air fills with anticipation and curiosity. Then you see smiles that seem to grow bigger with every item they discover. For some of these children, receiving a gift is not something they expect. They didn't earn it. They didn't do anything to deserve it. Someone they may never meet chose to give because they wanted that child to experience the joy of Christmas. Perhaps that is one reason these moments touch me so deeply.
By BOL Team • September 24, 2026
What Is the BOL Christian Center? Some dreams start small. Ours started as an impossible one — a home in Bucharest where teenagers from broken, poverty stricken backgrounds could finally have a stable place to live, grow, and become who God made them to be. 
By Luminita Panican BOL -YTP Coordinator • September 24, 2026
At the beginning of the journey, the word that best described these kids was helplessness. When you start life in an environment shaped by severe hardship, the future feels less like a promise and more like a threat. For the five young people in our community who graduated high school this summer, the starting line was a painful one. Behind their eyes lay realities too heavy for any child to carry: a girl who had to find her courage within an abusive family, and boys who grew up without the warm embrace of a mother. For them, education and finishing school seemed like a distant dream.