Rescuing Children Through Long Term Commitment
Over the years of working with children in the Bread of Life ministry I have often asked myself if there is a recipe for success for not only rescuing them from poverty but also changing the direction of their lives. Clearly children, like adults, have free wills and nothing can truly guarantee that they will go the direction we desire for them. Taking time to really know each child and his or her background is a good start. Recognizing that each child is unique and is better helped by finding the approach that works for each of them is also important. The story of four sisters who came to us from a broken family is a good example. Their parents had left the country to find work, leaving the girls in the care of their neighbors. The parents finally returned only to leave again. The sisters began dropping out of school and were in the process of being admitted into a state orphanage when we were told about their situation. Alexandra, the oldest, came to our children’s home in 2007 like her sisters, but did not stay. Back in her village she had two children outside of marriage. She tried to keep them but she had no job, no skills, and no way to provide for her children. Like her parents, she attempted to salvage the situation by looking for work outside of the country only to find that dream crushed as well. Today we have her two young children in our Orphanage and we will persist in our efforts to fill them with love and show them how to break the cycle of hopelessness and follow God.
We have many examples of children who have been part of the Bread of Life family long enough to experience renewed minds and souls. They transition successfully to adult life and go on to form stable Christian homes. In cases like Alexandra’s we are not able to intervene early enough to decisively correct the path a young person is on. In such cases, we do not give up or turn our backs on them. Our strategy is lifelong commitment to our children. If they make bad decisions we will not abandon them but reach out to lift them up and help them recover just as the word of God says in Romans 2:4 “the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance.” We will not cease our involvement until they can walk on their own. We are encouraged in our task to see the same level of commitment from our ministry supporters who stay with us and the children through the valleys of their lives. Together we will walk with them until they have passed through the valleys and walk as Jesus did for God’s glory.
Marius (5 years old) and Ioana (8 year old) start a new life at the Bread of Life Orphanage.
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.
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