“I can’t do it!” “It’s too hard.” “My feet hurt.” The complaints just kept coming from the mouth of one of our “big-boned” orphan girls on a recent hike in the mountains. As many of you parents can relate to, I began to get irritated. “It’s not that hard”, I was thinking. “Can’t she just [...]
I’ve got to admit it, many people think our ministry goal is nuts! Our goal is to take young people who have spent their entire lives in orphanages, with almost no discipline, love, encouragement, direction, or help, and to turn them into not just productive, normal citizens, but young Christians on fire for Christ who [...]
So I have just returned from a six-day backpacking trip with nine other guys in the Fagaras Mountains of the Transylvanian Alps, the highest mountain range in Romania! If I only had two adjectives to describe the trip they would be: grueling and mind-clearing. Now we’re not talking about a nice hike through the woods [...]
We have a male guard dog named Ursul (Bear) at our Beauty from Ashes Center for Orphan Girls. Ursul is only 8 months old but he is already big. He is restless and rambunctious, always getting into things and needing attention. Recently my wife gave birth to Evelyn, our new baby daughter. Ursul barked at [...]
Once again one of our orphan girls has been the target of threats and violence. A new addition to our Beauty from Ashes Center, Sarmanca, was baptized just three weeks ago. She is a changed person. She is now a child of the King! She is pursuing a different life than the life she led [...]
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord you God is giving you.” (Ex. 20:12) “And he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. And he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.” [...]
Violence – I don’t like it. I don’t like having to deal with it. I don’t like threats. I don’t like living in fear. I don’t like those in my family and our orphans to have to confront these things either. Yet these are some of the things we have been confronted with recently at [...]
Recently I have been reading through Ruth. In addition, over the past year, I have read a lot about ministry to the poor. This is a subject near and dear to my heart as I have dedicated my life to ministering to orphans in Romania. As Christians we are to have compassion on the poor, [...]
I have a riddle for you: I am looking at the most beautiful thing in all the world and at the same time something completely disgusting. What am I looking at? I am looking at my new baby girl, Evelyn, after I’ve opened up her diaper! Now, in looking at these two things in front [...]
My first child has been born. A perfect, pure, innocent little girl – Evelyn Miriam Burba. I sit and look at her and think of the awsome responsibilities that await me. She is so tiny and helpless. She is fragile and weak. But soon this will no longer be the case. Soon she will be [...]
