The Day Gabriela Ran Toward Us

In 2014, we met a little girl in Romania named Gabriela.

She wouldn’t speak. She wouldn’t engage. She kept her distance from everyone, choosing to be alone rather than risk being hurt again.

Withdrawing from others is a common pattern for children who have been orphaned. They don’t know who to trust, therefore they protect themselves by being alone. 

Gabriela found refuge at House of Hope Orphanage. Over time, something changed. When we returned years later, Gabriela ran up with a huge smile, threw her arms around us, and laughed like a child who finally felt safe, seen, and loved.

That’s the kind of transformation you’ve helped make possible for so many people you may never even have the opportunity to meet.

Together, we’ve spent 30 years serving in Romania—walking alongside orphans, refugees, pastors, and church leaders, and caring for children like Gabriela—helping them truly thrive in life and in ministry.

Now, we’d love to invite you to celebrate that impact with us.

Join us for our 30th Anniversary Dinner & Auction—an evening of stories, vision, and meaningful ways to be part of what’s next. I’m excited for all of us to gather in one place, at one time, and reflect together on the goodness of God!

It happened around the dinner table...

It happened around the dinner table...

One of the most meaningful moments this week didn’t happen on a stage or during a program—it happened around a dinner table.

We were sitting in the home of a Ukrainian pastor and his family, sharing a simple, homecooked meal. As the conversation unfolded, they began sharing what it’s been like to leave everything behind because of the war and start over in a new country. There was both heaviness and hope in their story, but what stood out most was their faith and their desire to keep serving others, even in the middle of rebuilding their own lives.

A Great Start to Summer

A Great Start to Summer

This summer began for me with a familiar joy—welcoming a small team of university students to join our missions work Romania!

Just days ago, four young women from Azusa Pacific University arrived to serve alongside RTC this summer. I could see in their faces a desire to embrace new rhythms, a different culture, and unfamiliar places. I also saw in them a resolute trust in God to work through every detail.

Have you met Savannah?

Have you met Savannah?

You know what’s always amazed me?

How something as simple as a college student saying “yes” to a summer can turn into something much bigger over time.

For years, we’ve had students come serve with us. They arrive not fully knowing what to expect but come willing. And somewhere along the way, something shifts. You see it in how they connect, how they listen, how they begin to care about people in a deeper way. And then, years later when you start hearing it in their stories.

What if God was closer than we think?

What if God was closer than we think?

A few days ago, I had the opportunity to be at Praxis 2026 at the Eastern European Bible College. One of the participants, Ionuț Cornea, shared a reflection that has stayed with me—and I wanted to pass it along because it speaks to something we all need.

Here’s the truth he started with:
God finds pleasure in us… before we do anything.