Bratca

We did something different today. Rachel had some business to take care of for the foundation this morning and since she usually serves as our translator we couldn't do food deliveries today.

Instead, Rachel arranged a visit to an orphanage in Bratca, about an hour and a half away. The visit was in the afternoon so while Rachel attended to her business we went to back to Selgross and bought supplies for the orphanage. We were told that what they needed the most were cleaning supplies. Dish soap, laundry detergent, etc.

We then met up with Rachel, Erin, and little Issabella; had a quick lunch and left for Bratca. The roads were terrible but Issabella made the ride fun. Especially because it started to snow. Issa wanted to stop so that she could make a snowman; her mama said that she would have to wait until it snowed at their house. "But it's so beautiful!" she replied. She's only four but she has stolen all of our hearts.

When we arrived at Bratca, once again Lois became our counselor. She told us if we start to feel overwhelmed just say "I'm going to the van" and go. Some of us did.

As you can see from the pictures, these orphans are not children. Most of them appear to be in their mid to late 20's. They were "discovered" after the fall of the communist government in 1989. Most, if not all, of them were abandoned as infants and since the government basically considered them throwaways, they were placed in cribs and fed but completely ignored otherwise. They were rarely taken out of their cribs so they received no external stimulation at all. This is the result.

If you ever wonder what would happen if Satan gets free reign, this should give you a pretty good idea.

On top of all this the current government has "re-classified" this orphanage so that it no longer receives any government funding. After that happened and somebody finally went to visit them it was discovered that they were completely out of provisions and had literally been living on bread and water for over a month.

Some relief organizations have stepped in but their situation is still tenuous at best.

Even in the midst of all this pain, we see God's hand at work. The staff is made up entirely of angels. They are so good and kind and gentle that it's obvious their dedication can only come from the love of Christ. Please pray for all involved in this situation.

It was a long ride home as we tried to comprehend what we had just witnessed.

We had devotion after dinner since our schedule really didn't allow for it in the morning, after which we did a special prayer session where we got in a circle and held hands and each said a one sentence prayer, either a request or a thank you, we kept going round and round. The people back home praying for us came up more than once. We are so grateful for your prayers and we wanted you to know that we can feel them. Keep it up, it's working.

Also, thank you so much for the comments. We're finding these especially uplifting. Everyone gets so excited when we see there's a new one.

When you pray for the team please add little Issa to the list. She is such a joy. Her presence on the team has made the heartache of those that miss their little ones at home, just a little easier to bear.