The girls have lived in the House of Hope Children's Home since they were babies. (Photo courtesy of Kids Alive)
Romania (MNN) ― A woodstove is saving money for a children's home in Dobrun, Romania. The home received the stove from a church in Portage, Indiana.
"Last winter they sent us a woodstove, and we were able to...receive that from U.S., connect it at the home. We see already an improvement in the costs that we're spending to heat the house," said the founder of the home, Cami Cismaru of Kids Alive International.
In the spring, the home planted 70 trees to provide wood for the stove.
"This is how God works, because it was just through His grace that I talked to this friend of ours in Portage, Indiana," Cismaru explained. "I shared about our problems with high bills in regard to gas...and he said, 'I work for this woodstove company.'"
The gas bill had been the home's largest expense, before the arrival of the stove.
"With children, there are many needs, and sometimes we have to economize our finances in order to have some resources in our accounts to pay the bills," Cismaru said. "Some winters are harder than others, and in a very cold winter we can spend as much as $6,000 just for gas to heat the building."
Ten girls aged seven to ten years old live in the home, which was founded in 1999. The home is unique because all of the girls arrived as babies. Romania is trying to serve its orphans better by placing them in foster homes rather than orphanages, but the new system is still under development.
"It's a better situation for children, but the need of affection still exists, and it's always work to do in this area for children in Romania," Cismaru said.
The money saved could open new opportunities for the children in the home, providing for their educational and spiritual development.
"As the children grow, of course they need more materials--educational materials," Cismaru said. "We want to send them to Christian camps, things like that. So yes, I see how by saving money on our heating bills, we can spend the money to help the children and to provide for them different ways of growing spiritually and knowing God."
Most of the girls recently had cases of the chicken pox. Cismaru asked for prayer for them as they grow.
"Pray for continued safety and protection of our children -- good development educationally, spiritually, physically," she said. "And pray for God's provision, to be able to raise these children for Him and for His glory."
You can help support the children's home in Dobrun.
