Beauty from Ashes

Last week I made a little trip up to Oradea. It's a large city here in Romania near the Hungarian border. The idea was to meet up with my new friends Corey and Diana Burba to observe and learn about what they do here in Romania and also hop over to Hungary to update my visa.

Corey is an American who back in 2001 worked with Romanian orphans in the states... this sparked an interest and the Lord gave him a desire to help the orphans of Romania. He made his first trip here in 2002 and realized that this is where God was calling him to be. He began Romanian Orphan Ministries and has been helping orphans here ever since. I personally love his tough love mentality and fatherly approach to working with them. He and his wife Diana (who is Romanian) live in a house that they rent (the Beauty from Ashes Center) and currently have 3 girls living with them... and a multitude of kids coming over and being mentored and exposed to truth. If you'd like to read more about Corey and his story you can at www.romanianorphanministries.com... I was extremely impressed with the organization, the girls, the teamwork, real family environment and the time and effort Corey, Diana and the rest of the staff put forth with the girls.

In an effort to raise money to continue supporting the orphans they minister to they have begun a little business. The girls at the Beauty from Ashes Center in Oradea make the most beautiful greeting cards! They girls enjoy being creative and artistic. Also they have a certain amount of cards they are to make so they are learning time management and when they are done you can tell they are proud of the beautiful things they have made. I actually got to helped them and LOVED it (but anyone who knows me knows that kind of thing is my cup of tea!). Soon they will add a link onto their website so that you can buy them directly from there. If you are interested in purchasing some cards contact me and I can direct you to Corey. Here are just a few pictures I took during my visit... there are so many more to choose from!







Also if you are interested in reading more about daily life at the center and exactly what goes on there you can read Corey's blog here http://blog.romanianorphanministries.com and believe me life is never boring at the Beauty from Ashes Center! :)

I am very thankful for making new friends and seeing how other people run things here. It was an encouragement to me and I hope and feel that I will be able to see all the girls and staff at the center again. Much Love.