Bridge of Love Summer Camp-July 8-10

Bridge of Love is a foundation that my husband and I started in the year 2000, after taking our family to a Romanian orphanage for Christmas. We immediately saw that we had much to do. We needed to figure out how to bring our son, Joshua, home, as well as how to find hope for the rest of the children that we had grown to know and love. We began by taking supplies to the abandoned children, orphanages, and hospitals, while working daily to figure out how what must be done to bring the children hope. One thing led to another, and when we received the mission call, we had 40 children who had been removed from orphanages and hospitals, living with families in the city of Barlad. We had an incredible Romanian staff consisting of a director, social workers, a teacher, and a psychologist that assisted these children and their foster families. We also had many projects in place for the children, as well as a project for older teens who still lived in an orphanage in Barlad.


When President Eyring called my husband and me to meet with him, he asked me if I would be able to leave the orphans if my husband was called to serve somewhere in the world for 3 years as a mission president. Through tears, I told him that I had trusted in the Lord to guide us in taking care of these children, and that I would continue to do that. I said I would do what the Lord wanted us to do.


Through tears himself, President Eyring told me that he knew the Lord wanted my husband to be a mission president. He said that he didn't know where that would be, but it would be a non-English speaking mission. Our assignment would come two months later, in February. He then made a beautiful promise to us. He said, "I promise you that the orphans will do fine in your absence. I will promise you that the foundation will do EVEN better than it was doing when you were there.

I took great comfort in that beautiful promise. I handed the foundation over to a wonderful board, under the direction of my nephew, Jeff Hymas. And as promised, the foundation is going extremely well. I'm so very, very grateful for those who have taken the baton and run with it. I never worry a bit about the foundation or the children, and I can put my efforts in the missionaries and the mission. A group of volunteers from America came for a week during the summer. Joshua was invited to attend the summer camp for three days. I took him there, accompanied by my niece, Liesl, and they had a great time. I was able during that time to head to Iasi ( 2 1/2 hours away) to participate in a zone conference with the missionaries.


The church has not arrived in Barlad yet. Over the years, I've wished that I knew the mission president in Romania so I could ask him to send missionaries to Barlad. Now I know him. And I have asked. But now I see what all goes in to opening a city, getting approval, having the means to support a branch, etc. I will continue to pray that the people of Barlad will be searching for truth. And when that day comes that the Lord wants his missionaries to go to Barlad, there will be people that are ready for more. I'm grateful for the opportunity I had this summer to share the gospel with foster moms, staff, and people on the train.

American volunteers come to Barlad to help with the children!

The three day summer camp was SOOOO fun. The theme was "Curaj." (Courage)

Aren't they precious!

We have several sets of twins! The two girls, Irina and AnaMaria, are twins!

Another set of twins, Bogdan and Stefan.

We love this little guy, Bogdan. He and Joshua have a special connection.

It's fun to see the children thriving. Most of them were babies and toddlers in the orphanage when I first met them. They went hours, untouched. They would bang the back of their heads on their cribs. Most of them had big, bald lumps on their heads from banging so long. Now they have families---and love and nurturing. They are dressed cute, they have plenty of food, and they have hope!