The Arms of Mercy project was the original project of Viata Noua Pentru Copii (New Life for Children). In June of 1998, we began involvement in the Children’s Hospital of Oradea. Now we are involved in the Oradea Maternity Hospital where we nurture, stimulate, and diaper up to 20 babies per day. Many of them simply needthe greatest gift of all; love. Our ministry has installed a sound system and beautiful classical music as well as instrumental praise and worship music can be heard floating throught the air. We are seeing astounding results in the lives of the babies!
Our ministry pays workers to bath the abandoned babies each day as well as providing all the toiletries and diapers that our employees use. Our workers also insure the babies do drink the milk they are given and also administer vitamin drops and other medicines. Most importantly, they pray for the babies and show them compassion and mercy with each embrace.
We are blessed to have such a wonderful collaboration with the Oradea Hospital administration and, after many years in Romania, we can honestly say we are working together to see an improvement in the lives of abandoned babies. We praise The Lord for all the favor He has given us in this project.
Testimony of “Arms of Mercy” volunteers that worked in the Oradea Children’s Hospital
Hi, I am Jenny Surratt. from, SC. In the summer of 2000, I went on a missions trip with a team from my church to Oradea, Romania. Our mission was to hold as many helpless and abandoned babies as we could and to pray over them. We went into the hospitals where we would see babies no older that ten months lying in these cribs, soaked in their own urine. Some of them were covered from head to toe in mosquito bites. One ten month old child, Darius, weighed no more than seven pounds.
The bottles that they use to feed the children have a hole in the nipple about the size of the tip of my pinkey finger. At feeding time, they prop up a blanket beside the babies and stick the bottle in their mouths then they go away. If the bottle falls out of the baby’s mouth, the liquid falls onto their bed and all over them. When the nurses come back to pick up the bottles, they take them regardless of whether or not they are empty. Needless to say, most of these babies do not get any source of nutrition. It is a very sad situation. I wish I could be there all the time to make sure these children at least get to drink their bottles. The older children get a piece of bread with butter and a bottle for their meal. On occasion they get a banana supplied by an outside charity. They have to be tied to their cribs all day because there is no one to supervise them all the time. They have no toys to play with only the sensation of rocking back and forth in their cribs keeps them entertained. They do have a play area at the end of the hall but it is rare that they get to play in there because the nurses aren’t willing to take them. Only visitors and missionaries like myself or Michelle are willing to take some time to play with them. It is really hard for someone to leave a place like that because you wonder about tomorrow or the next day. Who is going to sit there and feed them and hold them? I have to trust God and know that He’s got the whole world in his hands.
Barbara raised her own financial support for her three month missions trip. She served daily in the Children’s Hospital tending to the various needs of the children. Some of these tasks included feeding, bathing, and physical therapy. Most of all, she loved on the children. The first few years of a child’s life dynamically impact the remainder. We praise the Lord for people like Barbara willing to come and serve.
Allie is a Physical Education student who chose to serve for three months in the Arms of Mercy project. As with all people who serve with Arms of Mercy, she raised her own financial support for this mission trip. Allie worked in the Children’s Hospital each day doing physical therapy with the babies. Allie has since returned to the United States to complete her education. Her service truly touched the lives of many children.
We thank all of you for all your prayers and support in Romania. Please pray about how God could use you to glorify His name wherever you are!