A "Day in the Life" of Deborah House
As exciting as childhood highlights are, like a week at camp, or winning a championship game or finally achieving that deserved school honor, what has the biggest impact on a child’s life is what is happening day-in and day-out in his or her home. It is the everyday moments, woven into days, strung together as months, that turn into years… of repeated exposure to either uncertainty or security, limitations or empowerment, rejection or acceptance, all building an experiential perception of who God is that really shapes a life.
That reality has fueled the generosity of the supporters of Deborah House, a residential home that serves young girls in Romania who have suffered severe trauma and abuse. Our partner, Missio Link International in Romania, is turning faith into action as they create a loving, Christ-filled home at Deborah House that offers rescue, healing and hope. Come join us as we take a peek at a typical “Day in the Life” of Deborah House as experienced by 3 of the girls who are living there now.
Names have been changed to protect their identities.
A Day in the Life of Ana
Morning
7 am: Wake-up! Family breakfast, then Ana picks out her clothes, does her hair, makes her bed and she’s out the door by 7:40, joining the other girls from Deborah House as they walk together to the village school.
School
8 am-2 pm: Ana attends 7th grade classes covering various subjects (her favorite is math), developing new skills and making friends. Ana hopes to work in IT or engineering when she is older.
Lunch
2-3 pm: Her school day is over and Ana heads home for lunch, an important time of reconnecting with her house mother and talking about her school day.
Afternoon
4-6 pm: Filled with homework and school projects, as well as activities designed by Deborah House’s educational psychotherapist to help her acquire independent life skills.
Activities like a weekly robotics class, personal therapy once a week with the DH psychotherapist, monthly Bible study with the DH chaplain, weekly visits to her dentist for the special attention her oral health currently requires and the occasional outing with her “sisters” to the movies, skating rink or shopping!
Evening
6-7:30 pm: Free time to relax and play, before jumping in to help her house mother and the other girls prepare, serve and enjoy dinner together, a highlight to their day, coming all together again.
7:30-10 pm: Free time for reading, playing and a chance to watch a favorite TV show.
10 pm: Nightly routine for bed, marking the end of a busy day and the beginning of a peaceful night.
A Day in the Life of Elena and Alexandra (older girls)
Elena and Alexandra are 2 of the “older girls” who call Deborah House home. Elena attends a high school in Timisoara, while Alexandra participates in a vocational training program in Timisoara.
Morning
6-7:50 am: Early wake up! Elena and Alexandra wake and prep for the day ahead, eat breakfast and head out the door for their morning commute to Timisoara. To ensure their safe arrival in the city, Vio, their house father, drives them to and from school daily.
School and Professional Practice
8am-3pm: Elena, who is in 9th grade, participates in various classes & engages in school activities alongside her classmates at the highschool in Timisoara. On Mon/Tue- Alexandra attends vocational classes where she develops the skills necessary for her future career. On Wed/Thurs/Fri she interns at a restaurant in Timisoara, where she is learning the trade of waitressing, and hopes she will be hired there once her apprenticeship is complete.
Weekly Therapy
3-4 pm: Elena and Alexandra both go to a private weekly therapy session in Timisoara for emotional support where they are given the tools to help them cope with life’s challenges.
Afternoon
4-5:30 pm: After a busy day, the girls arrive home to catch a bit of needed relaxation. Today, Elena will then head off to a routine health check up, part of the wholistic care each girl receives at Deborah House.
5:30–7 pm: Along with the other girls. Elena and Alexandra enjoy various activities designed by DH’s psychotherapist to help them work on time management, interpersonal skills, critical thinking, self-care and goal setting, These also include a weekly robotics class, a monthly Bible study with the DH chaplain, and the occasional outing to the movies, skating or shopping.
Evening
7-8 pm: Elena and Alexandra help Adriana prepare dinner, practicing their cooking skills and later enjoy family time when everyone sits down to eat and talk about their days.
8pm to bedtime: As maturing adolescents, Elena and Alexandra now enjoy evening free time as well as take responsibility for preparing for the days ahead. Later, they will wind-down for a good night’s rest knowing they worked hard towards building a promising future as independent and confident young women.
6,205 Days and Counting: Bringing Love and Service to Deborah House
We are pleased to share our story, that of the Crenicean family, a tale filled with challenges, trials, victories, and, above all, gratitude.
We are Viorel and Adriana, sharing a close-knit family with our three daughters—Cristina, Naomi, and Amalia—who fill our lives with joy and admiration. In October 2008, we began our work as the houseparents at Deborah House. When we moved in, Cristina was four, Naomi was one (she took her first steps in the backyard of Deborah House) and Amalia was born six years later. At first, this mission overwhelmed us. We had no experience in this particular type of ministry and we faced many unknowns. However, every day, we felt God’s presence beside us. Even in moments when we may not have thought of Him, we could feel that He was guiding our steps and giving us the strength to keep going.
Oppositions were never lacking. Every day brought new challenges, but through them, we learned to be stronger, to support one another, and to enrich our souls. We discovered that helping children in need of love and peace of mind is not just a responsibility but also a great blessing. Our victories are not only the result of our efforts but, above all, a gift from God. Every smile, every small achievement of the children we care for fills our hearts with joy and confirms that we are on the right path.
Today, we look back with gratitude. We are thankful for everything we have learned, for every lesson that has shaped us and made us better. We are grateful that we can bring a touch of happiness into the lives of these girls and that through our care, we can offer them God’s love. We thank everyone who has supported us on this journey, those who stood by us in difficult moments, and those who encouraged us to continue. Deborah House is not just a place; it is a family, a community that grows and develops together. Thank you for being part of this story. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of these girls and spread God’s love.
With gratitude,
Viorel and Adriana
Meet Jeff & Deb Normand- Friends of Deborah House and MI Board Members
It all started for me in 2000, when one of my architectural clients invited me to lunch on my birthday. As he shared the hard truth that there were no facilities in Romania for girls who had been abandoned or abused, he asked if I would go to Romania “just to sketch some ideas” for a home for these girls. I had no idea what I was getting into and even less about building in a foreign county…so I went!
Flanked by groups of street children, I headed toward a sobering tour of a government-run institution for children before finally being introduced to Lorena and Eugen. They and other Romanians had selflessly given up “safe” communist jobs to help rescue girls who were living in impossible circumstances.
Shortly thereafter, I met the first of what would become many “Deborah girls”! I began to envision what a home for these girls might look like…and I drew that sketch, not fully realizing that it was ME who was being drawn into the story of rescue and restoration that God was telling in Romania.
Now, over 20 years later, more than 160 girls have found safety and healing through Deborah House. Having been nurtured and equipped, many have completed their educations, embarked on careers and/or moved on to form loving families, and are vibrant contributors to the communities they now live in. So many stories, so many lives restored and it continues today! Yep, it started for me on my birthday, and of all the gifts I’ve ever received, this one tops them all, when I was asked “to go”. -Jeff
I loved baking cookies with my grandma, never dreaming of how the skills I was learning would be put to use in my adult life serving others as I continued to bake for school & church functions and even work colleagues. But it wasn’t until after my retirement from corporate America that I learned God had been preparing me and my cookies for something else. Within a few weeks, my “refirement” truly began! With ovens burning ‘round the clock, I baked cookies for farmers markets, local stores and coffee houses, all to help raise awareness and support for the young girls living at Deborah House.
Trips to Romania followed when I got to meet the girls and even to teach them how to bake…cookies!
But wait, God was not done with my cookies! In 2000, when Jeff and I were considering a major move to North Carolina to join our adult children and grandchildren, I was sharing with a friend the turmoil we were feeling. Knowing my heart was heavy to leave longtime friends and the community that had so embraced the cookies and their mission, she encouraged me to see that God was directing Jeff and me on a new journey, to be based in our new home. Through the cookies I would bake, He would expand His territory, establishing new friends and partners for the girls at Deborah House. Today as I write, I am so grateful for the wisdom of friends, for God’s faithfulness and how geography cannot separate us from God’s mission path. As our dear Romanian friend Emil has said (while munching on a cookie?), “God has only one mission and we are all invited to participate”.
Thank you Lord! -Deb
A Word from MI Knoxville
The mystery found at the intersection of God’s sovereignty and the devastating harm that may visit His children is difficult to fathom at times. This has never been more true for me than when I consider the lives of the girls that have been brought out of deep darkness and into the light of God’s love at Deborah House. I have no understanding, so I cling to the truth of His Word which proclaims,
“Your eyes saw me unformed, in your book all are written down; my days were shaped before one came to be.” Ps 139:16
Hallelujah that He has indeed shaped all the days of each child served by MLI’s Children at Risk ministries, bringing His order and hope to their lives. Thank you for coming alongside us as we walk and work in this truth.
With love and appreciation,
Lauren W. Clevenger, MI Knoxville
