At Casa Dorca, God’s love is changing lives through the extraordinary gift of an ordinary childhood. This story comes from Casa Dorca Children’s Home in Romania.
Some childhood wounds are so deep that few can imagine them, and even fewer talk about them. In rural Romania, poverty, abandonment, neglect, and family brokenness leave children carrying burdens they were never meant to bear.
For 100 years, Casa Dorca has stood as a testimony to God’s faithfulness and compassion for these vulnerable and many times misused children.
Founded in 1926 by Romanian Baptist churches, Casa Dorca provided a loving Christian home until 1950, when Communist authorities confiscated the orphanage and expelled approximately 40 children. As they were marched single file down the rural Romanian roadway, away from their home, the children sang about having a Father in heaven who would not forget them.
Decades later, ITMI founders Bill and Harriett Bathman, ITMI supporters working alongside Dr. Nic Gheorghita, Ema Ban’s father, along with faithful Romanian believers, helped restore the neglected orphanage. In 1996, Casa Dorca reopened its doors.
Today, as Casa Dorca celebrates its centennial and 30 years of renewed ministry, its October report offers a beautiful reminder: sometimes God’s love is most powerfully demonstrated through ordinary moments.
This fall, the children enjoyed a weekend retreat near the Danube River, building friendships with other children in care. Elizabeth, one of the leaders, also took the girls for a refreshing autumn walk near Bigăr Waterfall, in rural Romania.
But between these memorable outings are the many daily and quieter blessings: homework, shared meals, household chores, dependable routines, and caring adults who faithfully demonstrate Christ’s love.
For children whose earliest experiences may have lacked stability and security, these seemingly ordinary things are profoundly important.
“For a child who has never known stability, an ordinary childhood can be an extraordinary gift.”
Yet providing this loving home requires ongoing financial support. Casa Dorca reports that regular contributions are currently insufficient to cover monthly operating expenses.
After a century of God’s faithfulness, the mission remains unchanged: to give vulnerable children a loving home where they can experience the hope, dignity, and transforming love of Jesus Christ.
— Ionel Lovescu, Steve Evers
