Member Blogs

Guest blogger: Sonda McGowen, Child Sponsorship Coordinator


Recently I had the privilege to spend a week at the House of Treasure shelter in Romania along with my good friend Mindy Estes. Our time with the girls at the shelter and with our indigenous director Iana Matei proved to be a reminder of what a spiritual battle is daily being fought in the girl’s lives and in the life of Iana.  Iana sees the hurt and pain so close, yet has to keep faith that only through God’s faithfulness she can continue to love the girls and see things through His eyes.  While with the girls we witnessed amazing expressions of beauty and hope that still take my breath away to remember…we also met much deep pain, fear and shame – scars from years of unimaginable abuse these beautiful girls have suffered, which for most of them began as children at home.  The girls at the shelter desperately want to be “seen”.  They desire your eyes to be on them and they long to know that they might be loved and cared for sincerely.  Though these treasured ones are starving for love, they are at the same time afraid to accept it for fear that they will be hurt again.  Similarly, our girls both long for and fear God. They carry such fear of failure, fear of never measuring up to religious rules and they struggle to accept the grace that God freely and generously offers.  If we are honest, truly facing God’s love is frightening for all of us.

The most encouraging and exciting part of visiting the House of Treasure is seeing the change and progress the girls are making.  Through safety, stability, love, and the gospel the transformation that occurs in the girls is amazing!  “You are able to see God working and moving just by the change in their faces and in their countenance” said Mindy who was returning for her third trip to Romania.  For example, In June when MWP took a small team to the House of Treasure, Flori was fairly new to the shelter.  She was hard, distant, and only concerned with where she would get her next cigarette.  Her eyes were angry and mistrusting of everyone.  However, this trip when Mindy and I pulled up to The House of Treasure, Flori was one of the first to greet us with arms open wide, and huge smile on her face.  Her personality opened up for us to see a softer, loving, and playful side.

However, there is also still so much visible pain and hurt in each girl.  There is no doubt that Satan still attacks the girls with deep shame, lies and even whispers the lie, “the House of Treasure is really a prison. You would be so much happier on your own or in your old life.”  Often the voice of evil and distraction manifests through hormonal young men that the girls meet at school.  Consider Anna for example, who you have read much about due to the recent battles to maintain custody of her. Anna has been struggling with her choices recently.  She now has a boyfriend at school who tells her she should be free to go and see him whenever she wants and shouldn’t have to follow the house rules.  Anna has actually been debating going to the government run shelter where she can be “free” to come and go as she pleases. The spiritual battle she is undergoing is visible, palpable. Anna wants to learn about God and sing His praises and wants to follow Him, but is being tempted. Mindy put it this way, “The girls see Iana's rules as bondage, instead of the protection and security they provide.  They see the chores of the house as slavery, instead of a labor of love for each other.  They run to what they believe is freedom, but instead they are leaving safety and security for real bondage and slavery.  It didn't make sense. It seemed so hard to understand until God showed me that we do the same thing all the time.   We say we love God, but leave Him for other lovers.  We see His Word as rules and not freedom.  We see His call on our lives as slavery instead of a labor of love for each other.  We run from His love back into bondage.”

Isabella is new to the house and also struggling. Four years ago when Isabella became pregnant out of wedlock, her father and step-mother promised her that they would take care of her baby but that she needed to go to Italy and become a nanny in order to financially support her daughter.  Isabella arrived in Italy only to realize she had been sold into slavery by her own step-mother.  Finally, after three brutal years of being trafficked in Italy, Isabella was able to escape to the police and was sent to Iana.  Iana searched high and low to find Isabella’s daughter Cosmina who had not been cared for by family, but had instead been placed in the foster care system.  Now Isabella is not only trying to heal from her betrayal and the horrors she encountered, but also trying to learn how to be a mother.  Isabella longs to be a mother, yet she also desires to know what it means to be mothered.

Although there is visible change which brings hope, such intense battle is raging around and within these girls.  Donna’s extreme fear of failing at school even though she is very bright; Betty trying to break away from her past life which is all she has known; Andrada who is nine months pregnant and has no understanding of how to be a “good” mother; Ramona’s fight between following God or the crowd; along with all of them struggling with the fact that their families abused and abandoned them when they most needed love, shelter and safety.  Please continue to remember these precious girls and help fight the battle for them by fervently lifting them up daily in your prayers.
Update: Since I have returned to the states, Anna has decided to stay at the shelter and seems to be doing better in the house and happy with her decision.

On the journey,
Sonda