Each year, our Romanian foundation Pas Cu Pas faces several big questions as they survey the landscape and consider our mission to “value, disciple and develop Romanian orphans to grow in character and influence in their world” – not the least of which are: “what impact have we seen in the lives of the kids and teens we work with?” and “what needs do these kids and teens have that we can attend to?”
Neither of these questions yield straightforward, easily-quantifiable answers! Carmen (Pas Cu Pas Ministry Coordinator) wrote in our most recent newsletter that “we cannot change anybody and we can’t provide a better life for them – no matter how much we would like to, we can’t change their past or assure them a better future.” Though a sobering reality and regular cause of heartache, it’s necessary that we know our place and remain focused on what we can do. Thankfully, what we CAN do (in Carmen’s words) is “help these kids and teens be more prepared for what life brings their way, and to be God’s hands and feet as He walks along them in their journey.”
In other words, we can help build resiliency… and this has been (and continues to be) a primary focus of our programming in Romania. For those unfamiliar with the term, resiliency is defined as the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress. In our context, Carmen writes that,
“Resiliency is the ability to bounce back from adversity. Even more, the learning is not only to bounce back but to bounce forward! None of us is born resilient, but we can all learn how to become like that – so we do this, ‘step by step’. This year we are exploring essential resiliency skills such as flexible thinking, the importance of community, how to make connections, and improved communication skills.”
Like most things in life, we know that our hopes for orphans – hopes for healing, growth, progress, improved opportunity, and more – are part of a long-term process. So we take it pas cu pas… or, for the non-Romanian speaking reader: we take it step by step!
