Casa Shalom—Rescuing Orphaned Children in Bucharest, Romania

Rebecca Dan-Walsh had witnessed a lot during her years spent in Romania. As director of the Casa Shalom Orphanage in Bucharest, she had seen hollow-eyed children wallowing in the dire circumstances that come with extreme poverty: neglect, abuse, homelessness, hunger. Working through proper channels, Rebecca and her devoted staff have been able to rescue many children and provide them with a home at Casa Shalom. There, children receive not only their basic needs of food, clothing and shelter, but a real home, where they’re showered with adult care and attention, all in the name of Jesus.

In 1998, while visiting with the director of a similar ministry, Rebecca heard a story that was astonishing even to her veteran missionary ears. The director said to her, “I’ve been told of two children living in horrendous conditions. I can’t get them off my mind.”

In a remote region, a five-year-old girl and her two-and-a-half-year-old brother were sleeping among sheep on the open ground of a hillside. Food was scarce, and all the children had for shelter was a tiny, rickety shack nearby where their elderly, diseased grandfather lived. Sadly, the director explained, “We’re unable to help, as I have only one empty bed. We cannot separate the children, as the girl is like a mother to the boy.”

Even though Casa Shalom was filled to capacity, Rebecca was stirred to help. Although she had heard similar heartrending stories before, nothing could have prepared her for her encounter with the “sheep children.” Using a crude map the director had drawn for them, Rebecca and an assistant drove to the region where the children lived. There, a local pastor helped them find the little road that led to where the children were said to be. Eventually they had to park and walk the last few kilometers.

As the group made their way down a steep hillside, Rebecca saw a herd of about one hundred sheep next to a little shack. The scene was exactly as the ministry director had described it. On the ground outside the shack lay a thin layer of rags where the children slept — no mattresses, no sheets, just dirty rags.

An elderly man greeted them, his body covered with sores. Peeking inside the grandfather’s shack, Rebecca saw no sign of any food. Finally, two small children appeared — five-year-old Mirela and her little brother, Sorin. Both were filthy, their faces badly burned from the sun. Little Sorin was naked, his hair and body caked with sheep manure.

As Rebecca approached them, the boy was cautious. But little Mirela had a bit more courage. When Rebecca asked her if she would like to attend school, the girl smiled and answered yes. Rebecca then carefully explained to Mirela that she was going away to find a home for her and her brother in Bucharest, and that she would return to get them.

For the next three weeks, Rebecca and her staff searched to find a home for the children, and in the meantime obtained a release from their mother, who couldn’t care for them. During that time, two beds became open at Casa Shalom. Now the “sheep children” could have a home!

When Rebecca returned to the little shack on the remote hillside, the grandfather greeted her with teary eyes. He said, “Every day since you were here, my granddaughter has come to me excited, saying, ‘Grandpa, maybe this is the day the lady will come and take us to a nice house.’ I didn’t think you would come back, but I see you kept your promise. We don’t meet people like you everyday.”

Mirela and Sorin were eagerly welcomed by the other children at Casa Shalom, and they grew to love their new home. But the adjustment was difficult, especially for little Sorin. One afternoon as Rebecca was working, she heard a strange sound coming from outside the orphanage: it was the sound of a lamb’s cry. She knew there were no sheep around, so she and the staff walked outside to see what the sound was. They found an upset Sorin, crying as he only knew how: by bleating like the sheep he’d grown up with. It was the only way he knew to express himself.

In fact, when he and his sister first arrived, Sorin still hadn’t learned to talk. Rebecca slowly began to teach him a few words, including “Hallelujah.” Their first Sunday at church, little Sorin was bewildered, hiding underneath Rebecca’s dress the whole time. But the next Sunday he recognized the word “Hallelujah” being spoken in the service. Suddenly, the little boy began shouting, “Hallelujah! Hallelujah!” with a great smile.

Sorin and Mirela are older now, and have been thriving at Casa Shalom. Both love going to church, where they look forward to a special hug from their pastor. From the pitiful bleat of a lamb to loud shouts of “Hallelujah!”, God’s praises are sung from the mouths of babes in his house. It is a joyful sound heard regularly at Casa Shalom.