Our outreach ministry began more than 20 years ago in Sibiu, Romania with only two people, Nathan and Anca Merrill. The Merrills have huge hearts for Romania's orphan children. Who could have known during the 1990s that God was preparing Anca's heart for this ministry when He orchestrated her life of growing up in a state-run Romanian orphanage. While in the orphanage during Romania's communist era, Anca connected with American missionaries. These Christian ambassadors invested in Anca, eventually rescuing her from a dire plight in the orphanage.  

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Anca left the orphanage in 1996 and began to work for a Christian children's home in Sibiu. Unfortunately, or so it seemed at the time, the home was forced to close in the early 2000s. The orphan girls, most of whom were 18+ years old, found themselves with no place to live. They were also in grave danger of being sexually exploited by Romania's criminal underworld. But again, God had a bigger plan. In response to this urgent need, Anca and Nathan (a medical doctor from the U.S.) came alongside these girls to provide support. They assisted them in finding living accommodations and in obtaining gainful employment. They also got them plugged into a local church in order to guide them spiritually and to help protect them from sexual exploitation. 

 

Eventually, Nathan and Anca were married. They lived in the U.S. during the first years of their marriage, but continued to support the orphan girls of Romania. Seven years ago, led by the Lord, Nathan and Anca returned to Romania to devote themselves full-time to bringing the love of Christ to Romania's orphans. Since returning to Romania, their ministry has advocated for Romanian youth on multiple fronts:

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• Volunteering in State-run Orphanages:
   

• Working with Street Children:  The ministry had provided food and shared God's love with homeless children. These children lived in the city's sewer system and had almost always been sexually and physically abused. They were often preyed upon by sex-traffickers to become prostitutes. Many also fell victim to a black market practice of surgically harvesting organs for sale to transplant recipients.  
   

• Mentoring Adult Orphans (18+ years):  The ministry assists adult orphans in meeting their basic needs in developing a solid life-skills foundation.  
   

• Reaching Out to Impoverished Families:  The ministry distributes food, toiletries, and other essential household items to poor and disenfranchised families. We also rehabilitate dilapidated homes and have even rebuilt houses from the ground, up. Lastly, because Nathan is a medical doctor by trade, an appreciable portion of our resources goes to providing medical care to the poor.   
   

• Operating Homes for Orphan Children:  Nathan and Anca own and operate three children's homes in Romania that house 12 orphans in each house.  House parents oversee each home. Also, a fourth home is being renovated in the U.S. to meet an ever-growing need for children's resources in North Carolina.  Longer range plans target areas of need in Brazil and in Greece.    

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In 2017, the ministry began to benefit by association with Kevin Powell, an American businessman. Kevin has served Finding Hope with an array of skills and talents. Over the years he has poured an incredible amount of time and energy into our mission -- and the children of Finding Hope adore him. We are blessed that Kevin currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Finding Hope Ministries.  

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*Nathan and Anca operate their mission under the direction of Finding Hope Ministries, a 501(c)3 US non-profit established in 2016. Finding Hope Ministries is a fully-funded charitable organization, operating under the directives of its Board of Directors.