HUMBLE BEGINNINGS...
In July of 2004, four women (Grace Rhie, Tina Goerne, Carol Lind, and Judy Squier) went on a missions trip to Romania to encourage and develop a support network for mothers of disabled children.
This ministry for mothers of disabled children was a vision that God gave to Lidia Oprean, who came to the United States with her family to escape the persecution of the Communist Regime in Romania. She came hoping to begin a new life, only to discover that she would give birth to a baby girl with Spina Bifida, a disability of the spinal cord.
After Becky was born, Lidia had to overcome bitter battles with shame, anger, and fear. With the desire to reach out to mothers in Romania who had no form of support, Lidia organized the first conference for mothers of handicapped children. The mothers that attended the conference were struggling not only with the pain of accepting a disabled child, but also the pain of being stigmatized from the rest of society because of their children. Although the trip was a success, Grace, Tina, Carol, and Judy left Romania with heavy hearts, knowing that there were many needs that were not being met. Because Romania is not a handicap-friendly country, many disabled children and disabled adults seldom or never get to leave their homes. When asked what help they needed most, many simultaneously said: "Diapers. We need diapers." Something as simple and common as diapers and adult disposable diapers are extremely hard to come by and are very expensive in Romania. Only a few diapers a month for a person suffering from disability would make a HUGE difference. With a strong hope and desire to make a difference and let the world know the serious issues facing disabled people and their families, the Romania Diaper Ministry began.
See Pictures from the Romania Trip