The ugliness of my surroundings made me shudder. Beauty was utterly absent from this place. Shadowy figures lurked in the darkness. Several grimy-looking orphans grabbed my arms. I felt overwhelmed as they jabbered, "Come see my room. Come see my room."

Almost two hundred teen orphans lived in this miserable place in the small village of Cadea. Many of the abandoned children's parents lived in nearby villages. Most of these orphans were boys, but there were a few masculine-looking girls. All the girls had short haircuts and deep voices. It was impossible to tell whether I was talking to a girl or boy. At that moment, I felt a burden of hopelessness for the orphans who lived here. I asked myself, Is it possible that any of these kids could ever have a decent life?

I had not wanted to go to Cadea that night. I felt uncomfortable--unsafe, to be honest. The dim light and dark shadows made me feel I had entered a draconian dungeon. Yet this was a very special night. A small group of boys had asked Dan Micula, the pastor of three village churches, to come to speak to them about prayer. The boys planned to have a Bible study and time of worship in one of the bedrooms. We were invited to join them along with some other volunteers. The room was crowded. One small lightbulb hanging from the ceiling gave the boys' faces a golden glow.

When I entered the room, one of the boys immediately jumped up and gave me his seat on a bed. Kids snuggled up to each of the adults as they found a place to sit on the floor or a bed. Boys leaned against each of my shoulders.  What a strange-looking bunch! We had on our warm down jackets and insulated boots. In their futile attempt to keep warm, the kids wore several layers of ragged clothes, well worn-shoes, and no socks.

Pastor Dan spoke on the power of God to change each life in the room. He explained the Lord's Prayer. The room was hushed, and we bowed our heads for prayer. Tears came to my eyes as a number of the boys prayed. I could understand enough of the Romanian words to know they were praying for their friends who had come from America. Several of the boys began to play guitars and we sang worship songs, some in Romanian and some in English.

I looked around the room as we praised the Lord God Almightly. In these brief moments of taking it all in, God reminded me that this was truly His Kingdom . . . the Kingdom of God. Before my eyes, the room took on a warm, rich glow. God was in our midst. This was an unforgettable holy and sacred moment. Because of my anxiety I almost missed it.

As I walked out of the building and into the darkness, I could hear songs of praise flowing through the orphanage. For a few minutes, I stood in the snow in awe of what God had done on this night. My heart was filled with hope for the children. God brought me to this unlikely place and gave me a glimpse of Heaven...