“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress… “James 1:27
Opening Our Home, Opening Our Hearts
A Family’s Journey of Hope
For more than twenty-five years, our family has had the privilege of opening our home and our hearts to children and young people in need.
Our journey began in the late 1990s in Ukraine. We visited orphanages, built relationships with children, and invited them into our family life during weekends and holidays. Over time, this calling grew into a deeper commitment: working alongside governmental social services to provide family-based care for children who had lost the security and stability every child deserves and encouraging others to to open their homes to children in need.
In 2014, God led our family to Germany. We brought with us one of the Ukrainian children who had been entrusted to our care and continued the same mission in the new country. Once again, we partnered with governmental child welfare services, welcoming children and teenagers who, for many different reasons, could no longer remain safely in their own families.
Today, we live and serve in the beautiful Black Forest, where we run a small family hotel. But behind the guest rooms, another story unfolds every day.
One floor of our home has become a place of refuge.
Here, children and teenagers from many nations—including Germany, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iran, Italy, France, Russia, Bosnia, and several African countries—find not only a safe place to stay, but something even more important:
A family.
Some arrive after experiencing difficult circumstances.
Some have lost their parents or family connections.
Some carry deep emotional wounds, trauma, or challenges that make everyday life overwhelming.
Some stay only a short time while waiting for a long-term solution.
Others remain with us for several years as they slowly rebuild their lives.
Over the past five years alone, more than sixty-five children and young people have found a temporary home with us.
Every child has a story.
Every child has value.
Every child deserves hope.
More Than Care — A Place to Belong
We believe that healing often happens through the simple, everyday moments of family life and prayer–for ghen as well as with them.
Sharing meals around the table.
Celebrating birthdays.
Taking holidays together.
Helping with school and education.
Learning practical skills for life.
Laughing together.
Crying together.
Praying together.
Many children arrive carrying fear, disappointment, anger, or uncertainty about their future.
Our greatest joy is seeing them slowly begin to smile again, trust again, and dream again.
Each week, those who wish to participate join us for Bible study and go to church with us. There they discover that their identity is not defined by their past, but by the love and value God has placed on their lives.
Some of our children choose to follow Jesus. Others simply leave our home knowing that they were loved, that they mattered, and that they have heard about God’s love for them.
A Growing Need
According to local social services, we are currently the only foster family in our county welcoming young people over the age of fourteen. Many of these teenagers remain in a family environment much longer than they would typically remain in institutional care, where many struggle and often run away because they cannot find the personal support they need.
The need continues to grow.
Because more vulnerable young people are seeking a safe place to belong, German social services have asked us to expand this work.
Our current home is full.
After much prayer, we have found another house that we hope to dedicate entirely to supporting young people.
This new home will especially serve young adults over the age of eighteen—young people who are legally adults, but who are not yet ready to live independently because of trauma, disabilities, family breakdown, or other difficult life circumstances.
They need:
Guidance.
Stability.
Encouragement.
A family who continues walking beside them.
We believe God is opening this door, and we are stepping forward in faith.
A Ministry Shared by Our Whole Family
This calling belongs to our entire family.
Our children have grown up sharing their home, their holidays, their celebrations, and their everyday lives with foster brothers and sisters from many different backgrounds.
They have learned that family is not only defined by birth, but also by love, commitment, and compassion.
Our oldest son, Fillip, who will soon turn eighteen, is preparing to become an active part of this ministry. Our younger son Lukas has also faithfully served alongside us.
We are deeply grateful for the joy, patience, and willingness our children show as they share this journey with us.
How You Can Become Part of This Story
We invite you to join us in this journey of hope.
Please pray:
* For every child and young person who enters our home
* For wisdom, strength, and endurance for our family
* For God’s provision as we establish the new home
* For healing, restoration, and transformed lives through the love of Christ
If God places it on your heart, you can also partner with us financially.
Your support will help prepare a home where vulnerable young people can experience safety, belonging, healing, and hope.