Mia’s Children

Art for the Children of the World

 in Art / Family / God / Hope / Jesus / Mia's Children  tagged European Union / flowers / Iraq / Spain / still life by

A few months ago, a Romanian diplomat with the European Union came by Mia’s Children and saw some of our youth’s amazing paintings. He asked if he could exhibit their work in an international show meant to bridge cultures and give hope.

He has since chosen 47 paintings to show in Iraq, with more to be shown in Spain and possibly the U.S. later.

Mia calls the exhibit “a message of love and peace for all the children in the world” and says, “We are honored to represent Romania because it is a way to display how God has put in these children His gifts, with seeds planted, and we all together help them grow and be fruitful.  So it is not only about art; it’s about something beyond – the love of God to and through His children and all His people who answer the commandment to love one another, instead of despising and/or giving no hope for the hopeless.  It shows the agape love of Jesus in action.”

For the last 12 years, Mia has taught every child who walks through her doors how to paint, starting mostly with flowers and other still life pieces. It began as therapy and then led to competitions and even scholarship opportunities around Romania.

But these newer paintings veer away from the typical bouquet taught by Mia in the first years.

Each one is unique. They show a developed confidence and creativity. Children who walked through our doors twelve years ago unsure of who they were are now expressing themselves through art, just as they do in their schoolwork and relationships with others.

For us, these paintings represent more than the great talent it took to create them, or even the hope displayed through the show in Iraq: they are a symbol of how far we’ve come, of how beautifully the family at Mia’s Children has grown up.

We’re on Facebook!

 in Mia's Children / Romania / Website  tagged Facebook / foundation / friends / interactive by

Better late than never! Mia’s Children Foundation has a Facebook page!

So to all our wonderful donors, supporters, friends and family:

Check out the page and click that you “like” us to become a follower.

You can also invite your friends to join: on our Facebook page, click “suggest to friends” under the Mia’s Children icon at the top left of the screen.

We will be updating the page regularly with news and special info. Feel free to write on the wall, upload fan pictures and start discussions on the page. Just make sure to use discretion, especially if you have pictures of the children, as it’s all public.

You can also access it on this website’s sidebar to the right of your screen.

Thank you for being an active part of Mia’s Children. We hope this will be a helpful resource for you and a fun way to interact with the organization!

What is Oina?

 in Bucharest / Mia's Children / Recreation / Romania / Sports  tagged baseball / football / Moldova / oina / P.E. / tee ball by

In our last post, we spoke about Ion (John), one of the boys at Mia’s Children involved in sports. Ion plays, among other things, the game oina.

Oina is like a mix between baseball and monkey in the middle, but it is much older than either sport. Invented in the 1300s, it has become the national sport of Romania because of its ties to the country and its long tradition there. In fact, there are only two oina federations in the world: one in Bucharest and one in Moldova.

Oina is similar to baseball. There are two teams: a team at bat and a team at catch. The weight of the ball for both games is nearly the same, and the bats are similar.

But while a play in both games begins with a pitch and a swing, in Oina the pitcher and batter play on the same team. The pitch is simple and close up, like in tee ball. And once the batter hits the ball, regardless of whether the opposing team catches it, the team at bat runs from one part of the field to another along lanes on the field (called advance and return corridors).

The opposing team waits in the outfield and tries to hit the runners with the ball. The runners can deflect the ball with their hands, but can’t catch it. If it hits their bodies, the opposing team scores and the player leaves the field.

The game only takes 30 minutes and thus is a popular P.E. activity in Romanian schools.

Sound complicated? Well, it is. But try explaining American football!

This video shows a partial game of oina:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKTgScqdcU4&feature=player_embedded#!ref=0]

Consider the Motherless for Mother’s Day

 in addiction / Art / Family / Fundraiser / Home / Hope / Mia's Children / Orphans / poverty / Racism / Roma people / Romania  tagged Ceausescu / Mother's Day / orphanage / sacrifice by

This Mother’s day, we at Mia’s Children hope you have a special time celebrating with your love ones the great gift of motherhood.

In America we are so over-worked, over-played, overwhelmed that we sometimes forget the importance of sacrifice, of love and of a hot cup of soup when we’re sick.

Mia’s Children works with young people every day who have not known the love of a mother or a father. When precious children come along, they are too often seen as a burden more than a blessing, and they are pushed out.

We encourage our young people to show their mothers honor on Mother’s Day and every other day. In the past, we’ve even held special ceremonies for them!

But there are some children whose mothers will never attend those ceremonies. And here is what those young people have to say about Mia’s Children:

“I am coming from a family of 9 children. I lived long in an orphanage. Before I came here I never was loved. Thanks to you I can have love and a safe place to live in.”

“You gave me another life. I am what I am because of what the Lord did for me through you.”

“Here…I can experience the true love and I can dream and hope.”

“We feel you are our parents, big friends, forever bounded with us in the love of Jesus.”

This Mother’s Day, we ask that you will consider these children as you also consider your own mothers and children. Please consider making a donation to this ministry in your mother’s honor or memory, and we would be glad to send an e-mail on Mother’s Day with a painting by one of the children, letting her know about the gift in her honor. You can customize the message if you’d like!

Here’s how to do it:

1. Go to our donate page and make a donation using the options there.

2. Write us at info@miaschildren.org and let us know about your donation and in whose honor or memory it is.

3. If you want us to send an e-mail, include the e-mail address you would like for us to write to on Mother’s Day. We can send it to you so that you can customize the message, or we can send it to the recipient of the honor.

From all of us at Mia’s Children, have a wonderful Mother’s Day!

– Joanna Miller