How Joseph Found a Home at Mercy Childcare Joseph is a 10-year-old boy at Mercy Childcare Ministry in Uganda whose story began with abandonment. He was found in a nearby town and rescued by police officers. Because Joseph has Down syndrome, no homes were willing to take him in, so he remained at the police station for some time. Eventually, the officers reached out to Mercy Childcare Ministry, and they stepped in to welcome Joseph into their care, giving him a safe and loving

Sometimes God works in ways no one plans. When one of our recent mission teams arrived in India, they chose to spend the week differently than in years past. Instead of leading a traditional children's camp, they gathered with the older students for a week dedicated to discipleship. Together, they stepped away from the routines of everyday life and spent the week at a retreat center, creating space to slow down, ask honest questions and study Scripture together. Each day cent

This June, Pastor Eric Van Scharrel of St. John's Lutheran Church joined CTL President John Penrose on a visit to Children to Love's ministry partners in Romania and Thailand. Along the way, Eric shared daily reflections about the people he met, the ministries he witnessed and the moments that left a lasting impression on him.

From loss and uncertainty to leadership and hope, discover Ramya’s powerful journey of transformation. Rescued from hardship and welcomed into a loving children’s home, she found faith, family and purpose—and now serves as a leader impacting the lives of over 170 children.

A few months ago, we shared the heartbreaking story of baby Joy in Uganda. We now have a joy-filled update from what started as a very painful beginning to life for Joy.

Mercy Childcare Ministry in Uganda celebrates the grand opening of its first High School in Kayunga, aimed at providing a Christ-centered education that emphasizes character development. Discover how this new school impacts the community, offers hope, and addresses the challenges faced by local students.

This week, our hearts are holding two very different stories from Uganda — one heavy with grief and unanswered questions and one that reminds us why we never stop praying. Wilfred Rugumba, Executive Director of Mercy Childcare Ministry, shared with us, “This week has been one of the most difficult I have ever experienced.” He received a call from the police about a three-month-old baby girl who had been abandoned. Before she could be rescued, stray dogs attacked her, leaving

Mia Penrose served with CTL Romania in Bucharest for 10 months through CTL's internship program. She loved her time there, and reflects on the impression that her experience left on her heart and in her life. Looking back at my time in Romania, I am in such awe of the ways the Lord worked. My time and experience in Romania were far beyond anything I could have even imagined or expected. All I knew before going was that was where the Lord was calling me. I didn’t know why, wha

Children to Love Romania hosts an annual summer camp for children involved in the ministry, bringing together about 50 youth from the Homes of Hope, the Families Program, orphanages and other government-run centers where CTL Romania regularly serves. Each year, the Holy Spirit works in powerful ways and meaningful bonds are formed and strengthened. This year was no exception— many children experienced God’s love in tangible ways, some for the very first time! Maria's Journey

"My name is Lora Kendrick, and I just returned from a phenomenal mission trip with Children to Love in Ukraine. I was privileged to travel 6 years ago on CTL’s first mission trip to Ukraine and was eager to return in spite of the intensity of the war with Russia. I assured my friends and family that I was perfectly safe, in God’s hands and, besides, the war was still more on the eastern side of the country. Little did I know the full extent of this. I was really looking forwa

Hailey Hagerty, a student at Corban University, traveled to Thailand with a team of fellow students in May. She shared the ways God met her in Thailand, the relationships she formed and the lessons she has brought home with her. “I was immensely blessed with the opportunity to partner in ministry with Mae Sot Evangelical Church (MEC) and Grace Boarding House (GBH) in Mae Sot, Thailand for a two week mission trip with a team of students from Corban University. During our time

Maxim was one of the first children to come to Future for Children in Ukraine when he began attending in 2016. For nearly a decade now, Maxim and his sister have been coming to the program at FFC nearly every day.

Dolica's journey began in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, which neighbors Uganda to the West. Dolica’s mother, Beya, lived with a disability and the father abandoned them, leaving Beya to face unimaginable hardship alone. Dolica never got to attend school. Years later, a man approached Beya, promising a better life for Dolica working as a caretaker for his baby. This was a lie and instead, he cruelly abandoned the girl in Wakiso, Uganda. Human trafficking is a se

Mia Penrose, Children to Love Romania Intern 🛬 Arrival & First Impressions About three months ago, I moved to Bucharest, Romania to serve with Children to Love. In the beginning, I worked together with a team from Living Grace Church to support the ministry by sharing testimonies with the children, performing skits about God's mercy and forgiveness, and getting a glimpse into the impact of CTL’s work. That short time with the team made me feel excited and blessed for this op

God is in the business of bringing people together! We are celebrating this fact as the recent wedding celebrated at the children's home of our partner in India highlights this beautiful aspect of God's character. Through the woven together family of the children's home in India, Karthik and Ramya met. They were both orphans brought into the children’s homes and their lives have not been easy. They each have their own stories of pain and abandonment, but God has and is redeem

CTL's partner in Ukraine sends frequent updates as they prayerfully and faithfully continue ministry in the midst of a war. Seeing the...

Scott Rossi’s Testimony CTL Romania Team Member and CTL Board Member I went into this mission trip to CTL Romania with the mindset of completely letting go and letting God take me on this journey in any direction He deemed necessary. Once I allowed that to happen, He blew me away with His loving touches and filled my days with hope, energy and a better understanding of how much He loves all of us! During our time there, we attended a two- hour church service, which was all

I'm Prabhudeva Akuri and I am from India. It's been 20 years since my father left us due to pressure from financial debts and he has never returned. We have no clue if my father is still alive or not. We are a very poor family. My mother did her best to raise me and my elder sister but we were very poor. We were destitute. I was also affected by a severe speech disorder and my stuttering made it very difficult for me to speak, even today. When I was a kid, we didn't have m

My name is Dena Mojo and I went on a short-term mission trip to Uganda with Children to Love. We visited Mercy Childcare Ministry, which includes Mercy Village, the boarding school, the international school, the church and the medical clinic, as well as ministries outside of the town. I would say one of the most rewarding, fascinating, and just overall blessed events that we took part in was going out into the very primitive town of Pallisa where quite literally the resident

There are some things in life that happen in such a coincidental way that it could only have been God’s doing. My job at Children to Love (CTL) is one of those instances for me. Ten years ago when I was only 15 years old, I went on a trip to visit CTL’s children’s home in India with some of my family and a few others. This was my first concrete memory of CTL and the work they do, however at the time CTL only had three ministry partners (India, Romania and Uganda). After gradu