Pastor Viorel Lela
Pastor Viorel is our partner in the cities of Deva and Hunedoara. He works full time doing construction work with his Caterpillar backhoe to support his family. He often gives generously to the church and orphanage to expand or meet a need.
He is a fearless evangelist. I remember stories of his van almost being overturned when he drove into a ghetto gypsy village to hand out some clothes and evangelize. He is always willing to pray for the hopeless. Many people have been delivered as a result of God answering his powerful prayers.
He is the father to two grown children and the grandfather to an increasing number of grandchildren. However, many more children know him as their Tata (father). He treats all of the children at the orphanages as if they were his own. Pastor Viorel pastors as the senior Pastor in Deva and oversees the church in Hunedoara. He was responsible for the development and construction of a completed orphanage in Deva, a partially completed church in Deva and a completed orphanage in Hunedoara.
There was a time before we began to support Pastor Viorel with regular monthly support when he learned to trust God completely. The orphanage was built from the support of a generous American who has a heart for missions and felt led of God to build an orphanage in Romania. After a few years of operating the orphanage, the monthly support from America stopped abruptly. For four months, Pastor Viorel cried out to God (physically and spiritually) for an answer. He could not bear to let the children go hungry, but there was no way he could support the orphanage on his own. It was a test of his faith. God met their needs during that period and lead them to a relationship with our organization. We have supported him ever since and worked with him to expand the ministry to Hunedoara and in other ways.
In addition to completing the church in Deva and adding a church to the grounds in Hunedoara, Pastor Viorel has a vision to build churches and orphanages in many additional cities as well. His association has even been given land to build in some of those cities when that time comes.
Those who know him, know he would be lost without his faithful wife Nicoleta. She is the mother to all the orphans. It is a family affair for Pastor Viorel. His son and daughter, along with their spouses, help to administer the orphanages and lead the churches. His children will be the next generation of leaders in the church and ministry.
Projects
Monthly Budget
The greatest need is for ongoing monthly support to pay the living expenses for all the children in Deva and Hunedoara. The orphanages need about $4,000 per month each to be able to support the children. Faithful partners who sacrifice monthly to meet the needs of the children are the orphanages’ most valued partners.
Feeding Outreach
There is a large Gypsy population in Hunedoara, many of whom are bound by poverty. Pastor Viorel has a vision to operate a soup kitchen out of the orphanage’s kitchen to provide one meal a day to the poorest of poor children in the area. This would most likely be the only healthy meal those children receive each day.
Deva Church
The church in Deva is only half finished. For the last few years, they have been having church what will be the basement of the church. Previously, the church in Deva met in a room in the orphanage, but the government told Pastor Viorel that the orphanage could not be used as both an orphanage and a church. As a result of that government intervention, the church moved into the unfinished church until such time that God provides the money to finish the church.
Hunedoara Church
The orphanage in Hunedoara welcomed its first orphans in 2011. The church in Hunedoara currently meets in a room in the orphanage. Pastor Viorel’s vision is to build a small church in Hunedoara next to the orphanage to give the members a dedicated place to worship. Click HERE for more information.
Areas Served
Pastor Viorel is our partner in the cities of Deva and Hunedoara, Romania.
Photo Gallery
The video is dated, the stats are stale, the facilities have
be upgrade and the children have grown, but it will give
you a feel for what the orphanage at Lipova is like.