In or about year 2000 we had two volunteers come to Tanner Romania Mission for 6 months, they didn't know each other, Ettore was from Italy and Eithne from Ireland. She is just a couple years younger than him, both early twenties. Before the year was out they had extended their volunteer time to 1 year and had fallen in love with each other while they developed and worked with the children in the new and upgraded WORKSHOP.
In 2001 God gave us 5 beautiful children, all siblings, none disabled and we had to split them up in our different houses, not a good idea but one that would be improved upon soon. Later that year, Ettore and Eithne, by then engaged to marry, came back to volunteer. When they saw the 5 siblings, some at Hannah, girls at Elisabeta and other boys at Rachel, they came to us an asked if we would consider putting the children in Casa Sarah (newly purchased by Tanner Romania Mission - TRM) and they would stay on as their foster parents. Well, we jumped at the idea, it was very hard to raise those siblings with our disabled children. On Thanksgiving 2001 we sat the children down and explained that another move was to take place in their lives.
There is no way to explain the Godliness, happiness, and Christian love that poured out of Casa Sarah over the past 10 years.
Ettore and Eithne were married that summer and began adoption proceedings for the 5 children, all 5 were by then in local school, well settled in to Casa Sarah and already considered Ettore and Eithne their parents.
Ettore worked consistently on the adoption, it took all of 9 years to complete. During those summers Ettore had to return to Italy where he works in his family campground and all the family from Romania went with him, he bought a big van to hold them all and off they would go each summer.
Since then, Eithne has given birth to 2 wonderful baby girls, bringing their total family to 9!
In June of 2011, the adoption was finally completed and the whole family moved to their new home in Italy where Ettore works with his family in the campground and runs his own motel. All the children speak Romania, English and Italian!
They come back often to visit and we look forward to that time when all our family is together again.
In 2001 God gave us 5 beautiful children, all siblings, none disabled and we had to split them up in our different houses, not a good idea but one that would be improved upon soon. Later that year, Ettore and Eithne, by then engaged to marry, came back to volunteer. When they saw the 5 siblings, some at Hannah, girls at Elisabeta and other boys at Rachel, they came to us an asked if we would consider putting the children in Casa Sarah (newly purchased by Tanner Romania Mission - TRM) and they would stay on as their foster parents. Well, we jumped at the idea, it was very hard to raise those siblings with our disabled children. On Thanksgiving 2001 we sat the children down and explained that another move was to take place in their lives.
There is no way to explain the Godliness, happiness, and Christian love that poured out of Casa Sarah over the past 10 years.
Ettore and Eithne were married that summer and began adoption proceedings for the 5 children, all 5 were by then in local school, well settled in to Casa Sarah and already considered Ettore and Eithne their parents.
Ettore worked consistently on the adoption, it took all of 9 years to complete. During those summers Ettore had to return to Italy where he works in his family campground and all the family from Romania went with him, he bought a big van to hold them all and off they would go each summer.
Since then, Eithne has given birth to 2 wonderful baby girls, bringing their total family to 9!
In June of 2011, the adoption was finally completed and the whole family moved to their new home in Italy where Ettore works with his family in the campground and runs his own motel. All the children speak Romania, English and Italian!
They come back often to visit and we look forward to that time when all our family is together again.