Hello! My name is David Gal-Chis and I am just a man who has had an extraordinary amount of overwhelming, indelible grace poured out upon him and who wishes to give in return. I was born in Romania and through an incredible set of events, my family and I moved to the United States four days before my third birthday. Leaving everything behind and starting from nothing, we worked hard and by God’s grace made a life for ourselves here. Since, I have been blessed to be able to come to Belmont University in Nashville, TN where I am currently a sophomore studying Biomedical Engineering, an individualized major created through the Honors Program.

However, though Romania was out of sight for a time, it was never out of mind and I always desired to go back there and help my people. This hope and dream was realized when I had the honor of receiving the Lumos Scholarship. I will be returning to my hometown Oradea where I will work with the Charis Foundation to improve the lives of the local community. I will be accomplishing this in part through need-based response to problems that arise, especially helping the impoverished communities in the area. I will also accomplish this by working in the orphanages.

Because I am fluent in both Romanian and English, I will be teaching the children English as a part of their schooling there as well as helping them develop a good work ethic and basic life skills. My goal beyond that is to love these orphans and provide them good support in their personal lives. These children have never known a sense of family or community before and we both have so much to learn by simply doing life with each other.

I chose this project because I have a specific heart for these people, in whose place I could have very easily been and it is an amazing opportunity to give of myself to others, which is one of my biggest goals in life. It will be a deep and purposeful experience and I highly await sharing it with you through my blog!