From a foundation of hope to a future of opportunity
If you’ve followed our journey from the beginning, you know that the PATH Network was born out of a dream: to create a new path for some of the world’s most vulnerable young people.
Across Eastern Europe, orphaned and at-risk teenagers face enormous challenges as they transition into adulthood. Without the support of family, community, and meaningful opportunities, many become targets for exploitation and trafficking.
But we believe their stories can be different.
The PATH Network—Providing Access to Hope—is a growing network of churches and organizations working together to create an intentional pathway toward independent, abundant living.
Our goal is not simply to provide for these young people. It is to equip and empower them to take ownership of their own journeys, discover their God-given potential, and pursue the lives God has designed for them.
And this summer, we took another significant step forward.
We’re getting further down the PATH!
First, We Built the Foundation
Over the past year, we’ve shared the exciting news of opening two transitional homes in Moldova: one for young men and another for young women.
Today, 23 young people are part of these homes.
But these are much more than places to live. They are intentional communities where young people can begin building the foundations necessary to launch into adulthood.
Within our homes, they have access to:
- Psychological care and emotional support
- Academic tutoring and educational assistance
- Spiritual development and discipleship
- Relational community and mentorship
- Practical life skills training
- Entry-level job preparation
Each of these components is designed to help our young people develop the confidence, stability, character, and skills they need for the next chapter of life.
We’ve seen tremendous progress in their lives, and we are deeply encouraged by the foundation being established.
But a foundation is meant to be built upon.
And that’s exactly what happened this summer.
The Summit Center: Taking the Next Step
This August, we officially opened the Summit Center in Chișinău, Moldova, launching the next phase of the PATH Network.
The Summit Center serves as the vocational and career-development arm of our ministry.
Here, we begin helping young people answer some important questions:
What are my abilities? What skills do I need to develop? What kind of work do I want to pursue? How can I become an employee who stands out? How can I earn a sustainable income and learn to live independently?
We want our young people to do more than find a job. We want them to develop the skills necessary to enter the workforce, succeed in their careers, manage their finances, and build stable, independent lives.
And we want them to do all of this within a strong community of mentorship, discipleship, and ongoing aftercare.
This summer, that vision began becoming a reality.
Eight Young Men. Three Weeks. One Incredible Summer.
Our first Summit Center internship brought eight young men from our boys’ home into an intensive, three-week program combining job-readiness training, hands-on carpentry experience, and biblical discipleship.
Each morning, we focused on eight core values that we believe can help a person succeed in virtually any profession:
PREPARE • FOCUS • WORK • LEARN • LEAD • SOLVE • ELEVATE • SUCCEED
These aren’t simply workplace skills. They are habits of character, responsibility, and personal development that can shape a lifetime.
In the afternoons, the young men put those values into practice through hands-on carpentry and construction training.
Our own Ronnie Hall, a member of the Kingdom Bridges team with decades of experience in carpentry and homebuilding, led this portion of the internship.
Under Ronnie’s leadership, the young men learned how to use tools, approach projects, solve problems, work as a team, and take pride in what they accomplished.
And they embraced it!
They showed up early. They listened. They stayed focused. They asked questions. They worked hard. They encouraged one another.
Watching these young men engage so fully in the opportunity before them was an incredible experience.
We weren’t simply teaching them how to build something.
We were helping them discover that they could build a future.
Take a few minutes to see what God accomplished this summer through our first Summit Center internship. These eight young men are taking their next steps toward a brighter future!
Building More Than Job Skills
Alongside the vocational training, we intentionally invested in the spiritual development of these young men.
Throughout the internship, we studied the Bible together, beginning with an introduction to Scripture—its nature, structure, and how to navigate and understand God’s Word.
Then we dove into a verse-by-verse study of the New Testament book of Galatians.
Through our Blaze Series: Set Free to Stay Free, we explored the freedom we have in Jesus Christ and what it means to live a life shaped by God’s grace.
We shared meals, built relationships, worked together, studied together, and grew together.
It was a summer of community, discipleship, personal discovery, and tremendous growth.
For those of us who have dreamed, prayed, planned, and worked to establish the PATH Network, it was an extraordinary moment.
We were watching the dream become a reality right before our eyes.
What’s Next? The PATH Continues!
As exciting as this summer was, we are just getting started.
Our immediate focus is on two important next steps.
First, we’re preparing to welcome approximately 25 additional young men and women into the Summit Center’s introductory training program.
These young people will begin developing the foundational job-readiness skills necessary to move toward vocational opportunities of their own.
Second, we’re preparing to move our first eight graduates into intentional career internships within their local community.
Having completed their introductory training, these young men will begin exploring specific career paths and gaining experience in the actual job market.
Our goal is to help them develop marketable skills, secure sustainable employment, and eventually transition into independent living.
And we’ll continue walking alongside them through mentorship, community, and aftercare.
The PATH doesn’t end when a young person gets a job.
We’re committed to helping them stay on the path toward a healthy, stable, abundant life.
The Bigger Dream: A Network That Can Transform a Nation
Here’s where the vision becomes even more exciting.
Remember, we aren’t simply building a boys’ home, a girls’ home, or a vocational center.
We’re building a NETWORK.
From the beginning, our vision has been to create a model that can be shared, strengthened, and multiplied.
Within the PATH Network, we have gifted partners with expertise in organizational development, operational systems, training, and program management.
Together, we are documenting what we’re learning and developing comprehensive operational manuals, training modules, policies, and procedures for both our transitional homes and the Summit Center.
Why is this so important?
Because we don’t want this pathway to serve only the young people currently living in our two homes.
We envision a growing network of churches, homes, and organizations throughout Moldova that can bring the young people they serve into this same intentional pathway.
Imagine a network of transitional homes providing stability and care, connected to vocational centers offering practical training, connected to employers providing meaningful career opportunities, and supported by a strong system of mentorship and aftercare.
Imagine young people who were once vulnerable to exploitation becoming confident, equipped, employed, and independent adults.
Imagine the impact this could have across an entire nation.
Our dream is to see Moldova transformed—one young life at a time.
We dream of a day when orphaned and at-risk teenagers no longer have targets on their backs, but instead have opportunities before them.
A day when they are free to pursue the lives God has created them to live.
And Moldova is only the beginning.
As we refine this model and complete the training resources, we envision sharing what we’ve learned with partners in other communities and nations.
The possibilities are extraordinary.
Thank You for Walking This PATH With Us
When we look back at where we started and consider what God has already done, our hearts are filled with gratitude.
Two transitional homes. Twenty-three young people. A completed Summit Center. Eight young men completing our first internship. And an expanding vision for the future.
What began as a dream is taking shape.
And none of this would be possible without the faithful prayers, generosity, encouragement, and partnership of people like you.
You are helping us build more than homes and training centers.
You are helping us build a pathway to hope.
Thank you for believing in these young people. Thank you for investing in their futures. And thank you for walking alongside us as we continue this journey.
We’re getting further down the PATH, and the best is yet to come!
With gratitude,
Pastor Jeff Copeland
Director, Kingdom Bridges Ministries
PATH Network — Providing Access to Hope
