Download romania update, january and february 2008 malcolm, christine, paul

ROMANIA UPDATE, JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 2008
MALCOLM, CHRISTINE, PAUL AND ANNA
After one year in the EU, conditions for the people we work with have changed very little. It is true
that in the country generally there are some major changes but this has no impact on the real need.
As always in Romania, corruption is rife on every level and the rich get richer and the poor get
poorer. Added to all this, it has been an extremely long, cold winter this year, thus increasing fuel
costs and personal difficulties.
We want to thank you all very much for your continued support in prayer and in every other way.
Without you it would not be possible to continue this work as more and more we are being exposed
to great need as ‘the work’ enlarges. We are increasingly dependent on the Lord to enable us to
continue and we praise Him for His faithfulness in every way. The whole work of ACA is run by a
team of committed workers, both in the UK and Romania, and we praise God for this wonderful
‘working together’.
Some of the benefits of Romania entering the EU are as follows.
There is a new International airport being built very near us, outside the village of Ghimbav. It is supposed to be
finished within the next few years. We will wait and see!! This will of course benefit us very much and shorten
our travelling time. There are also new roads being built and many small town and village roads are being
upgraded. There is investment with Western firms coming into Romania and this, in turn, is providing jobs for
some people. Up till now, the minimum wage is still only £120 per
month and consequently this is an attraction to western investment,
to employ low-paid workers. There are Romanians at the very top
of the scale who earn salaries on a western level, but they are few
compared with the population of the country. The gap between
rich and poor is widening all the time. Tax levels are very high on
borrowing and employing, thus making private business very
difficult.
In general, the people we work with are the poorest of the poor,
both Romanians and Gypsies. Sometimes, the situations seem
hopeless, but by the grace of God we are enabled to continue, and
we do what we can, even though it seems like a drop in the ocean.
There are many villages in the hills, and isolated old farmsteads
where people still live that are never visited, or helped by anyone. The social infrastructure of the country is
almost non-existent. So many old people live and die in their homes without heating, warm clothes, medicine or
sufficient food; because they live in the hills or miles from anywhere and their families have left for a better life.
Tragic accidents are still happening regularly in Romania. Many are the result of lack of understanding of
modern day life. There is still such a mixture in the country districts of old and new. Cars and lorries travel fast on
the same roads as horses, carts, pedestrians and bicycles. Many of the cars are not roadworthy, as although there is
an MOT in Romania it is easy to bribe the mechanic in a garage to pass a vehicle as OK.
While we were in Romania this time, a young couple from the gypsy village went to collect hay, with a horse and
cart, from a neighbouring village. This involved travelling on a main road. In Romania, it is now illegal for horses
and carts to travel on principal roads outside villages. As they were returning, with a full load of hay, at night,
without lights, a drunk driver approached them at speed and killed the horse. The cart immediately turned over and
the young wife, six months pregnant, fell from the top of the load. She remained unconscious in hospital for 2
months until finally the life support machine was switched off. She was brain dead. The medical staff operated to
try to save the baby, but it was dead. She leaves a husband of 22 years old and a child of one year.
Another incident was a 12 year old girl who had disappeared from home with a boy. She was found when she
jumped out of a 4th floor apartment onto concrete, to escape 3 boys, she said, that were abusing her. Miraculously,
she only broke her arm and injured her hips and is now reunited with her family.
Her father, a brother from the Pentecostal church, cut off the top of his finger at work. At the hospital he could not
be persuaded to have it stitched back on, as he felt so discouraged with all his problems (he has a wife who drinks,
and already has the care of his 2 grandchildren, as their mother has disappeared and their father, his only son, died
last year of aids). While he was waiting for treatment, the leader of the church ‘happened’ to come in with his
father, who had slipped on the ice.
On seeing this brother, and finding out the problem, he immediately went to the doctor and asked him to stitch the
finger back. He said to the doctor, ‘this man plays the accordion in the church and we need him’. As the result,
they were both able to witness to the medical staff, and now the finger is fully healed and the accordion is being
played in the church. We do give God the glory.
House building is one main project that we are continuing to think about. There are so many in desperate
need, with no means to help themselves. At the moment, we have 4 families in our hearts who we want to help.
One is the family in Holbav, near to Vulcan, that have been mentioned in previous newsletters. They live in abject
poverty in a house that can only be called a tumble down shack, with a mud floor. We plan a type of prefab
building which stands on a concrete base. These are manufactured in Romania and are reasonably inexpensive.
The biggest difficulty is ownership of land and planning permission. All this costs money and is time-consuming,
especially when there are few buses, and officials are often very unhelpful and ask for ‘gifts’.
Another family is from Codlea gypsy village. Their home (one small room with 8 people living in it and no
facilities) is being demolished because it is in the way of a road that is being constructed. The local council has
given them a small piece of land but, of course, they have no means to be able to build.
The other 2 families have already begun to build in Vulcan gypsy village but have no money to finish. All these are
genuine cases where the need is desperate.
The house we have already built in Vulcan gypsy village is now finally finished and the family is settled there. We
are very pleased with the end result, even though it proved a much bigger job for one person (namely Bill) to
accomplish almost alone!
The basic needs of the people we work with are still grave, because many have no facilities, no jobs, many
children and little education. The cost of living is now almost equivalent to ours in the UK and is rising. As a
result, there are very many under-nourished children, expectant mothers and old people. The child benefit is still
only £5 per child per month and the old age pension the same. Even those who have worked all their lives in a
paid job do not receive more than £40 a month. These people only survive by living as close families and sharing
finance and food.
There is still a chronic drink problem even amongst the poor. This is mainly because of the hopelessness of the
situation. Public bars and even shops allow people to run up bills, as few have any money and it is the only way
they can sell their goods. The problem is that no-one can ever pay their debt and eventually end up being fined and
then taken to court. The gypsies still beg from house to house. It is often very difficult to know how genuine the
begging is, as lying way of life. We sometimes think they do not understand what ‘truth’ is! Sometimes they bring
wooden articles for sale or fruit in season, which they have picked in the forest. If they do this, we try to buy from
them, because we feel that they have made an effort to support themselves.
The problem of education amongst the gypsies is still very serious. Many parents cannot read or write and
therefore do not see the importance of school for their children. Legally, school is compulsory, but there is no way
of enforcing it because many children do not have clothes or shoes suitable for school and no money to buy books,
pens, rucksacks, and the many other things (often unnecessary in our thinking) that the teachers require. They are
also mocked by other children and then either fight or drop out of school. Because they have never been taught
anything at home, they cannot concentrate and are consequently fall behind and are then neglected by the teachers.
This is one of the areas that we are trying to address.
The small gypsy school is progressing well and we are very
encouraged. Bill and Sue Owens and Jo Stebbings are
responsible here. Jo is a qualified teacher and is also teaching
Matt and Jo Owens. Simona, a Romanian sister, is also
helping regularly. She has a real calling from the Lord for this
work and works voluntarily, as do all our helpers, and we are
very grateful. As a result of extra help, we have been able to
take some more children, who are unschooled, from the gypsy
village. The school is growing! All the children we have
spoken about previously are doing very well in spite of their
home situations and all of them come regularly to school and
work hard. It is not that they are not intelligent but that they
have never had fair opportunities.
The kindergarten and the canteen still continue to run regularly on
weekdays. Currently, there are 22 children in the kindergarten and 180 in
the canteen. We also feed 20 old people from the canteen (they come and
collect some food) and all the workers and helpers.
Casa Aurora in Brasov has unfortunately still not sold. This is a major
prayer point and area of concern. We are in faith that it will sell before
the summer, and at present, there is someone interested. Please pray with
us, because we want to finalise this area of previous ministry and finally
relocate ACA totally to Vulcan. When the house sells, we plan to buy
Gary’s house next door to Betania, where the canteen is already located,
thus enabling him to move to Bran where he has started a new church. We know God has all these things in hand
and His timing is perfect.
We will use the new house as the base for ACA for aid storage and distribution and possibly for hospitality as well
as for conference meetings and anything else the Lord leads us into in the future.
The small pharmacy located in Betania continues to be a blessing in the village. Often the village pharmacy
does not have drugs or they are very expensive. We only give simple medicines, i.e. antibiotics, painkillers, cough
mixture and various creams etc, but then only with a prescription from the doctor. The only problem with this is
that as soon as the people know which antibiotics we have, they all go to the doctor asking for a prescription and
she gives them one. The whole system is corrupt as nine times out of ten she does not see the patient but still
prescribes medication. Romanians think that antibiotics are a cure for everything and even for a slight head cold
will run to the doctor. Education is desperately needed in this area. The main problem though, is a certain
‘mindset’ which only a miracle can change. For example, draughts and open windows cause colds and kidney
problems and very cold or very hot drinks cause sore throats, etc. Babies are frequently taken to the hospital with
fevers and put on intravenous drips or given antibiotics by injection. There is great fear amongst so many of illness,
but they will not listen to simple remedies and save themselves money, worry, and endless medical tests.
Unfortunately these are often unnecessary and used as a way to get money, even from the very sick and poor.
The churches continue and our desire is for more to hear the good news of salvation through our Lord Jesus
Christ, and the importance of new life in Him, The rock bottom point in all our ministry is this hope we have in
Him. In the end, He only is the answer to men and women’s deepest need. He said, “I am The Way, The Truth and
The Life, no man comes to the Father except through Me”. We have proved it by experience. Jesus IS our life, and
He longs for all to know Him.
Our next trip will be mid April and again mid June. Please continue to pray for us, we depend on the Lord through
you. Thank you.
Our love in the precious name of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who is soon coming again,
Malcolm, Christine, Paul and Anna.
Ongoing needs
Prams, buggies
Bicycles
Disposable nappies
Teats, bottles, dummies
Incontinence pads
Children’s clothes
Baby clothes
Aurora Christian Association (A.C.A.)
Rora House,
Liverton,
Newton Abbot,
Devon.
TQ12 6HZ
Tel: 01626 821746
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.rorahouse.org.uk/aca.htm