Fraternity-Testvériség, 2003 (81. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
2003-01-01 / 1. szám
Page 20 TESTVÉRISÉG Youth Corner Working in God’s Poorhouse by Carrie Romanin The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy. Isaiah 9:2-3 Since I am a member of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America, I thought it might be of interest to the members to hear about the recent involvement I had in a small country called Moldova. I, along with my 18-year- old daughter, Abby, spent two weeks there for the past two summers. We have been richly blessed by our involvement with the people there, and I would like to tell you a little bit more. Moldova is sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine. It is the poorest nation out of the former Soviet republics. Unemployment is extremely high, and boredom, discouragement, and alcoholism are very prevalent. Many young people must leave the area to try to find work in the capital, Chisianau, or Moscow or St. Petersburg. The situation for most is bleak. Both times we traveled, we went with Summit Missions International (SMI), an agency located in Akron, Ohio, which is committed to reaching Eastern Europe with the message of God’s love through both work and deed. SMI has planted a church in Slobodzia, a village in the Prednestrovia area of Moldova. As part of their commitment to the church, we assisted the church in running a Bible Camp for kids ages 5-19. Each week of the 2-week camp brought in almost 100 kids. Largely due to communism, most of these youth had never heard the Gospel message. We brought craft activities, sports equipment, Bible lesson materials, and a team of 7-12 people from this area to run the camp. In addition, we fed all 200 kids a hot lunch every day during camp. All in all, it was an exhausting but very rewarding 2 weeks. The people there welcomed us with open arms into their homes and into their hearts. They shared what little they had. We laughed hysterically together as we sought to communicate through a Russian/English language barrier using lots of sign language. The children were lined up outside the church doors, sometimes hours, waiting and Carrie Romanin (left) with her daughter Abby and a young Moldovan friend named Costia. excited for the camp day to begin. Curious onlookers would watch the campers play basketball on courts which SMI had laboriously put in earlier using hand cement mixers. These we invited to come to camp or to church. We offered and demonstrated to them God’s love for them. Leaving was a painful and tearful good-bye, not knowing if we would see each other again in this life. There is much work to be done in Moldova and there are many, many needs. Summit Missions’ warehouse last year shipped over 500,000 tons of food, clothing, shoes, medical equipment, and other relief supplies to orphanages, churches, villages, old-folks homes, and homes for the mentally ill, all donated by people who were burdened for those in need. I cannot begin to describe the deplorable conditions most of these people live in. Just the odors would turn most of us away. But there are lonely hearts there; joyous to have visitors, to have someone care, to remember them. I stay in contact with many friends I made in Moldova through letters and e- mail. I volunteer one day a week at the warehouse to help with the polishing of shoes, sorting of clothes or various office jobs. My desire is to be able to return as many more times as I am able. I hope this brief introduction to the work in Moldova and the part A young camper from Bible Camp with a gift of a “Winnie the Pooh” book. A young boy at a state orphanage in Tirospol
