Calvin Synod Herald, 2007 (108. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2007-09-01 / 9-10. szám
TRAC UPDATES Diaspora Mission On 29 of April we went to the valley of Fuzes-patak on diaspora-mission. Together with me there were two first-year students who preached in Gyeke and Kispulyon. Csongor Asztalos, a third-year student, went to Cege for service. István Hajdú and I went to Kispulyon. After the service, we went to Sándor Biro for lunch. They invited us warmly and served us tasty lamb. While we were eating Mr. Biro (Sanyi) started to tell the story of his life. He was bom in Kispulyon. When he started to work he had to go to many places and big cities. He worked in Cluj for years then in Torda. Sanyi and his wife bought a house in Cluj, but they came back to back to Kispulyon when he got pensioned. They had three children: two sons and one daughter. The first boy worked in Iran and Iraq as a guest worker in the 80s. (In the time of Ceausescu working in the Orient was something usual. Ceausescu was in a good relationship with the leaders from there.) This son worked as an electrician. In 1995 he had an accident. He worked on a very old tree witch fell down together with him. After five days, the 32-year-old man died and was buried in Kispulyon. The daughter of Sanyi lives in Marosludas with two children. They are both grown: one of them is a track driver and has travelled all around Europe. The other one lives in Cluj. He has two sons but Sanyi is not so proud of these children.’They would rather go to the disco than to the church. And I don’t know why but neither my son nor daughter-in-law can raise them properly. They don’t seem to care about it.” Sanyi started to speak about administrative things: ’Tve got a small pension. Together with my wife we get around $130. Somehow we have to live on this small amount of money.” Last week they sold two cows and from that money they bought other animals. This is their business, and from it they can live somehow. They have lambs, milk, cheese; and they even give some to their children. After lunch, Sanyi went with us until the car came. Meanwhile, he told us about one of his neighbours. “There was an ironworker (down there called a wheel maker). But now there is nobody. He went to Cluj. The other one had died. You see, in the place of the houses now there are gardens. I bought them. There was the entrance, you see? But don’t think only the Hungarians get fewer. The Romanians also,” lamented Sanyi. We talked also about the Wass barons.”They owned all these surroundings,” explained Sanyi. Albi baron (Albert Wass went to Florida in 1947) was very nice. We used to work together. His father was a bad man, but the son was totally different from his father. He grew up with the poor children from Szentgotthard. They played together and he loved them. Don’t you know if someone will ask about the place - ask me.” He showed us his own gardens also.’That one above -1 bought it too, he said. And this too in front of us. My children’ are angry with me. They use to ask me: ‘Father, why are buying all this land when you can’t work on them?’ The answer of the old man 10____________________________________________________ is simple: ‘The love of the land.’ I’m a man from the village. What else can I buy? Just land...” David Sipos, 4th year student Homeless Mission After the holiday of the Resurrection we came back to the Theological university, and the homeless services continued where they had left off. Many people, around 25-30, came. They also came with their children to the Bible classes. While before there were around 2-4, now they were 6-7. At first glance, these are good statistics but, unfortunately, this shows how much the number of homeless people is increasing in Cluj. It is even more sad that those children who are born on the streets do not have a better chance for a more proper life. But if we look at it in another light, this increasing number shows also that more and more people are realizing their help is not in alcohol or something else, but comes from God only. As a homeless man once said, “I thank you for helping us, and I thank the Americans for giving us meals. They can’t give us a house, but what they offer us is enough. It’s good to feel that somebody loves me, takes care of me. Not only do I get bad words every day, but also a friendly hand. The Americans and this whole mission does this, encourages us, give us friendly hands, and drives us to the way of God.” As I wrote before there are many homeless at the mission but now I would like to write about one man I’ve spoke of before, Peter. He’s 64 years old. Ten years ago he had a house and family, but they were poor and couldn’t pay the bills. The state took away their home, and they had nowhere to go so they just stayed on the streets. I asked him where his wife is now? He said, “She’s not with me.” I saw it was painful for him to talk about this, so I didn’t ask any other questions about this. Peter now lives in a basement in miserable circumstances. I saw it. He sleeps on an old mattress. Last month we gave him a pillow and two blankets. Beside these things he has nothing. But he doesn’t give up. He wants to live and to fight for the future, and that’s why he works. He take things that people throw away, tries to make them reusable, and then sell them in the market. And sometimes he succeeds. He is fighting not for himself but for his son. His son is 34 years old and is in a sanatorium. Peter visits him every week and said the doctors gave him hope that his son will be cured. He says, “I pray to God for this miracle,” and asked us to pray for him also. Now we ask you to remember him in your prayers too. I don’t know his son’s name. He didn’t tell me and I didn’t ask him about this. I only know that the old man would give his own life, so much he loves his son. Peter hopes. He told me once how he imagines his future. He worked 25 years in a factory, and after one year he will get a pension. He won’t spend the money on alcohol or something else. From that money he wants to pay for a home, and wants to live together with his son. “If all these come true, I will happily walk with my son in the park knowing inside that we have a home where we can go.” Peter doesn’t want anything else, just what everybody wants: a warm home and a family to spend his
