Magyar Egyház, 2002 (81. évfolyam, 1-3. szám)
2002 / 3. szám
i MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 3. oldal “THE LORD GIVES US STRENGTH TO HELP THOSE WHO ARE SUFFERING.” Many people in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union always look with dread and fear toward the winter season, especially the elderly and young children. Winter to them spells hunger and cold. Since the fall of the Iron Curtain many of the elderly receive very little or no government pensions at all, and the small amount some do receive is barely enough to pay for a bit of food, not to mention the rent and utilities. With the continued escalation of food and utility costs, many will have to survive the winter without heat. Some will even being evicted from their homes because they cannot pay the rent. To a western traveler, it seems that the economy is improving. New roads are being constructed. Water and sewers and utilities in the large cities are being improved, but inflation has quadrupled over the last three years, plunging many people into poverty. Many are turning to the local churches or outside organizations for help. Families are struggling to provide the basic needs for their children and for some it has become a hopeless situation. They either abandon their children or take them to a state orphanage. This has created overcrowded conditions in many orphanages which already operate on limited budgets with the allotted food rations per child that continue to diminish. Many children suffer in these cold unheated buildings because they lack proper clothing and suffer hunger because of the diminished food supplies. They have been abandoned, receive no love, and have no one to confide in. In the past years the Come Over and Help - “Winter Help” program has provided shipments of food to state orphanages on a number of occasions. Help is given to many of the suffering Christians by providing food and by assisting with utilities or rent bills. How is Winter Help Aid distributed and who monitors it? Pastor Albert and Marta Nagy distribute and monitor the Come Over and Help Winter Help program in Torda, Romania. Albert Nagy is the pastor of the Hungarian Reformed Church in Torda. He is a God fearing man whose main concern are the souls of the flock that the Lord has entrusted to him. He and his wife Martha spend endless hours ministering, comforting and visiting many poor families and elderly people. It is an exhausting and time- consuming task. “The Lord gives us strength to help those who are suffering and Jesus is their only answer. With the winter approaching and the continual price increases, we fear this will drive some of our church members into a deeper state of poverty. When we receive money from Come Over and Help, we organize a group of church volunteers who help with the distribution of the supplies to the poor. We purchase most of the food in bulk. This saves money, we can purchase more and we are then able to help more people. The bulk food is repackaged into smaller quantities and weekly food packs are assembled according to the size of the family. Those who are physically able come to church on Sunday receive their weekly package after the service. We have seen a steady increase in our Sunday service attendance since this program has been put in place. Some people come only once but there are those who attend faithfully each week and we can see that the Lord has begun to work in some hearts. Remember the parable of the sower; ‘where the seed falls will determine the fruit it will bear.’ That is why we continue to spread the seed. My calling is to preach the word of God and the Holy Spirit will apply it to the hearts. For the sick, disabled or elderly who have difficulty getting around, the food packs are delivered to their homes. We use this opportunity to minister to them and encourage them to call upon the name of the Lord for their needs. We encourage them to thank Him for the weekly provisions they receive from His hand. We also provide assistance with rent and utility bills. “A JOYFUL HEART IS GOOD MEDICINE, BUT A BROKEN SPIRIT DRIES UP THE BONES.” Proverbs 17:22 If you ask me, I think it is often just as sacred to laugh as it is to pray... preach... or witness. But then laughter is a witness in many ways. We have been misled by a twisted, unbalanced mind if we have come to think of laughter and fun as being carnal or even questionable. This is one of Satan’s sharpest darts, and from the looks and long lines on our faces, some of us have been punctured too many times. Pathetic indeed is the stern, somber Christian who has developed the look of an old basset hound through lone hours of practice in restraining humor and squelching laughs. Honestly now...how is your sense of humor? Are the times in which we live beginning to tell on you - your attitude, your face, your outlook? If you are not sure, ask those who live under your roof, they will tell you!
