Parents Albert and Nicoleta, and their children Bogdan, Alexandra and Cristian, have come a long way. Just seven years ago they lived in one room of the family home, with no kitchen, bathroom, running water or gas, and only an outside toilet and a wood stove for heat and cooking. With no secure income, they relied on social security and allowances for the children. Things were made worse by father Albert’s gambling addiction, which meant that any money he did make disappeared before it could be used to support his family.
It was a dark time for the family, who also had to cope with the death of their third child just a few days after birth.
When our Mission Without Borders coordinator, Traian first came into contact with them he realized that, despite their hardships and difficulties, this was a special family. We began to provide them with food, clothing and household goods, as well as Christian teaching and activities, including summer camps for the children.
- The family's wood-burning stove is used both for cooking and heating.
Traian was impressed with the family’s openness to hearing about God, and learning about God’s unconditional love for them, demonstrated practically in the support given to them, has been transformational. The children shared what they had learned at Christian groups and camps with their parents, who were intrigued. Wanting to know more, they began to attend some church meetings.
Mother Nicoleta was particularly impacted, as she tearfully recalls:
‘"I loved being at church, I loved the peace it gave me. At home things were tough and I didn’t know how to handle them anymore. We have made many mistakes. My husband’s addiction was a great burden for our family and, although we loved each other a lot, we weren’t able to change our situation, no matter how hard we tried."
The family were very much encouraged by the love and care shared with them by our MWB coordinator and volunteers. Eldest son Bogdan was the first of the family to give his life to Jesus. His mother followed, and they were very happy to be embraced by a Christian community that steered them in the right direction.
To please the rest of the family, father Albert agreed to attend church too, which proved to be a life-changing decision:
"Everything I heard went straight to my heart. I returned home full of joy and I immediately wanted to become a Christian," he shared.
Soon after giving his life to Jesus, skilled builder Albert made plans to leave his old ways behind and to improve living conditions for the whole family. He quit gambling and worked abroad to boost the family’s income. Nicoleta also found work as a chef’s assistant. The children, who had never had holidays, continued to have a wonderful time at the MWB summer camps, where the parents knew they would be safe and well cared for.