By Andy Baker
It was about seven years ago that I stopped by Daniel Bagosi’s new home to have coffee with him. During our conversation that morning, he told me about some of the children in the community that had been knocking on his door asking for food. He was deeply troubled by this as it was all too frequent, and he asked me if I would go with him to visit the community where these children lived.
Daniel and I had previous experience working together to help people in extreme poverty. It was no surprise to me as we conversed that these children who had been visiting him were Roma/Gypsy in ethnicity. There is a long history with these ethnic people in Eastern Europe that begins centuries earlier with slavery and continued to this day with what could be described as societal oppression which continues to lead to a lack of opportunity for them. Cultural differences and stigmas have led to the continued separation of this people group, and that day as Daniel and I were going to visit, I knew we were doing something out of the ordinary.
I believe history can teach us much, and the separation of cultures in Romania was created by many wars and tense ethnic relations because of them. So as Daniel encouraged me to go and visit that day, this was not a cultural norm, but this was a Christ-centered call to go to all people. Daniel knew that coming to his door and the doors of others for assistance was not a long term solution, and he told me that because he was making his home in that community, that he needed to reach out to his neighbors.
I went with Daniel that day and we met various families. We laid the groundwork that day for what would become a program for the children in that community to attend school through the assistance of Remember the Children. Seven years later, that program continues, and we are helping to send dozens of children to school with the proper uniforms and supplies that they need. We also hold annual VBS programs, take the children who are showing great promise to summer camp, visit monthly with food supplements for families, and we visit each Easter and Christmas with special gifts. But the greatest program that was started and continues is the weekly Bible study/prayer meeting. It is here that life transformation can begin to take shape, and lives can begin to find their deeper meaning and value through God’s love for them through Jesus Christ.
So many stories have come out of this community through the years, but the one that is most exciting happened this last week. Alexandra has been in our education program from the inception. She attends everything that we host in the community and has had a hunger to develop her Christian character over the last few years. Well, this past week she made the decision to fully commit her life to Jesus Christ and to be his disciple and she was baptized. After seven years of consistently loving these people, we are now beginning to see the fruits of our labor.
Alexandra and Daniel at Her Baptism
To all our monthly ministry partners, we want to thank you. Sometimes as you send your monthly gift, you may wonder, does it really matter. Today Alexandra thanks you for being there for her. You have changed her life for eternity, and we are praying that this is just the beginning of a ripple effect. Relationships take time. It can be easy to give up and believe that your efforts are in vain. But it is a message that I remind our team very often, we may be there for the one. We have been there for Alexandra. We have reached the one. We pray this is just the beginning. Please pray with us!