Helping The Young And Old

Each time I visited Romania and the ministry of Bread of Life I went with a few questions. I wanted to see for myself if the work they do among the poor is effective. Does it help the right people in the right way? Have they created an overseas welfare system which enables those who won’t help themselves? Is there a good balance of sharing the gospel alongside the material help that is offered?

One of the first things I observed in traveling with Alin, Adi, and the rest of the Bread of Life team is the reality of the poverty in rural Romania. The isolation, lack of modern development, and poor hygiene all told the same story. The question that keeps coming to mind is ‘How do they live?’ The Feeding Centers I visited were full of poor children eating. You cannot enable a child by feeding them one good meal a day because they are not supposed to be self-sufficient. Help at this level provides some financial relief for their families but hardly creates an environment in which parents can stop working. The hope is that by providing some food security, parents are less likely to leave their families to look for work in another city or country. Many who leave never return.

Children who come to the village churches for the free meals also participate in the children’s Bible story and song program offered there. As a Sunday School teacher I appreciate how effective this kind of early education and influence is on young minds.

Certainly children are adorable and love-able and we just naturally want to protect them and provide for them. There is another group of people who need help just as much who might be easier to overlook. I am speaking, of course, about the elderly and frail. We are commanded by God to provide for our children and our parents. Programs within Bread of Life Ministries do just that. The elderly receive their portion of the food that is donated. Poor families also receive help through the Family Pack program under the supervision of local church partners who know which families are in true need.

To answer my own question: Yes, with your help and mine the poor are being helped effectively, compassionately, and in Jesus’ name!