It is almost impossible for Romanians living in poor villages where there is no place to work. Before
the revolution, everyone had to work and if you were in a village, this meant working in the fields for the government communes.
The city factories also would send transport buses or vans to pick up those who worked in the city. In 1990, all of
this ceased. The factories and communes closed down because there was no one left in power to control them and no organized
government. Now there are no trains and buses to take people into the city to work and the village people only have
8th grade education or lower because there are no high schools in the villages. The people desire to work and try to
garden if they have land, but for the majority, there is no place to turn.
Working with these people for the past few years has shown me that they are not lazy and have a desire to
work and make life better for them and their children. If a child wants to go further than 8th grade, they have to live
in the big city. None of them have money for this, so they remain uneducated and poor. Now there is a chance for
us to help some of these young people once they are 17 years old. A special Romanian friend of ours has a place called
LIFE CENTER and is willing to take any of the youths we want to put there. This center is taking young people from the
heavy poverty regions and very poor families that have no other chance in life.
They will have a place to live and eat and will go through a 2 year training program in a special skill. They
will receive on the job training and will be prepared to be self-supporting. The long term plans are that
some of them will be able to return to their villages to train other youth in special skills. The youth will be given
business and social classes, along with Bible School for those who go into the ministry.
There are 7 boys and 2 girls that we are going to try to get into this program within the next two years.
They must wait until they are at least 17 years old, so this will also give us time to help them finish the 7th and 8th grades.
Our responsibility will be to donate $100 each month toward each young person that we send to the Life Center. Mission
To Serve will need sponsors to help with this fee. You could sponsor a youth for 2 years and put them on the road to
be self-supporting for the rest of their life. It will be an investment that will actually change a person's life, making
it better for them and their families.
If your church or class would like to take on one of these youths, please mark your donation "New Life Center
Youth Program".
MAY GOD BLESS YOU!
Your missionary to Romania,
Patricia Schinck
