The following is written by Anton Osoinach, whom, with his family, works with Hopes for Others in Arad, Romania. Anton and his family, due to their day-to-day interaction with the people, have an insight to the needs there that most of us never know:
When we arrived in Romania in May 2001, the dramatic needs were overwhelming. We desired to follow Jesus’ command: “Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.” Matt 5:42
But we found that many took advantage of our desire to give. They took, but it did not ever seem to change their circumstances or situation no matter how much we gave. We were giving a man a fish rather than teaching him to fish. The idea in this help program is to help families that are actively doing what they can to “learn to fish”. For example, they have a job (or jobs) and their children are in school, but for some reason they are having trouble making ends meet. Or, there is some real illness that prevents the person from being able to meet all of their own needs. Should you care to be a part of this, the cost would be approximately $150 per month, with a minimum commitment of six months.