The Jahic family, father Djemo, mother Almira and children Eldin (5), Edvin (4), Mina (4) and Izet (3) live in an old barrack that used to be an office of local authorities, in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Djemo lived there with his parents while they were alive. The barrack is not suitable for habitation. It is small, damp and deteriorating- but they have no where else to go. Djemo and his wife are unemployed. Before the war, Djemo was employed in a public company and when the war started, he joined the army. After the war, his military service ceased. He has been unemployed ever since. His only income is the casual income he can earn from occasional manual labour opportunities: digging, chopping, unloading, collecting old iron or aluminum. Although it is hard labour, he is willing to do it to earn any income to support his young family. Often this income isn’t even enough to buy food for his family. Regardless, he never ceases to look for work to support his family.
When Mira, the MWB Coordinator met the Jahic family in 2005, this was her impression, “When I first met this family, I was appalled by their living conditions. Their home consisted of one room, which they used as the kitchen, living room, and bedroom for the parents and the children. The only pieces of furniture they had in the room were a damaged cot, bed, and an old stove that produced smoke throughout the room. They used garbage waste for firewood, and as you can imagine the smoke and smell were overwhelming and terrible. All members of this family looked depressed, frightened, uncertain, shabby and very thin”.
Today, three years later, they live in the same room. They have received significant help from MWB. Their living conditions have changed and they are more socialized. But they are still very poor and often hungry. Just recently Mira visited, and discovered the Jahic family didn’t have any food in the house, not even a gram of flour or a drop of oil. The family’s poverty could be seen in the children’s sad, hungry eyes. It was heartbreaking. Thankfully, MWB has an “Urgent Needs Fund” and we are able to help people when they are in a crisis. We were able to purchase flour and oil, so that the family could at least make bread. All their fears disappeared when they saw the big bag of flour and bottles of oil we brought them. Instead of uncertainty and fear, their hearts were filled with gratefulness and happiness. Almira said ”We only have dear God and you - people who support and understand us; sensitive and helpful in our constant struggle to survive. We trust you and know we can rely on you. Whenever we are in a difficult situation you support us. I would like to say a big thank you to all the good people in the world and especially to those who put money aside and support us through your ministry”.
Material goods are not necessarily the most important things needy families enrolled in the F2F Program need and ask for. Most of these families are already used to surviving with few material possessions. It is the rejection by others, because of their poverty, that causes the most suffering.In Romania, the number of families struggling with extreme poverty increases by the day. Politicians and authorities remember them a few months before the election; offer them a little help and make many promises, but these are usually forgotten right after the elections are won. Mission Without Borders Romania has come to understand the most important support that families need is helping them to have faith in what they are able to do and to discover God as their only and most important help. We aim to not only care for the material and educational needs of families. Emotional Support such as counseling, Christian literature and ministry are central to what we do. All people are created equal and loved by God. They are loved and protected by our Lord and the only thing they have to do is ask for His help in order to find solutions to their problems.
The Mocanu family has only been enrolled in the F2F Program for a short time, but the life of this family has already improved significantly. Constantin (35) and Mariana (34) are endeavouring to raise their three children Irinel (15), Nicusor (13) and Ana Maria (2) despite intense hardship. They live in a rented room, without running water or electricity. The living conditions are awful, making it impossible to keep up an acceptable level of hygiene. They do not have a fridge so food cannot be stored safely. The children do their homework by candlelight. Both parents are unemployed. Mariana was injured in a car accident a few years ago and has a pin in her leg. This coupled with a heart problem, makes it impossible for her to secure employment or do anything that requires significant effort. The monthly income of this family is $150, the majority earned by Constantin doing casual work when he can get it. Before enrolment in the F2F Program, the atmosphere in this family was tense. Mariana was always worried, because they weren’t able to afford the necessary food, school supplies, clothes and shoes the children needed to grow and develop well. Constantin joined the trend of men who drown their sorrows in alcohol, drinking away the small income they had. This caused great tension between them.
From the first time the MWB Coordinator visited them and offered them a Bible, their life has changed significantly. They listen carefully to everything they are told and are so happy that they are not alone. MWB will help, but most importantly they have a Heavenly Father who wants to offer them the life-changing help they have always wanted. “They were surprised when I agreed to enter their small room because people usually refuse their invitation. They told me that a few times people have come to offer them food or clothes but refuse to enter their house because they are too poor. There is no doubt that their needs are huge. It is so encouraging to see that what they needed most was the opportunity to share their fears and problems with someone who cares”, said Adrian, the F2F Coordinator. As a result of the meetings and couselling with
Adrian, Constantin has given up alcohol, and Mariana is more optimistic and faithful. They now understand their future is in God’s Hands and He is the only One who can help them overcome their difficulties.
Thank you for your support of this vital Family-to-Family ministry. This comprehensive ministry has enabled us to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, give a light to those who were in darkness, to keep warm all those who were freezing, to help sick people struggling with chronic illness, to bring the Gospel to hungry souls and bring joy and peace into humble homes.
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