From the Elders - July 2008
It was interesting to revisit Romania in May with Erika. The atmosphere at the Life Skills Centre was somewhat subdued, however the co-operation and help with the filming was good. The children we met in Little Rainbows and the homework club were wonderful and full of life. The relationship between the children and the teachers was excellent: it was a joy to see the vision for the Life Skills Centre being worked out in a practical way.
As I work on editing the 2008 film I am struck by how well the children look. They are dressed similarly to what we might expect in the UK, they appear happy, they do not look undernourished and one may be tempted to ask "do they need our sponsorship?"
It is when you visit their homes and see the inadequacy of their living conditions that you realize the large gulf between their lives and those of us living in the west. You try and imagine how they endure very cold winters and cope with the wet season. Last year conditions in the shanty town were very dry; this year heavy rain had fallen the week before we arrived. Visiting the home of the children featured in 2007, we were amazed to see a sizeable lake in their back garden, a lake which had encroached into their house the previous week.
One of the comments I received following the 2007 film was that there was not enough 'grunge' in the film supposedly to pull at the heartstrings of potential sponsors. However, situations do not stand still, sponsorship will bring improvements to their children's lifestyle; the clothes they wear could have been donated. We need to be pleased that so much has been achieved. Romania today is very different from 5 or 10 years ago and much of that is due to the resources provided by Christians in the west. In other words it is a success story for those who have been helped, but there are many others still awaiting help.
I have been preparing for our Children at Risk Sunday, the one Sunday in the year when we focus on the plight of children throughout the world. There are children at risk in every country, including England, much of it caused by irresponsible adults and the pernicious opportunists who exploit children for financial gain or to gratify their own twisted sexual desires.
Jesus was passionate about justice, he was passionate that his followers (including us) should make every effort to share his compassion for the poor and vulnerable. Can we find time to pray or to give our resources or time to help a child who is at risk whether it is in this country or abroad? May we value our children and young people. Just a thought - is everyone who is without Christ 'poor and vulnerable and therefore at risk??'.
Gerald