Medgidea. A place that is lost but not forgotten.

The gypsies would steal whatever metal they could to recycle and this meant the box was completely open and exposing live wires.  Touch this and you are not coming back.  Welcome to Casa Alba.

People live here?  this was my first thought in a way that I could not fathom.

The faces tell the stories of so much pain and yet they still light up when we visited.

The children gather as well as some of the adults for a story telling session.  There were no older adults in this whole village.  I think the oldest was in his 40's.

Kevin handing out some cookies and soap to the children and adults.  So basic in our minds and a world of difference to theirs as for some these 3 cookies would have been their only meal so far today.

This is the one place to get water for this whole village of about 20 families or so.  Often times the villagers would defecate nearby here so you can imagine what gets in their water supply.

See that black smoke....burning plastic.  You cannot imagine the smell of that or what it does to your lungs and yet they need heat and will burn whatever to get it.

Some dried food (soup and oats) that provide basic sustainability for another village we visited.

See this house if you want to call it that?  It houses at least 8-10 people. 

How they can smile has me completely baffled.  We don't smile often in North America over not having some things we want or other things but they find a way to smile despite the hardship...and it is hard for them.

Here is one family that made their way out of the villages.  The husband has a job fixing ships and is bused 2 hours each way every day for work and the mother helps out at one of the projects that Open Doors runs.  And even with them working...this is their main living space what you are seeing.  The young girl in this picture however is an A student in school which is promising although she battles a form of arthritis that she needs shots frequently.

Welcome to "The White House"  This apartment building is home to over 95 families.  They would take their feces and simply throw it out the window to the garbage bin below.  We were nearly hit by some but just missed it.

This is a washroom for the building if you can even call it that.  I don't even think rats choose this.

A hollow ceramic brick with an exposed heater coil is what is used for heat and cooking.  They do what they can for the basic necessities.  

Meet Hardi and Betty Kubassek, the tirelss two person team that oversee so many projects of education and service to the poor.  Apart from the odd visitors for the year to help they are it.  They are the administrators, the people on the road, the ones who hand out the food, the ones who fix and repair things, the ones who find more ways to help....2 of them.  Betty is known as the Mother Theresa of Medgidea and Hardi balances her out as her energy to do this work is off the charts insane.  IF you can keep up with her pace you are one of the few.  Their heart for these people humbled me beyond belief and I am in awe of what they do.  I will not excuse the fact that they say it is by God's strength that they can do this and before you criticize that belief...walk even a half mile in their shoes if you can. 

So long Medgidea....you are a small spot on the map but a huge spot on my heart for your people and to those who tirelessly work amongst them..

One last look at the living quarters inside one of those huts in the villages.  This would house anywhere from 4-10 or so people and they often fought every summer about which home would be who's?  This life is unfathomable for me as they endure frigid temps and brutally hot summers.

How do I even begin to unpack what we experienced in Medgidia, Romania.   There are just no words to describe nor express the emotions that went through me while visiting these lost but no forgotten people in a very poor part of Romania.  The pictures I have included have a brief description but let 

me give you more of a picture of what we saw if I can.

You will see a picture of two of the most amazing people you will ever meet when it comes to humility and servant hearts.  They not only talk the talk but walk the walk and there is no denying the passion they have for the work they are doing amongst the filthiest conditions I have ever seen myself.  I understand that there are many areas of extreme poverty but most of those places I know of exist in warm climates so at least heat is not always an issue.  Heat is a huge issue for most of these people who live in conditions I would not put my dog in.  In one village we were in they simply have squatter shacks on a hill and have formed a community.  This community has one water outlet for the entire village and as for washrooms…non- existent.  The ground near their huts is their toilet and often the human feces is close to the water supply so just think of that for a moment.  Now if that is not enough, heating for the shacks is accomplished by burning whatever in their sobas (terracotta fireplaces with ceramic with baffles to distribute heat).  Burning whatever often includes burning plastic!  The black smoke is the tell tale sign and the smell will send you soaring.  Add to that the fact this cause black lung in many of the children there after exposure to it.  In fact, the director I travelled with had a collapsed lung after one of his trips here and staying in such a place that heated with plastic.  I cannot begin to explain the family dynamics because there are none.  Sex is seen as what is acceptable at any age over 12 it seems and it is not uncommon for a twenty something year old woman to be a grandmother or at least by the time she hits 30.  Add to this the fact that the fathers of the children vary so often and yet they all dwell together and just try to eek out a living by whatever means, many of the activities are not necessarily legal but what can you do when they have no other means.  Just one look at the children and your heart breaks.  You just want to hold them and comfort them and reassure them.  We saw some that would come to greet our truck as we visited them with food and soap.  Most of them were not clothed properly and when I saw a girl who was no more than 4 with only socks on outside in temperatures around the freezing mark I broke somewhat.  I had to hold it together in order to document and take this in order to educate others but I am human and my heart was ripped open.  I even well up as I think about it as I write this.  I thought in that moment what my Becky would do for these children if she was here and yet being a man in their village I could do nothing but observe and help with the handout.  I felt so helpless and yet we were helping.

Through all of these struggles the children still manage to smile and I could not and cannot figure out why.  They have absolutely nothing compared to our standards and yet they were playing amongst garbage, smouldering and burning plastic and often without clothes in frigid temperatures.  I can only say that much of this hope comes from the work that Open Doors Foundation is doing among these people in cooperation with EuroAid who provide many of the food and supplies for the poor.

If you think they only do feeding and distributing soap and clothes then you would be sadly mistaken though.  This team of two has done more since 2000 than anyone I have ever known.  Their tireless work and energy and passion is evident and ceases from morning to night…every day.  They educate the children and teach them and do whatever they can do to empower them to be the best they can be.  They are Christians but don’t let that title make you think they are forcing people to convert to Christianity.  While they do share and are not ashamed of that their love and personal investment of time, energy, their own money and even their health is all laid on the line for poor in Medgidia. They have done all this without wanting accolades while many try to put them on a humanitarian pedestal in the ranks of Mother Theresa.  They have the respect of the government,  and the many people who have gotten to know them. 

What does the future hold for this work?  Herein lies the challenge as many people who come to help and want to stay often leave because of the conditions that exist everyday.  Who will assume the reigns of this organization in years to come as they get older and their health does not allow them to keep pace?  I am saddened by that scenario in my mind and yet I know that I am among those who will not take up that role as it is not something I even felt remotely competent to do.  What I can do is inform, educate and engage people about this work and I will do that however I can. 

Having a heart for those whom many want to forget and toss away like garbage is something that you will feel and if you don’t feel after seeing this and experiencing something like this then you just don’t know what compassion is and that is even sadder than those living in the shacks and most rundown apartment buildings you can imagine.

This trip has done many things to me and has taught me much so far about compassion and about love and acceptance despite our differences in thoughts, attitudes and opinions.  It has also taught me about what true humility in action looks like.  But one of the biggest things I have learned is to appreciate, value and truly treasure every breath I have with my family and to put aside my own silly thoughts about things that are so insignificant and to embrace life with everything I am and have and to do that with my family and never without them.  I miss them so very much and that has really set in now as I still have 2 days till I am back home.

I will post some more pics of this visit at the end when i summarize but hopefully it conveys much of what we saw.

Off to Oradea today and then to Tulca to observe more needs being met so stay tuned.