MISSION WITHOUT BORDERS
SEEDS OF HOPE February 2018
Reap what you Sow - The Success of Consistency Vegetables growing in the garden, a brick oven built piece by piece, children flourishing at school – throughout the Beza household, there are signs that this family has hope and purpose.
Spring in Romania in full bloom is quite beautiful. Hills and green pastures stretch in every direction. You can grow anything on this fertile land, but the great sadness is that most people do not know how to develop the land, nor have the means to finance what is needed to maintain it, to help them survive and have a better life. This Spring however, one family is hard at work, learning new skills, planting crops and connecting with hope after overcoming tragedy and heartache. The Beza family live in rural Romania and have been on a tough but rewarding journey towards self-sufficiency with the help of Mission Without Borders. “Ten years ago, my wife was diagnosed with cancer. Thank God she survived, but the whole experience shook me up. I began to drink and I pushed my family away.” Nicholae Beza is a skilled handyman but was battling alcoholism and struggling to get out of the deep poverty cycle he and his family were in. “Slowly, one by one, I saw them retreat from me, one broken relationship after another. I felt despair that I had nothing to leave my children apart from a run-down unfinished house. I was ashamed, as my children were not known by their names in the village, but as the ‘son or daughter of that drunk.’ I had to change, but I did not know how.”
Identifying the family’s needs and potential, MWB has continued to support the family over the past 7 years through the Family to Family Program. During this time, broken relationships have been healed, financial burdens eased and the family has become empowered through working towards self-sufficiency. In the past, every month, Mr Beza struggled to provide for his family’s basic needs. MWB saw an opportunity to provide him with some Seeds of Hope boxes and tools, but more importantly encouragement to grow their own crops, to provide their own food, through their own hard work. Each month they became a little less burdened.
to the Beza family. From a few vegetables, they can make a stew that they will enjoy for the next few days. Although the garden doesn’t meet all their needs, it is a welcome boost that relieves some of their expenses. Inside a small shed are jars of legumes that were prepared for winter – but they might not last long with hungry children always on the look-out for extra food. Nicolae said, “We made two batches of Zacusca - a Romanian specialty consisting of mashed eggplants with other legumes, stored in jars, from what we harvested. But they are already finished. My boys ate them at work. We usually keep them for winter, but what can you do?”
But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
Now, there are signs of new life in this family, who have been through so much. Despite having to re-plant after the storms last April, the family’s garden is already providing them with food, as the spring rains wash away the barren land, providing hope and renewal with every drop.
Luke 8:15
“It’s a pleasure for me to work the garden with my girls.” Nicholae says. “The work we are putting in is giving back to us tenfold. We are now always busy, and there is always something to work on and do.” The garden has been a wonderful source of food
He added, “I had a pretty good year. It’s been harder these past two months, I could not really find any work, but my boys did. They have been working hard.” Nicholae is looking forward to starting on a self-sufficiency project with MWB that will provide him construction tools. He can do anything from painting to laying bricks and carpentry, and these tools are what he needs to set himself up in the trade. He said, “I will be able to find more work then. People will know they can count on me if they see I have these tools.”
In the meantime, he has been working hard with what he has. He said, “I built a brick oven little by little, from leftover bricks and material from where I worked.” A proud father, he added, “My oldest daughter is working in the UK. Maria, the second oldest girl, had a very good year in high school. She studied well and achieved good grades. I am very happy for her. My youngest is still in primary school, closer to home. And the boys work very hard.” Day by day, families we support such as the Beza’s become increasingly self-sufficient, by doing what they can with the little they have. Over time, the Beza family will need less support from MWB as they reap the rewards of hard work. When the harsh winter months approach again, they will be ready to face the tough season with new skills and tools, but with the same attitude of determination. Nicholae and his family were given a few boxes of seeds through the Seeds of Hope project to get them started. With the encouragement and care of our family Coordinators, they managed to turn their lives of devastation and poverty around. Slowly, they are making progress. Your donation of just $30 for a box of seeds can really change a family’s life. By sponsoring a family through MWB, you can be a part of that family’s story as they progress towards new skills, making a living and reaching their potential. By equipping families such as the Beza’s with emotional and practical support, they have the opportunity to
Leading a family to self-sufficiency is one of the best gifts you can give. Whilst self-sufficiency doesn’t happen immediately, the journey is just as important. It provides families with dignity, empowers them to work hard and achieve what they only ever thought was impossible.
SEEDS OF HOPE DELIVERED IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA 100 boxes of different seeds have been packed into Seeds of Hope boxes and distributed to needy families in the community of Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina. As the weather becomes favourable in this community, it is expected that families will be busy planting potatoes, peas, lettuce, carrots, beans and cauliflower in the next couple of weeks. Hundreds of boxes of seeds will be distributed to needy families from the Bugojno and Tuzla communities where, due to the location, the climate is still very cold. The families here will have to wait until at least April to begin sowing.
How You can Sow Seeds that Bring Hope to Needy Families: 1. Give a donation to enable us to empower more families through our ministry. 2. Sponsor a family ($40/month) contact our office or indicate on the return coupon. 3. Contact our office on 02 9647 2022 to find out how you can fund a self-sufficiency project (like tools or farming equipment). 4. Pray for our ministry and all involved, that God will continue to light the way for us to help those in need.
MISSIONWITHOUTBORDERS Phone 02 9647 2022 Email australia@mwbi.org
PO Box 7533 Silverwater NSW 1811 | 10 Stubbs Street Auburn NSW 2144 Website mwb.org.au facebook.com/MissionWithoutBordersAustralia