ELDERLY AND ALONE Irina’s story
on the streets of Bulgaria
At first glance, Irina Vassileva looks typically homeless – untidy hair and old clothes she has not been able to wash – but then you spot the lipstick and the earrings: symbols of feminine beauty that hint at the well-kept woman she once was.
money to buy medicine. The buses and trams are warm, clean and cosy and I like travelling in them – there I get warm and have some rest. But often I am ordered to get off as I have no money to buy a ticket.”
“It’s very difficult living on the streets. I think there is a stink coming from me but I have no place to take a bath or wash my clothes. In summer I go to the mineral spring in the centre of Sofia. I carry a wash-tub with me to wash my clothes, but in winter it is very difficult to do it as the temperatures are often below zero, even at noon. My hands freeze and the clothes are impossible to dry. Summer is easier to survive, but winter is tough.”
Irina survives by searching through rubbish bins and collecting cans, plastic bottles and paper. At first, she was ashamed and would hide from acquaintances to avoid humiliation – but hunger pressed her on.
Temperatures during winter in Sofia, Bulgaria, consistently reach well below freezing, bringing sleet and snow, day and night. Irina suffers terribly from frozen feet and hands from not having suitable clothing and footwear to withstand the cold and damp. “Walking the streets all day long in winter and digging through rubbish bins, my feet get frostbitten, my socks get wet, and as I have no extra pair to change them, I get ill, and I have no
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Irina said, “You have to collect a lot of things to buy a loaf of bread. And nothing is left for fruit, which I like very much.” Irina often feels lonely and longs for a shoulder to lean on. She considers herself a strong woman; nevertheless, she often cries. She feels weak and powerless in this struggle for survival. Irina, 59, is a nurse by profession, and she has worked in some of the large, well-respected hospitals in Sofia. She was married and has two sons. Her husband would always ask her for money and refuse to let her into the family home until she gave him some. One day, five years ago, he took her key and turned her out, leaving her homeless. For Irina, cold weather and loneliness are the greatest difficulties of the perils of being on the streets. Irina looks for deserted places to spend the night, usually on the outskirts of the city. Block after block of communist-era flats each look the same as the ones around them. It would be easy to get lost in this jungle of grey, drab, similar-looking buildings. Far from the city centre, Irina has found shelter in an abandoned building, in a deserted industrial park. Irina has created a home of sorts for herself in the basement, where she has piled up old
clothes she has found in rubbish bins to give her a sense of security that she will be warm enough in the cold weather. The building is chilly and there is neither water nor electricity. There are no windows and she has tried to plug up the gaps with cardboard. She has found an old mattress and placed it on the floor and uses knitted blankets that Mission Without Borders (MWB) has given her. While she is happy to have a place to sleep, she worries that other people will steal her things, and several times she has been attacked. In the last two years, Irina has been supported by MWB’s Street Mercy project in Sofia, where she receives not only hot, nutritious meals – but friends who support her. “This project is of great help to me. I may say that I am still alive thanks to it,” she said. Street Mercy has also supported her with clothes, blankets, medicine but most importantly, sincere friendship on which she can always count. Irina lives her life with faith in God, believing He hears her prayers and helps her. The Bible messages she hears at Street Mercy help her deepen her faith and trust in the Lord. For Irina, Street Mercy is a place where she finds not only other people who are struggling with the same problems as her, but also, in the Coordinator and
volunteers, treasured friends who care about her, show her empathy, and help her in practical ways. They have shown their love not “with words or speech but with actions and in truth”. The food given by MWB is the only food she can rely on. There are days when she goes to bed hungry, waiting impatiently for the next day to come and with it the meal provided by MWB. Irina’s three big dreams, however, are to have her ID card re-issued as hers was stolen, to rent a place where she can live, and to find a job again as a nurse. She continues to pray, and believes that God will answer the pleas of her heart. Until then, she continues her long walks throughout Sofia, radio in hand, earrings sparkling.
REACHING
THE HOMELESS ON THE STREETS OF
CHISINAU MOLDOVA A table covered in an old plastic tablecloth outside a church has become a meeting point for the broken, the hungry and the despised of Moldova’s capital city, Chisinau. Many of the people who come to MWB’s Street Mercy project have lost all hope, their lives reduced to surviving from one day to the next. Nicolai, 67, whose face is etched with sadness says, “I am thankful for the food and comfort I receive here. I don’t even want to remember my past life, it’s too hurtful. Life is not a life for me anymore.” The people who have found a refuge in Street Mercy come from all kinds of backgrounds, but have one thing in common: they desperately need this light in the darkness, this place of acceptance, provision and grace. It is a place where those who have lost everything-can find a warm welcome, a hot meal and hear about the God who is “close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)
Street Mercy in Action
MWB in Bulgaria delivers hot soups, six days a week to homeless people living in Sofia. We also assist the homeless with accessing healthcare, and during the winter, we provide blankets, sleeping bags and warm clothes. We also share Bible readings and provide prayer and personal counselling. Through our Street Mercy project in Sofia, Bulgaria, MWB aims to show the love of Christ in a tangible way to the homeless and vulnerable. There are 500,000 homeless people throughout Bulgaria, reports Caritas Bulgaria, a nonprofit organisation. Bulgaria’s capacity of just 755 beds for the homeless in its temporary accommodation centres and poorhouses is nowhere near sufficient to meet the need. [Source: Caritas Bulgaria]
Valeriu’story Valeriu, 78 was broken hearted when he lost his wife 10 years ago. She was his best friend. Unable to afford the rent on their apartment he found himself on the streets. He said, “Here is the only place I can come and eat a daily, warm meal of very good food. Here I feel that someone cares about me. I can barely wait for Monday to return, because we can come back and eat again (MWB’s Street Mercy Project operates Monday to Friday). Serghei, Pastor of Spring of Life Church, which partners with MWB, said, “Praise God for this wonderful thing we can do together with Mission Without Borders. It is an act of compassion to the homeless and vulnerable people – here they can be fed, both physically and spiritually. We are pleased to be able to tell them about God’s love and their importance to Him. Most of all, these people see and feel that they are loved, that someone cares about them, talks to them and prays for them.” During the winter time, when the temperatures can reach well below -20 degrees, the Street Mercy Project in Chisinau has more than 50 people coming daily to be blessed. “We do our best to feed them all even though it may mean smaller portions of food, a cup of tea and some bread. God bless all the kind people who contribute to this ministry! Without them, we would not be able to continue God’s purpose for us,” said Pastor Serghei.
“Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” Psalm 107:8-9
The local church’s vision for Street Mercy is to see lives transformed for God’s glory and to offer the homeless and vulnerable more support. In future, they would love to have a warm place to feed people in the colder months, with facilities for washing clothes and a bathroom where they can shower. In the meantime, MWB’s Street Mercy project acts as a life buoy in Chisinau, rescuing people who have hit rock bottom and have nothing left to hold onto. In that dark place, they discover that there is a God who has always loved them even in those moments where it seemed that all hope was gone.
PO Box 7533 Silverwater NSW 1811 | 49/8 Avenue of the Americas Newington 2127 NSW Phone 02 9647 2022 Email australia@mwbi.org Website mwb.org.au