On the 18th Oct 05, along with Martin, another Trustee, we set out for Teius in Romania. The journey took us through 5 different European countries, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, and Hungary, a distance of 1760 miles, which took 21 hours, with just a couple of stops for food and a short sleep.

It was a wonderful experience to drive through different countries, some of which I had travelled to before, but Hungary and Romania were new to me. To drive a ‘foreign car’ in Hungary and Romania, a driver has to obtain a car licence, which is a form of tax, at the border of each country. Also the Customs in both countries thoroughly check ‘foreign vehicles’ coming in and out. This can take anything up to 2 hours. We had on board, some computers,  glass-ware, Christmas presents, and second hand clothes, so the car was pretty full. But when we arrived at the Hungarian Border, to our surprise, all they wanted was to see our passports. Martin, who has made the trip many times, said it was the first time that he had got through without being checked. The roads in Hungary are not as good as other European countries, and Romania is even worse.

Eventually we arrived in Teius around 9 pm on 19th Oct, to be greeted with hugs and kisses from our Christian friends, who immediately set us down to my first Romanian meal.

The reason for this trip was to deliver everything before Christmas, and also to get and an up-date on the Property, which the Charity is building, and to begin to furnish it. This 3-story building is to fulfil certain needs:

• On the bottom floor, is to be a recreation and meeting room for young people.
• A flat where the Christian Caretaker and his family live on the second floor.
• The third floor is divided into small rooms for young people who have been put out of Orphanages. – In Romania, the government only support Orphans up to the age of eighteen. After that they are thrown out into the street to fend for themselves. Many of them have no money.

The people we met in and around Teius, are very poor. They live off the land, and produce all the food they need, but there is very little money around since the Communists were in power. Many properties are only half built, because there is not enough money to continue, so living conditions are not very good. Some of the farmers have cows, which provide milk for them, and any left over is sold to their neighbours.

In Teius, which is a similar size to my home Langwathby, Cumbria, there are 3 churches, - Catholic, Orthodox, and Baptist. It is the Baptist Church that the Charity is involved with. Even though the people are very poor, their faith in Christ is very strong. Two services are held every Sunday, with various other meetings during the week. Each Service would last for about 2 hours. In that Service, the men sit separately from the women, and different age-groups would take part, led by a very talented music-group. One or two members spoke English, and were able to interpret for me. I found the people very welcoming, genuine and sincere, and their love of Christ just shines through. It was wonderful to know, that we all worshipped the same God.

We arrived home safely on 27th Oct from a trip that I’ll never forget.