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Newsletter, Feb 2003
The beginning of another year has arrived and there is still so much to be done. I have been travelling, by aid truck, to and from Romania now for almost 12 years and, while there are some improvements, first time visitors to that country would think that the clock had been turned back in many ways!
It seem unfair to portray Romania as a country of desperate poverty when we hear so much about their plans to join the European Union, but in reality this is the situation. One has only to visit any hospital or children's home to see for themselves what I am referring to. Not one of us can choose our birth-place or into what class or religious caste we are born. As a result of their heritage thousands of Romanians live on the edge of society as social outcasts. Their lot is to scrape an existence in the wake of others. Regrettably these people are between the rock and the hard place for there are not many to be found with the spirit of Boaz when he was faced with the poverty of Ruth.
As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, "Even if she gathers among the sheaves, don't embarrass her. (Ruth 2:15 NIV)
Poverty is relative and what we describe as poverty in Scotland would be luxury for multitudes in Romania. Difficult, is it not, to understand want and real hunger when we ourselves are fortunate to have our daily food, homes, clothing, family, friends, employment ete; etc. and mostly in abundance?
Children's homes still abound in Romania and while conditions are not just quite as bad as what were experienced 12 to 13 years ago let me tell you than much needs to be done to raise the standard from under 'the floor.' Young people are generally ejected from these homes when they reach the age of 18, into a hostile world where no provision of any kind is made for their protection and well being. The state has nothing for them. Old people living in existence from one week to the next not knowing where the next crust, never mind loaf, will come from. It is hard to believe that, in a country once known as 'The Bread Basket of Europe,' a loaf of bread can still be an elusive commodity to thousands. Despite the foregoing I do not take food or clothing to Romania as I am of the opinion it is like taking 'coals to Newcastle.' Clothing for all our major high street stores is manufactured in Romania (yes, do look at the label) and while food is not there in abundance the high prices cause the problem for those who have no jobs, money or prospects. Inflation, with my limited arithmetical capability, is running at about 1000% per annum while salaries remain almost static provided you have a job.
What can we do about this seemingly impossible situation? Prayer is, of course, the first step and then action. Prayer is vital but so is our commitment and effort as we are so well reminded in the Book of James
If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? (James 2:16 NIV)
However we have to be careful when providing aid, for to lay temptation at someone's door is at best reckless. It may remove the desire for self- motivation and lead to apathy and a state of dependency. How then does one proceed when the need is so great. We need wisdom and a simple faith in God's helping hand which are assets indeed! Please pray for all those of us who have taken on the responsibility of delivering aid, that we would be blessed with these two gifts.
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Spring 2002
The year began with an emergency visit to Cluj where there were problems associated with a building that had been acquired, rent free, for conversion into a hospice.
I saw that provision of care for the dying in Romania was a complete vacuum and felt that this was an area I would like to work in. I still remain convinced that healthcare is a vital area of need and what better way could be used to convey the Christian message! However this new venture was to be a new learning curve a very sharp learning curve! Unfortunately, for many reasons, having work done or should I say 'trying to get work done' in Romania is fraught with peril. I had arranged to have roof repairs carried out on an adjacent building, which was part of the agreement. This work was estimated, a price was agreed by Romanian associates, the work was allegedly completed but not satisfactorily so. However after some negotiation a slightly reduced price was paid but I was decidedly uncomfortable being 2000 miles away from the problem.
Examination of the work revealed, shoddy workmanship and an indication that Romanian associates were sadly lacking in judgment and business acumen. Was I the one who was lacking in judgment? Perhaps I was, in expecting too much and perhaps, despite my experience of things Romanian, a little naïve. This however was a sharper learning curve and caused me to take a completely different direction. I severed all my connections with this building and it's potential for disaster.
While in Cluj I was able to arrange a meeting with the Mayor and I outlined to him my plan to try and build a hospice in or near the City. He promised to do what he could to help me by providing a suitable building plot. That very day I visited a site on the outskirts of the city which had some potential and required further investigation. While there were disappointments associated with this trip I left Romania in a positive frame of mind with new possibilities ahead of me.
(In early 2001, Eorpa, a BBC Scotland Gaidhlig current affairs program contacted me when they heard I was going to Romania to look at the original building I had been offered for the hospice. They were interested in looking at the work I was involved in and were planning to produce a short documentary, which was scheduled to be broadcast in Spring 2002. As I had already planned to visit Romania they accompanied me and in January 2001 they started filming.)
Several important issues still required my attention in Romania and I arranged for a further visit in March 2002. On this occasion, I was accompanied by a producer and camera-man from the BBC, who funded the trip. Now you know where your Licence fee is going! This was a very worth while trip but, by the time I got back home, I thought my name was 'let's do that again' while the BBC duo tried to get 'good stuff' for their planned production.!
Once again, I was able to meet with the Mayor of Cluj but this time I was armed with a set of plans for a proposed hospice which had been prepared free of charge by John Daly from Paisley. The Mayor and his team seemed to be impressed with what they were shown and again promised to do what they could by providing suitable land for the proposed hospice.
A more detailed visit to the site referred to earlier was undertaken and the positive and negative points were looked at in detail. While the site itself is in a very appropriate setting with 'services' nearby access may prove to be a problem. This was drawn to the attention of the City Hall technical department who promised to look into this issue and also send me a list of other suitable sites. I have heard nothing more but, then this is Romania.
Clearly the language barrier is very much a problem for me as I have been unable to master it sufficiently to be able to negotiate without an interpreter. We read in John 1:6 There came a man who was sent from God but in my case God sent a woman but more of that later.
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Odyssey by Tractor
In the summer of 1999 I drove a 1953 Ferguson tractor (Fergie) from John O'Groats to Lands End and raised £14,000 for the work in Romania. It was now time to put 'Fergie to work again.
A seed that was sown on the above trip, by my friend and faithful supporter Alex Campbell from Dumbarton, was now beginning to germinate and planning for a trip round the Scottish Islands was gathering momentum! A vast amount of planning went into the first trip and I foolishly thought that a trip round the Scottish Islands would be a dawdle. I was proved wrong very early on in the planning stages for I had not reckoned with the vagaries of Caledonian MacBrayne, their ferries and the complex issue of travelling between the islands! CalMac were however to become the heroes of this event. They allowed me free passage on all their ferry crossings which made the whole trip viable.
Fergie runs on Tractor Vaporising Oil, a kerosene derivative that is no longer available and had to be 'manufactured.' The carrying of fuel in cans on board ferries is strictly controlled which was another hurdle. This meant that 'fuel dumps' had to be strategically positioned where it could be readily available en-route. This not only required my primary school maths and geography (long time ago) to be put into practice but also relied heavily on my friends at Hebrides Haulage who organised the delivery of the fuel which was donated by Highland Fuels in Bowling.
 Accompanied by my daughters Lorraine and Lorna, Alex Campbell and Alisdair MacLeod I visited 18 Scottish islands on Fergie, gave 11 slide presentations in various places en-route and carried out 'street collections' on almost all of the islands we visited. The generosity of those whom I met with on the way was quite staggering and the final tally for the trip was almost £12,000. While the weather was not very kind to us God in His providence showered us with many blessings and His providences were clearly evident throughout the entire journey. All ferry connections, twenty-two in total, were on time and the crews of all the ships on which we sailed treated us very well. Some of my presentations on the islands were very tightly timed yet none were missed thanks to CalMac.
Autumn 2002
Now that the tractor junket was over, an aid trip to Romania would have to be planned. Despite retiral I seem to be busier than ever and I found that time was running out very quickly. We had two visitors from Romania staying with us for two weeks in August and then flat out to collect and load a good selection of medical supplies.
Bureaucracy in Romania is growing faster than inflation and that is galloping! Every other day a new law appears with regard to the import of humanitarian aid and this, I believe, is designed to make it more and more difficult for bona fide organisations to undertake the Lord's work. More and more paperwork is necessary to ensure safe passage through the border and to satisfy Customs. I fully agree with control over what is and what is not acceptable but, when you are still asked at the Border for “cigarettes or coffee to ensure there is no problems at the Customs.” What then is the point in having the correct papers? A refusal, however, did not seem to offend as we cleared the border very quickly. God indeed answers prayer.
Most of our load was delivered to Hospice Casa Speranti in Brasov, which is a new building recently opened by an organisation from England. Christina Ghiran, a nurse and family friend is employed there as nurse manager/co-ordinator. A very demanding job in a country where the work ethic is so different to what it is here and peoples' way of thinking has to change by being less self interested and more willing to go the extra mile for others. It is difficult to get indigenous staff who have this kind of mindset. Please pray that Cristina will know God's guiding hand in her personal relationship with Him and in her daily work.
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Fundatia Perspective Medicale
God not only sent a woman He sent two, in the persons of Dr Anca Dan and Sanda Tomuletiu both real live wire Christians engaged in providing free homecare and palliative care. I met these ladies in God's providence and both speak almost perfect English. They are very interested in my plans to provide a hospice in the city of Cluj. Little do they know what they are letting themselves in for! Their motivation is vital to the project as they want to see the best provision being made for the dying and their relatives and friends, both physically and more importantly spiritually. They will both be an asset as they appear not to be afraid to speak their mind and already have experience in dealing with the authorities.
Please pray that this association will bear fruit and that future negotiations with the City Hall in Cluj will be positive.
I have agreed to support Sanda, who is co-ordinator/fundraiser for their organisation, financially, in order that she can devote her time fully to the work of the foundation. This will be reviewed at regular intervals. Another part-time nurse, who is also a Christian, has started work with them and I am also supporting her salary.
Meanwhile I continue to pay the salaries of two part time nurses who provide homecare and palliative care through the auspices of another foundation. This, in my opinion, is the best use of funds and spreading the good news that Christ died for sinners.
Smile
A little boy walked to and from school daily. Though the weather that morning was questionable and clouds were forming, he made his daily trek to the elementary school. As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up, along with thunder and lightning. The mother of the little boy felt concerned that her son would be frightened as he walked home from school and she herself feared that the electrical storm might harm her child. Following the roar of thunder, lightning would cut through the sky like a flaming sword. Full of concern, the mother quickly got into her car and drove along the route to her child's school. As she did so, she saw her little boy walking along, but at each flash of lightning, the child would stop, look up and smile. Another and another were to follow quickly and with each the little boy would look at the streak of light and smile. When the mother's car drew up beside the child, she lowered the window and called to him, "What are you doing? Why do you keep stopping?" The child answered, "I am trying to look nice. God keeps taking my picture."
May God bless you today as you face the storms that come your way. And don't forget to SMILE!
How Does it all Happen?
Thanks go to our main sponsors, Clydebank Oil; Galt Transport, Dumbarton; and DM Paper, Glasgow who have been with us since the very beginning, 12 years ago and also The Glasgow Camcorder Centre and JG Russell/Carntyne Transport, Glasgow who show unstinting support. With their help and yours be it practical, financial or most important prayerful, we are able to go on.
The modest sum of £24 a month pays for the salary of a part time nurse who can care for as many as 20 patients a week. Only twice as much as my monthly news paper bill! So you see a modest regular payment can alleviate much suffering! I am available to come and give a slide presentation to any organisation to which you might be affiliated.
With sincere Christian love Lachie MacLeod MBE
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