Participants: Jeff Reich
Series Code: LM
Program Code: LM000111S
|
00:39 In South East Central Europe, in the northern Balkan Peninsula
00:42 is the country of Romania. 00:44 It borders the Black Sea, Bulgaria, Serbia, 00:47 Hungary, Moldova and the Ukraine. 00:49 The Carpathian and Transylvanian Mountains divided. 00:52 The Romanian people drive their name from the ancient Romans. 00:56 Romania is famous for its architecture, 00:59 art, style and culture. 01:01 Back in the late 1800s, Bucharest its capital 01:04 was often referred to as the little Paris 01:07 with its meandering water ways, 01:09 beautiful gardens and ornate buildings. 01:22 Palace Sinaia was the palace of King Michael I, 01:26 the last king of Romania. 01:27 In 1947, King Michael was driven from Romania 01:30 when procommunist forces took full power. 01:33 His castle shows the beautiful designs 01:35 that were common in the mountainous areas 01:37 of Montana and Transylvania. 01:43 The Orthodox Church is the national church 01:45 of Romania, but like many other countries of Europe 01:48 Romania is quickly becoming secular. 01:52 In the cities, people are crowded 01:54 into these block of flats as they are called. 01:57 Under communism it was the design of the party 02:00 that the people should live in the same way 02:02 with the same income and the same social status. 02:05 Out in the country, 02:06 life is pretty much like it was years ago. 02:09 Life is hard and attended by many difficulties. 02:18 In the Transylvanian mountains is the Bran Castle, 02:21 the legendary home of Count Dracula. 02:23 Truth is Count Dracula was a national folk hero 02:26 who became famous 02:27 for his bloody attacks upon the invading Turks 02:30 during the time of the Ottoman Empire. 02:32 Toward the end of his life, 02:33 it is said that he became a prisoner 02:35 in the tower of his own castle, 02:38 but the legends of Dracula 02:39 are not as real too many as the facts about this man 02:42 Nicolae Ceausescu, the former dictator of Romanian. 02:45 The 1949 date was recognized as a starting point 02:49 for the rule of the Communist Party. 02:50 And in 1965, Ceausescu was elected the head of that party. 02:55 Soon he was rubbing shoulders with world leaders, 02:58 mostly from countries, such as, North Korea, Iran, 03:01 Libya, Russia or giving lip service to the Americans. 03:05 Elena and Nikolae Ceausescu successfully established 03:08 a totalitarian personality cult. 03:11 When Ceausescu entered the podium, it was not unusual 03:14 to have him going into tie with that would last for hours, 03:17 intern he would greeted with hours of the audience 03:20 clapping and shouting his name. 03:22 At one event, it was recorded 03:24 that his name was chanted some 467 times 03:28 and the audience cheered him for over 3 hours and 22 minutes 03:31 while he stood listening in a trance-like state. 03:36 He commanded the destruction of many 03:37 of the historic buildings in Bucharest 03:39 to start the building of his new empire. 03:41 The last being the grand Ceausescu Palace 03:44 later to be named the People's Palace. 03:47 This is called the People's Palace 03:49 and it's a fruit of sick imagination 03:52 of the last communist dictator in our country. 03:56 Hundreds of thousands of people 03:58 work here in slave labor. 04:02 You are forced to come here. 04:04 They were coming to your place and giving you a piece of paper, 04:08 telling you with no other explanation 04:11 that you are forced to come for six month, nine month 04:16 or one-and-a-half year to work in this house here. 04:23 The grand marble pillars and flooring testifies of a man 04:27 who was bent on fulfilling 04:28 the glories of his sick imagination. 04:31 The palace was not only use for his own personal residence, 04:34 but for banquets, dances, 04:36 as well as the operations of his government. 04:40 No one dare question the authority of this man 04:42 and if they did their fate would fall 04:44 into the hands of the secret police. 04:47 The most feared place one could end up 04:48 was inside of a Romanian prison, 04:52 a place where the door would be forever shut. 04:58 Well, Ceausescu lived lavishly, 05:00 but people stood in line for hours 05:02 hoping for some bread or simple staples. 05:04 People started to become more restless and unhappy, 05:07 yet whenever Ceausescu visited to shop 05:09 to see how his nation was faring. 05:11 The secret police always had an abundance 05:13 of food ready to greet him. 05:15 In meeting with the common people, 05:17 he would often assure them better times were coming. 05:20 These men do not look too convinced. 05:25 On December 16th, 1989 riots broke out in Timisoara. 05:29 Police opened fire killing scores of people. 05:32 It was becoming obvious 05:33 that the people were becoming fed up 05:35 with the rule of Ceausescu and the Communist Party. 05:38 On the cold gray day of December 21st, 1989 05:42 Ceausescu held a rally that would lead to his downfall. 05:45 While he tried to reason with the people, 05:47 they became more and more restless, 05:48 unconvinced that anything would change. 05:51 Soon they started to shout 05:52 down with the dictator, down with the dictator, 05:55 a bomb exploded on one side of Bucharest 05:57 and then the military was called out. 05:59 Crowds took to the streets and train loads of people 06:01 came from other cities to fight the revolution. 06:04 Hesitantly the military tried to take control, 06:07 but many of them were not convinced 06:08 that they should eat the government. 06:10 Ceausescu tried to escape in a helicopter, 06:13 but even that failed as the pilot down the craft 06:16 and Ceausescu and his wife Elena were arrested, 06:20 tried and then executed. 06:24 The last thing anyone would imagine was that somehow 06:28 God would be able to reach down to the most feared place 06:32 during the times of communism, the prisons of Romania. 06:35 The story you are about to hear is true and amazing. 06:50 Recently I visited Romania, this was my 20th visit 06:53 since the fall of communism. 06:55 Meet Monta, the director of humanitarian prison services 06:58 greeted me at the airport. 07:05 I want to take you on a journey of amazing events 07:07 that happened from the year 1991 and onward. 07:11 The day started early and as always the streets 07:13 of Bucharest are full hustle and bustle. 07:19 In the spring of 1991, 07:21 we came to this old Romanian union office. 07:23 It was closed because it was a Sunday morning 07:25 and we were talking with the lady 07:27 that was cleaning the building and with by divine providence 07:31 there happened to be one man inside 07:32 who heard speaking English and came out. 07:34 His name was Lucian Christescu. 07:37 We ended up at this block of flats 07:38 are what we call in America an apartment house complex. 07:41 And Lucian Christescu took us up to step his apartment 07:43 and shared with us what it was like 07:45 during the communist revolution, 07:46 how they had the lay on the floor for two days 07:48 being careful to stay away from the windows 07:50 because of the flying bullets outside. 07:52 Little that I know that this first meeting 07:55 with Lucian Christescu was gonna develop 07:56 into a very long lasting relationship 07:59 that would have many amazing things happened here in Romania. 08:07 In the next year 1992, I returned back to Romania 08:10 and met with Lucian Christescu. 08:12 He shared with me something amazing 08:13 that had just happened. 08:16 I remember about Elena and her story began 08:22 right after the revolution 08:25 when husband suddenly died, heart attack. 08:29 He was about 40, 42 years. 08:33 The poor lady with her two children, 08:36 they were in the high school. 08:39 She wanted to die. 08:40 She went in such a deep depression 08:43 that it seems that nobody could help her to get out. 08:48 Somebody, I cannot remember who, 08:52 let her to the church and Jesus Christ 08:56 was the only hope recovery to her. 09:01 She was baptized, her children were supportive, 09:04 they went and headed to the church. 09:06 She was living in Brasov, 09:07 you know, nice city in Transylvania. 09:11 She was trying to find out the way 09:14 in order to cope fully with her depression 09:18 because even if she had no hoped 09:21 that the burden was pulling her back 09:23 and she decided to do something absolutely unusual. 09:29 She was decided to go 09:31 and to share her comfort to the prisoners, 09:35 to those who are behind the bars, 09:39 but this idea was totally crazy 09:43 because in that times a civilian entering the prison system 09:48 which was in a communist way that was something secret, 09:53 it was impossible and Elena was praying 09:58 and said, "God, Lord, do something for me 10:01 and for them and let me in." 10:04 She went to the prison, but nobody let her in. 10:08 But she wanted to be there, 10:10 no rights to reach the prisoners. 10:13 The last word of the guard to Elena was, 10:17 "Woman, go away from here and never come back." 10:22 And while trying to withhold her tears 10:27 she said, "I don't know. 10:30 I will go to the prisoners." 10:33 To Bucharest, she knew nobody there. 10:36 She was a simple member, 10:37 new baptized member in a far away city of Brasov. 10:42 But she said, "I don't need anybody. 10:44 I will go there and I will fast for three, four days 10:48 that means 72 hours. 10:50 And I will stay there until God will do justice for me. 10:54 I want nothing for, but only justice." 10:58 And the important part of Australia 10:59 how the prison ministry started was right here 11:01 at this building at the ministry of justice. 11:07 And finally, I don't know how and who told her the address 11:11 of the General residence 11:17 or headquarter of the prisons, 11:20 but she found those three. 11:23 At that time I didn't know it existed such thing. 11:28 And she went to the door. 11:30 Look what, an officer opened. 11:33 Whom do you look for? 11:34 Do you have a son in the prison? 11:36 No, sir, I want to get the permission 11:38 from the highest level 11:41 for entering the prison from Brasov. 11:45 What? 11:47 I want to work with the people. 11:49 Lady, it's impossible. Go away. 11:51 We have here rules. 11:53 These are prisons, not the hotels. 11:59 Second time she stood there. 12:01 Are you still here? 12:02 Yes, I want to talk to the General. 12:05 Lady, the General is very busy. 12:08 He is a high officer. 12:09 He has big problems to solve not to stay to talk to you. 12:14 Go away. 12:15 She stepped down the steps 12:18 and she stayed there up to evening. 12:22 In the morning, 12:23 it was a seventh day of fasting for Elena 12:26 and in the morning at 7 O'clock 12:28 she was ordered at the entrance 12:33 of the big huge building. 12:35 At 8 O'clock, 12:37 a nice polished car pulled in front 12:41 and the high officer get out, 12:45 it was the General. 12:47 And Elena was there. She was sitting and praying. 12:52 The General went by her and while he stepped up 12:56 he asked the officer which was on duty. 13:00 Who is this lady? Oh, she is a crazy lady. 13:04 She wants to go as a civilian to work with the prisoners, 13:07 but she is not home. 13:10 And the General stopped. Let her come to me. 13:16 Okay, they met in the door. 13:21 Mr. General, please give me allowance to go into the prison 13:26 because I've such a burden for those what he meets, 13:30 they have no cares, no love, nothing. 13:35 They need some comfort and I need to go to. 13:39 Who are you? I'm Elena. 13:42 I'm a nurse. 13:43 Do you have a religion? Yes, I'm Seventh-day Adventist. 13:48 Seventh-day Adventist. 13:49 Okay, woman, go to your church and call somebody. 13:55 Do you have a chief there? 13:56 Call him to come and visit to me. 14:00 I want to talk to him. 14:02 And suddenly in the lobby of the union office 14:05 I saw a woman. 14:07 They told me somebody is looking for you. 14:10 She was a humble looking lady. 14:12 She seemed that she was staying there and praying. 14:16 It touched my heart. 14:17 I had some pity for her 14:19 because she looks somehow depressed. 14:21 And as she begins to talk to me I thought she was crazy. 14:26 She was speaking me about going to the highest officer 14:30 of the prison system to the General. 14:32 And that she was getting his acceptance to begin a work 14:40 and ministry in the prison. 14:41 It was unbelievable 14:44 because I was prosecuted by the communists 14:48 and I know what did this mean. 14:51 It meant to go in the darkest place of all the world 14:57 where people go beyond the doors 14:59 and sometimes never came back. 15:04 And it was something like touching than death. 15:08 Finally she gave me address, she gave me everything 15:11 and now I was fasting and praying, 15:15 asking the Lord to open the large, large door. 15:28 In that morning 15:30 in the nicest suit and shirt I have. 15:33 My heart was beating strong. 15:36 I was approaching the building of the ministering justice. 15:41 Nobody likes that building 15:43 because there is a menace beyond the walls. 15:47 I was met at the door, my documents were asked, 15:50 I was waiting for 45 minutes in the lobby 15:53 and I was alone there. 15:55 Finally I was let, I was let by a soldier to the office, 16:00 I got put on the chair for 15 minutes 16:02 and then please the General looks for you. 16:06 I knew that I was somehow an ambassador 16:10 even if I was pleaded, somebody 16:13 who was pleading for God's justice. 16:17 The General was serious, but soft. 16:22 If I say that is something human face of the communism, 16:28 but after I spoke to him 16:30 offering our people and our ministry, 16:35 he was speaking soft with a deep concern is that 16:40 we the prison system since long I won 16:43 that we should involve the civilians 16:48 and working with the inmates. 16:50 We need you because we cannot reform, 16:54 we cannot reborn these people 16:58 and you are the link in rehabilitate 17:03 these people with lost hope. 17:07 Finally, the plans were done, but I was alone. 17:12 I never saw how this work would be done, 17:17 and by none expected chance 17:24 I met not a very tall man 17:28 with his mustaches in the lobby of the union. 17:31 He seemed to me like a stranger 17:34 and the Lord said, "Go and say 17:36 may I help you, I'm home." 17:38 And this was the beginning of huge, 17:43 huge project maybe one of that above the strongest 17:49 and strongest experiences in my life. 17:53 How much is this pot? Okay. 17:57 Okay, and you could keep that one, it's a gift. 18:01 When we return back to America we realized we had two problems. 18:04 One is, is that we needed literature 18:06 and Bible lessons for working inside the prisons 18:08 and we needed to work with some other organization 18:10 that had experience in working inside the prisons. 18:13 When I got back to America 18:15 I have found out that there was this Romanian couple 18:18 that had started translating booklets and tracks 18:20 into the Romanian language. 18:21 In fact they had found out about 18:23 Laymen Ministries Bible lesson sets 18:25 that we had already culturally adapted 18:28 for using communist countries 18:29 and they started translating these Bible lessons sets. 18:32 So together with Val and Valley Brusher 18:34 this Romaniancouple and like theirs ministries 18:37 we send over 3.8 million pieces of literature 18:39 for the work here in the prisons 18:41 in evangelism in Romania 18:42 and then later we had those lesson sets printed. 18:46 The next thing I did as I contacted 18:48 Richard Bland from United Prison Ministries 18:50 and asked him if he'll be willing 18:51 to team up with Laymen Ministries 18:52 to go to Romania to do training. 18:54 We realized that see Laymen Ministries 18:56 has always been an organization 18:57 that was dedicated to training and motivating 19:00 lay people in practical ministry work. 19:02 United Prison Ministries a ministry 19:04 that was working inside prisons doing Bible studies 19:07 and such with prisoners. 19:08 We realized that this would be a wonderful opportunity 19:11 for our two ministries to merge together to come to Romania 19:14 and start training seminars for common lay people. 19:17 Few weeks later we got tickets, we flew together to Romania, 19:20 we traveled the four corners of Romania going to churches 19:22 training lay people to start doing Bible studies 19:25 and working with the inmates inside the prison. 19:27 And this was the beginning 19:29 of Humanitarian Prison Services work 19:31 that started to spread all across Romania. 19:33 1993 was a very exciting time for Laymen Ministries 19:37 because it was that year that Laymen Ministries together 19:39 with Lucian Cristescu in the Romanian union 19:42 formed legally HPS which is Humanitarian Prison Services, 19:46 the prison ministry here in Romania. 19:48 And that year we also start sponsoring the lay evangelist 19:51 by the name of Nicu Butoi. 19:53 Nicu Butoi was doing evangelism across Romania 19:55 and over the next several years literally thousands of people 19:59 were baptized and connection with Laymen Ministries 20:01 sponsorship of these evangelistic campaigns. 20:04 We also had the opportunity to go 20:07 to the Republic of Moldova, 20:09 the former part of the Soviet Union. 20:10 And we had 100,000 Bible lessons 20:13 that's printed for the prison ministry, 20:15 that's over three million individual Bible lessons set. 20:19 Plus, we printed that same year 20:21 100,000 little booklets called the Impending Conflict. 20:26 It was in 1994 that HPS held its first prison convention 20:29 and we invited General Major Ion Chis 20:31 as a special guest to attend this convention. 20:34 At that time, we presented him with the special gift 20:36 the book Desire of Ages. 20:38 Little did we know what was gonna happen 20:40 because the presentation of this one gift. 20:43 That next August we invited General Chis 20:46 to come to ASI in America. 20:49 And I was there he had under his arm, 20:52 the book Desire of Ages 20:53 which we had given him as a gift. 20:54 And he was telling Richard Bland and myself he said, 20:57 "This book is such a wonderful book. 20:58 I read it three times." 21:00 He said, 'It portrays Christ in such a wonderful way." 21:02 He said, "You know, I was thinking 21:03 it would be nice to be able to give this book 21:05 to all the inmates in Romania." 21:07 And Richard and I were looking each other like, okay. 21:10 And he said, "You think 21:11 you could print about 40,000 copies 21:13 or 45,000 copies of this book 21:15 to give to the inmates in Romania?" 21:17 And we kind of went, "Sure, okay". 21:20 And then he said, "You know, we have inmates 21:23 coming and going in the prisons 21:24 all the time, it would be nice 21:25 if we had extra copies in reserve for the new men 21:28 that are constantly coming into the prisons 21:29 we can be giving this book to them." 21:31 And he said, "You know, also all the members of the staff 21:34 of the Ministry of Justice for working inside the prison, 21:37 you know, the guards and the administrator people 21:39 they would be benefited by a copy of this book, too. 21:41 Could you print, you know, 60,000 copies, 21:43 so we could give it to all the administrative staff?" 21:45 And then he went on and said to himself a little bit more 21:48 and he looked at us and he said, "You know, 21:49 I'm friends with Eli Esco, the president at that time. 21:52 He said, "I'd like to give a nice hardbound copy 21:54 of this book to the president of Romania 21:56 and all of the members of parliament 21:57 and all the members of Ministry of Justice. 21:59 Could you print 100,000 copies of this book?" 22:03 And Richard and I decided that 22:05 if the Holy Spirit could impress him to ask, 22:08 the Holy Spirit could impress people to give 22:10 and over the next several months as these books are coming off, 22:14 these former communist party presses the books 22:16 that were actually being printed on these presses 22:18 where the books of Stalin and Lenin, 22:20 now printing the Desire of Ages 22:22 as these books were coming off the press, 22:24 people from allover the world were donating funds 22:27 and they were coming in and-- 22:28 Every time we had a shipment of books, 22:30 the exact amount of money was there to be able to pay 22:33 for each one of those books as they came off for shipment. 23:39 The idea of having the Desire of Ages printed 23:42 and then distributed in the former communist 23:44 prisons of Romania with the help 23:46 of the government seemed like an impossibility. 23:49 Our HPS workers together with prison guards 23:52 went from cell to cell in the entire maximum, 23:55 medium and minimum security prisons all across the country. 24:02 One at the juvenile facility in Craiova, General Keech, 24:06 well both are national Romanian television and CNN 24:09 boldly stated to the inmates and prison administration. 24:13 "We used to put people in prison for books like these, 24:15 now we are putting these books in prison." 24:21 We will never forget the looks 24:23 on the faces of some of these young men 24:25 and in their hands was a book 24:27 that could forever change their lives. 24:30 The entire faculty in every prison received a free copy 24:34 of the book Desire of Ages as well as the lifers 24:37 in the maximum security prison in Craiova. 24:42 In Focsani, the commander received as with open arms 24:45 for distributing the book the Great Controversy. 24:48 This orthodox pre-shows off 24:49 all the books distributed in his prison. 24:52 Well, holding the Great Controversy in his arms. 25:12 Today Laymen Ministries continues 25:15 to support the work of HPS. 25:17 They now have around 1,000 volunteers working 25:20 in all the 44 prisons of Romania. 25:31 While I was in Romania this trip meet Laymen Ministries 25:34 sponsored Director of HPS 25:36 and I were going to go and visit a few of the prisons to see 25:39 what HPS is doing today. 25:45 This morning we're heading over to the women's facility 25:48 at Targsor just outside of north of Bucharest. 25:53 It's north of Bucharest, right? Oh, yeah. 26:08 We're outside the women's prison here 26:10 and we're gonna be able to go in and talk 26:12 a little bit with some of the female prisoners. 26:14 Today isn't Sabbath, but they have allowed us 26:16 to gather a small group of the girls together 26:19 and have a meeting with them. 26:29 HPS worker such as Ujan Mindinano 26:33 teaches inmates how to study the Bible 26:35 and how to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. 26:41 And I can't find words 26:42 to thank you for all your ministry 26:45 and what you have done for me and with me. 26:48 An year ago I received a Bible from you 26:52 and this Bible changed my life. 26:57 Our next stop was here 26:58 at the Maximum security prison in Bacau 27:00 way up by the Moldavian border. 27:03 Inside the security area 27:04 they have some HPS workers actually walking 27:06 around with some of the inmates in here. 27:10 You run ahead? 27:13 These visits are just a small sample 27:15 of the work of HPS all across Romania. 27:22 From what I understand that two different types 27:25 of meetings here in this prison. 27:27 It's is a typical I guess Sabbath service like, here 27:30 we're just like preaching, it's more like a formal church, 27:32 but a lot of times what they are doing 27:34 is they make a circle 27:35 and they had interaction Bible studies 27:38 and whatever its called here in this prison in yacht 27:41 that the inmates are leading out in a lot of the services, 27:44 not only the Bible services, Sabbath school studies, 27:47 even some of the preaching here. 27:49 But the neat thing is, 27:51 is that still the principle of teach-to-teach 27:53 that the inmates are working 27:54 with one-and-one with each other, 27:56 group discussions, interactions. 27:59 The commander of the prison here 28:00 General Director is what they called 28:02 and now what saying that 28:03 out of all the different groups that come entered the prison. 28:05 This has been the most successful program 28:08 we've seen so far working inside this prison facility. |
Revised 2022-11-14