Morning Thought 5
Friday May 8th 2015
Tomorrow is Liberation day and for people like my father
and others who were in Jersey during the Occupation this anniversary is very
significant and a time to give thanks for freedom gained 70 years ago.
Many of the Romanian social workers with whom I work now
through Mustard Seed Jersey have shared their stories of oppression and fear
under the communist rule. One told me of how his father was frequently arrested
in the middle of the night and detained for several days – they believed it was
because he was a church pastor. Another told of how the children in their
family were never selected for any privileges at school or the chance of
further education, they believed it was because they were known as a Christian
family. I heard many accounts of queuing for hours each morning for milk or
bread, only to have the supply run out before you reached the end of the queue.
They spoke of countless restrictions, not allowed to meet in groups of more
than five, not allowed to travel, not allowed to speak ....
and so the list went on.
The Romanians’ journey to freedom started dramatically
with the fall of communism in 1989, and you can see that they value their
freedom to travel, to meet together, to worship, to speak freely without fear..
But sadly there are still countries in the world where
people are persecuted and sometimes killed for their beliefs.
So as you prepare for Liberation Day tomorrow, please
take time to give thanks for the freedoms we so much take for granted.
God bless and Thanks for listening to me this week.
For now until the next time I say La revedere – that
means Goodbye in Romanian.