MORNING THOUGHT for Tuesday April 17^th 2007 broadcast on BBC Radio Jersey, presented by Rose Helie:

Good morning. Earlier this month we were in Romania on Mustard Seed’s most recent humanitarian trip. Each day this week I hope to share with you some of our experiences in the last year as we have been taking relief aid to Romania. Sometimes we have been encouraged sometimes we have been disappointed. There are 2 young men who have really encouraged us by how they have used the resources and opportunities we have given them. This morning I want to share with you about them.

I first Valentin in 1998, when he was a filthy excited gypsy boy who I most remember as being a huge nuisance every time I tried to take photographs. When we provided school materials and shoes and clothes, Valentin was able to go to school, but he made slow progress to start off, in fact at one time it was thought he was educationally subnormal. A couple of years later we saw him again and this time he had a bicycle of sorts, which he had made himself out of bits and pieces. We later gave him a bicycle which became a treasured possession and was much used and loved.

Last year we heard that Valentin had left school and was successful in getting employment. Then in December 2006 we were told he was hoping to build himself a little house in the gypsy village. When we were there earlier this month we were pleased to hear he has finished his simple little house made of mud bricks with a door and window that had come from one of the Jersey lorries.

Also this trip we had some more good and encouraging news, this time about Atilla. Atilla was the second boy to move into Mustard Seed's boys hostel. He had been brought up in a state orphanage which he left at the age of 18. On leaving the orphanage he had nowhere to go and ended up homeless on the streets, before he was offered a place in the Mustard Seed boys hostel. He has proved the most stable lad in the hostel. While other boys have moved on after a few months Atilla has remained with us for well over a year. During that time he has been working at the local factory and as well as paying a small amount for rent and paying for food and utilities, he has managed to save just over 1000 dollars. In Romania that is a large amount of money and means that Atilla has most certainly not wasted any of the money he has earned. The mayor in the village, who assists and supports the Mustard Seed projects got to hear about Atilla and his efforts at saving money and has just offered him a small plot of land which he can buy for 1000 dollars on which he can build himself a little house. Without a shadow of doubt it will take him several years to save enough money to pay for an architect's plans then for materials to build his home – of course as much as we can we will help him with materials.

Both Valentin and Atilla were given opportunities and made choices about their priorities. Both I believe have made good choices and are making the best use of those opportunities they were given. Today we will all have opportunities offered to us and will choose what to do with those opportunities. During our lives God gives us all the chance to turn to Him, it is our choice whether to turn to Christ or not.

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