MORNING THOUGHT for FRIDAY APRIL 20^th 2007 broadcast on BBC Radio Jersey, presented by Rose Helie:

Earlier this month we were in Romania on our most recent humanitarian trip with Mustard Seed Jersey. 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. One disappointment was Jigor.

When we first went to the desperately needy community where Jigor and his family live, we were impressed by his kindness and the efforts he made to try to improve his pretty appalling living conditions. With no running water and electricity we were impressed at how Jigor was the only one in the small community of about 6 families who had rigged up lighting with a car battery. We were impressed at how he was helping a disabled woman in the community and found he was well spoken of by the village shop-keeper and the neighbours. So when we discovered he knew how to use a chain saw we got him one to help him earn some money to support his family, also a bike to cycle to his part-time job looking after animals morning and evening – it was the only work he could get. which was all he could get.

We had high hopes for him that with a little bit of help from us he could really improve his life and that of his family. On our next visit he told us he had earned over 100 euros but now a part on the chain saw was broken and so he could not use it any more – the cost of the repair was only a few euros so we paid it but told him next time he must use some of the money he had earned selling wood to put it right.

Things went well, so well that we offered to move him to a little house set in a hectare of land in an adjoining village. For the first year we said we would not charge any rent but after that he must begin to pay some rent, just a little amount, then if he began earning more money he could pay a more realistic rent. We were disappointed when Jigor said that the chain saw again needed repairing – his friend in the next village was repairing it – could we help with the cost as his wife had just given birth to their 4^th child otherwise the arrangement was that the first 100 euros worth of logs must go to his friend. Knowing how little they had for the new baby we paid just over half that repair and reminded him that he must use the money he earnt.

What happened next shocked us – a week or two later we had a message that Jigor did not want any conditions attached to the house like keeping the place tidy and certainly no rent ever. At the same time we heard rumours that he had bitten a disabled woman in the community when she had annoyed him, and had continued to be cruel to her so that she was now terrified of him. So we said we would make no decisions about the house and Jigor till we were in Romania and could talk to the people involved.

But when we were next in Romania, we did not actually see Jigor as when he heard we were coming he disappeared. When we enquired the rumours of cruelty and biting were confirmed so we had little doubt it was true and we were really disappointed. On talking to others we learned Jigor had started drinking again, had sold the chainsaw and the bike.

I cannot tell you how disappointed we are about Jigor. We had really believed in him and invested a number of resources in him, wanting to give him that chance to improve his life. But he chose not to use the opportunity that was given to him.

It is a bit like that with God and people. God gives us the chance and opportunity to turn our lives around and offers us His help through Jesus Christ. But He won't force us to have faith and follow Him, the choice is ours.

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