Growing up in poverty, religion can seem irrelevant, its traditions and rules for people who have their lives together, who aren’t overwhelmed by practical questions around finding work, paying the bills, putting food on the table.
Romania ranks as the number one most religious country in Europe, according to Pew Research Center, with 85.3% of the population describing themselves as Orthodox Christians.
However, growing up, Melisa, 17, who lives in northwest Romania, was surrounded by poverty. Her parents’ small income was swallowed up by rent and bills, leaving little left for anything else. Melisa’s father often had to go abroad for work, as there were so few job opportunities at home. Although the family regularly went to church, there seemed to be no answers there – and Melisa craved fun and as she got older, parties: an escape from everyday hardship.
“Choosing Jesus wasn’t easy for me,” she said.
Things started to change when Melisa was enrolled on Mission Without Borders’s child sponsorship programme when she was 10. Her family began receiving food, clothes and donated goods. Melisa and her brother were given school supplies and had the chance to go on summer camp. It was when Melisa became a teenager that she began to wrestle with committing her life to Christ.
She said, “I remember this moment when a man visited our church, giving a sermon and inviting people to give their lives to Jesus. I was torn – and I just couldn’t decide whether or not to join the altar call that day. I didn’t. But months later, the thought still lingered.
“When the same man returned a year later, I told my friend that I have to take this step and I did, leaving behind a past of partying that I’d rather forget. “In September last year I decided to get baptised, together with 10 other people (six of them also connected to MWB).
Melisa takes time to read her Bible daily
“No one in my immediate family has ever been a born-again Christian, so I didn't have anyone to confide in about my feelings or questions, especially because talking about feelings wasn’t really encouraged in our family or even in our culture in general. I yearned for someone to talk to,” she said.
“I’ve always found joy in attending the Christian Outreach meetings and the summer camps organised by MWB, where I deepened my understanding of God. That later helped me to commit to following him.”
Melisa added, “For a while after the baptism, I had a lot of doubts. I questioned my decision countless times, wondering if I’d made the right choice.