By Andy Baker
Bazna is Romanian for the German word Bessen. Bessen was an Austro-Hungarian community formed in the years that the empire ruled the region. There is an old Lutheran church that still stands where the original community settled. After the fall of Communism many from this German speaking community immigrated to Austria and Germany for greater economic opportunity. During the Communist era Bessen/Bazna became a resort community for the leaders of that day because of the natural thermal springs. There are many buildings presently falling into ruins from the resort era, and they serve as a reminder of the history of the community from the 1960's to the 1980's.
Bessen/Baza literally means, "a better place." It was about five years ago that I made the trip to go and visit a team of pastors that I had met at one of our training seminars. It was at that training seminar that we found a special bond, and they had been so grateful for the scholarships provided to cover their housing and meals. They asked me to please come and visit them, and the next year we made that trip and our relationship has been growing and strengthening ever since.
Last year, Lumi Boancas, the wife of one of the pastors wrote to me with a vision for helping the children in the community with their studies. Many of the people that still reside in this declining village are very poor, and the church has proved to be a vital instrument of ministry and care for them. Lumi asked me if Remember the Children could sponsor an after school program and she was willing to give her time to lead it. We agreed to do so, and last year many children attended and it proved to be highly successful.
Many of the parents in this community struggle with literacy, so Lumi's program has offered a place to help the children stay current with their studies and to move forward in their reading comprehension and other core studies The Coronavirus has complicated this matter further as online learning is not available for many children, and the probability of falling behind is realistic. Lumi contacted me back in August and said she was going to try and start the program again, and help any children that would be interested in coming. We sent the initial funding, and Lumi began in September and recently sent us pictures of the first students that are attending this year.
We are grateful for partners with vision and follow through like Lumi. Christian Life Fellowship Church is making a deep impact in the community and your partnership helps us tell great stories like this. Thank you for helping us help Lumi make a difference in the lives of the children in her village. Bazna is truly living up to its name as it is becoming "a better place" for the children who reside there through our literacy program.