MOLDOVA — Patrick was the unwanted
child of an African student, who spent
some time in Moldova in the 1980s, and a
local Moldovan girl.
When his time as a student was over, the
father went back to Africa. But, sad to say,
the mother, who had a serious alcohol
problem, later died. Little Patrick was then
looked after by some of her relatives but
they decided later that they couldn’t continue
looking after the little boy. So at an early
age, he came to the orphanage (see
previous story).
He was brought up there and, it being a
Christian-run home, he was given all the love
that his birth-parents had not been able to
give him. He also developed into a very bright
little boy.
Much later, when he had gone away to
study, he asked his adoptive parents where
he would go in the holidays. By way of reply,
his ‘Mum and Dad’, asked him , “Well, where
do all the rest of the boys spend the
holidays?”
“They go home…” he said.
“Well, this is your home!” they told him.
“You can come here whenever you like.” And
for a long time they kept his room for him.
Since then the couple who were his house
parents have left the orphanage. But he still
has a home there whenever he may want it.
Patrick is currently in the first year of
studies at medical school. Whenever he
comes back to the orphanage these days he
stays in the family home of Romica Hutsutsui,
the President of the Interconfessional Bible
Society of Moldova, and his wife Viorica.
Asked if the Bethel Orphanage
automatically says goodbye to the children it
raises when they reach 18, Mr Hutsutsui’s
answer is emphatic.
“No,” he says. “If you do that, you may well
destroy all the work you have done in all the
years before.”
It is a philosophy that seems to pay off.
(WR 414/ 6 - 08/09.07)
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