If you have not met Dorothy, you should. She is a storyteller of the best kind; generous in thought and word, and in deed. She lives simply in Romania, and has a ministry to children in her church, and to widows and other orphans brought across her path. With her ‘love gift’ of $2500 (CAD) she did not hesitate but jumped at the opportunity to really make a difference in the life of one. This is her story.
Well, today I connected with Lindralina, (who has no pension and no money even to put credit on her phone, so lets me know when she needs me by giving a single ring). I called her back and she said it was something that could not be discussed over the phone. I brought coffee and we sat outside to talk. She told me that she had found a man and woman who repair roofs. They came, climbed up into the attic and gave an estimate of how much it would cost with labour and materials.
She then made a proposal and it still seems almost unbelievable to me. She told me there is a house in the village for sale for sixty million lei. And she initially said that it would be less than the cost of fixing the roof... which I did not believe, at first.
It turns out she was speaking about sixty million as in their old money - which is how the older people here still refer to sums. But in new money that translates to 6,000 lei or Ron.
I just put the exchange rate in for the love gift you sent and it comes to 7,827.91 lei!!
I called someone on our team to see if this is really possible that a house could be for sale at that price. My friend, Florina, claims that if it is in a village and an older house, it could be.
Lindralina had the key and showed me the place. By our standards it looks pretty sad (the widow who owns it has been living elsewhere with her daughter the past 2 years due to health issues so that adds to the neglected appearance). But to Lindralina it is like a mansion in comparison.
She does not own the place she is in; the house has never had electricity... until someone from town hall ran a line to her place through the window and, at night, she now has a light bulb and can recharge her phone!
This house has electricity, a kitchen, two bedrooms, a soba (in which they burn wood to heat the house in the winter), an enclosed shed to store firewood, a fridge (she has never been able to store soup or perishable foods!)
She has no pension whatsoever, so I told her she needs to keep in mind that there will now be bills to pay for electricity... but there is still a sum left from the gift you sent which could help her at the beginning, or it may be useful for legal fees to cover the sale and transferal documents.
I said I would go home and figure out costs between roof repair and this house and get back to her.
It appears that the cost for the roof repair will be 8,312.57 at the present exchange rate on the euro! It is completely rotted and they cannot just do a part of it because of the slant. The whole thing will have to be replaced.
Can you believe your gift may be buying a house?!?
Dorothy
