THE UNDERGROUND

THE UNDERGROUND

Report #4 from Bucharest Romania

October 19, 1999

We left Timisoura Monday morning for Bucharest 800 km away. In Bucharest we visited Sue and Ron Bates. The Bates are from Texas and are in their fifties and have lived in Bucharest for eight years. They arrived soon after the execution of Ceaucescu and his wife in 1989. It is now believed that Ceaucescu killed three million Romanians during his reign. At the time of his death he was building a Palace at a cost of two billion dollars.

The Bates live in the ghettos of Bucharest and have been working with the street children of the city. There are thousands of children living in the underground heating tunnels and sewers of Bucharest. The "Street Children" are very reticent to enter any program. Many have been abandoned because their family could not feed them or were told if you leave we’ll have more food for the rest. Many are children raised in orphanages and set free at age eighteen, some lived in very abusive homes and some came from homeless families. What Ron and Sue have found themselves doing is taking in the babies of the "Street Children". Babies do not survive in the underground and the young parents, often living as husband and wife, love their children and want something better than the underground. The Bates now have twelve infants and children living with them. Some of the parents of the children visit daily. [See Through Flori’s Eyes]. I had the privilege to interview several young girls: Michaela, Gabi, Lalela, Cadria, Florina, Stefana, and Bianca about their lives, how they came to live in the underground and what their lives are like there.

Mihaela who is eighteen and is the mother of Leonard is expecting a second child. Mihaela invited me to visit her and her husband Laurentiu in the underground. Laurentiu is the leader of the clan of children that live in one particular area of Bucharest.

Later that evening Sue and Sue’s assistant Dorin took Janice and I to where Mihaela lives in an area behind McDonalds. Laurentiu met us, greeted us warmly and escorted us to a manhole cover that he removed and showed us how to descend a twelve-foot ladder into the underground.

Their home was an underground cubicle twelve feet long, eight feet wide and seven feet high. Mihaela and Laurentiu have lived here as husband and wife for five years. There home is part of the city’s steam heat distribution system and was warm, dry and neat as a pin. Scripture was written in chalk on the walls. Their home was lit by candlelight. I never felt more welcome in someone’s home. After visiting for a while, I noticed additional candles being lit in adjacent tunnels. These were the candles of other children, making a determination that, as an adult, I was not a threat to them.

Laurentiu took us to other manhole covers where we descended into the homes of other children living in small groupings of five to seven. All of the children wanted me to take family portraits and wanted to be photographed with me. All of the children use Aurolac as an inhalant. Aurolac is a paint thinner that is extremely addictive and destroys the brain, liver, kidneys and lungs.

The whole experience was so profound – beautiful, intelligent engaging children living in an underground society devoid of adult presence and love. The whole experience had a surreal, Peter Pan quality and was reminiscent of a time when we played "fort" in the backyard. William Goldings’ The Lord of the Flies is disturbingly descriptive of the lives of these dear children.

Through Flori’s Eyes

The following excerpt is written by Sue Bates, it offers a powerful insight into the personal meaning of the work they are doing in Bucharest.

"Flori is a four year old little gypsy girl who has been with us for about eight months. According to the Romanian government, officially she is "person non grata." Because she has no papers…they consider that she doesn’t exist. But through this little girl, I have learned more about the heart of God than all the theology books and sermons I have ever encountered.

I suppose she is four. Her mother (Fana – short for Stefana) doesn’t know when Flori was born – or even when she herself was born. Fana was thrown out of her home when she was eight years old… about twelve years ago, and has been living on the streets ever since. Her own mother didn’t want her.

Fana is totally illiterate -- not even able to write her own name. She has had two children since she had Flori…and left them abandoned in the hospital. Four days ago she had an abortion. She had promised us that she would not do this, and would give the child to us…but she didn’t.

For 3 ½ years she kept Flori on the streets…living in subway entrances or city parks. It was freezing in the winter – and there are no homeless shelters in Bucharest…so it was either there or on the streets in the incredibly filthy underground canals. Both places are miserable and dangerous. In the daytime, and sometimes into the night, they were on the streets – begging for a meager living. Flori was used by her mother to beg.

When we first met Flori…we had taken some street kids to Macdonald’s. She and her mom were with them. Flori was so filthy, had lice, didn’t talk, was withdrawn and lifeless. Fana knew we had taken in Leonard and asked if we could let Flori live with us. Her reason was that she didn’t want Flori to be like her – she wanted Flori to go to school and learn to read and write. If you are living on the streets without a birth certificate and ID (Identification Card)…you cannot go to school. We are now trying to get these papers, but it is very difficult if they consider you don’t exist. So we don’t have legal custody of her yet.

When we first got Flori, she was petrified of baths. She had gotten very few in her life…and in freezing places. She lived a life of misery…sleeping outdoors in the cold, with filthy clothes full of lice and bugs, inadequate food – mostly bread and cokes, and forced to beg on the cruel streets. But, she immediately began changing and is now a normal, full-of-life happy little girl. But, when her mother leaves…she cries like her heart is breaking.

We didn’t want to sever her relationship with her mother, because no one can take a mother’s place…no matter how bad she is. We didn’t want to force Flori to become an orphan. We left our door open to Fana to come see Flori whenever she wanted to come. Sometimes, she will take Flori for a day or two…much to our disapproval. She takes her downtown to beg. Flori comes back in a terrible condition…with bug bites, exhausted, dirty, hungry, sleepy…and recently, with impetigo. We have begged her not to do this to her daughter…but we couldn’t stop her. We just had to trust God to take care of Flori while she was gone. But when her mother leaves…she screams and cries for her.

Flori ("little flower") is a gypsy child. Even though she is very beautiful and sweet, the kids tease her and call her a "crow"…meaning "black." The gypsies are outcasts in the Romanian society. But, Flori cares none about these prejudices…she is concerned about her mother.

Two days ago, Fana came here very sick….from the abortion. She had pain in her stomach and fever. We bought all the medicine the doctor prescribed for her infection. Flori sensed something unusual was wrong with her precious mother.

What I saw that day was a most beautiful picture of God’s love for us…his very own. Flori sat in her mother’s lap and showed the most tender affection and concern humanly possible. Her mom was very dirty, sick…very broken by Adam’s fall…but Flori hugged and kissed her unashamedly. She has many times sung to her mother, but that day she was so worried about her…she could only hold her and kiss the stained clothes that covered her breast. Flori with her big, beautiful black eyes, tenderly looked up into the face of her mother…and reached up to gently touch her on the cheek and give her a loving smile. Through Flori’s eyes, her mother is the most beautiful and important person in the world.

At that moment, I realized why God said that we must become like little children to enter into His kingdom. Because He is like Flori. He is like this little child…a child that loves unashamedly, unreservedly…that forgives…who is without prejudice. A God who loves without restraint…no matter how dirty and stained we are.

When Fana left, Flori screamed and howled and cried. No matter what her mother does Flori would never forsake her mother. She will never forget her. She will never give her up. We have a God like that…like this little four-year-old Romanian gypsy girl. We have a God so loving and kind. He is so thoroughly gracious and accepting of sinners no matter how unworthy…just like Flori is to her mother.

God, help me to be more like Flori. Help me to see people through Flori’s eyes…as most beautiful and precious in your sight. Let us see with grace and love from You, without reservation and prejudice – like this beautiful little girl sees.

Shalom from Romania, Sue and Ron"

People wishing to provide financial and prayer support to the work of Ron and Sue Bates in Bucharest may contact them by email at inasmuch@fx.ro

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