In Romania the beginning of the second half of the 20th century meant the instauration of Communism and its entry into the longest spiritual night. Personally, this period brought me many painful experiences because of the hardships my parents encountered. First of all, there were the large agricultural and animal allotments that were loaded in the railway cars and headed to the Soviet Union as war indemnities. Then the collectivization followed and that meant expropriation. That led my family to dire poverty. In my first eight years in school, I learned how to worship the Communist Party and how to praise its leaders. During all those years I heard nothing about God. I did not know the meaning of Christmas because at Christmas time we received presents from Santa Claus.
After finishing primary school I went to high school and then to the University improving my worship to the Communist Party and its leader. In 1978, I started to work as an engineer in Craiova where I met Ionel. After three months we were married. Three years later we already had two children and we were working hard so that our children could have a different childhood from ours. We had no hope, no joy.
In 1988 I received an illustrated Bible from a colleague and I gave it to my children. At that time I did not realize the impact of that book. It would change our lives forever. While our children, 8 and 10 years old, were reading it they met Jesus and received Him into their lives. I learned from them that I was a sinner, too, and if I did not receive Jesus as my Savior, I would go to hell. At first I scolded them for being so naïve to believe that there was a God but because they were so preoccupied with Jesus, I started to read the Bible too. That's how I also met Jesus.
Up until then I had read many books. It was a kind of competition between me and my work colleagues. Every time I finished a book I felt rather guilty because I wasted my time. Sometimes I used to read things that I could not share with others. But after I had read the Bible, I felt the need to tell everyone that I had read a book that had changed my way of thinking and my life. It contained the truth that Communism denied but could not suppress because:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us full of grace and truth."
This Word that became flesh is Jesus Christ. He changed my life and can also change yours! Jesus died so that we could have eternal life. And we can have eternal life if we believe that He died for our sins. I believed and now I have eternal life and so can you!