In South East Central Europe,
in the northern Balkan Peninsula
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is the country of Romania.
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It borders the Black
Sea, Bulgaria, Serbia,
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Hungary,
Moldova and the Ukraine.
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The Carpathian and
Transylvanian Mountains divided.
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The Romanian people drive their
name from the ancient Romans.
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Romania is famous
for its architecture,
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art, style and culture.
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Back in the late
1800s, Bucharest its capital
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was often referred
to as the little Paris
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with its meandering water ways,
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beautiful gardens
and ornate buildings.
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Palace Sinaia was the
palace of King Michael I,
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the last king of Romania.
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In 1947, King Michael
was driven from Romania
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when procommunist
forces took full power.
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His castle shows
the beautiful designs
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that were common in
the mountainous areas
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of Montana and Transylvania.
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The Orthodox Church
is the national church
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of Romania, but like
many other countries of Europe
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Romania is
quickly becoming secular.
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In the cities,
people are crowded
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into these block of
flats as they are called.
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Under communism it was
the design of the party
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that the people
should live in the same way
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with the same income
and the same social status.
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Out in the country,
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life is pretty much
like it was years ago.
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Life is hard and
attended by many difficulties.
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In the Transylvanian
mountains is the Bran Castle,
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the legendary
home of Count Dracula.
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Truth is Count Dracula
was a national folk hero
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who became famous
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for his bloody attacks
upon the invading Turks
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during the time of
the Ottoman Empire.
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Toward the end of his life,
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it is said that
he became a prisoner
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in the tower of his own castle,
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but the legends of Dracula
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are not as real too many
as the facts about this man
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Nicolae Ceausescu, the
former dictator of Romanian.
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The 1949 date was
recognized as a starting point
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for the rule of
the Communist Party.
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And in 1965, Ceausescu was
elected the head of that party.
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Soon he was rubbing
shoulders with world leaders,
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mostly from countries,
such as, North Korea, Iran,
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Libya, Russia or giving
lip service to the Americans.
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Elena and Nikolae Ceausescu
successfully established
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a totalitarian personality cult.
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When Ceausescu entered
the podium, it was not unusual
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to have him going into tie
with that would last for hours,
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intern he would greeted
with hours of the audience
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clapping and shouting his name.
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At one event, it was recorded
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that his name was
chanted some 467 times
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and the audience cheered him
for over 3 hours and 22 minutes
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while he stood listening
in a trance-like state.
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He commanded the
destruction of many
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of the historic
buildings in Bucharest
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to start the
building of his new empire.
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The last being the
grand Ceausescu Palace
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later to be named
the People's Palace.
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This is called
the People's Palace
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and it's a fruit
of sick imagination
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of the last communist
dictator in our country.
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Hundreds of thousands of people
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work here in slave labor.
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You are forced to come here.
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They were coming to your place
and giving you a piece of paper,
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telling you with
no other explanation
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that you are forced to
come for six month, nine month
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or one-and-a-half year
to work in this house here.
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The grand marble pillars
and flooring testifies of a man
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who was bent on fulfilling
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the glories of
his sick imagination.
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The palace was not only use
for his own personal residence,
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but for banquets, dances,
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as well as the
operations of his government.
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No one dare question
the authority of this man
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and if they did
their fate would fall
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into the hands of
the secret police.
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The most feared
place one could end up
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was inside of a Romanian prison,
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a place where the
door would be forever shut.
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Well, Ceausescu lived lavishly,
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but people stood
in line for hours
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hoping for some
bread or simple staples.
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People started to become
more restless and unhappy,
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yet whenever
Ceausescu visited to shop
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to see how his
nation was faring.
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The secret police
always had an abundance
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of food ready to greet him.
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In meeting with
the common people,
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he would often assure
them better times were coming.
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These men do not
look too convinced.
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On December 16th, 1989
riots broke out in Timisoara.
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Police opened fire
killing scores of people.
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It was becoming obvious
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that the people
were becoming fed up
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with the rule of Ceausescu
and the Communist Party.
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On the cold gray day
of December 21st, 1989
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Ceausescu held a rally
that would lead to his downfall.
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While he tried to
reason with the people,
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they became more
and more restless,
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unconvinced that
anything would change.
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Soon they started to shout
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down with the dictator,
down with the dictator,
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a bomb exploded on
one side of Bucharest
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and then the
military was called out.
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Crowds took to the streets
and train loads of people
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came from other cities
to fight the revolution.
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Hesitantly the
military tried to take control,
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but many of them
were not convinced
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that they should
eat the government.
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Ceausescu tried to
escape in a helicopter,
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but even that failed as
the pilot down the craft
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and Ceausescu and his
wife Elena were arrested,
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tried and then executed.
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The last thing anyone
would imagine was that somehow
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God would be able to reach
down to the most feared place
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during the times of communism,
the prisons of Romania.
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The story you are about
to hear is true and amazing.
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Recently I visited
Romania, this was my 20th visit
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since the fall of communism.
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Meet Monta, the director of
humanitarian prison services
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greeted me at the airport.
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I want to take you on a
journey of amazing events
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that happened from
the year 1991 and onward.
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The day started early
and as always the streets
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of Bucharest are
full hustle and bustle.
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In the spring of 1991,
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we came to this old
Romanian union office.
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It was closed because
it was a Sunday morning
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and we were
talking with the lady
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that was cleaning the building
and with by divine providence
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there happened
to be one man inside
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who heard speaking
English and came out.
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His name was Lucian Christescu.
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We ended up at
this block of flats
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are what we call in America
an apartment house complex.
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And Lucian Christescu took
us up to step his apartment
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and shared with
us what it was like
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during the communist revolution,
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how they had the lay
on the floor for two days
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being careful to
stay away from the windows
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because of the
flying bullets outside.
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Little that I know
that this first meeting
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with Lucian
Christescu was gonna develop
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into a very long
lasting relationship
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that would have many amazing
things happened here in Romania.
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In the next year 1992,
I returned back to Romania
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and met with Lucian Christescu.
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He shared with
me something amazing
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that had just happened.
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I remember about
Elena and her story began
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right after the revolution
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when husband
suddenly died, heart attack.
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He was about 40, 42 years.
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The poor lady
with her two children,
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they were in the high school.
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She wanted to die.
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She went in such
a deep depression
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that it seems that nobody
could help her to get out.
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Somebody, I cannot remember who,
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let her to the
church and Jesus Christ
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was the only
hope recovery to her.
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She was baptized, her
children were supportive,
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they went and
headed to the church.
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She was living in Brasov,
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you know, nice
city in Transylvania.
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She was trying
to find out the way
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in order to cope
fully with her depression
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because even if she had no hoped
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that the burden
was pulling her back
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and she decided to do
something absolutely unusual.
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She was decided to go
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and to share her
comfort to the prisoners,
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to those who
are behind the bars,
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but this idea was totally crazy
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because in that times a civilian
entering the prison system
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which was in a communist
way that was something secret,
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it was impossible
and Elena was praying
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and said, "God,
Lord, do something for me
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and for them and let me in."
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She went to the
prison, but nobody let her in.
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But she wanted to be there,
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no rights to
reach the prisoners.
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The last word of
the guard to Elena was,
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"Woman, go away from
here and never come back."
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And while trying
to withhold her tears
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she said, "I don't know.
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I will go to the prisoners."
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To Bucharest, she
knew nobody there.
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She was a simple member,
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new baptized member in
a far away city of Brasov.
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But she said, "I
don't need anybody.
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I will go there and I
will fast for three, four days
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that means 72 hours.
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And I will stay there until
God will do justice for me.
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I want nothing
for, but only justice."
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And the
important part of Australia
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how the prison
ministry started was right here
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at this building at
the ministry of justice.
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And finally, I don't know
how and who told her the address
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of the General residence
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or headquarter of the prisons,
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but she found those three.
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At that time I didn't
know it existed such thing.
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And she went to the door.
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Look what, an officer opened.
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Whom do you look for?
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Do you have a son in the prison?
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No, sir, I want
to get the permission
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from the highest level
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for entering the
prison from Brasov.
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What?
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I want to work with the people.
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Lady, it's impossible. Go away.
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We have here rules.
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These are
prisons, not the hotels.
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Second time she stood there.
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Are you still here?
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Yes, I want to
talk to the General.
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Lady, the General is very busy.
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He is a high officer.
00:12:08.19\00:12:09.72
He has big problems to solve
not to stay to talk to you.
00:12:09.76\00:12:14.36
Go away.
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She stepped down the steps
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and she stayed
there up to evening.
00:12:18.60\00:12:22.54
In the morning,
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it was a seventh
day of fasting for Elena
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and in the morning at 7 O'clock
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she was ordered at the entrance
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of the big huge building.
00:12:33.11\00:12:35.92
At 8 O'clock,
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a nice polished
car pulled in front
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and the high officer get out,
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it was the General.
00:12:45.23\00:12:47.66
And Elena was there.
She was sitting and praying.
00:12:47.66\00:12:52.63
The General went by
her and while he stepped up
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he asked the
officer which was on duty.
00:12:56.57\00:13:00.14
Who is this lady?
Oh, she is a crazy lady.
00:13:00.18\00:13:04.01
She wants to go as a civilian
to work with the prisoners,
00:13:04.05\00:13:07.55
but she is not home.
00:13:07.58\00:13:10.19
And the General
stopped. Let her come to me.
00:13:10.22\00:13:16.73
Okay, they met in the door.
00:13:16.76\00:13:21.16
Mr. General, please give me
allowance to go into the prison
00:13:21.20\00:13:26.37
because I've such a
burden for those what he meets,
00:13:26.40\00:13:30.14
they have no
cares, no love, nothing.
00:13:30.17\00:13:34.98
They need some
comfort and I need to go to.
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Who are you? I'm Elena.
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I'm a nurse.
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Do you have a religion?
Yes, I'm Seventh-day Adventist.
00:13:43.95\00:13:48.09
Seventh-day Adventist.
00:13:48.12\00:13:49.39
Okay, woman, go to your
church and call somebody.
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Do you have a chief there?
00:13:55.40\00:13:56.93
Call him to
come and visit to me.
00:13:56.97\00:14:00.34
I want to talk to him.
00:14:00.37\00:14:02.24
And suddenly in the
lobby of the union office
00:14:02.27\00:14:05.64
I saw a woman.
00:14:05.67\00:14:07.18
They told me
somebody is looking for you.
00:14:07.21\00:14:10.28
She was a humble looking lady.
00:14:10.31\00:14:12.28
She seemed that she was
staying there and praying.
00:14:12.31\00:14:15.98
It touched my heart.
00:14:16.02\00:14:17.92
I had some pity for her
00:14:17.95\00:14:19.75
because she looks
somehow depressed.
00:14:19.79\00:14:21.82
And as she begins to talk
to me I thought she was crazy.
00:14:21.86\00:14:26.80
She was speaking me about
going to the highest officer
00:14:26.83\00:14:30.80
of the prison
system to the General.
00:14:30.83\00:14:32.87
And that she was getting
his acceptance to begin a work
00:14:32.90\00:14:40.01
and ministry in the prison.
00:14:40.04\00:14:41.61
It was unbelievable
00:14:41.64\00:14:44.28
because I was
prosecuted by the communists
00:14:44.31\00:14:48.75
and I know what did this mean.
00:14:48.78\00:14:51.89
It meant to go in the
darkest place of all the world
00:14:51.92\00:14:57.49
where people go beyond the doors
00:14:57.53\00:14:59.73
and sometimes never came back.
00:14:59.76\00:15:04.10
And it was something
like touching than death.
00:15:04.13\00:15:08.37
Finally she gave me
address, she gave me everything
00:15:08.40\00:15:11.34
and now I was
fasting and praying,
00:15:11.37\00:15:15.28
asking the Lord to
open the large, large door.
00:15:15.31\00:15:18.58
In that morning
00:15:28.52\00:15:30.09
in the nicest
suit and shirt I have.
00:15:30.13\00:15:33.40
My heart was beating strong.
00:15:33.43\00:15:36.03
I was approaching the building
of the ministering justice.
00:15:36.06\00:15:41.14
Nobody likes that building
00:15:41.17\00:15:43.61
because there is a
menace beyond the walls.
00:15:43.64\00:15:47.21
I was met at the door,
my documents were asked,
00:15:47.24\00:15:50.95
I was waiting for
45 minutes in the lobby
00:15:50.98\00:15:53.92
and I was alone there.
00:15:53.95\00:15:55.92
Finally I was let, I was
let by a soldier to the office,
00:15:55.95\00:16:00.56
I got put on the
chair for 15 minutes
00:16:00.59\00:16:02.66
and then please the
General looks for you.
00:16:02.69\00:16:06.39
I knew that I was
somehow an ambassador
00:16:06.43\00:16:10.20
even if I was pleaded, somebody
00:16:10.23\00:16:13.03
who was pleading
for God's justice.
00:16:13.07\00:16:17.24
The General was
serious, but soft.
00:16:17.27\00:16:22.44
If I say that is something
human face of the communism,
00:16:22.48\00:16:28.42
but after I spoke to him
00:16:28.45\00:16:30.69
offering our
people and our ministry,
00:16:30.72\00:16:35.52
he was speaking soft
with a deep concern is that
00:16:35.56\00:16:40.40
we the prison
system since long I won
00:16:40.43\00:16:43.67
that we should
involve the civilians
00:16:43.70\00:16:48.24
and working with the inmates.
00:16:48.27\00:16:50.44
We need you
because we cannot reform,
00:16:50.47\00:16:54.18
we cannot reborn these people
00:16:54.21\00:16:58.15
and you are the
link in rehabilitate
00:16:58.18\00:17:03.39
these people with lost hope.
00:17:03.42\00:17:07.89
Finally, the plans
were done, but I was alone.
00:17:07.92\00:17:12.53
I never saw how
this work would be done,
00:17:12.56\00:17:17.77
and by none expected chance
00:17:17.80\00:17:24.21
I met not a very tall man
00:17:24.24\00:17:28.18
with his mustaches in
the lobby of the union.
00:17:28.21\00:17:31.51
He seemed to me like a stranger
00:17:31.55\00:17:34.32
and the Lord said, "Go and say
00:17:34.35\00:17:36.38
may I help you, I'm home."
00:17:36.42\00:17:38.69
And this was the
beginning of huge,
00:17:38.72\00:17:43.73
huge project maybe one
of that above the strongest
00:17:43.76\00:17:49.26
and strongest
experiences in my life.
00:17:49.30\00:17:53.44
How much is this pot? Okay.
00:17:53.47\00:17:57.61
Okay, and you could
keep that one, it's a gift.
00:17:57.64\00:18:01.64
When we return back to America
we realized we had two problems.
00:18:01.68\00:18:04.75
One is, is that
we needed literature
00:18:04.78\00:18:06.25
and Bible lessons for
working inside the prisons
00:18:06.28\00:18:08.92
and we needed to work
with some other organization
00:18:08.95\00:18:10.79
that had experience in
working inside the prisons.
00:18:10.82\00:18:13.69
When I got back to America
00:18:13.72\00:18:15.66
I have found out that
there was this Romanian couple
00:18:15.69\00:18:18.23
that had started
translating booklets and tracks
00:18:18.26\00:18:20.46
into the Romanian language.
00:18:20.50\00:18:21.46
In fact they had found out about
00:18:21.50\00:18:23.13
Laymen
Ministries Bible lesson sets
00:18:23.16\00:18:25.03
that we had
already culturally adapted
00:18:25.07\00:18:28.14
for using communist countries
00:18:28.17\00:18:29.60
and they started translating
these Bible lessons sets.
00:18:29.64\00:18:32.64
So together with
Val and Valley Brusher
00:18:32.67\00:18:34.54
this Romaniancouple
and like theirs ministries
00:18:34.58\00:18:37.11
we send over 3.8
million pieces of literature
00:18:37.15\00:18:39.38
for the work here in the prisons
00:18:39.41\00:18:41.15
in evangelism in Romania
00:18:41.18\00:18:42.85
and then later we had
those lesson sets printed.
00:18:42.88\00:18:46.45
The next thing I
did as I contacted
00:18:46.49\00:18:47.99
Richard Bland from
United Prison Ministries
00:18:48.02\00:18:50.13
and asked him
if he'll be willing
00:18:50.16\00:18:51.39
to team up with
Laymen Ministries
00:18:51.43\00:18:52.79
to go to Romania to do training.
00:18:52.83\00:18:54.86
We realized that
see Laymen Ministries
00:18:54.93\00:18:56.70
has always been an organization
00:18:56.73\00:18:57.93
that was dedicated to
training and motivating
00:18:57.97\00:19:00.87
lay people in
practical ministry work.
00:19:00.90\00:19:02.74
United Prison
Ministries a ministry
00:19:02.77\00:19:04.87
that was working inside
prisons doing Bible studies
00:19:04.91\00:19:07.08
and such with prisoners.
00:19:07.11\00:19:08.38
We realized that this
would be a wonderful opportunity
00:19:08.41\00:19:11.61
for our two ministries to merge
together to come to Romania
00:19:11.65\00:19:14.48
and start training
seminars for common lay people.
00:19:14.52\00:19:17.59
Few weeks later we got tickets,
we flew together to Romania,
00:19:17.62\00:19:20.29
we traveled the four corners
of Romania going to churches
00:19:20.32\00:19:22.96
training lay people to
start doing Bible studies
00:19:22.99\00:19:25.69
and working with the
inmates inside the prison.
00:19:25.73\00:19:27.96
And this was the beginning
00:19:27.96\00:19:29.06
of Humanitarian
Prison Services work
00:19:29.10\00:19:31.33
that started to
spread all across Romania.
00:19:31.37\00:19:33.84
1993 was a very exciting
time for Laymen Ministries
00:19:33.87\00:19:37.54
because it was that year
that Laymen Ministries together
00:19:37.57\00:19:39.67
with Lucian
Cristescu in the Romanian union
00:19:39.71\00:19:42.38
formed legally HPS which is
Humanitarian Prison Services,
00:19:42.41\00:19:46.51
the prison
ministry here in Romania.
00:19:46.55\00:19:48.62
And that year we also start
sponsoring the lay evangelist
00:19:48.65\00:19:51.52
by the name of Nicu Butoi.
00:19:51.55\00:19:53.29
Nicu Butoi was doing
evangelism across Romania
00:19:53.32\00:19:55.72
and over the next several years
literally thousands of people
00:19:55.76\00:19:59.16
were baptized and connection
with Laymen Ministries
00:19:59.19\00:20:01.53
sponsorship of these
evangelistic campaigns.
00:20:01.56\00:20:04.57
We also had the
opportunity to go
00:20:04.60\00:20:07.20
to the Republic of Moldova,
00:20:07.24\00:20:09.24
the former part
of the Soviet Union.
00:20:09.27\00:20:10.87
And we had 100,000 Bible lessons
00:20:10.91\00:20:13.88
that's printed for
the prison ministry,
00:20:13.91\00:20:15.74
that's over three million
individual Bible lessons set.
00:20:15.78\00:20:19.28
Plus, we printed that same year
00:20:19.31\00:20:21.22
100,000 little booklets
called the Impending Conflict.
00:20:21.25\00:20:26.05
It was in 1994 that HPS
held its first prison convention
00:20:26.09\00:20:29.69
and we invited
General Major Ion Chis
00:20:29.72\00:20:31.79
as a special guest to
attend this convention.
00:20:31.83\00:20:34.36
At that time, we presented
him with the special gift
00:20:34.36\00:20:36.93
the book Desire of Ages.
00:20:36.97\00:20:38.77
Little did we know
what was gonna happen
00:20:38.80\00:20:40.27
because the
presentation of this one gift.
00:20:40.30\00:20:43.27
That next August we
invited General Chis
00:20:43.30\00:20:46.51
to come to ASI in America.
00:20:46.54\00:20:49.58
And I was there
he had under his arm,
00:20:49.61\00:20:52.01
the book Desire of Ages
00:20:52.05\00:20:53.08
which we had
given him as a gift.
00:20:53.11\00:20:54.88
And he was telling Richard
Bland and myself he said,
00:20:54.92\00:20:57.25
"This book is
such a wonderful book.
00:20:57.29\00:20:58.82
I read it three times."
00:20:58.85\00:20:59.95
He said, 'It portrays
Christ in such a wonderful way."
00:21:00.06\00:21:02.36
He said, "You
know, I was thinking
00:21:02.39\00:21:03.93
it would be nice to
be able to give this book
00:21:03.96\00:21:05.43
to all the inmates in Romania."
00:21:05.46\00:21:07.40
And Richard and I were
looking each other like, okay.
00:21:07.40\00:21:09.96
And he said, "You think
00:21:10.00\00:21:11.00
you could print
about 40,000 copies
00:21:11.03\00:21:13.87
or 45,000 copies of this book
00:21:13.90\00:21:15.60
to give to the
inmates in Romania?"
00:21:15.64\00:21:17.81
And we kind of
went, "Sure, okay".
00:21:17.84\00:21:20.91
And then he said,
"You know, we have inmates
00:21:20.94\00:21:23.18
coming and going in the prisons
00:21:23.21\00:21:24.25
all the time, it would be nice
00:21:24.28\00:21:25.31
if we had extra copies
in reserve for the new men
00:21:25.35\00:21:28.25
that are constantly
coming into the prisons
00:21:28.28\00:21:29.85
we can be giving
this book to them."
00:21:29.88\00:21:31.39
And he said, "You know, also
all the members of the staff
00:21:31.42\00:21:34.32
of the Ministry of Justice
for working inside the prison,
00:21:34.36\00:21:37.09
you know, the guards
and the administrator people
00:21:37.13\00:21:39.19
they would be benefited
by a copy of this book, too.
00:21:39.23\00:21:41.13
Could you print,
you know, 60,000 copies,
00:21:41.16\00:21:43.30
so we could give it to
all the administrative staff?"
00:21:43.33\00:21:45.70
And then he went on and said
to himself a little bit more
00:21:45.73\00:21:47.97
and he looked at us
and he said, "You know,
00:21:48.00\00:21:49.67
I'm friends with Eli Esco,
the president at that time.
00:21:49.70\00:21:52.41
He said, "I'd like to
give a nice hardbound copy
00:21:52.44\00:21:54.38
of this book to the
president of Romania
00:21:54.41\00:21:56.41
and all of the
members of parliament
00:21:56.44\00:21:57.88
and all the members
of Ministry of Justice.
00:21:57.91\00:21:59.91
Could you print
100,000 copies of this book?"
00:21:59.95\00:22:03.08
And Richard and I decided that
00:22:03.12\00:22:05.12
if the Holy Spirit
could impress him to ask,
00:22:05.15\00:22:08.02
the Holy Spirit could
impress people to give
00:22:08.06\00:22:10.59
and over the next several months
as these books are coming off,
00:22:10.63\00:22:14.36
these former communist
party presses the books
00:22:14.36\00:22:16.50
that were actually
being printed on these presses
00:22:16.53\00:22:18.50
where the books
of Stalin and Lenin,
00:22:18.53\00:22:20.27
now printing the Desire of Ages
00:22:20.30\00:22:21.97
as these books were
coming off the press,
00:22:22.00\00:22:24.24
people from allover the
world were donating funds
00:22:24.27\00:22:27.14
and they were coming in and--
00:22:27.18\00:22:28.28
Every time we had
a shipment of books,
00:22:28.31\00:22:30.38
the exact amount of money
was there to be able to pay
00:22:30.41\00:22:33.45
for each one of those books
as they came off for shipment.
00:22:33.48\00:22:36.58
The idea of having
the Desire of Ages printed
00:23:39.65\00:23:42.12
and then distributed
in the former communist
00:23:42.15\00:23:44.09
prisons of Romania with the help
00:23:44.12\00:23:46.09
of the government
seemed like an impossibility.
00:23:46.12\00:23:49.62
Our HPS workers
together with prison guards
00:23:49.66\00:23:52.19
went from cell to
cell in the entire maximum,
00:23:52.23\00:23:55.33
medium and minimum security
prisons all across the country.
00:23:55.36\00:23:59.33
One at the juvenile facility
in Craiova, General Keech,
00:24:02.70\00:24:06.07
well both are national
Romanian television and CNN
00:24:06.11\00:24:09.58
boldly stated to the inmates
and prison administration.
00:24:09.61\00:24:13.05
"We used to put people in
prison for books like these,
00:24:13.08\00:24:15.75
now we are putting
these books in prison."
00:24:15.78\00:24:18.32
We will never forget the looks
00:24:21.42\00:24:22.99
on the faces of
some of these young men
00:24:23.02\00:24:25.33
and in their hands was a book
00:24:25.36\00:24:27.23
that could forever
change their lives.
00:24:27.23\00:24:30.87
The entire faculty in every
prison received a free copy
00:24:30.90\00:24:34.64
of the book Desire of
Ages as well as the lifers
00:24:34.67\00:24:37.81
in the maximum
security prison in Craiova.
00:24:37.84\00:24:42.54
In Focsani, the commander
received as with open arms
00:24:42.58\00:24:45.45
for distributing the
book the Great Controversy.
00:24:45.48\00:24:48.08
This orthodox pre-shows off
00:24:48.12\00:24:49.82
all the books
distributed in his prison.
00:24:49.85\00:24:52.09
Well, holding the Great
Controversy in his arms.
00:24:52.12\00:24:55.06
Today Laymen
Ministries continues
00:25:12.84\00:25:15.11
to support the work of HPS.
00:25:15.14\00:25:17.58
They now have around
1,000 volunteers working
00:25:17.61\00:25:20.45
in all the 44
prisons of Romania.
00:25:20.48\00:25:23.02
While I was in Romania
this trip meet Laymen Ministries
00:25:31.53\00:25:34.83
sponsored Director of HPS
00:25:34.86\00:25:36.60
and I were going to go and visit
a few of the prisons to see
00:25:36.63\00:25:39.07
what HPS is doing today.
00:25:39.10\00:25:41.07
This morning we're heading
over to the women's facility
00:25:45.21\00:25:48.38
at Targsor just
outside of north of Bucharest.
00:25:48.41\00:25:53.52
It's north of
Bucharest, right? Oh, yeah.
00:25:53.55\00:25:56.62
We're outside the
women's prison here
00:26:08.13\00:26:10.37
and we're gonna be
able to go in and talk
00:26:10.40\00:26:12.67
a little bit with some
of the female prisoners.
00:26:12.70\00:26:14.47
Today isn't Sabbath,
but they have allowed us
00:26:14.50\00:26:16.71
to gather a small
group of the girls together
00:26:16.74\00:26:19.07
and have a meeting with them.
00:26:19.11\00:26:20.34
HPS worker such
as Ujan Mindinano
00:26:29.95\00:26:32.99
teaches inmates
how to study the Bible
00:26:33.02\00:26:35.32
and how to have a
relationship with Jesus Christ.
00:26:35.36\00:26:41.30
And I can't find words
00:26:41.33\00:26:42.93
to thank you for
all your ministry
00:26:42.96\00:26:45.93
and what you have
done for me and with me.
00:26:45.97\00:26:48.40
An year ago I
received a Bible from you
00:26:48.44\00:26:51.97
and this Bible changed my life.
00:26:52.01\00:26:57.08
Our next stop was here
00:26:57.11\00:26:58.15
at the Maximum
security prison in Bacau
00:26:58.18\00:27:00.28
way up by the Moldavian border.
00:27:00.32\00:27:03.15
Inside the security area
00:27:03.18\00:27:04.09
they have some HPS
workers actually walking
00:27:04.12\00:27:06.22
around with some of
the inmates in here.
00:27:06.25\00:27:10.86
You run ahead?
00:27:10.89\00:27:13.29
These visits are
just a small sample
00:27:13.33\00:27:15.40
of the work of HPS
all across Romania.
00:27:15.43\00:27:22.67
From what I understand
that two different types
00:27:22.70\00:27:25.27
of meetings here in this prison.
00:27:25.31\00:27:27.54
It's is a typical I guess
Sabbath service like, here
00:27:27.58\00:27:30.25
we're just like preaching,
it's more like a formal church,
00:27:30.28\00:27:32.95
but a lot of times
what they are doing
00:27:32.98\00:27:34.38
is they make a circle
00:27:34.42\00:27:35.88
and they had
interaction Bible studies
00:27:35.92\00:27:38.49
and whatever its called
here in this prison in yacht
00:27:38.52\00:27:41.49
that the inmates are leading
out in a lot of the services,
00:27:41.52\00:27:44.23
not only the Bible services,
Sabbath school studies,
00:27:44.26\00:27:47.76
even some of the preaching here.
00:27:47.83\00:27:49.50
But the neat thing is,
00:27:49.53\00:27:51.00
is that still the
principle of teach-to-teach
00:27:51.03\00:27:53.54
that the inmates are working
00:27:53.57\00:27:54.60
with
one-and-one with each other,
00:27:54.64\00:27:56.17
group discussions, interactions.
00:27:56.20\00:27:59.01
The commander of the prison here
00:27:59.04\00:28:00.94
General Director
is what they called
00:28:00.98\00:28:02.34
and now what saying that
00:28:02.38\00:28:03.65
out of all the different groups
that come entered the prison.
00:28:03.68\00:28:05.95
This has been the
most successful program
00:28:05.98\00:28:07.98
we've seen so far working
inside this prison facility.
00:28:08.02\00:28:11.55