Shoes fit for winter

Five-year-old Corina is excited when members of OM Moldova pick her up from kindergarten. They have told her that they will give her a lift home by car and that they have a gift for her. The OM team is not sure what she is more excited about—the car drive or the gift!

When they arrive at her house, she calls her mother Andriana outside and then it is time for the present: a new pair of warm winter shoes! She tries them on and the big smile that appears on her face is evidence that she likes them a lot. Her mother is also happy and thankful. Corina’s old shoes were getting too small but they could not afford to replace them.

Corina’s father doesn’t have a job; he occasionally finds work for a day or two cutting wood, digging in a garden, harvesting the fields or taking care of the cows. For a full day of work he only earns around 50 or 60 lei (4 Euro), which is barely enough to provide food for his family. Corina’s mother stays at home to take care of the house and the children.

Life is difficult for the young couple. They want to take good care of their children but both grew up in a different village and hardly know their neighbours. Without a stable income, they depend on help from outside. A lady from the local church pays for Corina to go to the kindergarten.

As the OM team prepares to leave, Corina and her mother once again thank them with a big smile. Their eyes shine with happiness that Corina will be able to walk to kindergarten this winter in warm shoes that fit her.

OM’s role in the Church is to mobilise people to share the knowledge of Jesus and His love with every generation in every nation. OM pioneers and leads initiatives to redeem lives, rebuild communities and restore hope in over 110 countries.