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Romanian Rescue

An account of a Christian family's adoption of an orphan from Romania

ROMANIAN RESCUE
By Sue Smith.
Hodder & Stoughton. 215 pages. £5.99
ISBN 0 340 69408 4

This is a very moving account of one British Christian family's personal battle with bureaucracy in adopting an orphan from Romania.

In the early days immediately after the 1989 revolution, many such adoptions occurred; but by 1991 when the Smiths flew into Bucharest for the first time, things were changing and they discovered it was not as easy as they had thought.

We share their bewilderment, frustrations and annoyances as they try to work legally through the proper channels to help just one small, abandoned and seemingly hopeless two year-old boy. Have a handkerchief ready to wipe away your tears as you share what happens. People who have never experienced the bureaucracy left in place after communism may find it difficult to comprehend, those who have had similar problems will sympathise.

The book gives some understanding as to how things work, or don't, in Romania, and will open readers' eyes to the in-built bribery and corruption that remains just as strong in 1998 as it did earlier. Hopefully, while rejoicing in one small yet major triumph for the Smith family, it will act as a spur for deeper understanding and more fervent prayer for the spread of the gospel in that continuing needy country.

One minor complaint: in standard Romanian the feminine of 'Domnul' (Mr.) is 'Doamna' (Mrs.) not 'Domna' as is consistently used throughout the book. Whether this is a local colloquial form or a misheard word, this reviewer has been unable to ascertain.

Kenneth Morey