cee story from the mission field
Russian Elderly Begging in Retirement
2001
Most older Russians have lost all hope in life. They put their faith and hope in the system, a system that promised them safety and security in a secular and "God"-less society. They were promised a livelihood from the cradle to the grave: a job, a position in society, meaning.
Throughout their lives they put money into funds similar to the US Social Security funds. They would work while they were young, until they reached the age of retirement. They were counting on being able to support themselves after retirement, based on the money in their retirement plans and the money they had set aside over the years. Then the unthinkable happened. Communism fell and with it all security in the system they had been brought up with. This meant that all their hopes for the future, the money on which they were to live, disappeared at once.
After a few years, they were able to start receiving a pension check, but it came to very little in an economy with rapidly rising prices. The living style of Russians usually doesn't lend itself to living on one's own. It is common for two or even three generations to be living in the same small apartment for financial reasons. Most cannot afford to get an apartment on their own. Some, if not many, of the older people found themselves falling prey to their own children and grandchildren. The younger people demand that the pension check be handed over to them, so they can handle all the money. In their way of handling the money, the money stays with the younger generation and the older family member has no means to live except for the roof over her head. Because of this, there are older Russians out on the streets begging for bread and other types of food.
The Russian government sees and feels for the plight of the older generation, and at times gives them raises in their pensions and special benefits in living costs. However, it still cannot stop what is happening within the families. This continues to be a touchy and difficult problem for all people to address and find a way to solve.
How can we as Christians offer the hope that Christ extends when the hurt is so real and lived day to day? How can they trust the One, when they have been "burned" by trusting many? These seem to be tough questions, but, through the hope that is given by Christ, they can be answered, but, they will not be answered if we sit idly in our own secure world. We, as Christians, must act and act quickly so that those throughout world can know this hope that comes in Christ.