The Bread of LIfe

During the month of June, my wife Linda and I led two mission teams to Romania. During our trip, we had the opportunity to minister to Ukrainian refugees and provide relief support for orphans and families in Ukraine. We also had the opportunity to visit the Bread of Life Children’s Home in Brosteni, Romania. Both teams stayed at a small motel near the village of Sabasa, fifteen minutes from the Bread of Life home.  

One morning as our team was eating breakfast, a man approached the table and asked for food. I asked him to sit at one of the tables nearby and instructed the waitress to serve him a meal and add the cost to our bill. I asked the man his name, and he told me his name was Rueben. I watched as Rueben waited patiently for his meal. I prayed for Rueben and asked God to give me the words to minister to him.  

As I watched the waitress place a basket of bread on the table, John 6:35 came to my mind. Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. John 6:35 ESV  

We asked Rueben if we could speak to him briefly about God. He agreed, and we began sharing the gospel with the man. I asked if we could pray for him, and he agreed and bowed his head. We prayed that God would meet all his needs and give him the Bread of Life we had spoken about. He told us about his family that lived in the village of Sabasa.  

Our team decided to travel to Sabasa to meet the man’s family. I asked the man what he did to earn money for his family. He said he was a woodcutter and often cut and split wood for people in the village to earn money to feed his family. I asked him which he would rather have, money or food. I asked this question to test the man’s motives. He quickly responded that all he wanted was to feed his children.  

As the team members started getting in the van, I asked someone to look up the meaning of the name. After a few minutes, they shouted, “Rueben means, Behold my son.” I recalled how we spoke to Rueben while he waited for his meal, and I realized that while God was working through us to bless Rueben and his family, He was also speaking to our team about His grace and mercy.  

We walked to Rueben’s house, prayed with his family, and blessed his home. Rueben’s son had both feet bandaged because he had cut his feet badly on broken glass. Rueben lifted him from a stroller and asked us to pray for healing.  

As the Bread of Life truck pulled into the village, I remembered our conversation with Rueben at breakfast. “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger.” John 6:35 ESV. It seemed like the prayer we prayed for Rueben and his family at the breakfast table that morning was already being answered.  

Later I asked Alin if Rueben could help split wood for the orphanage. I believed the work would allow him to provide for his family. Alin agreed and said they would deliver food to Rueben and his family. We are looking for ways to help their children through the BOL Home.  

I thank God for the Bread of Life ministry, the staff, and the volunteers at the Bread of Life Home. God is using this ministry to demonstrate His love and compassion for those in physical need and those hungry for God.  

Scott Grizzle