LENDING A HELPING HAND IN ROMANIA

In addition to his position at Eastern Oregon University, Les Balsiger is a member of the Union-Baker Education Service District Board and is head of the Court Appointed Special Advocates Board. (The Observer/DICK MASON).

- Dick Mason

- The Observer

Nineteen years have passed since Les Balsiger of La Grande founded Printed Page Ministries.

Today, 1,000 pages would be needed to describe what the non-profit organization has done for an impoverished county in northern Romania — pages Balsiger could easily fill with poignant stories.

Balsiger is the head of Printed Page Ministries, a non-profit charitable organization that has raised $1.5 million for the people in Romania's Salaj County, a part of its Transylvania region. The money has been spent on food, clothing, home construction and much more. All are desperately needed in a region where the shadow of communism is gone but the economic sun that democracy often sparks has yet to shine.

"People there live in abject poverty,'' Balsiger said. "There is high unemployment and most villages don't have running water.''

Balsiger has traveled to Transylvania about 30 times since 1993 to oversee the program. He now goes about once a year, but from 1993 to 2000 he often visited three or four times a year. Balsiger went to personally deliver the money Printed Page Ministries raised. Balsiger brought between $10,000 and $20,000 in cash each time he visited Transylvania.

Why not wire the money to a bank in Romania?

Remember this was only a few years after Nicolae Ceausescu, Romania's iron-fisted Communist ruler, had been overthrown. Rumanians finally had liberty, but chaos reigned.

Security was not a major concern of Balsiger's while traveling with such money because he kept a low profile.

"I did not dress formally. Nobody had reason to suspect I had that much money,'' he said.

Initially, Balsiger was restricted to taking $10,000 at a time because this is the maximum anyone can leave the United States with in cash. Later, Balsiger had the money transferred to a bank in Germany. Balsiger would then go to Germany where he would withdraw about $20,000 and take it by train to Transylvania.

Balsiger has been able to transfer funds directly to a bank in Transylvania since 2001 because the political situation has stabilized. Today Balsiger's group raises an average of $80,000 a year for the people of Salaj County.

"It sounds like a lot but it really isn't when you break it down,'' Balsiger said.

Printed Page Ministries has built small office buildings in two communities in Salaj County. The buildings serve as storage sites for items purchased by Printed Page Ministries. The buildings are staffed by Markia Szekrenyes of Romania. She has played an instrumental role in leading projects funded by Printed Page Ministries, Balsiger said.

Szekrenyes and her husband, Guyla, who died in 2003, worked closely with Balsiger's outreach program in Romania during its first 10 years. Markia Szekrenyes has carried on since her husband's death. Printed Page Ministries built a house for Szekrenyes after her husband's death. She had been living in a dilapidated structure.

Balsiger started Printed Page Ministries in 1988 when he lived in the Portland area. Printed Page Ministries began reaching out to Romania in 1993 as an extension of a program started by Steps of Life Ministry led by John Grosboll of Wichita, Kan. Balsiger was asked by Grosboll to fill in for him in Romania. Balsiger ended up taking over the program.

Balsiger, who grew up in Wilsonville, is an ordained minister with Three Angels Ministry. He came to La Grande with his wife, Carol, in 2004 to take a position as director of student relations and marketing with EOU's Division of Distance Education. Balsiger came here after receiving a law degree from Gonzaga University in May 2004.

In La Grande he is continuing to pour himself into public service projects. He is a member of the Union-Baker Education Service District Board and is head of the Court Appointed Special Advocates Board.

Most of Balsiger's professional career has been spent working in marketing for the real estate brokerage business and in new home construction. His construction background has served him well in Transylvania, where he has helped oversee the construction of about four homes.

Balsiger gives the lion's share of credit for the success of Printed Page Ministries to volunteer members throughout the world who work diligently to raise money. Integral members include:

• his daughter, Danielle Balsiger of Norway.

• a trio of Berlin physicians led by Dr. Berndt Korinth.

• a group of volunteers in Denmark led by Lena Falk.

• Markus Hert, a truck owner in Switzerland who transports many of the goods purchased by Printed Page Ministries to Transylvania free of charge.

Balsiger and his volunteer staff have seen the standard of living in Transylvania improve since the overthrow of communist rule. Still, the quality of life has not improved for everyone. Health care is a good example. Under the communists everyone received free medical care. Today citizens must pay for it and the cost is beyond the reach of many poor Romanians.

"People at the bottom have not prospered,'' Balsiger said.

Problems like this and continuing poverty are why Printed Page Ministries will continue serving Salaj County for years to come.

"We will keep working there as long as there is a need,'' Balsiger said.

His commitment to the people of Transylvania will never waver because of an innate goodness Balsiger has seen in few places.

When he visits, people there provide remarkable hospitality. Some Romanians will spend 25 percent of their month's salary to provide a meal.

"If you don't take (their meals) it is an insult,'' Balsiger said."What little they have they give to you.''