On Saturdays, Seventh-day Adventist believers in Bucharest are traveling librarians. The Mobile Library is a ministry designed to lend books to those who might not otherwise be able to afford them. Every Sabbath, volunteers deliver books about education, health, family and religion to the homes of those eager to learn more about God.
The initiative originated from the desire of a group of believers to serve. They started by handing out books in one of Bucharest’s districts in the autumn of 2008. Their goal was to distribute books all over the city. Then, they noticed people’s interest in a Mobile Library. Eighty percent of those approached accepted the book distributed in 2008, and 35-40 percent of those wanted to borrow more books through a Mobile Library. More and more believers have become interested in volunteering as librarians. The program has grown to include nine churches and 70 volunteers.
Mircea Boieriu, one of the project’s coordinators, said that the most important part of the ministry is prayer. While teams are in the field, others stay at the church to pray. In addition, one member of the visiting team speaks while the other member constantly prays. On the day of the project, all of those involved also fast. At the end of the day, the volunteers eat together, share their experiences, and praise God for being with them and for the opportunity of serve and pray for those to whom they lent books.
"Volunteers do not work through their own power," stated Cristian Voicu, pastor of one of the involved churches. “It is important that all church members are involved, that those who cannot distribute books stay and pray in the church and develop their relationships with God," he continued.
In autumn of 2009, volunteers introduced the Mobile Library in Voluntari, a city near Bucharest. After three Saturdays, the volunteers had registered approximately 200 contacts. Volunteers regret that at this time, they can only serve about 100 of those contacts. As the number of volunteers grows, so can the number of “library patrons”.
Bianca Afloarei, one of the volunteers, agreed to participate in this project because she would have liked to have had such a library available to her when she was beginning to learn about God.
Beatrice Boieriu, another volunteer, emphasized the need for the Mobile Library to have various kinds of materials available. To a 13-year-old boy who does not like to read, Beatrice offered the movie Gifted Hands, with Romanian subtitles. “There are many people who we cannot reach because they do not want to read or they cannot read. We still have to find appropriate materials for them,” she said.
