Emptying Villages

On my second Sunday I spent the morning with a small congregation about an hour west of Zalau. About 30 people of all ages crowded into this small chapel. it was encouraging to see the four teenagers take part by singing a prepared song to the congregation.  I had been primed to teach on a subject relevant to some of the needs within the congregation.

Later we ( the visiting pastor and I) had lunch with a lovely older couple whose meal for us was 'ecological'. Everything we ate or drank was produced in their farm. They have 1200 vines and produce a local non-alcoholic grape juice which people travel over 100 miles to purchase. These farmers use no chemicals on the vines, so although I couldn't establish whether they had formal recognition as organic producers, they certainly seem to qualify. Hence their use and meaning of the word 'ecological'.

In common with many homes, the wood burning stove is a tall ceramic stove (see one in the background in the accompanying picture), which is relatively efficient as the bricks radiate an enormous amount of heat with very little wood. Many houses have several of these, which is their only heating system.

About one third of the litter

Their own children have flown the nest.  One lives with his family in Florida, another in Vancouver, and the third is a GP in a large town near the Hungarian border. They told me that there were 50 empty houses in their village, because the young people move away in search of work and careers, and that in another 25 years there will be a further 50 houses vacant as people like them die.

Footnote: after a nice (large) 3 course meal - and a quick tour to see the 3 week old piglets - we crossed the road to another church family for coffee (and the mandatory one and half large slices of cake!).  This family gave me 2 litres of the pressed grape juice to bring home (any soft drink bottle suffices) and I'm pleased to say that it arrived safely back in the UK without leaking inside my suitcase.