“Here I am talking about my best friend, Father Georg. To me, he is like a father. Many years ago, my father never looked at me. God only knows why. The difficult life drove Georg into mine. Like the stork brings children to families, Father Georg came to Austria from Bucharest. For the children and poor people.

“In 1991, Father Georg came from Vienna to the North Station in Bucharest. We were like children, hungry, sick and dirty, with fleas and lice. We felt that the Father liked us. He was not afraid. No other person had dared to touch us.”

“With Father Georg, you always had to work. In the morning he came with his list and assigned everyone a task and a broom. I preferred to hide behind the house, because it was difficult.”

Moise has already portrayed his life in a book (“Moise, My Friend”); in this second volume, his friendship with Father Georg is at the center. It is the story of how a young social worker from Austria encounters children living on the streets in Romania. The protégé Moise reports how he and his friend help together. It is a mutual listening and learning, a constant struggle with one another and for one another.

Perhaps this encourages former relationship parents, social workers, educators, and all those who still have people in difficult situations to look us in the eye, to touch us, and to walk a shared path with us.

In the face of overwhelming circumstances, one can no longer simply give advice. Above all, it is the gift of such friendship that makes life worthwhile and exciting for both sides.

This book is our thanks to Father Georg on the occasion of his eightieth birthday.

Ruth Zenkert and Nora Schoeller
www.elijah.at