Translations coordinator convinced by natureBUCHAREST, Romania — It was the beauty of nature that convinced Caroline Blaj, Translations Coordinator with the Interconfessional Bible Society in Romania (IBSR), that her school teachers must be wrong when they claimed that God did not exist. She grew up at a time when Romania was officially atheist, but even at an early age she felt it was “not possible that all of creation came about through mere chance”. Along with thousands of other Romanians, she attended the official ceremonies in praise of former communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu that took place on important days in the Christian calendar, but from the age of eight also went to church regularly. This was unusual among young people because it was not approved by the communist regime, but for her “it was a natural thing to do”. The first Bible she attempted to read, at the age of 15, was a German one which had belonged to her great-grandmother, and she did not receive her own Bible until she was 20. Having overcome these barriers, she went on to study theology and entered the IBSR to work part-time on various projects before joining the translation department. (WR 376/26 - 4/5.03)
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